Chapter Twenty-Two #3
We all take a seat in the empty cafe as I go through the basics.
I explain the details surrounding my father’s charges, the allegations of what he may or may not have done, and I explain the conversation I overheard, and finally, the conversation I had with Mr. DuPonce.
At the end of our conversation, Ainsley gets up to make sure that the doors are locked, peeking through the vines that lay across the windows, as if someone will walk in and catch us like we’re the ones committing the crimes.
“So, he thinks your father made some money disappear, but why?” Ainsley repeats back to me slowly, wrapping her head around it.
“That was my question. My father basically confirmed it, but that’s not what I want to know. All night I was tossing and turning. Why would Mr. Arias pay my father’s bail? And if money disappeared, then where did it come from? By the sound of it, it was a lot of money, but why hide it?”
“Wait a minute.” Rory’s hands slam on the table, making us all jump. “Are you talking about Mr. Arias from the big oil company?”
“Yeah, why?” I ask, unsure of where she’s going with this.
“Holy shit!” Her big blue eyes nearly pop out of her head as she threads her fingers through the pink curls at the nape of her neck.
“Uh, Ror?” I ask slowly. “What’s going on?”
“That’s my cousin Lucas’s wife, Lettie’s father. They’ve been looking for him. There’s a court date in January and a warrant out for his arrest.”
“You’re joking.” I stare at her in disbelief, trying to wrap my head around this eerie connection.
“Momma always said, evil will always find its own. Doesn’t matter how big the world is. Rot draws rot,” Ainsley says, matter-of-fact, before her back straightens. “Sorry, I don’t mean to say that your dad is evil, it’s just that...”
I stick my hand up to both stop and save her. “It’s okay.”
Her shoulders relax.
“Besides, he might very well be. I think that the real reason Mr. Arias paid my father’s bail is that my father has something on him,” I explain, my heart racing as it all becomes real by saying it out loud.
“I don’t know if it’s receipts or copies of contracts or what, but it’s the only plausible reason why he’d want to keep my father out of jail.
I’m willing to bet that whatever it is, it’s linked to that money that doesn’t exist.”
“So you think Lettie’s dad paid off your father to sign all those contracts in question?” Rory asks, trying to understand.
“If there’s money, then there’s proof that my father knew exactly what he was signing.
It means he was in on it and accepted the bribe.
But if there’s a paper trail, then that means my father can take Mr. Arias down with him.
I know my father doesn’t care about protecting anyone but himself, and he never does anything without that in mind.
.. this is the only logical explanation I can come up with. ”
“But if all that’s true, then where’s the paper trail? Where’s the money?” Ainsley asks, appearing thoughtful as her fingers toy with the strands of hair and flowers threaded through her braids.
I inhale deeply and pull my bottom lip between my teeth nervously. “This is the part I need help with,” I mutter carefully, gauging their reactions.
Ainsley’s eyes narrow, and Rory leans in.
“I think I know where my father might be hiding them, but it’s going to require trespassing... sort of.” I give a tight, toothy smile and brace for their reaction.
“Ooooo, this sounds exciting. I’m in.” Rory barely thinks about it before being all in, which makes me more concerned than excited.
“What do you mean?” Ainsley asks the more level headed one of the two.
“There’s a desk in my father’s office.”
“Wouldn’t the police have looked through that?” Rory interrupts.
“They would have, but they don’t know about the secret compartment in the bottom drawer.”
“Oooo, oh my God, when do we leave? Let’s do this.” Rory bounces in her seat.
“Okay, so you think that it will all be in there?” Ainsley questions, her tone sounding more and more on board as she begins to put the pieces together.
“I think there’s a good chance.”
“So what do we do? Wait until it gets dark and just... break in?” Ainsley asks nervously.
“What? No way, that’s a rookie mistake. We need to go during the day in case we turn on the lights. If it’s dark outside, the lights might draw unwanted attention.”
Ainsley and I slowly turn our attention on Rory and eye her suspiciously.
“Rory,” I say slowly. “Is there something you wish to share with the class?”
“Nope,” she says, smiling innocently, popping the ‘p’.
“Alrighty then,” I laugh. “So, are we doing this?”
We look at each other, nodding our heads in agreement.
We come up with a plan until each of us understands ‘the mission’ as Rory calls it.
She seems the most excited, which honestly makes me question her sanity a bit, but she assures me that this is the type of dopamine kick that she lives for.
.. again, slightly concerned, but as long as they both understand the risks, it’s out of my hands.
“We’ll be crossing police tape. If we get caught, we may be arrested.
” I pause, making sure my words sink in and searching for any tell that they don’t really want to do this, but they both look certain and ready to support me in any way they can.
It takes me a second to clear the emotion from my throat before I can speak.
Rory glances at Ainsley before resting their hands on my arm.
“Okay,” I say nervously, a fluttering in my stomach as I clear my throat. “Let’s do this.”