No Stranger to Scandal - By Rachel Bailey Page 0,40
projections.”
He gave Josh another spoonful with one hand and clicked the mouse with the other. The same girl now appeared with straight blond hair. On the next click, she had aqua-blue irises. Then lips that were plumper.
“If Madeline colored her hair, wore contacts, had her lips done and had a nose job—” he clicked the mouse again and the same girl now had a different nose “—then she becomes more recognizable.”
“Angelica,” Lucy murmured. She took the baby spoon from him and stood, seamlessly taking over feeding Josh while watching the screen over his shoulder.
“Bingo. Angelica Pierce started life as Madeline Burch. I’ve also tracked Madeline’s records, and she disappears a couple of years after graduation. Angelica’s records go back to school years, but the tech guys in the office looked deeper and found they’re all plants. She’s tried to cover her tracks, and it’s worked, to an extent.”
Lucy tapped a fingernail against the bowl she held. “That’s a pretty thorough makeover.”
“No doubt about it.” He flicked through the slideshow again as he spoke. “My main question now is, did she do this for a new start, maybe to increase her chances of scoring an on-camera job...”
“Or is she hiding something?” Lucy finished for him.
He nodded. “I’ve made a few calls, and no one from her school has stayed in contact with Madeline. She was brought up by a single mother who’s passed on, and doesn’t seem to have any other family. Several women remember that Madeline was always bragging about having a rich father whom she couldn’t or wouldn’t name, but other than that, no one knew much. I had my staff trace her birth certificate, but her father wasn’t named.”
“And I’m betting we won’t be able to find anyone who knew Angelica Pierce as a child.”
“Not that I’ve found so far.” He flicked his pen over and under his fingers as his mind ticked through the facts. “In fact, besides you, I can’t find a single person who will say a bad word against Angelica. Troy Hall and Brandon Ames will only sing her praises, even though I’m pretty sure she set them up.”
When Josh finished eating the stewed fruit, Hayden wiped his face with the washcloth and Lucy took the bowl to the sink.
“She’s got to be blackmailing them with something,” she said over her shoulder.
“Agreed.” He unbuckled a clapping Josh and lifted him free of the high chair before giving him a quick hug and depositing him on the sofa with his toys. “If she’s gone to this much trouble to reinvent herself, I can’t see her setting someone up and leaving a loose thread. She would have had the blackmail material before choosing Ames and Hall to take the fall.”
“You know,” she said slowly, as if she was uncomfortable with what she was saying. “I talked to my stepfather and mentioned that Angelica had told you about the exposé. But he still trusts her.”
Hayden scanned her face, looking for signs that there were layers to what she was saying, but couldn’t find any. She was honestly telling him that she was surprised Graham Boyle still trusted Angelica Pierce after Angelica had betrayed him. It hit him then that Lucy truly believed her stepfather was innocent. She wasn’t covering for him—she really had no idea that Boyle was behind the illegal activities at ANS. Anger simmered that Boyle could have someone with a pure heart like Lucy in his life and risk dragging her into his sordid work. He should have kept Lucy away from ANS, away from a company that would likely leave her tarnished. Lucy deserved better.
He sank back into his chair at the desk. If he shared his thoughts with her, she wouldn’t believe him. She’d continue defending Boyle with more loyalty than the creep deserved, so instead he simply said, “Angelica’s ability to make people trust her is what’s gotten her this far.”
She reached into her hold-all bag and came out with a pale yellow muffin. She broke a large chunk off and handed it to him. “Lemon and poppy seed. I bought it on the way over.”
He took the chunk and bit in as he looked back at the images on his laptop. Angelica seemed to be holding all the cards. Everything came down to her, but they didn’t have one shred of evidence. Yet.
Brushing her hands, Lucy turned to him. “So what do we do next? We can’t just wait for her to slip up.”
“I’m heading to Fields, Montana. The president’s