All of Me: A Small Town Romance (The Bridesmaids Club Book 1)

Chapter 17

Jilly folded her napkin on her lap. "I've done some background research on Tess, the woman I met in the café."

Logan had been waiting for Jilly to say something all night. "From The Bridesmaids Club?"

She nodded. "When she was modeling her name was Theresa Daniels. I knew I'd seen her face before. She's been on every major fashion magazine cover in the world."

Logan kept eating his apple crumble. He wondered what else Jilly had found out.

"Has she ever said anything about her career?"

"Not that I can remember."

Jilly leaned forward. "If I tell you something, you have to promise you'll keep it to yourself."

Logan had already promised Tess the same thing, so he didn't have a problem with Jilly's request. "I won't say a word."

She looked over her shoulder, then moved closer when the conversation at the table behind them petered out. "A friend of Theresa's died of a drug overdose. There were no formal charges laid, but it sounds as though Theresa was involved in what happened."

He couldn't blame Jilly for jumping to conclusions. She hadn't had much time to look at what else had been happening when Tess' friend had died. But a part of him was disappointed that she'd been so quick to accept what someone else said. He'd expected more from her.

"Have you spoken to anyone? Verified what you heard?"

Jilly reached for her bag and pulled out a notebook. "I called the modeling agency Theresa worked with. They haven't spoken to her since she left three years ago, but I did discover something else."

Logan hoped she hadn't contacted the senator's ex-wife. Marcie Gibson was looking for anything that would prove, beyond a doubt, that her ex-husband was a drug dealer and cheat. Three years ago, Tess didn't have any evidence to back up her complaint to the police. Marcie had the evidence, but Tess didn't want her name connected with the senator.

If Jilly talked to Marcie Gibson, Tess' cover would be blown and everyone would know what had happened. As soon as the story hit the headlines it would be picked up by every newspaper in the country. Tess' life wouldn't be the same again.

Jilly leaned forward. "Have you heard of Senator Andrew Gibson?"

Logan was glad a waitress came across and asked if they'd like coffee. It distracted Jilly, gave him time to think. If the senator knew a reporter was digging into his past, he'd use every trick he knew to keep his name out of the paper.

He hoped like crazy Jilly hadn't spoken to the man himself. "Doesn't he represent California?"

"You know your politicians." Jilly sounded impressed.

"His name's been in the paper once or twice."

"I spoke with his previous press secretary. She resigned suddenly three years ago. The word going around town was that she didn't like how the senator responded to allegations of drug use and improper behavior. Apparently, she was given a massive payout for not speaking about her resignation."

"Did she sign a non-disclosure form?"

Jilly shrugged her shoulders. "I don't need her to back up my story or give me names." She looked over her shoulder again. The other couple had left. "The senator has been having affairs for years. Some people think his wife knew about them from the beginning, but I'm not so sure. Anyway, about three years ago he hit the headlines with a story about his involvement in the death of a model. She died from a drug overdose. A friend of the dead woman said Senator Gibson was giving the model cocaine. Guess who the friend was?"