We last read Chapter 21, in which Beth Harper and Conner Bennett share their findings with one another. Beth tells Conner that they were on the land of Xavier Wheldon, StarPrime CEO, when someone shot at them. Wheldon bought the land three years earlier, around the time when he dropped his opposition to nuclear power, and became a proponent of it. She also shares what she learned about Wheldon, who served in the U.S. Army years earlier, although she found no official data about his service. She did locate an old news story, mentioning that Wheldon had served in a platoon with the current President of the United States years ago when the President was an officer. Beth has a request in with a friend at the Pentagon to see what else she can learn about Wheldon’s military service. Conner brags about his visit from Sapphire Angel, when she gave him information about the suspension of the police officer who investigated the shooting on the land near the nuclear power plant — Xavier Wheldon’s land.
This is the second story, so if you want to start from the very beginning, you can jump over to book 1, and begin with the Prologue of Sapphire Angel, Superheroine. Or to start at the beginning of book 2 (this story), click over to the Prologue of Power Play.
Thanks for reading!
Beth and Conner entered the large conference room and sat next to one another, with their backs to a bank of windows. Behind them, the capitol complex's Greek-inspired buildings peeked through the tall trees lining the streets.
A few minutes later Richard Emerson entered with Olivia Lockheed on his heels. Emerson and Lockheed nodded and sat opposite Conner and Beth. They both wore serious expressions.
"So tell me what's been going on," Emerson said in a relaxed tone.
Conner spoke first. He began by summarizing the previous day, leaving out the part about someone shooting at them. Beth glanced at him, feeling relief and appreciation for the omission. Lockheed started shaking her head just a few minutes into Conner's talk, and her frown deepened when he glossed over the meeting with Chief Biggins.
"And how was the tone of the meeting with the chief?" Lockheed asked, tilting back her chair.
"Tone?" Conner asked. "Businesslike, you could say."
"That's not what I heard," Lockheed replied, and Beth and Conner exchanged quick glances.
"What did you hear?" Conner asked.
"He called me this morning," Lockheed explained. "He said you two really were digging into police business and being quite pushy about it."
"We were trying to locate one of his officers," Beth interjected, her face growing warm.
Lockheed turned slowly to face Beth. "As anyone who works for this agency knows, we rely on our relationships with local law enforcement." She paused with a smirk. "That's right — I forgot. You probably don't know. You don't work for this agency. In any event, it sounds like you all but accused him of lying to you. If you worked here, you'd know you can't do that."
"Wait a second," Conner said, holding out a hand. "Olivia, don't come down on Beth for this. If you're blaming someone, blame me. I was the one who questioned what he was telling us."
"Yes, Conner," Olivia said, "you definitely should have known better than to accuse a police chief of lying to you."
"Actually, he was lying to us," Beth interjected, her jaw clenched.
"And how do you know that?" Lockheed asked with a sneer.
Beth tossed the folder down onto the table. "The chief told us the officer was on vacation. But that folder contains a notice of suspension for the officer. It shows quite clearly that the only vacation he is on is involuntary, imposed by Biggins himself."
Emerson had been quiet and shown no emotion until now. But he raised an eyebrow, leaned forward, and pulled the folder closer. He opened it and placed it so Lockheed could see it, too. Lockheed's face turned bright red, and she gave Beth a quick glare as she looked up.
"Interesting," Emerson said, tapping his lips with his index finger as he continued to stare at the paper.
"This proves nothing," Lockheed snapped, looking at Beth. "The chief might have just been protecting the officer's reputation. How did you get this?"
Conner jumped in. "We did nothing wrong to get it, Olivia. Sapphire Angel gave it to me."
Lockheed and Emerson's heads both jerked up, their jaws open.
"Sapphire Angel?" they asked simultaneously.
"Yes, Sapphire Angel," Conner replied, a satisfied smirk on his face.
Lockheed narrowed her eyes suspiciously, while a look of awe crossed Emerson's face. Lockheed looked between Conner and Beth, doubt written on her face. There was something else in her look, too, that Beth couldn't place.
"And just how did she get involved in this?" the muscular woman asked, crossing her arms below her breasts.
Conner shrugged. "I'm not sure. She came to me and said she is looking into StarPrime, too. And she gave me that notice of suspension."
"Did she say why she's looking into StarPrime?" Emerson asked.
Conner shook his head. "No, she didn't. She gave me the notice and disappeared without a word."
"Very interesting," Emerson said, and looked down at his watch. "If Sapphire Angel is looking into StarPrime, perhaps there's something going on."
Lockheed started to speak, but Emerson held up his hand.
"Keep on with the investigation," he said to Beth and Conner, sliding the folder back across the table to them. "But remember — don't go overboard."
Beth looked down as she gathered the folder, but stole a glance and saw Lockheed glaring at her. Beth avoided the woman's eyes as she and Conner left the room.
"Make sure you check in," Lockheed called after them as they stepped out into the hall. Beth wished she could have turned around and stuck out her tongue, but the satisfaction of having knocked Lockheed down a peg would have to suffice. Beth kept walking, ignoring the seething woman.
Olivia Lockheed returned to her office, steam nearly pouring from her ears. Having that blogger bitch involved with agency business was bad enough. Having Emerson, a two-bit bureaucrat, agree with the girl was too much.
Harper's dogged determination both infuriated and captivated Lockheed. Harper was the enemy, but Lockheed had a soft spot for long-legged blondes. All the better if they were beautiful and self-assured like Harper. Or like Sapphire Angel. The mention of the superheroine's name had triggered a desire deep within Lockheed. The hot, confident ones were fun to dominate in bed. All the more enticing if they were powerful, like Sapphire Angel.
Lockheed growled in frustration and turned to the stack of papers on her desk. Daydreaming could be tough sometimes.
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......Is Olivia a lesbian for Beth? Like, unironically? I started suspecting that during the ending part. Then again, we’ve already established that’s she’s pretty dang messed up, so it might just be that, too.
Guess I’d better continue reading.