Her Inconvenient Groom by Niomie Roland
Chapter 36
Dustin was so anxious that he was certain his stomach was eating itself, corrosive acid burning its way through the lining until it destroyed his other internal organs. A day had passed, and he’d found himself embroiled in an elaborate plan to find out once and for all who had tried to kill Chantelle.
He’d called the Dubois brothers to let them know where he was. Although, as he had guessed, they’d long figured it out. Once Chantelle had called off the bloodhound that had been stationed at the door of her room, he was allowed to stay the night, dozing in her visitor’s chair.
And now he was in the room adjoining hers, which was hastily paid for and prepared with simple but sensitive surveillance equipment. And now, the plan that Sienna and Chantelle’s friends had concocted was underway.
If all went well, by the end of the night, they would have an answer.
Quietly, Dustin, Sienna, and Jacyn watched as Naisha, dressed in a white doctor’s coat with a stethoscope dramatically draped around her neck and Shaundra, flanked next to her in a nurse’s scrubs. They did a convincing job of masquerading as Chantelle’s doctor and nurse in the hospital hallway.
“I’m sorry,” Naisha said gravely to Dennis, Tom and Samantha, who had all been called back to France as a matter of urgency. “But we don’t believe Ms. Moreau will last the night. The damage to her internal organs has been substantial.”
Samantha gasped and leaned limply against her husband’s shoulder. Dennis hugged her reassuringly. “Are you sure, doctor?” he demanded. “We’re a family of means. If we need to fly in some experts from the United States, this is what we will do.”
Naisha shook her head. “She has had the benefit of an international team of experts, and we have been working fervently to save her for the past few weeks. The loss of her baby was grievous,” Dennis flinched. “But even beyond that, the toxic effects are too great. Our tests indicate that they are irreversible.”
“Have you made any determination as to the exact source of the poison?” Dennis asked.
I can’t believe he’s asking that, Dustin thought. He wanted to leap through the monitor and deck him.
Naisha handled the question with quiet dignity. “Considering the nature of the crime, and the fact that her husband has been charged with it, I am not at liberty to discuss these details. And while I respect that you are her next of kin, I haven’t been given the necessary clearance to share that information.”
Dennis only nodded.
Tom’s voice was a croak. “How much longer does she have?”
Naisha hung her head respectfully, glancing at Chantelle’s silent form as if afraid that she might hear. “Mere hours. I’m sorry, but if you would like to say your goodbyes, please do so now.” She added meaningfully, “If there is anything you wish to say to her, anything that’s weighing on your mind, now is the time.”
Dennis nodded. “Can we go in now?”
“It would be better for one person to go in at a time. But I’m sure the doctor here would permit two maximum two people in her room at once,” Shaundra.
Naisha nodded enthusiastically. “That’s an excellent idea.”
“She can hear us?” Samantha asked.
“No, I doubt that. But the human soul inside her can sense you are there.”
The three of them looked at each other, and then Tom volunteered, “I’ll go first.”
On the screen showing the happenings in Chantelle’s room, Dustin watched as Tom entered Chantelle’s bedroom and took small steps to her bedside.
He was on tenterhooks, wondering what Chantelle’s younger brother would say or do. Was this man the one? And if so, would he slip up enough for them to know it?
But as he sat in the chair and leaned closer to her pillow, all he could do was apologize for the way he’d treated her, and for not having welcomed her as CEO with more enthusiasm. His words were coming into the other room clearly, thanks to an additional microphone hidden in Chantelle’s pillow. When Tom lifted his head, Dustin could see tears marring his cheeks, even in the dimness of the room.
He lightly kissed his sister’s forehead and left.
Dustin was disappointed. No luck there.
Next in were Dennis and Samantha, who clung to her husband’s arm, seeming unwilling to face Chantelle alone.
Dustin stiffened. He knew that Dennis was the older, more dominant brother, and way more hostile when it came to demanding that Chantelle step down. The relationship had been antagonistic for a long time.
If there was money to be bet, he would put his on Dennis. But would this man dare to say anything incriminating with his wife in the room? He wished desperately that Naisha had insisted there would be one person only at a time.
