a good offer.”
“You’re not suggesting we do this?” Rob bellowed.
“No, it’s your decision, but it’s the only offer you’ll get from C. J. Doe.”
Rob tapped long fingers against the desk for a moment, then said, “Offer her three million. Money has a way of changing people’s minds.”
“No!” John Townsend shouted.
Everyone looked at him. The single word was the first he’d spoken during the whole meeting. His blue eyes blazed with a strength of old, and he looked like the powerful John Townsend who could melt a man in his boots with just one word. Even though his legs were weak, Matthew had a feeling John’s mind was as sharp as ever.
“Dad, what are you saying?”
“I’m saying we’re going to take the blood tests.”
“What?”
“Use your head, son. What’s the use of throwing money away when we can end this with a simple test?”
“But, Dad…”
Matthew could see the doubt in Rob’s eyes and there was doubt in John’s eyes, too, but unlike his son he was willing to gamble that C. J. wasn’t a Townsend.
John gazed up at Matthew, his expression fierce. “Let’s get one thing straight, Sloan,” he said. “I want this done discreetly. I don’t want any publicity—in the newspapers, TV or magazines—anywhere.”
“I don’t think she’ll have a problem with that.”
“And even if one of the tests is positive, she will not expect anything from this family.”
Matthew watched the fire in the man’s eyes and had to ask. “If she is a Townsend, can you turn your back on her?”
“In a heartbeat, sir,” he said without hesitation.
Matthew got a glimpse of the ruthlessness that had made this man so powerful. “I see. Okay. I’ll set everything up.”
Martha clutched John’s arm. “You don’t have to do this.”
He shrugged off her hand. “Shut up, Martha.”
For a moment Matthew studied the three people in the room. They had to be the unhappiest people he’d ever met. Just as the old saying had it, money and power really didn’t guarantee happiness. But he wondered why they didn’t seem to have an ounce of feeling for another human being. Victoria Townsend had felt differently. Why? Why was she so generous to C.J.? But it wasn’t his job to solve the mystery between the Townsends and C. J. Doe, he told himself. He was here only to do this job as a courtesy to his dad, then he’d go back to New York and his own world. But the more involved he became with the case, the more it intrigued him.
Clearing his throat, he said, “I’ll get back to you on the place and time.”
“You do that,” Rob said with a curt nod.
Matthew hurried from the room. When he reached the hall, he took a deep breath, trying to dispel the stifling oppressive feeling he’d felt in the Townsend family’s presence.
“DAD, WHY ARE YOU DOING this?” Rob asked a moment after the door closed on Matthew.
“Son, haven’t I taught you anything? When things get rough, play into your opponent’s hand, but always keep an ace up your sleeve.”
Rob shook his head. “What the hell does that mean?”
A wicked smile curved John’s thin lips. “It means we take the tests, but we make sure they come out negative.”
Realization dawned, and a smile spread across Rob’s face.
“Being in high places pays off. You meet people who can help you out in a situation like this,” John told him, a gleam in his old eyes.
Rob watched his father. “Then you’re not sure she’s not yours?”
“Just like you’re not sure she’s not yours.”
The silence grew heavy with tension. John cleared his throat. “You take your love of women after me, son, but we’re not going to let it cost you this election. Understand?”
“Understand.” Rob smiled a secret smile.
John nodded his approval, but he wasn’t through.
“Don’t you think it’s time you got your kids home?”
The smile vanished from Rob’s face. “Don’t start,” he warned.
“Your wife’s falling apart.”
“She’ll adjust.”
“The kids have been gone since the fall. She’s not adjusting. She dresses shabbily, uses foul language and spends all her time with those dogs. She’s not the lady you married.”
“Stay out of this,” Rob warned again. “This doesn’t concern you. Besides, you sent me away to school.”
“It didn’t help your rebellious streak, did it?”
“No,” Rob admitted.
“Then learn from my mistakes, son,” he said. “It took Francine so long to get pregnant. Those kids are extra-special to her.”
“That’s the damn problem,” Rob snapped. “She spoils them. No, they’re staying in school.”
John raised his eyebrows. “Do you want to win this election?” he asked in a low voice.
“Of course I do!”
“Then use your damn head. We need her and her family’s support. The minute the semester is over, get the kids home and spend some time together. Go places—and make sure there’s a photographer along. Plaster those pictures all over Texas. Let everyone see y’all as a loving family.”
At Rob’s hesitation John pointed a shaking finger at him. “If you lose this election, I’ll never forgive you.”
Rob gritted his teeth, then said, “I’ve never done anything to please the great John Townsend. But I’ll win the election and I’ll win in a big way.”
“You’d better,” John told him. “And you’d better get your kids home first.”
Rob inhaled audibly. “I’ll give it some thought,” he promised.
“Good,” John replied, victory in his tone. “Now hand me the phone. It’s time to get rid of the Doe problem.” He laughed harshly. “Never thought the little idiot would make it so easy.”
MATTHEW WALKED QUICKLY down the hall to the foyer and the front door, eager to get back to the office. With any luck this case could be wrapped up in a couple of weeks and he could resume his life in New York. He worried
