Betrayal (19 page)

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Authors: Fern Michaels

BOOK: Betrayal
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Coleman grabbed her hand. “Wait, there is more, but I don't want to hurt you and Alex.”
Kate sat back down. “Tell me what it is. You have no right to keep something from us if it will help Alex.”
He nodded, “You're right. I just hate to tell you what I learned. It surprised me.”
“I'm listening.” Kate urged.
“James Conroy is a very, very distant relative of Don's. I'm not even sure Don was aware of this. Apparently Don's great-grandmother on his father's side was married to a cousin of James's great-grandfather. It's complicated, but maybe family loyalty played a part in his lack of a defense. This is just a guess. I only came across this information a couple of days ago. My investigator is beyond thorough, and she just happens to be into genealogy. With the Internet, she said you could find just about anything if you search hard enough. And she did. If James knew this, he should've recused himself from the case.”
Kate couldn't have been more surprised. “This is shocking! Does Alex know?”
“No, I wanted to get your take on this before I said anything to him.”
Kate was sorry she'd jumped to conclusions about Coleman. He really was bothered by this new information.
“It changes a lot, doesn't it?”
“Yes and no. Will it get Alex released? Possibly, but not right away,” Coleman explained.
The waitress brought their salads and a basket of homemade cranberry-nut muffins. They ate, stopping occasionally to speak of things they deemed unimportant. Kate did learn Coleman had lost his wife to breast cancer five years earlier.
“I'm sorry. It must've been hard for you.”
“It was. Suzanne was a strong woman. She fought the disease until she drew her last breath. We were in practice together. We both had a profound love of the law. When she died, I thought about closing my practice. She would've been disappointed if I had, so I took a few months off. I went to the cabin. I had never been there without Suzanne. It was strange. All of her things are still there. I can't bring myself to pack them away. I guess that's stupid after all this time.” Coleman lowered his eyes. He busied his hands spreading butter on a muffin. Coleman was a compassionate man who obviously had loved his wife deeply.
“She sounds wonderful. I would have liked her.”
“Yes, there wasn't anyone who didn't. And if there were those few who had reservations about her, she'd have them on her side in no time. She was the light of my life.”
“Then you were a very lucky man to have loved so deeply.” After the words were out of her mouth, Kate wished she could take them back. This talk of love and sorrow hit too close to home.
“Yes, I was. I see the same type of love between you and Alex.”
Kate was surprised he would even say this. She liked him more and more. Maybe when this was all over, she and Alex would invite him to North Carolina.
“I'd only been out of college a year when I met Alex. My parents had died in a terrible crash. I thought I'd never find happiness after their deaths. I was very close to both my parents. Alex knew them before they died. He'd purchased the kennels from them. They wanted to retire, and selling the kennel was such a big decision for them. When they met Alex, they felt like they'd been blessed. He loved animals as much, if not more, than they did. I wish they'd lived long enough to see Alex and me married.”
“They would have approved of Alex. He's a decent man, Kate. I can tell these things. I'll do whatever I can to see that he's out of that pit. I promise.” Coleman looked at her from across the table. She knew he would keep his promise, too. He was that much like Alex.
“Something tells me that you will do just what you say. I thank you for that, Coleman. I just wish we'd hired you before it went to trial. Maybe if I had, Alex wouldn't even have gone to trial.”
“One never knows, Kate. Now”—he looked at the chrome watch on his wrist—“if we want to beat the traffic, we'd better head out. I-75 is a killer this time of year, what with all the tourists. You won't have to rush once you're at the airport.”
“Thanks.”
Coleman took care of the check, even though Kate had tried to insist. It was a business meeting, after all. She excused herself to the ladies' room. She brushed her hair and put on lip gloss. She had good feelings about Coleman Fitzpatrick. Her gut feeling told her he would get Alex out of that hellhole. And this time, she was going to listen.
Chapter 22
D
on calculated that he had enough money left in his accounts to cover the mortgage for one more month. He wouldn't pay Emily's and Sara's tuition again this month. Debbie could. She was making all kinds of money selling real estate. What the hell she did with it besides buy clothes, he hadn't a clue. Every day she came home from work and informed him she'd been on a wild shopping spree. She'd bought the girls Louis Vuitton purses last week. She'd paid $1,500 apiece for them. That would have covered their tuition for another month. He hadn't told her of the dire straits they were in financially. If things at work didn't change soon, he'd have to ask his wife for money. He'd never asked her for one red cent. It was going to kill him when he did. She'd never let him live it down either.
His only hope was receiving a substantial amount from the civil suit they'd filed. Though it had been several months, they had yet to receive any word about the status of their case. Debbie was supposed to take care of that, too. Obviously it was too much to ask. He made a mental note to call their attorney Monday.
Thinking of the civil suit, he thought of Alex. Old son of a bitch. How could he have stooped so low? While Don would admit Sara was a handful, now more then ever, she could never have made up the stories of all the abuse she suffered at the hands of his best friend. She was supposed to be in counseling, but when Don questioned Debbie about it the other day, she told him that Sara was fine. He didn't think so, but she was a woman. She knew about things like this. If she said Sara was okay, then he would assume she was. There was a part of him that had wanted to believe in Alex's innocence. But he couldn't. Never in a million years would a child of his construct a tale so filthy. Sara loved going to Alex and Kate's. She would never have jeopardized her relationship with them. The last trip had been the straw that broke the camel's back, according to Debbie. Sara was so frightened of Alex and what he was doing to her, she'd had anxiety attacks. For once Debbie did what he would have done. She'd sat Sara down and practically forced her to tell her what was bothering her. When Sara started talking about sexual abuse, Debbie said, she was flabbergasted. The two of them talked for days before Debbie let Don in on the topic of their conversations. When she did, he'd had no choice but to call Alex. From there, they'd let the authorities take over. Alex would remain in prison for at least the next twenty years. He deserved to die in jail for all that he'd put Sara through. The civil suit had been the icing on the cake as far as he was concerned. Alex had millions. There could not have been a more perfect time to get his hands on some of that cold hard cash.
The engineering firm he'd worked for was about to file Chapter Eleven. Too many good deals gone bad. He would open his own company as soon as he got his money from the civil suit. All he had to do was hang in there a while longer.
With his finances temporarily settled for the moment, Don had promised the guys from the country club he'd meet them for an afternoon round of golf. Debbie would have to see to it that the girls had something for dinner. For weeks now he'd brought home takeout, chicken from Publix or some crap from Taco Bell. He'd take the girls out for pizza once in a while when they got tired of eating the food he brought home.
What I wouldn't give for a home-cooked meal. Kate can cook like no one else. I would give a hundred bucks for a slice of her pot roast. Screw it, I'll eat at the club. Again.
“Where are you going?” Debbie peeked inside the den.
“To the club. I told the guys I'd play some golf with them.”
“Don't you ever stay home on weekends?” Debbie nagged.
“No, not when you're here.”
“You're a real prick, you know that?”
“I've been called worse.”
“Deservedly so. The girls want to go to the movies tonight. I can't take them. I've got a house to show.”
“The girls can go to the movies without me tagging along.”
“No way, Jose. I need you to drive them. Emily only has her learner's permit.”
“Sorry. No can do.” Don delighted in pissing her off. Their marriage was a sham. When Sara reached eighteen, he was out. No questions. He wouldn't spend another minute listening to his wife moan and groan. He'd move to another country to get away from her.
Just five more years, and I'll be on my merry way.
He couldn't help but smile at the thought.
“What's so funny? If I remember correctly, you are the girls' father. You're as responsible for their care as I am. I have to show this house. It could mean a huge commission for me.”
For me,
Don thought
.
Maybe he'd give in. This time.
“What time does the movie start?”
“Seven. It's out at ten, so you'll have to stay sober long enough to get them and bring them home.”
Don shrugged. “Then maybe you better pick them up. I don't think I can stay sober that long. No, wait. Maybe I'll send a taxi to pick them up. You'll be too stoned to remember where they are.”
“What are you talking about?” Debbie asked.
“Do you actually expect me to believe I don't know what a frigging pothead you are? You smell like a weed factory, Deb. I'm surprised you haven't started snorting cocaine. That'll be next.”
“Nuts to you, Don. Just pick up the girls. I have to leave.”
She stomped out of the den, and he heard the electric garage door open.
Good. Having her out of the house is like manna from heaven. I just might cancel my round of golf and stay home. I might even join the girls for a movie. But that will humiliate them, so I'll pass on that
.
 
