Influence

Chapter 24

"That's nonsense! It's a makeup contract for Christ's sake! If you're talking about animal experimentation, we made sure they never test on animals. That was one of Goldie's biggest requests."

"No, not animal testing. My best guess is it's a money laundering operation."

"You watch too many movies."

"So, you know nothing about this? In your one hundred percent honest opinion, Lucre was a cosmetics deal and nothing else?"

"Yes, Jasper, that's what I'm saying. What more could it be? I never heard of anything out of the norm."

"Okay, then who's Aiden?"

The lines around the lips of his father's aging California sun kissed face deepened for a moment. It was a peek into Paul's future, and his own too, he supposed. Those lines would glare back at them both someday in the mirror. "Aiden? The name sounds vaguely familiar, but then, we worked with a lot of people at Wanton Cosmetics. Perhaps he was a peripheral player in the company. Becca's friend Joellen's daughter married an Aiden. Maybe that's who I'm thinking of."

"Unlock your phone and hand it to me."

The lines deepened. Worry grooved into the skin. "That's an invasion of privacy. Any why do you even care. Who is this Aiden to you?"

The phone lay face down on the table next to his father's hand. Paul palmed it, inching it back from Jasper's reach, but Jasper was faster than his father. He swooped down and pried it away from Paul. "I bet I can guess your passcode in less than a minute. Is it your birthday or Becca's?"

Paul grabbed for it. "Give that back!"

"You're wedding anniversary. Let's try that first." He started punching in the date.

"All right, you win!"

"I win? What do I win, Dad?"

"Give me my phone. I can't recall who this Aiden guy is, but I can check my records. If his name turns up, I'll give you whatever contact info I have."

He held the phone for another moment, a dramatic pause to make Paul believe he had leverage, then gave it back.

"New York."

Paul glanced at him. "What about it?"

"Last time we were here, almost three years ago, it was because you were trying to convince me not to move to New York."

"Right." Paul studied his phone. "Because I would have missed you. It was bad enough when you were away at college. I couldn't imagine having you live so far from us permanently."

Nor could Goldie's fans. The prospect of Jasper leaving, explored extensively on EpiGolds twenty-six and twenty-seven, had tested negatively with viewers. The comments had not been kind. Jasper, it had been discovered then, had more purpose than video production and the occasional cameo, hence Paul's declaration that he couldn't bear the idea of living on a different coast from his beloved son. How could they possibly weather the drop in Goldie's brand popularity if her beloved stepbrother abandoned the enterprise?

"You find Aiden yet?" He asked.

Paul shook his head.

"Keep looking."

#

Light from the hallway spilled into the suite as he opened the door. Slipping inside, he shut the room into darkness again, using the light from his phone to guide him to Tam. He'd helped her move to the bed before he'd left and now could barely discern her form amidst the mass of blankets and pillows.