Madison stifled a yawn. It seemed a strange way to react in the face of such news, but Tommy guessed her fatigue was getting the best of her. Or maybe she was faking. It was impossible to tell what was really going on with her.
“Do you think you would’ve gone missing if it weren’t for the contest?”
Tommy looked at Aster, startled by the question.
“I mean . . .” Aster paused to collect her thoughts. “Do you think it was somehow connected or linked? Or do you think we’re just all wildly unlucky victims of unfortunate timing?”
“How could it be linked?” Tommy tried to make sense of it.
“Unless Ira was involved.” Ryan voiced the thought they were all thinking.
“You think Ira Redman kidnapped me?” Madison was more curious than incredulous. “You think there’s a connection between him and Gerald Rawlins?”
Aster shifted uncomfortably. “Listen,” she said, her voice quiet, as though afraid of being overheard. “I feel like a traitor even saying it, especially after all that Ira’s done for me, but sometimes I wonder, you know? I mean, Ira’s been there from the start, and I can’t just stick my head in the sand and refuse to see something because it’s inconvenient and makes me uncomfortable.”
“And I don’t think you should let it go,” Tommy said. “Looking back, that whole night seems perfectly choreographed to set you up for the crime, and Ira played a big part in that.”
“But why me?” Aster’s look was pleading.
“Why you?” Madison balked. “You sure you don’t mean why me?” She jabbed a thumb toward her chest.
“I meant why did he set me up? Why not Ryan, Tommy, Layla, or any of the other competitors? Why did Ira target me as the one to mess with?”
Tommy had a few suspicions, but he chose not to voice them.
“Whatever.” Aster sighed. “It’s done. I may never know the answer to that one.” She waved a hand in front of her face.
“Say Ira is behind it.” Madison spoke as though testing a theory she wasn’t even remotely convinced of. “What would he possibly get out of it? Pretty sure he knows me well enough to know I plan to prosecute whoever did this to the full extent of the law. And as far as I know, Ira has no connection to my past.”
“He gets a boatload of free PR,” Ryan said. “You can’t believe what’s gone on since you’ve been away.”
Madison fell quiet, her expression contemplative.
“But let’s say Ira is behind it,” Ryan said. “How exactly did he arrange all of that? I mean, he must’ve had help. Even Ira can’t be in more than one place at a time. He would’ve needed at least one accomplice, maybe more.”
“Starting with the girl at the apartment,” Tommy said.
“Who the hell was she?” Aster pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. “From the back, she looked just like you.” She nodded toward Madison.
“I assure you, it wasn’t me. I was hanging at the Vesper with Tommy.”
Tommy was dumb enough to glance at Layla. What he saw left him convinced that any hope of reconciling had just died a quick, easy death.
“Okay, so someone who, from the back anyway, looks like Madison, lured me to an apartment more or less around the same time you disappear. Then a few days later your blood very conveniently shows up on the Night for Night terrace as well as on the dress I was dumb enough to leave behind in that stupid apartment.”
“What’s up with the blood?” Layla asked.
Madison was quick to defend herself. “I had my blood stored, and it’s not nearly as crazy as it may sound. Presidents do it all the time.”
“Yeah, except you’re not exactly the leader of the free world, are you?” Layla sneered.
Madison was undeterred. “Billionaires, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, and many A-list celebrities have done the same thing. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ira has too. Over a period of time, someone collects your blood and stores it in a safe place. It’s not as uncommon as you think.”
“But why?” Tommy asked. “What’s the point?”
“Normally, it’s to use in a medical emergency. For me, it was mainly in case I ever needed to disappear in a hurry.”
“Which you did,” Layla was quick to point out. “And your blood was splattered all over the same terrace you were taken from.”
“So I’ve been told.” Madison held Layla’s gaze until she was the first to look away.
“So, who had access to the blood?” Ryan asked.
“Paul and me. That’s all I know of.”
“And James? What sort of deal do you have with him?” Ryan studied her in a way that made Madison squirm.
“Nothing.” She tried to dismiss the thought. Then, realizing she wouldn’t get away with that, she said, “He used to do some light spying. Petty stuff.” She glanced between Aster and Ryan. “He’s the one who told me about you two.”
Ryan looked away in embarrassment. The room grew quiet as they all retreated into their individual thoughts.
“Listen,” Madison said. “If I hadn’t been the one taken, I’d be in a complete state of awe. The whole thing is kind of genius, if you think about it. It’s a complicated series of events. And trust me, Paul is capable of all of that and more. Ira too.”
“Does Paul know Ira?” Aster asked.
Ryan nudged her arm. “Everyone knows Ira.”
“But does Paul work for Ira? You know, as a fixer, or whatever it is Paul does.”
“No idea.” Madison shrugged. “I’m his most important client, but not his only client. Either of them are capable of pulling that off, but neither of them could’ve done it alone.”
“The girl, whoever she was, had to be in on it,” Aster said. “That was a real live girl, not the Ghost in a wig. Also, we found your car waiting for us just outside Ira’s tequila launch party. The GPS led us right to Paul’s office, presumably so we could find the blood-collecting kit.”
“I doubt that was legit,” Madison said. “Paul
