Chapter 12
CHAPTER
I RUBBED MY EYES wearily as I faced the bathroom mirror the next morning, trying to rid my brain of the thick fog that clung to me. I wished I could banish the memories of the previous night—the thoughts that had kept me up, agonizing. But no such luck.
I called the police, who sent an officer to come take a report, but San Francisco being what it is, he didn’t sound confident they would find the vandal.
Then I stood on the side of the street by my poor, vandalized car for nearly forty-five minutes waiting for a tow truck.
The man who finally arrived said no body shops were open that late on a Sunday, but he knew of one nearby where he could tow my car and leave it overnight.
He’d have the head mechanic, a friend of his, call me in the morning to give me prices on new tires and a paint job.
Luckily only the two tires on the passenger’s side facing the curb had been slashed, and not all four of them. I took an Uber home.
At work, Meredith ignored me, and Tina—the new Sampson account manager—called another meeting for the team.
I tried my best to concentrate as she droned on and on about analytics, trying not to be bitter about the fact that she was seven years younger than me, with way less experience.
Halfway through the meeting, my phone rang.
It was the body shop, but I let it go to voicemail.
No need to attract any more of Meredith’s ire.
I called the mechanic back after the meeting.
“We’re finished with the paint job,” the mechanic said. “We’re ready to put the tires on—we just need to know what kind you want.”
“How much are we talking?”
“If you want the same brand you had before, the new tires will run you about a hundred and forty bucks a pop.”
“So, seven-fifty for the paint job, and about two-eighty for the tires?”
“Oh, no, no. Sorry, sweetheart. You’re going to need to replace all four tires. The other two are worn down enough that you’ll be off-balance if you only replace two.”
I sighed, kneading my forehead again. Over thirteen hundred bucks. And my credit card still wasn’t working. But what was I going to do? Leave my car at the shop indefinitely?
Painfully, I placed an order for four new tires.
Then I logged back into my bank account and transferred money out of savings, since I was going to have to pay cash.
I grimaced at how low the balance was getting, and made a mental note to call and check on the status of my credit card disputes.
It had been a while since I had sent in the letter from Sam confirming that I was at work during the infamous liquor store purchase, and I still hadn’t heard back.
I swallowed a mouthful of rage. What else ya got to throw at me, universe? You haven’t quite finished me off yet, but you’re doing a bang-up job of trying.
Friday night, Jenna and Ellie came over to try and cheer me up with a girls’ night in. We made popcorn and ice cream sundaes, and Jenna brought over more cans of the delicious Paloma-Rita mocktails, which I served in martini glasses garnished with lime.
I got a little teary-eyed as I caught them up on everything that had happened lately. Ellie made all the appropriate utterances and expressions of outrage that a best friend should. Jenna was quiet, but I could tell by her face she was sympathetic and concerned.
“You think Madison is the one doing all this to you?” Jenna finally asked.
“She has to be—who else could it possibly be?” I argued.
“I just can’t figure out how she’s doing it.
How did she send me a text that looked like it was from my boss?
Plus, Max says he never got the text I sent him inviting him to my ultrasound, even though it shows up on my phone in our text history—and I got a response from him. ”
“Maybe you need to take your phone to the Geek Squad or something, and have someone take a look at it,” Ellie offered.
“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” But another expense, right?
I shook my head, trying to dispel the negative thoughts.
Suddenly, I didn’t want to talk about the mess of my life anymore.
“Jenna, isn’t your ultrasound coming up soon?
Have you decided if you’re going to find out if it’s a girl or a boy? ”
Jenna’s smile instantly disappeared. She took a sip of her mocktail, her eyes downcast. “I haven’t scheduled it yet. And no, I don’t think I want to find out. But hey—should we watch the movie?”
“Yes! I have a variety of cheesy eighties movies for us to choose from,” I announced. “Do we want Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead, Sixteen Candles, or Adventures in Babysitting?”
Someone was nudging me awake. I struggled to open my eyes as sunlight streamed in between the blinds of my bedroom window. I felt Ellie stirring in the bed next to me.
“Savannah, wake up. Someone’s at the door,” Jenna said. She was leaning over me.
Jenna had fallen asleep on the couch in the living room during our eighties movie marathon the night before, so Ellie and I had crashed in my bedroom.
