to grab a bunch of magazines out while you watched me risk my life to save my father and my vineyard.” He shook his head. “Can you explain that to me?”
“I... I was actually bringing a friend some magazines. She waited for me in her car. On my way back inside, I was side-tracked when Billy Norton stopped to talk to me.” She shrugged. “That’s why I had the magazines in my hands. I was still with Billy when he heard the fire alarm go off, and that the vineyard was on fire.”
Good grief, she was believable. “Who was your friend – the one you gave the magazines to?”
“Someone I met not too long ago. She works for the magazine, Tribute. She’s their main reporter, and she hinted that she wanted to interview me.” She swallowed noisily. “Of course, I’d do anything to get interviewed.”
Joslyn! “Did the reporter say why she needed the magazines?”
A blank look crossed Kitty’s face. “Well, no.”
Thomas pulled back and leaned on the edge of his desk, folding his arms. “Did your new friend say anything else or ask you any questions?”
“Like what?”
“Anything that might pertain to this company.”
The receptionist blinked a few more times, and Thomas could see the wheels turning as if she was struggling to remember.
“Well... they did ask me once –”
“They?”
“Yes, Joslyn and her boyfriend.”
She has a boyfriend? Thomas certainly hadn’t gotten that impression when she and Morgan were at the Country Club.
“Go on.” He nodded.
“Well, they asked me lots of questions about the winery. Like I’d said, I thought they wanted to interview me because I was the receptionist for such a prestigious company.”
“Kitty,” he said, trying to keep his anger under control, “did they ask you about the security cameras?”
“Oh, yes.”
He gnashed his teeth. “And what did you tell them?”
“I told them what they wanted to know.”
“Which was?”
“What areas the cameras cover – and what areas were hidden.”
He nodded slowly. “And how did you know that very secretive bit of information?”
“Thomas,” Tasha said in a calm voice. “That was my fault. I needed Kitty’s help one day, and so I told her about the secret areas.”
Finally, pieces of this confusing puzzle were starting to fit together. He nodded to Tasha before returning his focus on Kitty. “I have one last question.”
“Okay.” Her voice trembled.
“What was Joslyn’s boyfriend’s name? Was it Garth?”
She shook her head. “No, Joslyn called him Garrett.”
Thomas paused. The names were too close to disregard the suspicion growing inside his chest. “Do you remember a last name?”
“Um, Stoddard... No, that’s not it. It was Swanson.” She crinkled her brow. “No, that doesn’t sound right, either.”
“Sorenson, perhaps?”
Her eyes grew wide. “Yes, Garrett Sorenson.”
Victory filled Thomas, and he wanted to shout with joy. But he wouldn’t not yet.
“Mr. Powers?” she asked meekly. “Does this mean I’m fired?”
He grumbled under his breath. “I should fire you. After all, you told someone about the security cameras, and that was how they got inside the gates to start the fire. I think they are the ones that nearly killed my father, too.”
Big tears swam in her eyes and her bottom lip trembled. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know...” She took an uneven breath. “You can fire me. I deserve it.”
“Let me think about it.” He motioned toward the door. “Go back to the front desk and get back to work. And for heaven’s sake, do not give away any of the company’s secrets again.”
Nodding, she stood and wiped the tears out of her eyes. “Oh, I promise, Mr. Powers. I’ll make you proud.”
As she hurried out of the office, Tasha slowly stood, looking at him as if he were an imposter. A smile gradually stretched across her face.
“What a surprise,” she said. “And may I add how proud I am of you, too.” She winked and walked out of the room.
Strange, but just her praise lifted his hopes more than knowing who started the fire. Well, almost.
TWENTY-SIX
Working for a tabloid paper, Morgan knew how to get answers quickly. She called Sun Winery – Powers’ competitors – and asked for Garth Sorenson. The receptionist told her that Garth had taken the day off. Morgan had a feeling the man was at his home, studying the grafted vines he’d stolen from the Powers’ shed, and gloating over his success. After all, according to Thomas, the man had been trying for years to find out how the specialty wines were made. Garth would have stolen the vines before having Joslyn torch the place.
To find where Garth