Chapter 20
Camille
The Alibi
Margaret Everett.
My brother’s wife.
Even in this small, grainy image, she’s stunning, just as she’s been since she started dating Silas in high school.
Is this the meeting he has planned before going to Foster’s house? Why would he need to plan a meeting with her?
Ben gestures for her to enter. “Come on in. Would you like something to drink?”
“Sure, water, please.”
I move around the attic quietly while I watch them.
I’ve been up here several hours now and am feeling very restless.
I expected to watch as someone brought Ben information, but so far it’s been nothing like that.
It’s hard not to feel like I’ve been set up in some way.
That Aubrey knew more about what was happening today than she was telling me and I’m some pawn in her game.
Instead of taking her to his office, he brings her to the kitchen.
Ben takes his time going to the fridge and pulling out a small bottle of water, setting it on the island countertop, then he gestures at the stool closest to the corner.
She sits as directed and unscrews the top, taking a small sip, while Ben moves back to the other side of the island so he’s across from her.
“Thanks for seeing me.” She’s batting those eyes at him in the same way she’s done to my brother. Why is she here?
“Of course, you know I’m always here for you.” Ben’s posture is casual but the tilt of his head and the line of his mouth tell me he isn’t pleased about this visit.
My mind floods with memories of moments between them that I had shoved aside. Small touches that weren’t exactly inappropriate but felt a bit too intimate. A look between them that feels like they share the same secrets. Nothing overtly sexual but a familiarity that shouldn’t be there.
But Ben’s body language now confuses me. “Silas sent you, didn’t he.” It’s not a question.
She shakes her head, squeezing the bottle tight enough that water spills out. “No, he doesn’t know I’m here.”
He stares at her for a long moment. “At the fundraiser you said you needed to speak to me. In private. So what’s going on?”
“I think Silas is about to do something drastic. He’s freaking out. He knows you’ve been keeping tabs on Aubrey and he’s convinced Foster sent her what he had before he died, and it’s only a matter of time before you get it from her.”
What.
Why do Margaret and Silas know anything about Aubrey?
And Foster’s dead? When did he die?
No, no, no.
I don’t like this.
I don’t like that I seem to be the only person in my family that doesn’t know what’s going on.
Before Ben can say anything, Margaret adds, “He’s got someone watching her too. Got some pictures of you talking to those two guys that live there and work on cars in the garage.” She gestures in the general direction of the driveway. “Working on that car that’s outside your house.”
What in the hell is going on?
Shane and Eddie live in that house with Aubrey? When I did a little research after finding that bar napkin, I concentrated on the other woman who lives there. I thought Ben was cheating so I paid little attention to the guys there.
My mind is spinning so quickly I almost feel dizzy. And then I get pissed. So freaking pissed.
Ben’s laugh fills the room. “Are you fucking kidding me. You go to all this trouble to tell me Silas is watching me?” He looks up at the ceiling, slowly shaking his head from side to side.
“This is unbelievable. You’ve underestimated me if you think I’m not aware of everything your husband is doing. ”
“No, that’s not why! We all should be working together. But y’all aren’t and it’s going to blow up in our faces if you don’t.”
Ben looks incredulous as he stalks around the counter so he’s closer to her. “I tried that. Randall and Silas are forgetting the only reason they even know about this shit with Foster is because I told them after his file landed on Hank’s desk.”
Margaret laughs loudly. “Well, excuse me. I’m just trying to make sure no one does anything crazy, because it seems like all of y’all are losing your minds over this. They think you’re going to use the evidence against them. That’s what’s got them worried. You just need to tell them you aren’t!”
He takes another step forward, causing Margaret to lean back on her stool. “They should be worried. I guarantee you the first thing I will do is use it to extricate myself from underneath Randall Everett’s thumb, where he’s kept me pinned all these years!”
“You know this won’t end well for you if you get it first. Neither of them will ever let you have power over them in any way.”
His face comes closer to hers. I can see a vein popping in his forehead. “I didn’t agree to cover for Silas that night he killed those people just so Randall fucking Everett could control the rest of my life.”
Wait.
Wait, wait, wait.
What is he saying?
Ben was involved that night, right?
Ben.
Not Silas.
Silas wasn’t even in Corbeau that summer. I backpacked through Europe and Silas worked on a cattle ranch in Texas.
It’s why I never even considered Silas could have been involved in this.
