"Jack," Shantel said sharply as a dread, difficult to describe, settled at the pit of her stomach. "Who was it?"
His voice was strained when it came. "You need to brace yourself, Boss."
That didn't help. "Just say it," Shantel snapped.
"The order to set the trap… it came from Jessica Hale," Jack finally delivered the bombshell.
There was dead silence as the world around Shantel spun, and for a moment she even forgot to breathe or blink.
Then she frowned…maybe she hadn't heard right. Maybe the connection glitched.
"…What?" A low scream finally escaped her mouth.
"Yes. Jessica Hale," Jack repeated grimly. "Your mother was the one behind your father's death."
"No," she whispered. "No. That's not possible. She… she loved him or so she said."
"She loved his power," Jack corrected. "Obviously she got tired of waiting for him to give her more of it. From what I dug up, she made up her mind when he decided that he wanted out of the relationship."