 
Debbie found the joint she'd rolled in her makeup case. She lit it up and inhaled. She held her breath until her eyes watered. She needed to relax.
A joint now and then doesn't hurt,
she decided.
Hell, half the people I work with toke a doobie once in a while.
She wondered how Don had found out she was into pot. Not that she gave a rat's ass. He drank too much. She was convinced that if his liver wasn't pickled already, it would be soon enough.
So we both have our vices. Who cares? I need something to get me through the days.
This was especially true since the business with Sara's being molested had started. Debbie knew that the kid was a real mental case. She also knew that she might be to blame for some of it, but so was Don. He never gave Sara enough attention. He was always lavishing his affection on perfect little Emily. Sara was smart enough to see the difference. She was a sad kid, Debbie thought. She took another puff of the joint, held the smoke in her lungs until it felt like they would explode, then exhaled. She opened all the windows so her car wouldn't smell like weed when she drove her clients to the house out at Marco Island.
She needed this sale badly. Her credit cards were maxed out. She owed that stupid little drug dealer in Fort Myers a fortune, in cash, for all the pot she'd been buying. She'd tried to talk him into sleeping with her in exchange for the dope, but he'd told her he was gay.
Just my luck to proposition a drug-dealing fag. Oh well. If he keeps on nagging me for the money, I'll turn him in to the police. Nothing in life is fair.
She arrived at her office. Before she went inside, she took a bottle of Nina Ricci from the glove compartment and sprayed herself with it. It stank, but she didn't care. One of the girls at the office had given it to her last Christmas. It had been in her car ever since.
She checked her makeup in the vanity mirror. Her eyes were glazed over. She spent most of her nights consoling Sara through another one of her nightmares. At least that's what she told the girls in the office when they asked. They accepted her explanation without question. The prosecution of Alex Rocket for molesting Sara had been major news.
Once inside, she took care of some paperwork she'd been putting off. There was so much more to selling houses than running around from showing to showing. She'd love to see Don turn out as much work as she did. He thought she was stupid. She knew they were broke. Had seen it coming for a long time. They'd mortgaged their asses to the hilt. Don kept pretending they were rolling in the dough.
Didn't he stop and think that I have access to all our accounts? He must be dumber than dirt. Unless, of course, he has an account I'm not aware of.
She doubted it. He wasn't smart enough to be that devious. All he cared about was his Conehead-looking hair and making an impression on the guys at the country club. She should've reeled Alex in when she had the chance. He was a much better catch. Even now, she would take him over Don. She knew he wasn't the sick, perverted bastard Sara made him out to be.
How well she knew.

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