Jo looked at Kelsey. Amid all this, the woman still hadn’t explained why she was talking to her.
“What do you want from me?” Jo asked.
“We need to get somebody on the inside, into the Babineaux mansion.”
Jo raised her eyebrows. “You think I can do that? How?”
“Lydia Babineaux has a driver assigned to her, but she’s picky about who she wants. They’ve been having trouble keeping someone, and they’ve been interviewing new candidates, all women.”
“Her driver has to be a woman?”
Kelsey nodded. “Lydia doesn’t want a male driver.” She pointed at Jo. “We’ll arrange for you to get an interview. If we can get you in that way, you might be able to hear what’s going on.”
Jo narrowed her eyes. “You want me to befriend Lydia to see what she knows, and to see if she’ll turn on her husband.”
“There have been growing rumors about Babineaux, and we think Lydia’s getting suspicious.”
“She doesn’t know what Babineaux’s been doing?”
“Not entirely. We don’t think she’s been involved in his dealings in any way.”
“Does she know about the murders?”
“She might think Babineaux’s behind something illegal.”
“What do you want from me?” Kelsey glanced away. “With your background, your communication skills, you might be able to turn Lydia, get her to help us.”
Jo thought long and hard about what Kelsey was proposing. There were a lot of risks, and she would be in danger.
“What if Kline figures out I was at the bank?”
“You’ll need to act fast, before he realizes anything.”
“You can’t protect me.”
Kelsey shook her head. “No. I wouldn’t blame you if you walked away.” Then she dropped a bombshell. “What if Kline figures out you were involved with that biolab in Colorado? What if others know that as well?”
Jo’s muscles tensed. “What do you know?”
“You need to keep your name out of this. I can help.”
Jo stared at her, but she knew the woman was right. And that left her with only one option.
***
Everything had worked out as Kelsey had planned. She’d arranged the interview with Kline, and Jo had been hired. Jo had managed to fool him, so far, but she only had so much time.
“I got hired as Lydia’s driver,” Jo announced.
Kelsey smiled—the first time Jo had seen it on the woman. “What’s happened so far?”
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
“It’s been smooth,” Jo said. “Kline had a lot of questions when he interviewed me, and so did Lydia. I drove her to a charity event this evening. I don’t know how she acted with her other drivers, but she talked to me on a more personal level than I expected. Her mother died of cancer, and so did mine.”
Kelsey nodded with satisfaction. “I thought that might happen.”
Jo didn’t say anything, but she was impressed. Kelsey had thought through a lot of things.
She didn’t tell Kelsey that some parts of the conversation had been difficult. Jo didn’t like to think about her mother’s cancer, about her vulnerability when she’d gotten sick. She preferred to keep the strong image of her, that woman who could overcome anything.
Jo dismissed those thoughts and continued.
“Lydia’s vulnerable right now.”
Kelsey listened intently as Jo spoke in a low voice, telling her about Lydia’s pensive behavior on the drive to the banquet. The two men stood sentry, faces ashen in the moonlight, but she knew they were taking in the surroundings, not the conversation itself, alert to any sounds around them. She guessed that Kelsey was about forty, with a soft face that belied her hard stance. The woman hadn’t told Jo much about herself, except that she’d been with the feds for several years. It was clear she wanted to take JD down, to successfully seal her investigation.
Jo finished by describing how Lydia had gotten into an upsetting conversation with a woman at the banquet.
“Mackenzie Potts,” Kelsey said.
Jo cocked an eyebrow. “You’ve been planting some of those rumors.”
“I’ve had someone working on Mackenzie. She has a reputation as a gossip, and she’s a jealous person. We figured if the opportunity presented itself, she would want to dig at Lydia.”
“Which would make Lydia question her husband.”
Kelsey tipped her head in assent.