I pulled myself out of bed as Ellie sat up, rubbing her eyes.
“Who’s here at … eight thirty four on a Saturday morning?” I muttered. As I reached for my robe, I groaned. “Oh God—it’s not Madison, is it?”
“No, she … she said she’s from DCS.” Jenna seemed nervous.
“What?” I walked out of my bedroom toward the open front door, where a young woman stood in a smart skirt suit and heels, her black hair pulled back into a severe bun. She carried a soft leather briefcase.
“Savannah Mitchell?” Her eyes lingered on my pregnant belly. “My name is Melanie Daniels. I’m with the Department of Children’s Services. I need to speak with you.” I stared at her, dumbfounded. “May I come in?”
“Uh … sure.” I stepped aside as she walked in. We both sat down on the couch. “What is this about?”
“Several citizens have contacted our department recently, with concerns about your unborn child’s welfare. I’ve been ordered to investigate these claims.”
A sick feeling crept into my stomach. “What?” Ellie echoed my astonishment from behind me. “What claims? What concerns?”
“The department received a number of photos of you that are very troubling. Here, I’ll show them to you.”
She took an iPad out of her briefcase. After a few taps, she held it out, facing me, and swiped through a series of photos that made my blood turn ice-cold.
The first was of me at the High Note, shooting my fist up in the air excitedly as the band played one of my favorite songs.
I looked a little sweaty and was taking a big swig of a clear drink garnished with lime.
The second showed a tipsy Ellie dragging me to the ladies’ room with her, causing me to trip and stumble into another woman and spill a little of my drink on myself.
The third showed creepy ThrobbingRob17 grinding up against me from behind with his mouth at my ear.
I shivered. The last one was of me glaring and shouting at Madison in the middle of the crowded club, Ellie’s hand on my arm, trying to hold me back.
The woman turned the tablet back toward herself and tapped a few more times, then presented me with another photo.
“In addition, we were sent this photo, that shows you purchasing thousands of dollars’ worth of alcohol at a liquor store just a couple of months ago, while pregnant.
” It was the security camera photo from Sid’s Spirits, showing the cashier loading a number of bottles of Tito’s Vodka into a cardboard box as my doppelganger watched.
I opened my mouth to object to all of it, but somehow, no words came out.
“You can see why the department is concerned,” the woman said, pursing her lips.
I covered my face with my hands for a moment, breathing in and out deeply. Get it together, Savannah. Stay calm. Try to sound rational.
I launched in. “Ms. Daniels, these photos were taken at a friend’s bachelorette party.
I was the designated driver. The club we’re at is called the High Note, and they’re known for making sure sober people feel included.
They have a huge menu of mocktails. That’s what I’m drinking in those photos.
” I gestured to Ellie behind me. “Ellie was there, and she can confirm that I drank only virgin drinks all night. I would never put my baby’s life in danger. ”
“That’s correct, ma’am. And I’m happy to go on the record, or whatever you need, to vouch for her,” Ellie said.
The woman shut her iPad cover with a snap. “I’m afraid it’s not that simple.”
My panic started to rise. “Wha—what do you mean?” Ellie came to sit next to me and grabbed my hand. I vaguely noticed Jenna sitting at my kitchen table, watching intently.
“Well, to start, I will need to search your apartment for any signs of alcohol or illicit drugs. And we’d like you to report to your doctor’s office today as soon as possible for blood and urine toxicity tests.
I will need to speak with your doctor’s office and coordinate with them to get your test results sent to me. ”
My eyes bloomed with tears, threatening to spill out. Ellie squeezed my hand. I couldn’t believe this was happening. “Uh … okay. Then what?”
“Well, if we don’t find anything to support these claims, that will definitely help your case. But you will need to be closely monitored until you give birth. If there are any signs of reckless or dangerous behavior, your child could be taken into custody in the delivery ward.”
My tears were flowing freely now. “What?”
Ellie leaned forward. “This is outrageous! Are you saying that anyone can just make ridiculous claims like this without proof? I’m her best friend.
I see her all the time. She has never once had a drink since she found out she was pregnant.
These are all evil lies, and I bet I know who’s spreading them—the father’s girlfriend, Madison. Check your files—am I right?”