“No one believed that story?” Liam’s brow furrowed.
“It was decided, given Wade and Ben’s past history of pulling pranks on Bailey and their previous offenses, that their story was a well-fabricated lie in order to save their hides.” Scott cleared his throat. “Nothing they said added up, and there was no evidence of the black van Ben and Bailey had allegedly been put into.”
“But Ben was caught on the boat, and Wade was found passed out in his car on the docks,” Liam reiterated. “While they pleaded they were set up, Bailey told a different story while fighting the effects of some sedative, and everyone believed her.”
“Yup, the Blackwell Princess.” Scott’s voice deepened with disgust. “Don’t get me wrong. Bailey was a sweet kid and a wonderful woman. But she has been known to do anything to get her way no matter the cost.”
“But what would she gain from sending Ben to prison?” Liam asked in disbelief.
“Ben out of her way,” Scott’s voice was soft. “I couldn’t believe it at first either. For years, I’ve been trying to break into a recording taken from the first prototype of the Bio band.”
“Okay,” Liam said with a frown. “What has that got to do with ten years ago?”
“Wade helped me design the bio band,” Scott amazed Liam by saying. “He and Ben agreed to be the test subjects. Earlier on the eve of the kidnapping, Clem and Wade had had a fight. She’d told Wade that she had to agree with Ben, that Bailey hated her and Ben for getting between Bailey’s relationship with Wade. Clem had seen long ago that Bailey had a huge crush on Wade.”
“Ah!” Liam nodded. “But surely her spite wouldn’t have been so bad as to push her to do something that heinous?”
“I don’t know,” Scott confessed. “What I do know is that Wade and Ben’s recordings from their bio bands that night were damaged and nonrecoverable.” he sighed. “They had gotten really smashed up in the fight like someone had taken a hammer to them.” He went quiet. “It occurred to me many times that that’s precisely what happened to them. They didn’t record remotely like they do now. The data was stored on a tiny SD card in the device.”
“You think someone deliberately destroyed the devices?” Liam asked.
“I do,” Scott said. “And I’m inclined to believe it was Wade that destroyed them.”
“What?” Liam spluttered in disbelief. “Why would Wade destroy evidence that could potentially get him and Ben cleared?”
“That’s what I’ve always wanted to know,” Scott admitted. “And when I’m on Plum Island in a few hours, I intend to find out.”
Liam started to walk toward the cockpit when the engines suddenly roared to life, and the boat rocked. Liam’s hand shot out to steady himself, leaning against a window. He turned to look inside, and his eyes caught an insignia on the glass. He frowned and looked closer at it.
“Liam?” Scott called. “Is everything okay?”
“It seems like Wade may have started the boat,” Liam told him.
“I knew he would,” Scott’s voice was filled with pride. “I always told him he’d missed his calling. Wade can hack anything.”
“Scott, this may seem insignificant, but there’s an insignia on the windows of the yacht,” Liam told him as he moved fromone window to the next. “It looks like a dagger with TBC curved beneath it.”
“That’s not insignificant,” Scott told him and went quiet for a while. “Sail back with my brother, Ben, and Dawn to keep the peace. I’ll be there tonight, and we can talk.”
“Why? Who are TBC?” Liam asked.
“A whole lot of trouble,” Scott said before saying goodbye and hanging up.
Liam was left staring at the emblem with a sinking feeling in his stomach that had nothing to do with the rocking motion of the boat as it swayed like a racehorse waiting to burst free from the starting gate.
CHAPTER 13
Harper hung up the phone, a whirlwind of emotions stirring within her. She was both thrilled and overwhelmed by the conversation with her father. The prospect of going to Los Angeles with her parents—and the inclusion of Lila and Aunt Betty in the plans—added layers of excitement and complexity to her feelings.
She found Lila in the sunlit kitchen, pouring over a magazine. The light caught the highlights in her hair, casting a warm glow around her.
“Lila,” Harper began, her voice a mixture of enthusiasm and trepidation, “Dad just invited us to go to L.A. with him and Mom. They’re going to invite Aunt Betty and Uncle Sam, too.”
Lila’s eyes lit up, her smile spreading like sunlight breaking through clouds. “Really? That sounds amazing, Harper! When do we leave?” Her face fell. “That’s if my dad lets me go.”
“In two days,” Harper replied, sitting down across from her. “My dad has already spoken to yours, and he said you could go.”
“Really?” Lila’s eyes lit up once more. “That’s so awesome.”
