Authors: Ginger Simpson
When she went downstairs, she found Alaine sitting at Evan's computer. "What are you doing?"
"I'm checking the sites Evan frequents, if any."
"How do you do that?"
"Come here, I'll show you."
Cassie walked over and stood behind her sister. "Spying on Evan just doesn't feel right."
"I suppose his lying does?"
"No. I'm crushed that he's been so dishonest, but after the things we found yesterday, I'm scared."
"It's better to know than not." She slanted forward and stared at the monitor. "See this little button on the tool bar? If you click it, you can see what websites have been visited within periods of time. See, I can check yesterday, within the last week, within the last two weeks…." She selected the latter.
Cassie bent closer to the monitor, and over Alaine's shoulder, perused the myriad of URLS displayed. An involuntary gasp escaped her lips. Each led to an online gambling site. "Oh, my God. I can't believe what I'm seeing."
"Evidently, Evan isn't very computer savvy," Alaine pointed out. "If he was, he would have erased all this info."
Cassie ran nervous fingers through her hair. "I guess he trusted me as much as I trusted him. Why else would he leave all those credit cards, his child support papers, and leads to his evident gambling pastime for me to find?"
Alaine stood and gave her sister a hug. "I'm sorry, Cassie. I took this job to help you, not hurt you. What are you going to do?"
A tear trickled down Cassie's cheek. "I don't honestly know. I'd really like to have some answers, but I think those will have to wait until Evan returns. Now I wonder if he's even in Texas. Oh, God, Lainie, how could I have been so wrong about him? I'm starting to believe the things you and Frank tried to warn me about may be true." She blotted her face with a tissue.
"When is he coming back?"
"He said he'd be gone for two weeks."
"Tell you what. I'll dig in and get the books all caught up. Let's at least have all the ammunition we can muster before you have a showdown."
Cassie's stomach knotted at the thought. "Why can't things be simple? All I wanted was someone in my life to love me and share my future."
Alaine went back to her own desk and sat, pulling out ledgers. "On the bright side, Cass, it's better you find out everything now, because the way Evan's going, you won't have a future if you let him continue using you."
She couldn't deny it. Alaine was right. Cassie so wanted to find an excuse…an alibi for the obvious evidence, but she found none. Before, when Frank and Alaine showed her proof, she convinced herself Evan was not that person. Someone with the same name had to be the culprit. This time, he had no defense. Evan kept secrets. He used company credit cards for personal gain and had blatantly lied about his child support obligations. This was not the relationship she expected or wanted. Pain stabbed at her heart when she pictured him. His standard phrase rang in her ears. "Don't be mad at me, baby girl."
* * *
Cassie immersed herself in her day job, thankful she had something to keep her mind occupied and away from anything involving Evan. She hadn't heard from him recently and, for that, she felt relieved. Unfortunately, now at lunchtime, the break in her busy routine allowed him to creep into her thoughts. Alaine suggested not saying anything to him over the phone about what they'd found, instead involve the police when Evan returned home. Cassie couldn't fathom doing that. Love didn't die easily, and she had given him her soul. Food was the last thing on her mind. She already felt sick to her stomach. She tossed her sandwich in the trash and drank only a soda. If she could turn her diet cola into Jack Daniels, she would.
The day dragged on, but Cassie persevered. The last thing she wanted when she arrived home was more bad news. Apparently, Alaine didn't know that when she met her sister at the door. "You'll never guess what. I've gone back and matched all the receipts against actual deposits and discovered quite a few checks—large ones—never made it to the bank."
"Great, just great. What next?" Cassie dropped her purse on the floor and covered her eyes.
Alaine placed a consoling hand on Cass's shoulder. "There can't be much more, can there? As much as it pains me to put things into perspective for you, he's a thief. He's taken advantage of you in every possible way, and not just your finances, your heart, too. You have to call the police."
