45. Alexis
David held out his hand to shake. ‘Thanks for agreeing to meet me. I know it must be hard, going against your father.’
Alexis hesitated to reach out her own hand in return. ‘I’ve seen you before.’
‘Where? And when?’
‘The day Rick Jamieson was acquitted. You were in an alley with my dad, and you handed him a briefcase.’
‘Ah. That was part of the case we’re building against him. We intercepted the guy he was supposed to meet, and I made the exchange.’
‘What were you exchanging?’
‘Cash. And a lot of it. We made sure we marked all the serial numbers so we could trace where they ended up. We suspect your father works with some people who launder the money for him and take a cut. He’s part of a much larger operation.’
‘Could tampering with Rick Jamieson’s case be related?’
David looked around. ‘Possibly. But we should probably find somewhere a little more discreet to discuss this.’
‘Oh. Right. Of course. Do you have any preferences?’
‘There’s a café a few blocks down. None of my colleagues know about it.’
‘All right. Lead the way.’
The café was in a basement under a pizza shop. The lighting was low, and with no windows, it was impossible to tell the time of day outside.
They sat in the back corner, and David ordered them coffee.
‘If you don’t mind me asking, what made you turn on your father?’
‘I just want to do the right thing. I know he’s family, but he potentially helped a murderer go free, and I hate to think where a lot of our wealth came from.’
‘You know you’re going down a very lonely path?’
‘I don’t care. I couldn’t live with myself if Rick killed someone else. Or if my dad helped another person who’d done the wrong thing.’ She cocked her head to the side. ‘How much do you know about Jack?’
‘In what way?’
‘I just wonder how far he’s crossed the line. Do you know what happened to my mother?’
‘Lily?’
‘Yes.’
‘Don’t you know?’
‘All I remember is her leaving when I was five. I don’t know if she left voluntarily, or whether Jack made her leave. Or worse.’
David studied her for a moment, as if weighing up whether he should reveal whatever it was he was about to say.
‘She’s alive, if that’s what you’re implying.’
Alexis’ heart stopped. ‘Do you know where she is?’
‘In Dorrigo, New South Wales.’
‘Seriously?’
‘She works as a nurse at a health centre down there.’
‘Does Jack know this?’
‘Probably.’
‘And he never told me?’
‘I’m sorry, but my information is linked to his business dealings, not what happened in his marriage twenty-five years ago. Or what he might have told you.’
‘I can’t believe Jack never told me she was alive.’
‘If you like, I’ll send you the information for the health centre, and you can see if you’re able to contact her there.’
Alexis struggled to process this new information. Her mother was alive and residing… actually, she didn’t know exactly where Dorrigo was, but she imagined it was north of Sydney, which would make it less than a ten-hour drive away.
David continued talking. ‘If you’re comfortable with the idea, I’d like to have you as a witness on the case we’re building against Jack.’
‘Would I have to testify in court?’
‘We’re not sure yet. But possibly.’
‘I’ll think about it. I’ll cooperate with whatever information you need now, but I’ll have to think about court.’
‘We’ll give you time, don’t worry.’
‘Thanks. Oh, and I gave Valentina some files that might help. It’s evidence refuting Rick’s alibi on the night of Sophie’s murder.’
‘That will be helpful. You’re very brave, Alexis. Don’t think I take any of this lightly.’
‘I don’t.’
They sipped their coffees in silence.
Weirdly, Alexis felt at peace with her decision. She was a little hesitant about testifying, but she knew she’d do it if she really had to.
And after she finished here with David, she’d finally get to see Levi again.
She hoped their reunion would be a happy one.
When Alexis emergedfrom the basement café, it was raining. And it was heavy. Too heavy to navigate without an umbrella.
David stood beside her, also seemingly caught off guard by the sudden change in weather.
‘Do you want me to call you an Uber?’ he asked.
‘Uh, I’ll be fine. I’ll figure something out.’
