Elizabeth struggled to comprehend her words. Innocent? Free to go? Just like that? It was what she was praying for, but it didn’t seem possible.
“You’re free, Miss Bennet,” Agent Holmes began, “but we would like to ask a favor of you.” His eyes flicked to Linda’s.
Elizabeth became aware she needed to speak. “I would like Linda to stay, if that’s possible.”
Agent Holmes, a tall man with very dark curly hair, lifted an eyebrow at Linda and said, “Of course. May we sit down?”
The newcomers joined them at the table and had a quick, silent conference with their eyes. Linda leaned back in her seat, clearly waiting to hear what was coming.
Winnie finally spoke. “Lizzy, what we are going to tell you is going to have to stay confidential. It’s vitally important. Do you understand?”
Elizabeth nodded, still puzzled.
“Winnie isn’t my real name. I’m actually Agent Wendy Yee. The DEA has been investigating George Wickham, and I’ve been working undercover.”
Elizabeth’s jaw dropped. “But…” She was filled with so many questions that she didn’t know where to begin. Instead, she kept quiet, allowing Winnie—that is, Wendy—explain.
Linda clearly had other plans. Her chair slid back and she sprang to her feet. “You’re a Fed?!?” she demanded angrily. “And you let them take her in when you knew she was innocent? How dare you? Do you know this is going to affect her career?”
Wendy fixed Linda with a hard stare, and Elizabeth could see the sparks coming off both of them. “Ms. St. Andrews, if you would just sit down, I will explain,” she said icily.
Linda sat down and glared.
“Wickham is a major player in the cocaine trade in New York City. He receives shipments from South America and arranges for their transport to New York, and then he cuts and distributes them throughout his network of dealers. He also launders the money.”
Wendy turned to Lizzy. “I’ve been following Wickham for several months now. When we first met, I didn’t know if you knew about Wickham’s illegal business transactions and I didn’t want to discourage you. When you came down to Tampa yesterday, I knew by then who was clean and who wasn’t.”
“Miss Bennet, George Wickham went to a great deal of trouble and expense to set you up. Do you have any idea why he would have a personal grudge against you?” Agent Austen asked.
Elizabeth looked to Linda, who rolled her eyes and nodded. The DEA had shown Elizabeth their hand; it was time to reveal hers. “He has a long-standing dispute with my… um, boyfriend, Will Darcy.” She felt her cheeks warm from the inelegance of the title.
“Fitzwilliam Darcy?”
Elizabeth nodded. “I’ll admit this seems extreme,” she attempted to explain.
“Don’t worry about it, Lizzy,” Wendy stopped her. “We know George is unstable. He’s becoming paranoid from the cocaine and soon he will be too far gone for his higher-ups to use him. That is why we want to arrest him now.”
“You said you need my help? I don’t understand. I don’t know anything about drugs.”
“Yes,” Linda said in a slow, careful voice, “what exactly are you offering?”
“As Austen said, Wickham blew a lot of money to get you framed, and he did a good job of it. The deputy DA did not want to let you go,” Agent Holmes explained. “Wickham is going to be watching you to enjoy his revenge. If you are released now, he will know it and he’ll suspect something is wrong.”
“Lizzy, George received a major shipment of drugs while on the island,” Wendy continued. “He has it coming up north overland by way of three couriers, called mules, arriving through the night. Tomorrow morning, we plan to arrest him and the whole operation. We’re very close to nailing him. We want you to play along with the arrest and stay at the station house tonight. You don’t have to go to a holding cell or anything; you can stay here. In the morning, you can leave when you normally would, after a mock arraignment.”
“Once we have Wickham, we will make a public announcement, clearing you of all charges,” Holmes added.
Elizabeth frowned. “When do you expect to arrest George?”
“Before noon,” Wendy answered.
Elizabeth sagged in her seat. She felt like she was on a roller coaster. It was difficult enough to accept that she was free and that the charges would be dropped. Now she was struggling with a new request: to stay when all she wanted was to go home to Darcy. She sat stunned as she heard Linda firing off question after question to make sure the deal was fair. Elizabeth didn’t understand half of what she said, and frankly, she was too tired to care.
“Can I call Will? I’d like to discuss this with him,” she asked numbly, when there was a break in the conversation.
“No,” Austen snapped.
Wendy leaned forward. “Elizabeth, I know Will is special to you, but he has a history with Wickham and there are a lot of rumors about him being a drug user. We have to insist that you not tell him about this until George is in custody.”
Elizabeth felt as if she had been slapped. Shock and embarrassment were quickly followed by hurt and anger. “But he’s not like that. He hates Wickham.” Elizabeth felt Linda’s hand on her arm, gently squeezing her, and she stopped.
“He deserves to be consulted. If Lizzy and Darcy are connected by the media, it will affect his reputation,” Linda pointed out coolly.
“You’re worried about Fitzwilliam Darcy’s reputation?” Agent Austen scoffed.
Wendy rolled her eyes and spoke up before another argument could break out. “It’s too late for that. MTV News covered the arrest and there was an altercation between George and Richard Fitzwilliam at the airport. They’re reporting that as well. It won’t take long for them to connect you two. I’m sorry, Lizzy. We have to insist on that. You can take a moment to think about it, if you want.”
Elizabeth nodded. “Please.”
The three agents looked at each other and filed out of the room. Elizabeth put her elbows on the table and rested her head in her hands. Sighing, she looked up at Linda. “I just want to get out of here, and now this. Damn it. Why doesn’t the universe want me to be happy?”
Linda shrugged. “Maybe the universe does.” She took a deep breath and continued. “Look, Lizzy, I hate this too, but I was there three years ago. I was the one who told Will not to press charges against George after Ramsgate. Looking at it now, that might have been the wrong decision, but I was trying to protect Georgie. Believe me, I still feel guilt over that one. My point is that you have a chance now to really help Will, and yourself. If Wickham wiggles out of this, he’s not going to go away. He’s going to find another way to hurt Will and you.”
Elizabeth nodded thoughtfully. “Okay. I guess I can stand a few more hours in this place.”
“Lizzy? You know that there are going to be people who won’t believe that you are innocent if you do this.”
Elizabeth smirked. “I know. It sucks, but frankly, it’s nothing new. Ever since I joined this tour, people have been dragging my name through the mud. ‘Slurry’s Bitches’ they call us.” She smiled ruefully at the memory.
“So you are going to do it?”
“Yeah, what choice do I have? I just wish I could get some word to Will. This is going to kill him.”
Linda pursed her lips thoughtfully. “I’ll call him.”
Elizabeth’s eyes lit up.
“Don’t get all excited. I’m not going to tell him about Wickham. There are too many chances that someone might monitor the call, but I’ll tell him you are safe and all right.”
Elizabeth frowned even as she agreed. “Make it good, Linda. And tell him I love him.”
Linda nodded. Within minutes the deal was set. Elizabeth would spend the night in the interrogation room. Hot coffee and snacks were provided, and she was allowed to call her parents and relieve their worries. Linda departed, promising to return in the morning, and Elizabeth settled in to wait out the night, alone with her thoughts.