We last read Chapter 59, in which Raven Tristan meets with Xavier Wheldon at the Pegasus Club, showing him expertly doctored photos, and a hacked newspaper website, to convince him she was wrong about Beth Harper being Sapphire Angel. She’s also altered the costume in his display case, to make it appear subtly different from Sapphire Angel’s true costume. Tristan sees the power of the necklace at work, as Wheldon winces and rubs his temples, his brain fighting the truth. In the end, he seems to believe her, but vows to himself to search Harper’s suitcase when she arrives at the Pegasus Club, to see if she is hiding a costume inside it.
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's stomach twisted in knots as she threw her notes into her bag for her final meeting at the OCO. She should have heard from Raven Tristan by now. Tristan only needed to speak with Wheldon, and, depending on her plan, alter some photos. But Beth's phone hadn't rung, and she'd received no messages.
Had the woman double crossed her? Or had Tristan been wrong about the extent of the necklace's ability to affect minds? Perhaps Tristan hadn't fooled Wheldon, and had fled town to escape any fallout from his plans..
Beth glanced down at the loose papers in her bag, which only reminded her of her failure to uncover what was going on with StarPrime deal. Her shoulders sagged, and she wondered how much more she could take. It looked like she would attend Wheldon's gala, at his mercy in the dress he had picked out. Tristan had implied Wheldon might pass her around as a plaything for some of his guests. Beth gave a hard swallow at the thought of her fall — from invincible heroine to toy for powerful men.
Like a dead man walking, Beth plodded to her car, and made the short drive to the OCO offices. She had almost forgotten she'd be seeing Conner there. Another failure. On top of everything else, any chance with Conner was gone. She wouldn't blame if never wanted to see her again, after the way she had treated him following her confrontation with Wheldon.
Throughout the drive, she glanced at her phone, hoping for a message from Tristan. None came. Tristan had abandoned or tricked her. Beth parked in the garage, and five minutes later she walked into the same conference room where Wheldon had blackmailed her. A shiver ran through her spine at the memory.
Richard Emerson, Olivia Lockheed, and Conner sat around the table and looked up as she entered. Conner's features were expressionless, while Lockheed wore a satisfied smirk. Beth slid into the chair next to Conner, placing her bag and phone on the table.
"You're late, Harper, but Conner has filled us in," Lockheed said. "He said you have nothing for your story, which means we have no reason to halt this deal."
"That's not what I said," Conner said with a soft edge to his voice. "There's plenty there. I simply said we had found no smoking guns."
"Okay, okay," Emerson said, holding up his hand. "Let's calm down. Ms. Harper, Conner said you have no direct evidence of anything improper with this deal. So I want to be up front with you. We'll hear what you have to say, but without direct evidence, it is highly unlikely we'll recommend the deal not be approved."
Beth's fists tightened under the table. She remembered Wheldon's admonition that she needed to advocate for the deal, and her belief that her position didn't matter. She had been right. This deal was going through, with or without her. She hung her head, unable to speak.
"Harper, don't look so glum, sweetie," Lockheed said with a grin on her face. "You gave it your best shot, didn't you? I'm sure your daddy always told you it is the effort that counts, right?"
Lockheed spoke with enough condescension in her voice to make Beth want to reach across the table and smack her. But Beth remained silent. What could she say?
"So what do you have?" Emerson asked.
Conner glanced at Beth, and when she didn't speak, he turned to Emerson and Lockheed.
"Lots of circumstantial evidence," he said. "Pieced together, it suggests something is going on."
Lockheed snorted. "You need to do better than that."
Emerson held up his hand, gesturing for Lockheed to stop. "Let's hear it," he said.
Conner nodded.
"Let's start at the start," he said. "Xavier Wheldon spent years opposing nuclear power, and then decided to have StarPrime buy this plant, for no apparent reason. He also built a lodge on land next to the plant."
"Nothing actionable there," Lockheed interjected. "You and the blogger girl caused trouble, without accomplishing anything."
A flash of anger surged in Beth. As it did, she gained clarity, realizing that if the deal was going through regardless of what she said, she was free to speak her mind. Her arguments wouldn't torpedo the deal, so they wouldn't put her in Wheldon's crosshairs. She had to say her peace.
Before Beth could speak, though, her phone vibrated on the table in front of her. Beth turned it just enough to see the screen. A text message from Raven Tristan.
You're in the clear. All is back to how it was.
The words were like clouds parting in the sky and angels singing from on high. Beth hoped her expression wasn't too obvious, because in that instant she felt as if an elephant jumped off her back. She paused, took a deep breath, and raised her eyes to stare at Olivia, before turning to Conner.
