Bug turned and looked at me, his face surprised.
I winked at him. "Garen knows how to read people. He watched them lie his entire life. It gives you a unique perspective. He knows how to obtain a confession. You do it by convincing the person you're on their side. He started with that charming confession about being uncomfortable with choosing the wine and it only got better from there. He was sincere, disarming, and logical."
"Is that magic?" Bug asked.
"No, it's human nature. Shaffer is a professional interrogator. But so am I." I gave Bug my best reassuring smile. "I can see into your brain, Bug. I know what makes you tick."
He shuddered. "Don't do that."
Bern laughed in his chair. Rogan remained stoic. Still no dice.
"The good news is, Garen isn't involved in the conspiracy, so he isn't our problem. We can set this aside and move on."
Rogan gave no indication he heard me.
"I have something to tell you, Rogan."
His expression didn't change.
"Rogan." I touched his arm.
He came to, turned, and looked at me, his attention completely focused on me. The effect was overpowering. For this moment nothing existed in Rogan's universe except me. I loved when he did that.
"Yes?"
"I have a strong reason to believe that Brian Sherwood is working with Alexander Sturm."
"Fuck."
"Yep."
"Why?"
"He wasn't satisfied with the way his family turned out. His daughter is an empath, which is useless as far as he's concerned. Kyle has no magic, and it threatens Brian. His parents raised Brian as their golden child, whose only value was in his talent, which would ensure he would inherit BioCore and become a Prime of a certain standing. His entire self-worth is tied up in being Brian Sherwood, the brilliant herbamagos Prime and Head of House Sherwood. Brian knew since birth that he is special and he has grown accustomed to the world acknowledging it. He hates the idea that someone might question his ability to sire Prime children. He wanted out for a while, but as long as Olivia Charles was alive, he didn't dare to make any waves in that placid pond. And since his wife became a social pariah, now he views her as a liability."
He thought about it. "Olivia is dead. Why not just divorce Rynda?"
"Because Edward told him that Brian has certain responsibilities as a husband and father and if he shirked those responsibilities, Edward would retire, leaving BioCore in Brian's hands. Brian can't run that company. He has no idea how to do it. If Edward retires, all of Brian's prestige evaporates. He knows he will run BioCore into the ground. He would no longer be treated with deference. Nobody would think he was important."
Rogan's eyes darkened, his expression harsh. "But if something happened to Rynda, and Brian became a widower, things line up rather nicely."
"Yes. He wouldn't hire a hit man. It's too risky and he doesn't even know where to look for one. He's probably terrified that if he tried to find someone, they would turn out to be an undercover cop and he'd end up in prison. This way everything is taken care of: his new violent friends get what they want while he cools his heels in some mansion, and when the time comes to make the exchange, Rynda is tragically killed."
Rogan nodded. "If not at the exchange, then shortly after. Perhaps the children die with her."
"Yes. He's then free to pursue his new life, and nobody is the wiser."
"It's plausible. How solid is this?"
"We know that the kidnapping occurred in view of one of only three cameras facing Memorial Drive," Bug said.
"We can put Brian and Sturm together in a coffee shop two days before the kidnapping," Bern said. "We also know that someone accessed his home computer that night, using Brian's credentials, while Brian and Rynda were out."
"We have Edward Sherwood, who told me about the conversation he had with his brother. He didn't lie. And, the ear they sent us doesn't belong to Brian," I finished.
"Have you told Rynda?" Rogan asked.
"Not yet. But I will. She's my client, and her life and the lives of her children may be in danger."
"If she's so empathic, how come she didn't see this coming?" Grandma Frida asked.
"I listened to the initial interview," I said. "She never said, ‘Brian loves me.' She said Brian takes care of her and the kids. She talked about how much the kids miss him. I think she sensed the resentment. What I don't understand is why the marriage happened in the first place. Rynda didn't need his money, and as much as she craved stability, I find it hard to believe she saw something irresistible in him."