Forbidden Fantasies Bundle(139)

Zoë glanced at him, but she couldn’t read what he was thinking.

“Yes, but I could have refused. I should have. And when he asked me to resign, he apologized, claiming that it was all his fault. He’d so admired my work that he’d allowed himself to forget how much appearances counted in D.C.”

Ryder added notes to the whiteboard. “So Zoë’s a newbie at the agency. She writes the analysis on Lucifer and she leaves at Hadley Richards’s request.”

“So if there are questions later about the reports, she’s not around to contradict what they say,” Jed added.

“Neat,” Gage murmured. “Very neat.”

“I agree,” Ryder said, “Zoë is out of the way and the reports are in, damning Lucifer for the murder of Frank Medici. There’s an order from the director to take out Lucifer.” He tapped the board with the marker thoughtfully. “The man with his finger in every pie seems to be Hadley Richards.”

“The question is why?” Bailey said.

For a few minutes, there was silence in the room as everyone stared at the whiteboard.

Bailey looked at Jed and spoke again. “I was hoping that if and when you resurfaced, you might have an idea of why you were framed. Do you have some sort of history with Hadley Richards that would threaten him?”

Jed shook his head. “I’ve never even met him.”

“He’s out to get the director’s job, and it could open up this year,” Bailey continued. “Do you have any aspirations in that direction?”

Jed’s laugh was dry. “No way.”

Zoë cleared her throat. “Lucifer isn’t politically correct enough for that kind of a job.”

Everyone turned to stare at her.

“It was part of my analysis.” She shot a quick look at Jed before she continued. “He wouldn’t play political games. He’s too much of an idealist. Plus, he’s known for sometimes making risky decisions and skating pretty close to the edge of the law. That’s what makes him such a great field agent. I mean, think about 007. Can you ever see James Bond taking over M’s job?”

“Good point,” Ryder said with a grin. “Bond always needs M to rein him in.”

“She’s right.” Bailey rose and moved to study the whiteboard. “So that means Frank Medici was definitely the prime target.” She fisted her hands on her hips. “Why take out the only man who’s successfully penetrated the Vidal organization? And why use Lucifer to set it up? Why frame him?”

There was another stretch of silence.

Then suddenly Zoë said, “I think I can answer the second question. Lucifer is the perfect choice. Frank trusted him because they have a history together.” She paused to glance at Gage and Ryder. “Both of you would have trusted him, right?”

Ryder and Gage made sounds of agreement.

“And who would be the person most likely to start poking into the circumstances surrounding Frank’s death?” Zoë asked.

“Lucifer,” Bailey said. “And the bomb didn’t take care of that problem.”

“No. I was close to finding out who’d made that bomb when you asked me to meet with you in that alley,” Jed added. “So if we’re right, that’s why I had to be eliminated.”

“If Richards is behind all this, he came up with a brilliant master plan,” Gage said. “First he has Bailey contact Lucifer to contact Frank. Then once Frank is dead and Lucifer is properly framed, he assigns her the job of taking Lucifer out. Not only does he eliminate Lucifer, but he ensures Bailey’s loyalty. She’s not likely to start poking around in it because she’s involved right up to her pretty little neck.”

Jed picked up the thread. “He takes Zoë under his wing, assigns her the reports, and when she sticks by her analysis, he orchestrates her resignation so that he can doctor her reports.”

“In a matter of days, the frame’s in place, both Lucifer and Frank Medici are dead, and the cases are closed,” Ryder summarized. “I have to agree with Gage. It’s a brilliant master plan.”

Bailey shot Zoë a grim smile. “It might even have worked if old Had hadn’t underestimated the women he chose as his pawns.”

“Very true,” Gage said with a smile for both women.

“But we still don’t know why Richards wanted Frank Medici dead,” Jed pointed out.

“Frank didn’t even work under Hadley,” Bailey said. “And I could never find any kind of a link between them.”

“Wait a minute.” Zoë reached for the reports that Bailey had placed on the coffee table earlier and began scanning the one about the money trail. After skimming it, she glanced up. “The money in Lucifer’s account in the Caymans—there’s no doubt that it can be traced to the Vidal organization?”