Love, Lies & The D.A. (22 page)

“Interesting.”

“I got
a house in Big Sur.”

“Are
you telling me goodbye?”

“Actually,
no. I was wondering if you’d like to come with me?”

“I
would love to, but I need to check on Micky and Maggie. The invitation is still
open for you to join me, though. I was getting ready to leave.”

“Okay…
I get my own room?”

“Sure.”

“Well,
maybe you can visit me at Big Sur some other time. Where do I meet you?”

“I’ll
pick you up.”

“You
remember the code to get into the building?”

“74-78-97-98.”

“Impressive
memory, Counselor.”

“Are
you all packed?”

“Yes,
I am.”

“Then
I’ll see you in fifteen minutes.”

He
kisses me
softly on my lips when I get into the car.

“You
surprised me today. Twice. Thank you for joining me.”

“Thank
you for the invitation. You can thank my brother for me joining you. He
convinced me. He doesn’t want me alone.”

“He
has quite the influence on you.”

“Sort
of… He had to remind me of the events of the last few months… That said, I
trust him with my life.”

“So I
have an ally.”

“That’s
because he checked you out.”

“He
ran a background check on me?”

“He
did. Does that upset you?”

“No. I
think if Megan went through what you did, I would do a background check on any
guy that even looked her way.”

“How
are she and the rest of your family doing?”

“She’s
better. Mom has her difficult moments, and my brothers are holding their own. I
think we’re all still very much in shock.”

“I
miss him,” I whisper sadly.

“Me
too.”

I slip
my hand over his and squeeze tightly.

“You
have no idea how much you’ve helped me and my family through this.”

“I don’t
think I did anything that anyone else wouldn’t have done.”

“You’d
be surprised. Sometimes, the little things make the biggest difference. You
haven’t really told me how you’re dealing with all this.”

“I’m
fine.”

“Jada,
I have enough experience to know that all is not perfect in your world.
Remember, I used to be a defense attorney.”

“I’ve
been trying not to think about it. It’s scary. I might go to prison for a crime
I didn’t commit.”

He
flips his hand over and laces his fingers through mine.

“I
would never allow that to happen.”

“That’s
a sweet sentiment, but I think you’ve done all you can do.”

“We’re
going to get you through this.”

“The
other thing is… this person that’s been tracking me, what do they think I have?
Or what do they want from me?”

“I
hope the police do their job well. If they do, they’ll uncover whatever they
need to exonerate you and find out who really did this.”

“Thank
you for believing in me.”

We
arrive at
the A-frame log house around eight in the evening. It’s
almost completely dark outside. As we pull our luggage out of the car, I can
hear the dogs whining with excitement upstairs.

They
jump on their master with delight when we enter the house. When they notice me,
I get the same reception. They’re a beautiful pair. After a few minutes of
horseplay, they settle down and relax near the windows that overlook the
stunning slopes and the lake beyond.

Jonathan
gives me a tour of the five-bedroom house. He shows me to my room, the only one
other than the master upstairs. We take the dogs for a quick walk and then return
in time to fix supper.

“What’s
for dinner?” I ask, sitting at the enormous island.

“I
have some tuna steaks?”

“Sounds
great. With a salad?”

“Great.
Why don’t you fix the salad and I’ll start the grill.”

He
hands me a knife and chopping board then turns to the refrigerator to pull some
vegetables.

His
cell phone dances across the granite counter surface.

“Your
phone’s ringing.”

“Who
is it?”

I take
a glimpse at the screen.

“It’s
Cruella De Vil,” I reply.

He
turns to face me. “Who?”

“You
heard me… Cruella.”

He
sighs. “What does she want?”

“Evidently,
you.”

“Sophie.
What’s up?” he answers, returning to the refrigerator and handing me some
tomatoes.

“No. I’m
not… yes… no, you can’t. I have guests over. That’s none of your business. I’m
not having this conversation with you. I have to go. Bye.”

He
looks irritated but doesn’t hang up.

“I
said I’m not doing this with you. I have to go.” He ends the call, almost
slamming the phone down on the counter in frustration.

I want
to know what’s wrong, but I don’t want to ask. Unfortunately, I notice a change
in his mood. He’s become quiet and withdrawn.

“Why
don’t you go relax, and I’ll handle this,” I say, patting his hand.

“No.
It’s fine. I prefer doing it with you. She’s going overboard now.”

“Why?
What did she do?”

“She
found herself in Lake Tahoe and wanted to invite herself over for the weekend.”

“Wow.
Okay. You don’t have to answer this, it’s none of my business, but… are you
still screwing her?”

“No.
Not in the last six months. I had another long conversation with her after the
funeral and told her we could only be strictly friends, but she doesn’t seem to
understand that.”

“Maybe
she wants to remind you of the fabulous weekend you shared together here,” I
reply grinning, hoping to lighten the mood.

“That
weekend was what opened my eyes and made me realize I didn’t want to take
things any further with her.”

“What
did she do that was so bad?”

“A
bunch of little things, including abusing the staff at my dad’s resort.”

“How
ironic,” I laugh.

“Tell
me about it. I remember how much attention
that
situation
pulled.”

His
phone rings again, and he looks at the screen, and I know it’s her calling.