"Let me handle this," Beth said to Conner, before leveling her gaze at Olivia and continuing. "Although Ms. Lockheed doesn't care to do her job, I'll still summarize what we learned. And I will make sure this information gets filed with the proper channels with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, even if it doesn't get printed as a part of a story on my publisher's site. That way there will be a nice paper trail, should something improper ever surface regarding this deal.."
Lockheed's jaw tightened as she returned Beth's glare, but she said nothing.
"Let's go back prior to my involvement," Beth said, turning to Emerson. "Someone was shot and killed on Wheldon's land. The police chief, Biggins, wasn't interested in learning the truth."
Beth pulled a paper from her bag and slide it to the middle of the table before continuing.
"Exhibit A, for the record. This is the suspension notice for the officer investigating the shooting. It will show bogus charges, if someone bothered to look into them."
Beth turned her gaze back to Lockheed, who she fixed with an accusatory stare. Lockheed glared at Beth.
"On our first visit to Wheldon's land, someone shot at Conner and I, when we tried getting near a tower. That was near where the prior shooting took place. Someone wanted to keep that tower private."
"Pure speculation," Lockheed snapped.
Beth started at Lockheed, before removing printed photographs from her bag and sliding them in front of her.
"Exhibit B," Beth said. "Again for the record, if not for my story. These are the photographs Sapphire Angel gave to Conner, showing late night activity at the tower. And Conner will confirm that Sapphire Angel feels something is going on at the tower."
"What does it matter what that costumed floozy thinks?" Lockheed snapped. "She just stirs things up, and answers to nobody. She needs someone to show her who is in charge. If I ever got my hands on her, I'd..."
Lockheed's voice trailed off, and she blushed. She looked down at the table and remained silent.
"Some might wonder what Wheldon was doing at the tower at night," Beth said. "And why he had his men shoot at people who got near it."
"That's slander," Lockheed said, shaking her finger. "You don't know Wheldon was responsible for the shooting."
"The tower is on his property," Beth said, "and his guards refused to let the investigating officer compare the ballistics to their weapons."
"We need evidence, not your crazy suspicions," Lockheed said. Emerson sat back, sighing and shaking his head as he watched the exchange between the two women. But he said nothing.
"Unfortunately," Beth continued, "no ballistic analysis was done. Chief Biggins nixed that possibility. It would have given you the evidence you want. Or don't want."
"What are you saying Harper?" Lockheed said, rising from her chair.
"Easy, Olivia, easy," Emerson said, lifting a calming hand.
Lockheed stood for a moment longer, glaring at Beth, before lowering herself into her seat. Beth pulled more photographs out of her bag, along with a sheet of paper.
"Exhibit C," she said, sliding the paper and photographs to the center of the table. "These are photos of a building in the woods, on Wheldon's land. Sapphire Angel provided the photographs and that note, explaining that Wheldon and Chief Biggins visited the building late at night. The building contained stacks of cinderblocks inside and on the roof."
"Oh my," Lockheed said, with mock horror. "Cinderblocks. Lock Wheldon up now. And how did that bitch learn that, anyway?"
"Olivia, I won't tell you again," Wheldon said, raising his voice before turning back to Beth. "Is that it?"
Beth waited several moments before answering, trying to think if she was forgetting anything. Her thoughts had been scattered the last few days, so she couldn't be sure she hadn't missed an important point. She had omitted Wheldon's excursion in Florida, but that had established nothing. She glanced at Conner, who shrugged.
"In a nutshell, yes," Beth said after a few more moments. On the surface, the evidence didn't sound like much. It was the way it fit that raised alarms for her.
Emerson grimaced. "Ms. Harper, I appreciate the work you and Conner have done, but Olivia is right. We don't have any grounds to stop this deal. I'll be informing the parties, and the proper government entities, once we finish this meeting. They are standing by at the plant, waiting for us. Most of the work is already done, and StarPrime's people are already in place. We were the last hurdle. Our opposition or approval wasn't even an official step, but a courtesy from other entities."
Beth didn't object, knowing she hadn't had a leg to stand on, but balled her fists under the table at the news the deal had already been proceeding forward. What would they have done if she had found something? This had been a waste of time.
"If we had more time," she said, "and more authority from proper channels, we could do more. There is plenty here to follow up on."
"Unfortunately, there's not," Emerson said. "I agree there may be more than meets the eye here, but my hands are tied. Today was my deadline to file a report, and I needed something concrete to object to this deal."
"It was a nice try, though," Lockheed said, her voice dripping with condescension. Beth gripped the arms of her chair but said nothing, as Richard held up a cautionary hand toward Lockheed. Conner sat staring at his toes. Several awkward moments passed.
"I guess I'll be going, then," Beth said, and rose from her chair. She wouldn't waste any more time in a perfunctory meeting. Conner rose next to her, but Lockheed spoke.
