Chapter 10
CHAPTER 10
GRACE
“We’re not going to get away with murder,” Grace said, stepping out of her heels.
“Not murder,” Chris said. “An accident. There’s a difference.”
“We’re not going to participate in a murder,” Grace said, stripping off her clothes. “Or an accident. That’s what I meant to say.”
“But you heard what Alex said,” Chris told her. “Phil’s out to get us. We can’t let that happen.”
“No, what we can’t do,” said Grace, flinging her dress onto the chair next to the wardrobe, “is get caught up in another of Alex’s ridiculous plans. If Phil is out to get us, it’s because Alex went after him first.”
“Yeah, I know that, but?—”
“We shouldn’t have gotten involved then,” Grace said, walking to the bed, where she’d deposited her luggage when she and Chris had first arrived.
Getting off the speedboat, Grace had looked around, entranced by her surroundings, the white sand, palm trees swaying in the balmy afternoon breeze, the tranquil waters lapping against the shore. It was breathtakingly beautiful. Calming and peaceful. She was in paradise.
And she wouldn’t be able to enjoy it.
Because of Alex.
Because she and Chris were not, unfortunately, on a weekend getaway for relaxation and romance. The trip was essentially for business. The trip had been designed with the intent of saving their business. The law firm co-founded by her husband and his two closest friends from college, Alex and Jason, was in trouble. Legal trouble. Under investigation for fraud, theft, and misappropriation of funds, among other damning accusations, Alex, Jason, and Chris faced allegations that could land them behind bars.
And so, Alex had come up with a plan.
They would get the money from Phil Richart.
“He owes us,” Chris had told her when he’d first explained Alex’s idea to her. “We helped him, so he shouldn’t mind helping us.”
Grace hadn’t thought it would be that easy.
“Alex knows that,” Chris had said. “That’s why he’s going to remind Phil why he needs to help us.”
“What do you mean?” Grace asked, even though she knew. She just wanted Chris to say it. Wanted him to admit it out loud, so he could hear himself. Hear how ridiculous and foolish he sounded, which would hopefully dissuade him from going along with another one of Alex’s bad ideas.
“We made sure Phil didn’t go to prison for what he did to Sarah,” Chris said, his eyes dancing with mischief that was not of his own making. “Alex will remind him of that. But, if Phil has forgotten, if he doesn’t remember, then Alex will jog his memory and let him know that we can expose him. Alex says Phil will give us the money we need. He won’t want to spend the rest of his life in prison.”
Chris gave her what she assumed he thought was a sly, cunning smile, but he just looked goofy, doofus. He looked like the easily manipulated fool she’d stupidly fallen in love with.
Grace had sighed. “What about the statute of limitations? Could Sarah still file charges? Isn’t it too late? It’s been fifteen years.”
“Phil won’t know that the statute has run,” Chris assured her.
Resisting the urge to slap him, Grace said, “But Phil’s high-powered attorneys will know that.”
Chris shook his head. “Phil’s not going to call his attorneys.”
Annoyed by his dismissive, patronizing tone, Grace asked, “You really think he won’t call a lawyer if he’s accused of assault?”
“Alex won’t let it get that far,” Chris said. “If Phil doesn’t want to help, then Alex is going to let him know there’s proof of what he did, and Phil won’t want that proof to come out … and he’ll agree to invest in the firm. It’s a good plan. It’s going to work.”
Grace disagreed and told him so, but Chris insisted. Alex believed the plan would work, and if Alex said it, then Chris believed it. Grace had let the subject drop. She hated the way he was always so eager to play the role of a sycophant, so willing to be Alex’s bitch.
She still hated it and wished her husband would stand up for himself, even if he couldn’t manage to stand up and go against Alex.
Exhaling, Grace removed sleepwear, a camisole, and matching boxers, from the luggage. “Tell me the truth. Did you send that note to Phil?”
“Why would I do that?”
Grace grabbed her make-up bag, then stared at Chris. “Did you?”
“Did you?”
The deflection of the question back to her made Grace think maybe Chris had sent the note, but he was hesitant to tell her and maybe wanted to judge her potential reaction before coming clean.
Chris leaned back against the pillows piled against the headboard. “No, I didn’t send the note.”
Grace removed a pair of panties and a small bottle of perfume. She felt strangely let down, for some reason, and wondered if she’d been hoping Chris had sent the note to Phil. Maybe wishing he’d made a decision to do something on his own. Something Alex didn’t know about. Something Alex hadn’t thought of and forced him to do.
“I wouldn’t even know where to send it,” Chris said. “I haven’t really kept up with Phil since college. But Alex is right. Phil wants to ruin all of us, and we can’t let that happen.”
“And just how are we supposed to stop him from doing that?” Grace asked. “Phil has all the money in the world. If he wants to destroy us, he can.”
“He can also have an accident.”
Grace froze. “What?”
Looking away, toward the wall of French doors leading out to the balcony, Chris said, “Maybe Alex is right about that, too. Maybe Phil needs to have an accident.”
“Are you serious right now?” Grace glared at her husband. “Do you hear yourself? You want to murder Phil?”
Chris winced. “It wouldn’t be murder. Like Alex said?—”
“I am so sick and freaking tired of what Alex said,” Grace hissed. “That’s your problem. You’re always listening to everything Alex says, always doing what Alex wants you to do. You’re always letting Alex intimidate and influence you to do things that seem to turn out for his benefit but to your detriment.”
Chris scoffed, flipped his hand dismissively. “That’s not true.”
“Isn’t it?” Grace asked. “Fifteen years ago, Alex convinced you to do something that you knew wasn’t right, but you went along with it. Instead of coming clean, you let Alex talk you into believing that you weren’t covering up a crime, you were thinking about your future.”
Rubbing his eyes, Chris said nothing.
“And now, fifteen years later, because of that stupid decision,” Grace said. “You’re willing to kill a man.”