‘If you’re sure? I’ll be in touch soon to arrange a formal interview, and in the meantime, I’ll send you the information on that health centre.’
‘Thanks, David.’
She watched him run off into the downpour and decided she didn’t want to follow his lead. She texted Levi to let him know she’d finished and then stood under one of the building’s eaves, wondering if the rain was settling in for the day. She might just wait for a few minutes and see.
It only felt like two minutes later when a figure appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. They were holding a yellow umbrella, and at first, she couldn’t see the person’s face. But when they tilted it back slightly, Levi came into view.
She hadn’t expected to see him so soon, and especially not prepared for the weather.
Her mouth involuntarily pulled itself into a shy smile. ‘How did you know I was here?’
‘Valentina said David probably brought you here. It’s supposed to be his secret hangout, but Valentina knows everything, apparently.’
‘Did you know it was going to rain?’
‘Nope. But Valentina had a spare umbrella at her office. I thought you might want to share it with me?’
His arm was already in a perfect position for her to loop hers through, so she tucked into his side, and they stepped out onto the path.
‘How did it go with Valentina?’ she asked.
‘I think she’s got everything under control, and she’s happy to help me, but I’m trying to get my head around how difficult life will be for the next few months. How did your meeting go?’
‘About the same. We’re lucky we have such a competent lawyer helping us. But I’m a little nervous about potentially having to testify against my dad. He’s as powerful as Valentina, and he’s obviously willing to break the rules when it suits him. I just hope they can trap him without too much collateral damage. Oh, and I want you to know, I found some evidence that might finally put Rick Jamieson away. I gave Valentina a file she might be able to use to reopen the case.’
‘That’s great news.’ He stopped and faced her. ‘I’m sorry I was such an arse. I shouldn’t have lumped you in with your dad when I knew you had fallen out with him and were obviously struggling. You wouldn’t have needed to house-sit for Evelyn otherwise. And I was in almost the same situation. My family is a complete toxic mess, yet I stayed longer than you.’
‘It’s family, so it’s hard to leave, even when you know you should.’
‘Still. I apologise for how I treated you. I promise I will always listen to you from now on.’
She felt the sincerity in his tone.
‘I’ll do the same.’
He gazed down at her, and she felt it like a caress, causing goosebumps to prickle on her arms. Levi lowered his face, and she closed her eyes. His lips gently pressed against hers, and she almost melted into one of the nearby puddles. Kissing him back, she threaded her fingers through his hair and pulled him closer.
Too soon, he stepped back, laughing softly. ‘We should get out of the rain before I drop this umbrella. Do you want to come back to my place?’
She nodded. ‘Yes, please.’
As they resumed walking, Alexis remembered what else David had told her.
‘My mum’s alive,’ she said softly.
Levi didn’t stop moving, but he turned his head toward her so abruptly, Alexis worried he might get whiplash.
‘What?’
‘Apparently she works in a health centre in Dorrigo.’
‘Wow. Are you going to contact her?’
‘I think so. I’d like to know what happened with her and Dad. And the child part of me wants to ask how she could leave me. But I think I already know. Dad wouldn’t have made it easy.’
‘At least you might be able to get some closure either way.’
‘I hope so.’
They arrived at Levi’s car, and he held the door open for her, keeping the umbrella over her head until she was safely inside.
He then ran around to his side and climbed in.
He squeezed her hand. ‘Thank you for giving me another chance.’
She squeezed his hand in return. ‘I think we were meant to meet. I’ve never been someone who believes in serendipity, but I feel like the fact you gave me that teddy bear when I was a kid, and then how we met again in your building means something. And to have our families tied up in equally terrible situations means we need to support each other. We’ll get through it together.’
Levi leaned across the console and kissed her again, this time on the cheek.
‘Damn, you’re amazing.’
He pulled out onto the road, and they drove toward the penthouse.
Alexis couldn’t wait to get there.