He hesitated as if a mental battle were warring in his head. Saying no to his boss would not be a wise career move. Connor could appreciate the position. If he had any information he would have offered it to take the pressure off. As it was, tension clogged the room, making it hard to do anything other than be on the defensive.

After a few seconds of silence, Ben started talking. “Owen Pritchard was working for a woman named Daria Jones.”

“Is that her real name?” Connor asked because no one around here seemed to be who or what they said they were.

Maddie was the one who answered. “Yes.”

All attention turned to her. Connor could see the answer written in the wariness on her face but he asked anyway. “You know her?”

“She was Ned’s fiancée.”

Ben looked at Jenna. “I’ll fill you in on the details later.”

She waved him off. “Sylvia already has.”

Of course she had. More secrets. Connor almost suffocated from them. “What was the part about privacy?”

Maddie leaned closer to Ben, reaching her hand out to touch his arm. “Are you sure it’s her?”

“Definitely. There’s a file in Owen’s office. There are checks, and phone records show constant contact over the last four months.”

Connor waited for relief to flood him but it didn’t happen. Knowing who she was only answered one of the many questions floating out there. Still, he saw the strain on Maddie’s face and rushed to put a good spin on the new information. “That sounds like confirmation. And she would have a motive.”

“No. That’s where you’re wrong.” Maddie leaned back in her chair and rested a hand on Connor’s knee. “She was a victim in all of this. Ned cheated on her. She lost her job and her reputation was a mess because everyone thought she was involved.”

He winced, hating to add to her distress but not really having a choice. “Maybe she was?”

“She supported me. She vouched for me.”

“Okay, but she hired Pritchard specifically to find you. He’s been tracking you for months and only got a break after all the press this summer,” Ben said.

“Someone saw me.”

Some of Sylvia’s earlier anger vanished. Her voice softened as she talked. “We had a lot of press and photos. People were digging up residents’ pasts. It turned into a circus.”

“But there’s a bigger clue.” Ben moved his chair closer to Maddie. “Pritchard had a copy of one of the notes in his file.”

Her expression went blank. “What notes?”

Connor could almost see her brain trying to process the information. She had to know what Ben referenced but reality refused to settle in and she squeezed his leg even harder.