“You stupid bitch, how dare you suggest anything of the kind? I’ve never raped anyone in my life.” Ryland turned a dark shade of red. “If you’ve got film, I guarantee you, it’s fake. If you go public wit t, I will see that you and your damned newspaper are ruined. Do you hear me? I’ll destroy you.” He looked at the others. “All of you.”
Irene nodded at Luke. “Show him what we’ve got.”
Luke set the computer on a table, raised the lid and powered up the machine. Ryland watched with an expression of gathering horror.
“You can’t do this,” he said. “Do you realize who you’re dealing with? I can make your lives iving hell.”
Adeline gave him a sunny smile. “I love threats. They make great quotes. Is that recorder working, Irene?”
“Yes, boss.”
Ryland stared, face working, at the little device clipped to Irene’s shoulder bag.
“Stop it. Stop it right now.”
“My paper is also in possession of a video recording made by your daughter, Pamela,” Irene continued, scribbling rapidly in her notebook. “On it, she states that you are a pedophile and that you abused her when she was a girl.”
“That’s a lie.” Ryland fisted his hands and took a step toward her. “I’ve told you, my daughter was mentally disturbed. If you print that garbage, I swear I’ll—”
Luke moved up close behind Irene. “No threatening the reporter.”
Ryland rounded on him. “You’re a fool to get involved in this, Danner.”
“Not like I had anything more interesting to do,” Luke said.
Irene heard one of Duncan’s cameras whir. She made some more quick notes and then looked up.
“Pamela knew that you would attempt to portray the videos as frauds, so she also supplied copies of travel records and credit card statements that verify that you made several trips to the city in which that particular brothel is located. My paper is prepared to fly me to Europe to investigate.”
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Adeline blink at that outrageous statement.
“I’ll sue your paper right into the ground,” Ryland said. “Those trips were made for legitimate reasons. Trade issues.” On-screen, Pamela started to talk. Ryland went still, as though hypnotized. “Shut i own. Do you hear me? Shut it down.”
Adeline followed his gaze to the screen. “FYI, we made several copies of those computer files,
Senator. Didn’t want to take any chances.”
Ryland turned on her. “My lawyers are going to tear all of you limb from limb.”
Duncan’s video camera whirred some more, catching what Irene knew would be a compelling scene of Ryland leaning over the much shorter Adeline in an extremely intimidating fashion while he made his threat.
Ryland realized what was happening and jumped back.
“Pamela also implicates you in the death of Hugh and Elizabeth Stenson seventeen years ago,” Irene continued. “Care to comment?”
“I had nothing to do with their deaths. Everyone knows your father was a nutcase.
He killed you other and then committed suicide.” Ryland seemed to regain some of his composure. “Obviousl ou are just as crazy as he was, Miss Stenson.”
“What about the recent murder of your aide, Hoyt Egan?” Irene said. “Pamela claims that he’s the one who filmed you having sex in that European brothel and that he was using the videos to blackmail you. Any comment?”
“I’ve got a comment, all right,” Ryland said tightly. “This whole thing is nothing but a setup. You’r rying to take me down because you think I killed your parents. You’re a delusional woman who has concocted a load of bullshit with the help of a digital camera and a computer. Well, I won’t let you do it. Do you hear me? I won’t let you ruin me and everything I’ve achieved. This country needs me.”
The door opened behind him. Alexa Douglass walked into the room and stopped short. “What is goin n here?”
“These people are out to destroy me any way they can,” Ryland said fiercely. “You won’t believe th ies they’re threatening to print. I have to call my lawyers immediately. They’ll put a stop to this.”
But Alexa was gazing at the computer screen, mystified.
“That’s you, Ryland,” she said. “What on earth?”
“It’s a digitized fake,” he told her. “Don’t believe anything you see.”
On the screen Ryland had accepted the drink. The little bride entered. Ryland rose and took her hand.
The scene shifted to the bedroom. Ryland appeared, naked.
“Dear God,” Alexa whispered, clearly stunned. “I didn’t believe her. She tried to tell me, but I didn’t believe her.”
Ryland took her hand. “Pamela lied, dear. Whatever she told you about me was false. She was very,
very disturbed. You know that.”
“Not Pamela.” Alexa yanked her hand out of his. “My daughter, Emily. She told me a few weeks ag hat you tried to touch her in what she called a bad way. I thought she was making up a story becaus he doesn’t want a new daddy. But she was telling the truth, wasn’t she?”
“I’m going to be Emily’s father,” Ryland said, gravely authoritative now. “It’s only natural that I would want to be affectionate. I’m trying to bond with her.”
“Obviously Emily has a better understanding of what you were trying to do than I did,” Alexa said, dazed and shaken. She put her hand to her stomach. “I’m going to be ill. I’ve got to get out of here. I must find Emily. I’ve got to talk to her, tell her I understand and that I won’t let you touch her again. How could I have been so blind?”
She flew to the door, wrenched it open and fled the room.
Ryland swung back to face Irene. His rage had turned ice cold.
“I’ll see that you pay for this,” he said. “You have absolutely no solid evidence. No one is going to pay attention to doctored videos.”
“I think they will, but just in case, I’ve got something else you might want to see.”
Irene reached int er purse and took out the packet of photos that Duncan had made earlier in the day.
She scattered the pictures on the table. “Pamela wanted to be very certain that I had enough evidence to make her accusations stick. In addition to the computer files, she also left me this miniature wedding dres ostume preserved in a plastic wrapper. Care to comment?”