Cassie shook her head. "I can't do that. Don't you understand? I still care for him."
Alaine took Cassie by both shoulders and jerked her around until they stood face-to-face. "No, you don't. You're in love with the idea of having someone love you. Evan doesn't. I know what it's like for you right now. You're afraid to grow old alone. So am I. Jay might not have been a prize, but he was someone to spend time with, to talk to. It's hard being alone, but this man is a user and abuser. Has he ever hit you?"
"Of course not," Cassie's indignance showed in her tone. "I would never stay with someone who physically abuses me."
"But you'll stay with someone who abuses you in every other way? Think about it. He took almost a year away from you and me. Don't let him take anything else. Now that I've seen all the evidence, I'm convinced he's the con man I believed him to be in the beginning. I'm so sorry, sis. I never wanted to hurt you like this."
Everything overwhelmed Cassie. Unshed tears choked her. "I don't feel well. I'm going upstairs and lay down. I need to think."
Before she left the room, the phone rang…the house line. Alaine shoved the phone at Cassie. "You answer it. If it's Evan, act like everything is okay. Don't let on that you know anything."
Cassie took a composing breath and picked up the receiver. She prayed it wasn't him. "Hello." She couldn't hide the tremor in her voice.
"Hey, baby girl. It's me. I just wanted to check in. Things have been so hectic here. How are things on the home front?"
"Just fine," Cassie answered stoically. "Everything is going okay."
"Is something wrong? You sound funny."
Her mind spun. "I-I just had a sneezing bout and my nose is running," she lied. "When are you coming home?"
"This weekend. I don't have the flight information in front of me, but I'll call you before I leave. By the way, Cass, I paid for Marlene' cremation. I knew you wouldn't mind. She would have loved you…just like I do. Gotta run, babe, I'll call with details soon."
Torn between anger and the pain of hearing more of his lies, Cassie let rage seize her. She slammed the phone down and gritted her teeth.
"What did he say?"
"I can't fucking believe he paid for Marlene to be cremated. Or should I say, I paid? That's the final straw. I think I'm beginning to see the light. The man has a gambling problem, and all the charges he claims were for 'wining and dining' clients were a front for his lies. So were the trips to Vegas to have guitars autographed. I think he created Star Strung just to give him an excuse to travel. How stupid am I?"
Alaine shook her head. "You aren't stupid, just trusting."
"Well, not anymore," Cass proclaimed. "And speaking of guitars, I wonder…." She ran out of the room and toward the stairs. "I'll be right back," she called over her shoulder.
Upstairs, she rifled through her nightstand, looking for the pawn ticket that had fallen out of Evan's shirt. She found it nestled next to the business card that Detective Green had given her. Grabbing both, she went downstairs and waved the pawn ticket at her sister. "I found this in his shirt and stuck it in a drawer. At the time, I wondered what he would be doing with a receipt from a pawn shop, but it didn't seem that important. Now it does." She picked up the phone, scanned the number on the ticket, and dialed.
"Hello, this is Cassie Fremont. I have a ticket here and wonder if you can tell me what it's for."
She read the number to the man on the other end.
"Oh, I see. And in order to get the guitar back, I have to repay the money you relinquished. No, I've never pawned anything before. This was my boyfri—business associate's deal. Thank you very much for your help."
Cassie hung up feeling as though someone had torched her face. "I guess I should have kept a better eye on our inventory. Seems Evan pawned the most expensive guitar we had…the Lucille he just had to have signed by B.B. King. I should have noticed it missing when I showed you around." She fluttered her lips in frustration. "The pawn shop owner gave him seven hundred and fifty dollars for the guitar. We paid twice that. Whatever possessed Evan to do such a sneaky thing?"
"A quick gambling fix, no doubt. While you worked all day, Mr. Dennis evidently spent his time either in Indian casinos or gambling on line. Cass, I understand how hard this is for you, but I finally had to face the truth about Jay. An addiction is an addiction and you just can't compete with it."
