“What can you tell us about Wendy Madigan?” I asked.
Jonah darted his gaze at me again. Was he confused? I wasn’t sure, but I had a reason for asking this question.
“She’s a newswoman. Retired.”
“We already know that. I’m looking for something deeper. I want to know how she was involved in the attack on Talon.”
“You’ll have to ask her.”
“As you know, Jonah and Talon have asked her about it. Her story doesn’t jibe with yours. You say Talon was never meant to be taken. She says Talon was taken on purpose, and the plan might have been to take all three of the boys.”
“Doesn’t surprise me.”
“What doesn’t surprise you? That all the boys were meant to be taken?”
“No. It doesn’t surprise me that she’s lying to you.”
Jonah was rigid next to me. He’d had a bad feeling after his meeting with Wendy, thought there was more to her than met the eye. Clearly he was correct.
“Why doesn’t that surprise you?”
“Because she was obsessed. Obsessed with Bradford Steel.”
“You mean my father and she were not lovers?” Jonah said.
“They were a long time ago. She was a great-looking woman in her younger days. And Brad was no saint.”
“Do you know for sure whether they were lovers?” Jonah asked.
“I can’t say for sure. I mean, I never saw them in bed together, but it was pretty much known when they were younger. They went out during high school.” He shook his head. “She may play the part of the competent newswoman, but don’t be fooled. She has a dark side. And that dark side was obsessed with your father.”
“You claim you didn’t get the five million dollars that mysteriously disappeared from one of my father’s accounts twenty-five years ago,” Jonah said.
“Correct. I didn’t get any.”
“Then where did it go?”
“How the hell should I know? It would’ve been a nice gesture for them to give me some money. They chased me out of town after I helped your brother escape.”
“Gee, I don’t know why my parents would chase you out of town,” Jonah said. “After you fucking abused their son.”
“Let me get straight to the point here,” Larry said. “I did help him escape. He was never supposed to be taken. None of us wanted to incur the wrath of the Steel family. That would just be stupid. You can think what you want about all three of us, but we were never stupid.”
“Seems you were stupid to get involved with the other two,” Jonah said through clenched teeth. “Seems you have their backs, but they never had yours.”
I squeezed Jonah’s thigh again, hoping he would calm down a bit. “What else can you tell me about your high school experience?” I asked. “Were you and Tom good friends?”
“We were both members of the future lawyers club. That’s how we met.”
“And was anyone else a member of the club?”
“Lady— Excuse me. Dr. Carmichael, I’m not saying another word about Simpson or the other one. But you can find the information you seek very easily.”
Chapter Twenty–Two
Jonah
Melanie squeezed my thigh again. “Jonah, I think we can go now.”