Chapter 11
CHAPTER 11
Roman
“How do you know?”
“I called her. She had no idea what I was talking about and confirmed she didn’t buy her daughter a necklace.”
“I don’t understand, Morgan. If her mother or Theo didn’t buy her the necklace, who did, and why would she lie about it?”
“Her lover gave it to her.”
“And who is her lover?” My brow arched.
“Gregory Williamson—Theo’s brother.”
“Again, do you have proof?”
“I have one of his credit card statements with the purchase on it.”
“That purchase could have been for anything.” I leaned back in my chair.
She stood from her chair and paced around the conference room.
“Right after Theodore was convicted, his father promoted his brother to V.P. of the family business—a position that was supposed to go to Theo before he was convicted. I went to Gregory’s office and spoke to him.”
“Why? His alibi was solid. From what I could gather in the report, he was never a suspect.”
“Because I found it odd that he hasn’t been to see Theo since his conviction. He hasn’t visited him and won’t take his calls. I wanted to know why.”
“And?”
“He said he couldn’t face his brother after what he did, and he believes his testimony put the final nail in the coffin, which I found odd. Plus, his body language told me he was lying.”
“His body language?” Roman’s brows furrowed.
“Yes. His body language. He’s hiding something. Here’s my theory. He was the one fucking Theo’s girlfriend behind his back. She got pregnant, and he knew it would cause a family rift. The number one core belief of the Williamson Family is family values. It’s written all over the walls at the company. I can guarantee that Grace planned on keeping it, and he couldn’t have that. He needed to make sure nobody found out about their affair, so he killed her, set his brother up, and let him take the fall, knowing that the jury would find him guilty because of his past anger issues.”
“How did he set Theo up?” I asked.
“He must have seen them arguing that night outside of the restaurant.”
“You have no proof.”
“I’ll get the damn proof. Theodore Williamson didn’t murder Grace Norway.” She pointed at me and left the room.
“Hey. Why did Morgan just run out of here?” Julian asked, walking into the conference room.
“She may be onto something with the Williamson case.”
“Seriously? ”
“Yep.” I grinned.
Morgan disappeared for the rest of the day. I tried calling her several times, but she rejected each call. I had no idea where she ran off to or what she was doing.
When I arrived home at seven p.m., I changed out of my suit and into more comfortable clothes. Then, I poured myself a scotch and took it into the kitchen to prepare dinner. My housekeeper, Meg, had made some pasta sauce and meatballs earlier in the day and stored them in the refrigerator. I pulled them out, heated them on the stove, and boiled some water for the noodles.
There was a knock on my front door. Glancing at the security monitor in the kitchen, I saw Morgan standing on the porch.
What the hell? Why was I surprised she knew where I lived?
“You found me.” I smiled, opening the door.
“You knew I could.” She pushed past me. “What’s that smell.”
“Dinner. Have you eaten?”
“No.”
“Follow me. The bar is over there if you want a drink.”
“Thanks. Don’t mind if I do.”
She walked into the kitchen with a glass of scotch as I poured the noodles into the boiling water.
“You’re here because you missed me.”
“That couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m here because I found something.”
“What did you find?” I turned and looked at her.
She pulled her phone from her purse and handed it to me.
“The manager at Tiffany pulled the receipt for the necklace with Gregory’s name on it. The same necklace that was found on Grace. ”
“Okay. So, we established that he had purchased the necklace. It doesn’t mean he murdered her. Maybe he really loved her and wanted to give her something nice for her birthday.”
“True.” She held up her finger. “But what about his car, parked across the street from the restaurant that night?”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. I pulled up the traffic footage.”
“How do you know it was his car? Is there a clear view of him sitting in it?”
“No. But I got his license plate number when he pulled away after Theo got in his car and drove off.”
“Why wasn’t any of this presented in court?” I frowned.
“The cops weren’t interested in looking for anyone else because of the evidence they discovered against Theo. The fight, Grace’s DNA under his fingernails, and his past anger issues were enough for them to believe he was guilty. But this is the real question. Why didn’t his fancy family lawyer discover any of this? It doesn’t seem like he worked hard enough to prove his client was innocent.”
I took down two plates from the cabinet. After draining the pasta, I scooped some onto the plates and covered it with sauce and meatballs, taking both plates to the table.
“Have a seat.” I gestured. “First thing Monday morning, I’ll have Olivia file a motion for a new trial. But we need more evidence.”
“I’ll find it,” she said.
“I have no doubt you will.” I smiled.
“Your house is nice, Mr. Hamilton.”
“Thanks. After we eat, I’ll take you on a tour. My address isn’t listed publicly. Do I dare ask how you found where I live?”
“It’s probably best you don’t.” A smirk crossed her lips.
“That’s what I thought.” I sighed .
After eating, we cleaned the kitchen and took our drinks to the patio.
“It’s really beautiful out here. But it should be for seven million dollars,” she said, tipping her glass to her lips.
“How did you—did you investigate me?”
“You bet I did. I need to know the man I’m working for.”
“Then all you had to do was ask,” I said.
She let out a cute laugh. “I’m pretty confident you wouldn’t have told me. You seem like a very private man.”
“I am, but I would have told you with the right incentive.”
“You mean sex?” She glanced at me.
“Your words, not mine.” I winked.
“Is that all you ever think about?”
“Well, yes. Sex and work. The two best things life has to offer.” I smiled. “Come on. I promised you a tour of the house.” I extended my hand, and she quickly slapped it away. I chuckled.