26. Michael
Chapter 26
Michael
“ S o, we finally meet,” I say when the person behind the flash drive, the messenger boy, and the letters walks up to my table and pulls out a chair.
She shrugs.
“You convinced me. But I need you to know this, if you rat me out, I will deny everything. Instead, I’m going to say I met with you to try and convince you to represent her again,” Alice says.
I chuckle. “Are you certain I am not recording this conversation?”
She laughs. “We both know that an audio recording obtained without consent is not admissible in court and that I will not say anything that might implicate me in front of a judge or in front of Savannah.”
I hate that she’s right, but it also confirms my suspicions. On the list of suspects that might have something against Savannah, Alice was number two on my list. The first was Brandon, and the only reason I added him was the small percentage of cases where the dead person wasn’t actually dead.
“Right. So, tell me, Alice, why did you send me the flash drive? And the letter? Aren’t you friends with Savannah? Didn’t she forgive you after you slept with her fiancé?”
I’m also reminded that I have seen Alice before—in Savannah’s office when I walked in on them talking.
“I’m not saying she killed Brandon,” she says, “But I need you to know the truth, so if you want to represent her again, you will know all the facts.”
Reaching into my bag, I bring out the envelope of what are supposedly supporting documents from a doctor. The envelope she had the boy deliver to me. I spread the papers out on the table.
“I’ll be frank, I didn’t think the reports you gave me were real, but the doctor checked out. He also confirmed that he has been Savannah’s doctor for a long time, and he showed me her confidential files.”
She shrugs again and then signals for a waiter, orders a drink, and turns back to me.
“I knew you were going to do your research,” Alice says with a smug grin. “I’m glad you can see that I’m not a liar.”
Not that I am a hundred percent convinced, but I don’t tell her that. Because I want her to trust me.
If Alice is the person who set Savannah up, then I have to catch her off-guard.
“You haven’t answered my question. Why are you doing this?” I ask.
“I said that I want you to know the truth,” Alice says, and I sense her getting heated by my questions.
I know she’s trying to get me to believe every word that comes out of her mouth, but I intend to push her to the edge. First, with guilt and then with the truth.
I shake my head. “You don’t think I am that incompetent, do you? You underestimate me, Alice. And I think you might be underestimating your friend, too,” I smile. “Savannah isn’t that trusting.”
She takes a sip from her drink.
“You think so, but who would forgive someone who sleeps with your fiancé for a year? I did it, and she opened her arms and welcomed me back.”
Then she laughs.
“You still haven’t answered my question,” I insist.
I watch the impatience on her face make the skin of her forehead tighten.
“You want the truth? Fine, I’ll tell you. Savannah and I have been friends since we were in college, and she had everything. Sure, her father might have been hard on her, but he provided everything.”
“But my father,” she smirks. “He was never there, and neither was my mom. They acted like I didn’t exist, and so I stuck to Savannah. She got the attention of boys, but she wouldn’t give them the time of day, so I had my pick.”
I raise my hand to stop her.
“That’s it? You were starved for attention from your parents and you became a needy, jealous brat? That is why you stole Brandon from her?” I say disappointed.
Her eyes narrow.
“She did not deserve him! I had my eyes on him the entire night of the event and then he went to her! She didn’t even like him at first and it was only because he charmed her and her father liked him that she even gave him a chance.”
Her voice is high enough that it draws attention from the others, but I don’t mind. If anything, I know that they will serve as witnesses the same way Savannah was implicated.
“Then what?” I egg her on. “Did you make the first move? Was it because you were jealous? Because you hated Savannah?” I ask in a calm tone.
She sneers some more.
“Jealous?” Her tone doesn’t go any lower. “She isn’t better than me. After trying all her life to be better than her brother, pathetic. I deserved Brandon, but he knew he would get money from her father, so he stuck by her side.”
“And how much did you hate her to make that fake video?” I ask, this time my voice is loud enough that everyone hears.
“A lot,” she hisses. “You have no idea.”
I smile. “I think I do. We are done here, Alice. I want you to know that I don’t believe a word of what you just said. However, I will not be telling Savannah as I no longer represent her. You’ll be better off telling her attorney.”
Her hand covers my arm when I stand, forcing me to remain in one place.