As Samantha perched on the edge of the bed, hands folded primly in her lap, Chantelle’s older brother sat in the chair Tom had recently vacated. He was quiet for such a long time Dustin began to worry that he would never speak, but then he said, “Do you remember when I taught you how to drive? You were terrible at it. You failed your test twice, came home and called me a lousy driving instructor. I comforted you and promised you that the third time would be the charm. You tried again and passed. We went out for ice cream. You drove. Remember?” He clasped her hand in his and said again, “Remember, Chantelle?”
If this guy is acting, Dustin thought, he chose the wrong career as a banker.
Samantha took Chantelle’s hand between hers, allowing her husband to continue. “I was mad at you for a long time, little sis. Mainly because I was jealous of the way you and Dad worked together. You took to the business so fast, and you were good at it. You worked harder than anyone, and Dad trusted you. Both your work ethic and your instinct.”
He swallowed, and went on, “As his eldest son, it burned me to watch as he placed more and more trust in you. I kept wondering, what about me?What about your flesh and blood? But Dad was right. You are good at what you do. Even your new loan program for women. I knew you had a good thing on your despite my opposition. I’m sorry. I wish the last time we had spoken, I hadn’t been horrible. I wish—”
Samantha was nodding fervently, still patting Chantelle’s hand, reaching out to smooth away a tendril of hair from her face.
Dennis lowered his voice. “If they determine that husband of yours is indeed responsible, I will destroy him. I promise you that!”
Dustin felt scratchy fingers claw their way up the back of his neck. Did this man really not know who had done this evil deed, or was this all an elaborate bit of theater?
Dennis choked and stood up abruptly, nodding in the direction of Chantelle’s en suite bathroom. He entered and shut the door carefully behind him. Dustin was certain he was going in there to cry. Or was he going to laugh, to break character, unable to contain his mirth any longer?
Either way, he felt his heart sink into his shoes. This plan was a bust. Both of Chantelle’s brothers had managed to pass the test. What now, he wondered. Would they ever know? Would they ever find justice?
And, just as importantly, did this mean he would never be able to clear his name?
He shared anxious, disappointed glances with the women in the room.
As hope slipped through their fingers, Samantha began to speak. “Chantelle, sweetheart, I’ve always liked you. Cared for you. You were a good sister-in-law. I’m sorry for what happened to you. Sorry about the baby, that is.”
Everyone swiveled to face the screen.
“But let’s just call that part your fault. If you’d bothered to tell us, your family, that you were pregnant, maybe I’d have waited awhile. Allowed you at least drop that puppy before I really came after you again.”
What? Jacyn mouthed in horror.
“But I’m not sorry for you. Not sorry for where you are now, dying in a hospital room. None of that money you have can save you. None of the perks of being a CEO can change anything. Perks that should have gone to my husband.”
Dustin felt his blood turn to ice. He leaned forward, almost pressing his face to the screen to get a better look, to hear better what was being said. Jacyn and Sienna grabbed hold of each other in horror.
“Did you think I would stand by and watch you take my husband’s rightful place? You, an outsider, not even a legitimate part of the family? The only reason you were there, growing up with Simon Clark’s true heirs, was because that old man just couldn’t keep his nose out of your mother’s pussy.”
There was a shared, audible gasp from the women, and Dustin was afraid that somehow it could magically be heard in Chantelle’s room, and interrupt this stunning confession. He lifted a hand for silence.
“My lamb, it’s all going to be okay. It’s going to be fine. By sun up, you’re going to be stone cold and out of our way. And by next week—after a great public display of grief—my husband will be taking his rightful place at the helm of a business his father and grandfather worked hard to establish.” She stroked Chantelle’s forehead, once again brushing away that stubborn tendril of hair, and added sweetly, “And you, my dear, will be roasting in hell, right alongside your whore of a mother.”
The next movement was a blur as Chantelle’s blanket was thrown aside, and she rose as if from the dead, sitting up in Samantha’s startled face. The next thing Dustin saw was Chantelle’s hand shooting out like a striking snake and grabbing Samantha’s throat.