“She’s
getting fucking ridiculous. This is all about her ego. The only reason she’s
doing this is because she suspects you’re here. She only started behaving like
this when she saw us at the house together.”

He
answers the phone again.

“What
is it? I said no. Look, if you don’t stop this, the two of us are going to have
to part ways. Fine. Goodbye.” He ends the call then dials another number.

“Mom.
How are you? I just wanted you to know I’m switching my phone off for the
weekend. If you need me, call me at the house… I’m fine. My phone’s been
ringing, and I don’t want to be bothered… Yes, please let them know. I love you
too. Bye.”

He
switches off the phone.

“I’m
sorry you had to do that.”

“I can’t
believe it’s come to this.”

“What
does she do?”

“She
runs her own advertising agency. Why?”

“Just
curious. She’s coming across as pretty desperate right now.”

“Yeah.
Let’s not talk about it anymore. I didn’t invite you over so we could spend the
weekend talking about Sophie.”

We
work together to fix dinner, and after we enjoy our hard work and tidy up the
kitchen, we cuddle on the sofa to watch a movie in front of the blazing stone
fireplace. At some point, I must have fallen asleep. I feel Jonathan waking me
sometime later.

“Come
on, Babe, let’s get you into bed.”

After
brushing my teeth and slipping into a T-shirt, I climb under the covers. I am
just about to switch off the bedside lamp when my regular cell phone rings. The
call is from a private number.

I
answer, “Hello.”

“Jada
McLean?” asks the man at the end of the line.

“Yes.
Who is this?”

“Listen
and listen well. I will give you one week. You can talk to no one about this.
If you want these charges to disappear, I can make that happen. You will need
to come up with ten million dollars by then. Do not call the police or your DA
boyfriend. Trust me, I’ll know, and you’ll live to regret it.”

The
call ends. I can barely control my trembling hands, and I can feel my heart
pumping in my chest. They said talk to no one. For a split second, I consider
keeping my mouth shut. Then I leap off the bed and run, banging on Jonathan’s
door.

“Jonathan!”

Seconds
later, he opens the door.

“Hey.
What’s wrong?”

I woke
him from his sleep.

“Someone
just called me on my phone. They told me not to tell anyone, but they’re giving
me a week to come up with ten million dollars and they’ll make the charges
disappear.”

“What?
Did you recognize the number?”

“It
was from a private number.”

“Was
it a man or a woman?”

“A
man.”

“I
should call the Chief of Police.”

“Johnny,
no. He said I shouldn’t tell anyone, including you. He said he’d know.”

I am
shaking. I’m afraid if I make a mistake, it could somehow cost me. How, I’m not
sure.

“Jada.
The police need to know about this.”

“What
if they find out? He didn’t say what he’d do, but he said I’d live to regret
it.”

“Look,
I know you’re scared, but you need to let me handle this.”

I feel
sick to my stomach. He holds my hand, walks me to his bed, and gestures me to
sit.

“Jonathan,
please don’t call the police.”

He
hesitates. He squats in front of me.

“Jada,
I have to contact the authorities.”

“What
if these police are dirty and they’re leaking information to someone?”

“That’s
farfetched.”

“Please,
don’t call,” I beg. My palms are completely drenched with sweat.

He
gazes at me for a moment then says, “Look, I have a friend at the FBI. Maybe I
could get him involved and ask him to be discrete.”

“That
might be better. Just please don’t call the police. I don’t know what this
person will do. They may very well know we’re together right this minute.”

He
scrolls through numbers on his phone then walks over to the bedside table and
picks up the
Johnnyphone.
He
calls the number and waits.

“Luke.
This is Jonathan Kole. I have a situation that I’m hoping you might be able to
help me with. Please call me as soon as possible. My number is 415-575-7288. It’s
urgent.”

He
sits next to me on the bed and pulls me in his arms. “Come on. Watch TV with me.
Try to relax.”

I
watch the images flash by for hours, but I’m worried, wondering who called and
hoping and praying like hell that Jonathan’s contact might be able to do
something about my case.

I hear
Jonathan’s
voice. I force my tired eyes open and glance at my watch.
It’s 4AM. Evidently, I fell asleep.

“Yes.
Please be discrete… I don’t want to appear like I’m interfering, but she was
with me when this happened… You’re the only unbiased party in this so far… Do
what you can… She’s scared. They told her she’d live to regret it if she spoke
to anyone, so you understand why. Thanks.”

He
ends the call. I don’t think he realizes I’m awake.

“Hey,”
I say.

“Hi. I’m
sorry I woke you.”

“That’s
okay. Was that your FBI friend?”

“Yes.
He’s going to get one of his agents to have a look at the case. They may
contact you.”

“Did
you tell them to be careful with the police?”

“I
did. They handle these types of cases all the time. They know what they’re
doing.”

I hope
so.

“Trust
them to do their job.”

I
process what he’s saying and hope to God that he’s right.

“Try
not to worry,” he says, encircling me in his arms. “Let’s go back to bed.”

I awake
to
an empty bed. There is no sign of Jonathan. It’s eight in the morning. I still
feel exhausted. After that phone call last night, I didn’t get much rest. I
feel like shutting my eyes and going back to sleep in his oh-so-comfy-bed, but
I don’t want to be a rude houseguest.