“What is it, Alice?” I ask.
She sighs. “You are right. I am jealous. But I know that Savannah has issues. I don’t want you to tell her—”
“I said I wouldn’t.”
“But I want to make sure you keep it between us,” she says as she continues to stroke my arm.
This is a contemptible woman, but I nod nonetheless. Then I shrug her hand off of me and head out.
Not until I leave the establishment do I let the smirk on my face show and reach into the pocket of my jacket, grabbing my phone. Alice was wrong because I had the phone recording as soon as I saw her walking towards the table.
Whether it is admissible in court or not, I still needed it on tape.
***
“I can’t believe you had me drive all the way here, and you wouldn’t tell me why on the phone,” Peter complains.
I point to the champagne glass in front of him. “You are drinking from one of the finest bottles this hotel has to offer. Don’t you want to know why?”
“Well, of course I do, I didn’t drive four hours for nothing. Not to mention all the work that is piling up because you haven’t returned to the office yet.
“You can handle it,” I say.
“I was keeping an eye on my sister.”
“That’s fair. And that’s why you will like why I called you here,” I grin.
“Okay?”
“I think I found out who framed Savannah.”
His jaw drops. “You did?”
“Well, remember I said I had an informant?”
Peter nods.
“It’s Alice. The supposed friend who slept with Savannah’s ex. Well,” I correct, “dead ex.”
He leans back as his eyes widen. “Scandalous.”
I laugh at his comical reaction. “You are right. It is scandalous indeed. I met with her today, and she had a lot to say.”
Leaning back with my champagne glass in hand, I let him listen to the recording, laughing when his mouth opens halfway, and he almost spits out his drink at the end. The part where Alice runs out to meet me when I get to my car.
“I’m sorry, but she asked if you were single. And she told you she is single too, and you two might be a good match?” Peter says.
I shrug. “You heard it. Her words, we use people every day. Why don’t we strike up a partnership? A romantic one.”
Peter shakes his head and sighs. “I still see her around Savannah, so I doubt my sister knows anything.”
“I might have thought the same if I didn’t know Savannah, but she’s pretty intuitive. I know Alice, is crafty but also, sloppy. She might have slipped up once or twice. Maybe Savannah is playing the same game.”
“How is she, by the way?” I ask Peter about Savannah.
“Terrible. She hasn’t met with the attorney you put on her case after you walked off and I know that she goes drinking almost every night because her colleague, Clarissa, told me she comes to work most days with a hangover and bags under her eyes.”
Even though I know I couldn’t have done this any other way, it doesn’t stop the guilt that settles heavily in my chest.
Savannah came into my life like a ravaging force, and I couldn’t help but be swept up by it. When I tried to temper my reaction, I only found myself getting deeper, not wanting to let go. So, leaving her…as easy as she might think it was, had to be one of the hardest choices of my life.
“You have feelings for Savannah, don’t you?” Peter asked.
I have already denied it once, but I don’t see the point of doing so again. Besides, the time we have spent apart has taught me that I miss her in every way. I miss her snarky comments. I miss her fire. And I miss her touch.
I regret not making love to her again before I had to leave.
“I do,” I confess.
He smiles. “I knew it. She likes you too. But she is not happy with you right now. So, you have to come back and keep her from going to jail. That’s the only way you can win her heart back.”
I nod, biting the corner of my bottom lip.
“I might have messed it up a bit when I flared up on Alice. I need her to trust me so I can eventually get a confession.”
“Although,” I shrug, “I can do without it. Placing her in Brandon’s place or finding the person she hired would work too. I just need to trace her movements from that point until the day I got the letter from the boy.”
“Can I help?” Peter asks.
“Yeah. I’ll let you know, but for now, please keep an eye on Savannah. Can you do that for me?”
He nods. “Yeah. I still maintain that you could have told me this over the phone.”
I point to the bottle. “Do you need another? Do you want to stay the night? I could get you a room.”
Peter shakes his head.
“While the offer is tempting, I don’t want Alice anywhere near Savannah again. Whether my sister wants me in her life or not, she is just going to have to deal with me right now.”
It’s comforting that Peter will do what I cannot, for now, but I feel a bit jealous too. I want to wrap things up and explain everything to Savannah.
Hopefully, she can forgive me.