"Just a moment, Conner," the woman said. "We have some OCO business to go over once she's gone. I'd rather do it now, instead of during our date."
Beth did a quick double take and saw Lockheed smirking at her. Beth turned away and didn't look back as she left the conference room. Once out of sight down the hall, she fought back tears of frustration. She should be ecstatic, now that her identity was safe, but it was too much. The failed investigation. Conner. The feeling of being bested by Olivia Lockheed.
She was almost to the foyer when her phone rang in her bag. She fished it out to see an incoming call from Raven Tristan.
"Hello, Tristan," Beth answered, ducking into a small conference room.
"You don't sound good, Harper."
"Don't worry about it. I got your message. How did it go down?"
"I won't go into details, but you're safe," Tristan said. "I just want to make sure you'll do your part and go to the gala tonight to stop Wheldon."
Beth sighed. "I'll do my best."
"Good," Tristan replied. "And I may be able to help. I'll be there tonight, out of sight. Wheldon wants my computer expertise to help monitor surveillance, network instructions, and things like that."
"That has to be good, right?" Beth asked. "It could even help you figure out what is going on."
"Maybe, but I doubt it. He wouldn't have me there if I could. But I can still help behind the scenes. And there's someone else at the lodge who can help, too. That's one of the reasons I'm calling. His name is Oliver Dickerson. He's one of Wheldon's butlers up there. He's looked out for me in the past, and he's never trusted Wheldon. I'll get word to him that Wheldon is up to something, and I'll tell him you're one of the good guys."
This disclosure surprised Beth. It meant Tristan really did mean to stop Wheldon, if she could.
"Oliver Dickerson," Beth repeated. "How can he help, and how do I find him?"
"He'll find you," Tristan replied, "and I'm not sure yet how he can help, but he's already provided me with some intel. Wheldon is dealing with some very important people, and Oliver overheard one part of a conversation. Wheldon swore to be the fall guy if things go wrong, and gave them something to make sure it happens."
"What did he give them?" Beth asked.
"I don't know. Probably just some dirt on him or maybe others in his family, to make sure he honors his pledge. I don't think the details are important. The important part is that, for him to be the fall guy, they had to make sure there was no paper or other digital trail on this one. They've done everything by phone, or by encrypted video conference. So there's been nothing for me to find."
"Let me guess," Beth said. "That makes you feel better about yourself?"
Tristan paused a moment before replying.
"Perhaps, Harper," she said, annoyance in her voice. "I have to go make preparations."
"Has this Oliver guy learned anything else?"
"See you tonight," Tristan replied, her voice terse. Before Beth could say more, the line went dead.
With a shake of the head, Beth slipped her phone into the bag and moved to the door. Could she trust Tristan tonight, after all the goth woman had done to her? She might not have a choice.
Beth opened the door just as Olivia Lockheed approached from down the hall, marching directly toward her and causing Beth to take two steps back into the room. Lockheed entered the room and closed the door behind her.
"I hear Wheldon invited you to dinner and a party at his lodge tonight," Lockheed remarked, glaring at Beth and wagging her finger.
"That's right," Beth nodded, meeting her gaze.
"Are you going?"
"I was planning to."
Lockheed's jaw tightened. "Don't be stupid!" she snapped.
"Stupid?" Beth asked, tilting her head.
"Yes, stupid," Lockheed repeated, nearly frothing at the mouth. "You had your chance and struck out. The deadline has passed. The sale is a done deal, and your story is dead. You have no reason to go."
"Duly noted," Beth replied, fighting back a smile. It felt good to get under Lockheed's skin.
Lockheed's face flushed. "You should have just listened to me from the start, you know. You ended up wasting a lot of time and resources on this investigation, and took up the time of one of our best investigators."
Beth bit her lip. She wasn't in the mood to argue with Lockheed.
"Speaking of which," Lockheed snapped, "don't get any ideas about Conner. You're not his type. I am."
The women locked eyes and glared at one another for several seconds, before Lockheed turned and left the room, stomping down the hall.
Beth shook her head. She wouldn't waste any energy thinking about Olivia Lockheed. She had a party to prepare for — a party she would be attending of her own volition, hoping against hope to get to the bottom of Wheldon's plans.
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!
I appreciate any comments or email.
Olivia Lockheed makes me want to pop my entire aspirin bottle into my mouth at once, man……she’s just too much. Still…..it was good that Beth still voiced her mind regarding Wheldon’s activities even though she knew at that point it (likely) wouldn’t change much.
We’ve got Oliver and Raven at our side; let’s get ready for the gala!
Still have NO idea what Wheldon’s planning. We know he’s crazy about nuclear energy, despite seemingly being against it before. Maybe he plans to nuke the whole planet or something. I dunno, when I think “nuclear”, nukes are the first thing I think of.
I need mental help, I know. 🤣