The Insiders Read Online Free

uniformed police officers and ducking under the yellow crime scene tape, Wilson defiantly trod through the snow to the covered entryway of his family’s chalet. Throughout his childhood, Wilson’s family had spent half of every summer and three weeks during the ski season at the twenty-room residence. It was one of thirty-two luxury chalets at the White Horse Resort, a complex that also comprised fifty condominiums, a world-class spa, two outdoor swimming pools, three restaurants, and a large conference and entertainment center. Before crossing the threshold to face what lay inside, he took a moment to reminisce about his great-grandfather Harry Wilson Fielder, the resort’s founder. It was his great-grandfather who, in the 1930s, had catapulted the Fielder family into the ranks of the super-rich. Construction of the White Horse Resort at the base of Baldy Mountain had begun in 1946 and the Fielder family had been a vital contributor to the cities of Sun Valley and Ketchum ever since.
    Wilson opened the front door and entered the large foyer with its huge stone fireplace. His body tensed at the smell of death that lingered in the air. Still struggling with the reality of what had happened here, he walked slowly through the foyer and into the breakfast nook between the kitchen and the family room. White tape marked the floor and the wing chairs, where the bodies had been found. There were bloodstains on the chairs, the Persian rug, and the hardwood floor. Seeing the outline of where his father had been found, he was overwhelmed by memories of the long conversations they’d had here at White Horse—conversations that had shaped his life.
    From the time he was a small child, he had experienced profound feelings of guilt for having more than others—very much his father’s son on this score. It wasn’t that Wilson didn’t take great pleasure in the opportunities and advantages his family’s wealth provided. Still he despised the clichéd, yet overwhelming, sense of injustice and inequity that came with these privileges. Ridding himself of the nagging contradiction would, he bluntly acknowledged, require more than philanthropy and patronage.
    The sound of Daniel coming through the front door brought Wilson back to the present and what had happened in the chalet less than thirty-six hours earlier. Daniel walked into the large family room where Wilson was standing. Physically striking in a manly sort of way, though not particularly attractive, the lawyer’s deep-set eyes gave nothing away. Wilson knew only a few things about Daniel: he favored formality, was ten years younger than his father, had a reputation for thoroughness, and acted serious about everything, especially his clients. But if he’d been able to accomplish what he promised, Wilson thought, it would go a long way toward solidifying their relationship. No words were spoken until Daniel was standing next to Wilson and both of them were looking down at the white-taped floor. “What happened here, Daniel?”
    Daniel looked directly at Wilson, shaking his head. “I wish I knew, Wilson. How is he?”
    “His vital signs have improved, but there are still no signs of consciousness,” Wilson said, before asking the obvious. “Are we free to fly?”
    “Yes. Whatever you said to the neurosurgeon made him very responsive. The judge signed the medical travel release thirty minutes ago. We didn’t have to involve the FBI. But Detective Zemke’s not happy. What did you say to him when you met?”
    Wilson went over the details of his meeting with Zemke, but Daniel seemed distracted, as if anxious about something Wilson had said. “What is it?” Wilson asked.
    “It would be best if the Sun Valley police put their investigation on the back burner. There are better ways to find out what happened here. Your father’s estate doesn’t need unnecessary scrutiny if it can be avoided, especially with the impending KaneWeller merger.”
    “What do you mean?”