No Stranger to Scandal - By Rachel Bailey Page 0,28

tossed her a paper bag that was fragrant with the scent of freshly baked muffins, and unlocked the door. “As promised.”

“You’re a prince among men, Hayden Black.”

He threw his keys and wallet on a side table and turned to find her already making headway with the first muffin. She seemed comfortable enough given the nature of their meeting, and it filled him with relief. After the way things had ended last night, he’d feared she might not return his calls, or agree to see him with anything short of a subpoena. But thankfully things appeared to be okay between them, if a little awkward. Now all he had to do was not cross any lines with her again. Never let his guard down.

He grabbed his notebook and sat at the desk. “First, tell me you didn’t remember this when you were in front of Congress and keep it from them.”

“No, in the cab afterward,” she said, taking the other chair at the desk. “But it was their question that made me remember.”

“Which question?”

“They asked if I’d heard of Nancy Marlin.”

“And you said no.” He’d been taking notes through all the hearings, but he didn’t need to check the notes from Lucy’s testimony—he remembered every word.

She nodded, she was practically vibrating with restless energy. “But the name bugged me and I remembered in the cab on the way back to work. I overheard a conversation months ago where the name came up.”

“Who was talking?”

“Marnie Salloway and Angelica Pierce.”

The wheels in his mind began to turn. This could be the piece of the puzzle that made all the others fit together.

“Who is Nancy Marlin?” she asked.

“A friend of Barbara Jessup.” When the president was young, his family had employed Barbara Jessup as a maid—the list of questions for the hearing had included random names of people connected to the president, even by two or three degrees of separation. There was only one reason journalists could have to be talking about a maid’s friend.

Lucy’s eyes widened. “This is it.”

Part of him agreed with her—this could be it—but he didn’t want to count his chickens and jinx it. He drew in a measured breath. “Do they know you overheard them?”

“I doubt it. I was in the supply closet and they stopped just outside the door. Once I had what I wanted, I waited for them to finish—with Marnie and Angelica, keeping a low profile is essential to survival.”

Having met Angelica, he understood. “I want you to repeat word for word what they said.”

“At first they were complaining about one of the other producers, then Angelica asked, ‘Is there any progress with Nancy Marlin?’ Marnie said, ‘Not yet, but we’re still trying.’ And Angelica said, ‘Keep me up to date.’ After that, they went their separate ways and I sneaked out and back to my desk.”

A buzz of excitement was growing in his blood. He’d finally found it. “They’re both involved,” he said, staring down at the conversation he’d just copied onto paper. “They’ve hacked into Barbara Jessup’s phones.”

“Do you want to tell Congress to call me back?”

“We might have to, but I’ll try with Ames and Hall first. One overheard conversation isn’t much to go on, but if I can get them to give Marnie and Angelica up, they might be able to give me more evidence so the charges will stick.”

She put the remains of her second muffin back in the bag and brushed the crumbs from her fingers. “Wouldn’t they have given them up already if they were going to?”

“If they think we’re onto Marnie and Angelica anyway and it’s only a matter of time before we gather enough evidence, then they might try to negotiate with whatever they have on them. I can also interview Marnie and Angelica again, telling them that this conversation was overheard. It might be enough for one of them to panic or slip up.”

With a restless move of her shoulders, she glanced out his window. “I wish I’d remembered earlier.”

“Remembering at all is great.” Gently, he turned her back to face him. “I’ll try and keep your name out of it if I can.”

Her eyes flashed fire. “Our ground rules said we wouldn’t let our involvement interfere with the investigation. Don’t try to protect me.”

“I’d do what I could to protect any witness. If I can get stronger evidence, then we won’t need yours and there’s no point putting you in the line of fire. If we need you, don’t worry,” he said, cupping the side