Ben steps away from her, his hands shoved in his pockets; a weird calmness settles over him. “I would have never agreed to be his alibi if I had known it meant I’d be Randall’s puppet all these years, no better than every other person who does his dirty work for him.”
I feel sick. And confused.
Silas was the one who was driving Paul’s truck that night?
And everyone in my family seems to know about it but me.
Rage starts deep in my belly and spreads through every limb. I’m shaking I’m so mad. And sad. And sick.
This is a nightmare.
Ben gives her a pointed look. “Why are you really here? This conversation could have been a phone call.”
She turns toward him. “I told you, I’m worried about Silas. And I think he wants to tell Camille everything. It bothers him she doesn’t know what happened or how involved you are with Randall. And you know how pissed she’d be.”
He crosses his arms. He can be very intimidating when he wants to be.
“I don’t give a shit what he tells her. She’ll bury her head in the sand like she’s done her whole life.
She loves to pretend she doesn’t know where the money comes from, walking the moral high ground, as long as her lifestyle doesn’t change. This is no different.”
Sinking down on the floor, I have to cover my mouth to muffle the scream begging to be released.
Margaret paces around my kitchen in a tight circle while he watches. “Randall won’t just sit back and wait to see what happens.”
Ben slams his hand down on the counter and she jumps.
“I’m done with Randall. Done with taking the cases he wants me to, just to keep his scumbag friends out of prison.
Done with helping him line his pockets. It’s time I line my own.
And I’m not even starting down this path with Silas.
This bullshit ends tonight. And the last thing I need is your fucking help to do it. ”
I fall back against the chair and try to catch my breath.
I had no idea Ben has been so wrapped up in my dad’s bullshit all these years.
This is exactly what I didn’t want. I never wanted to live like this.
It’s why I’ve been so hesitant to start a family, because I never wanted to bring a child into this dirty way of life.
There’s a nervous quiver to her voice when she says, “You have a plan. I can tell. What are you going to do?”
Ben moves closer so there’s very little space between them. His jaw clenches. I know that look. He’s trying hard not to lose his temper. His hands encircle her wrists, holding her in place. “Did Silas send you here? You switch sides on me?”
Her head shakes back and forth. “No, he’s at the farm! I swear, he didn’t send me!” I can tell from her expression that his grip must be tighter than what’s comfortable.
“We’ve known each other a long time, Margaret. Don’t forget, I’m the keeper of the secrets.”
Margaret pulls free from him and steps back. “I better go. He’ll be expecting me soon.”
My gut twists and my head throbs.
Bile starts up my throat. I rush to the bucket and throw up everything in my stomach until I’m dry heaving. Sweat breaks out all over my body and I feel clammy. It takes a while before I can crawl back to my chair.
By the time I pick the tablet back up, Margaret is gone and Ben is back in his office, working as if he doesn’t have a care in the world while I’m in the attic feeling like mine just blew apart.
I’m so dumb. So, so dumb. On the phone earlier he said he had a couple of meetings before going to Foster’s and my stomach drops thinking about who will show up next. I’m not sure I can handle learning anything else about Ben or my family.
His phone rings. “Yeah.” He leans back in his chair while he listens to the caller. “Take a picture and send it to me.”
The call ends. I can’t see the phone screen from this angle but it seems like he’s waiting for the image he requested to come through. It’s obvious when he finally gets whatever it is because he sits up in his chair.
He stares at his phone for a long moment then taps on his screen, his movements a bit frantic. A few minutes later, he lifts the phone back to his ear. “I’m leaving the house now,” he says as soon as his call connects, then ends it just as abruptly.
I don’t know what’s calling him away but I’m grateful because I need out of this attic and out of this house before I lose my mind. Before I do something I’ll regret.
He packs up quickly, shutting down his laptop and grabbing his keys. Within minutes, I hear the telltale sounds of the garage door rising.
As soon as I hear it close again, I’m on the move.
I exit the attic and run down the stairs to the first floor, straight into the kitchen, grabbing the camera.
Then I sprint to his office to get the one there.
Pulling the chair close, I stand on it so I can reach where I’ve hidden it in the bookshelf.
I don’t know what I’m going to do with the footage I have but I’m not leaving it behind, because there’s a good chance I’m never stepping foot in this house again.
“You’re not supposed to be here.”
I scream and fall, landing on the floor next to the overturned chair.
And there’s Ben, leaning against the wall, staring at the cameras on the ground next to me.