Cassie fingered Detective Green's business card. Despite all the evidence against Evan, she still wasn't ready to involve the police. She tucked the card in her pocket and turned to Alaine. "So, how do I handle things when Evan comes home?" A lump formed in her throat. Did he really consider this is home? Had he ever?
"That's your call, Cassie. You're the victim here. If I was in your shoes, I'd file charges and have his ass hauled to jail."
Cassie's jaw tensed. "I still have a few days to think about what I'm going to do. I'm too upset to make a decision right now."
Alaine glanced at her wristwatch. "Listen, it's late and I'm tired. I'm going home, but I'll be back tomorrow. People have paid money, and there are still contracts pending. I need to weed through those records."
Her head pounding, Cassie massaged her temples. "Oh, great! If I send Evan to jail, how are those jobs going to get finished? Oh, Lainie, this is such a mess."
Chapter Forty
Cassie came home from work on Friday, stunned to find Evan sitting behind his desk. Alaine discreetly rolled her eyes and shook her head as Cass walked by. Evidently, Evan was clueless that his lies had been uncovered.
"Hi, baby girl." He stood and approached her with open arms. "I got on standby and took an earlier flight home. I caught a taxi from the airport. Sure surprised Alaine." He chuckled. "Almost as much as finding her here surprised me."
Swallowing hard, Cassie forced herself to walk into his embrace. Holding her emotions in check, she played along. She still hadn't decided how to handle this whole mess. "I meant to tell you I hired her, but I never got the chance. Anyhow, I'm glad you had a safe trip. I didn't expect you until tomorrow."
He pulled away, tucking his shirttail into his pants. "I figured I'd better get back and take care of business." He returned to his chair and sat.
"I'm happy you're home." The words stuck in her throat. "The guys have been working hard, but I'm not a very good foreman. My Spanish is appalling though somehow Miguel understands me."
She rambled, but couldn't focus because nausea brewed in the pit of her stomach. Just looking into the eyes she always trusted, and knowing they hid a multitude of lies, made her physically ill. She studied the lips that kissed her, the arms that held her, and recalled the frenzied bouts of lovemaking that left her breathless and fulfilled. Despite her efforts to choke back a sob, she couldn't keep up the façade.
Evan's face showed his confusion. One brow rose in that familiar way she knew all too well. "Something's goin' on, Cassie. What is it?"
The tears she tried to blink away spilled down her cheeks. She turned away, unable to speak.
Alaine stood and put her arm around Cassie's shoulders, while glaring at Evan. "It's evident Cassie is too emotional to speak, but I can tell you exactly what's wrong. She knows everything."
Evan leaned back and folded his arms across his chest, his brow creased. "She knows what?"
"Don't make her feel worse by further insulting her intelligence. We know all about your online gambling, the credit cards you hid in your desk, the pawned guitar, the child support…oh, and let's not forget the money you've embezzled from the business."
He bolted to his feet. "How dare you come into my house and accuse me of being dishonest."
Alaine tossed her hair to the side. "Oh, give it up, Evan. We have all the proof we need. Stop acting like you don't know what I'm talking about."
"Get out of my house." He pointed toward the door. "Cassie and I need to discuss some things in private, and you aren't welcome here. You can leave on your own, or I'll throw you out."
His threat to Alaine served as a dam to stop Cassie's tears. Her anger surged and she spun around and faced Evan. "This is not your home, and you have no right to order my sister to leave. You need to get your things and get out. You're nothing but a liar and a cheat. I can't believe you used me to support your addiction. I'll never forgive you as long as I live."
"Evan's mouth dropped. "B-but…baby girl, surely you don't believe—"
"I really do hate when you call me that." She squared her shoulders. "And yes, I do believe what I saw. You can't explain away the credit cards, the papers in your bottom drawer from DCS, or the business records. It's all there in black and white, Evan."