Above the Fold & Below the Belt (An Avery Shaw Mystery Book 14)

by Amanda M. Lee

  “So, he manipulated me from the start.” She tapped her bottom lip, thoughtful. “You think he had this planned from the very first time he asked me out for coffee.”

  “Yes.” I nodded in agreement. “I don’t think he realized other women would join the fray. I’m assuming his original plan only included you because it would be easy to get the charges dropped when you admitted to lying. He needed to keep you on the hook for the duration of the trial because he couldn’t be assured you would go along with the plan otherwise.”

  “He has recordings of us,” Ally admitted, her lower lip trembling. “He recorded some of our conversations. He comes out looking like a saint in them and I look deranged. I don’t know how he managed it.”

  I had a few ideas, but they were hardly important now. “You have to own up to everything and tell the truth. You have to admit to what you did, beg for the public’s forgiveness, and then admit everything Savage did, exactly how he manipulated you.

  “Get ahead of his evidence,” I continued. “Talk about the recordings and how you’re sure he manipulated the editing. That will remove some of his power. Instead of being on the offensive Monday, he’ll be on the defensive. The most important thing is to make sure that you distance yourself from him. Do you understand?”

  Her hand shaky, Ally rubbed her chin and nodded. “I get it. This is my only move. Otherwise he’s going to get everything he ever wanted and everyone else will be painted as villains.”

  “This is the only option you have. You’ve got to tell the truth and take your lumps. It won’t be easy or pretty, but people will be more willing to forgive when they realize you were manipulated and did the right thing in the end. You won’t be part of the main narrative for long once you tell the truth.”

  “And you’re going to interview me?” She looked nervous but resigned. “That’s how this works, right?”

  “I’m going to interview you,” I confirmed. “It will take a few hours. Then you’re going to get in the shower and put on a nice outfit so a photographer can take your photo. It’s important you look clean and presentable.”

  “Because otherwise Bart’s posse of women haters will pick apart my appearance.”

  “Exactly.”

  “What if they still don’t believe me?” she asked, the fear returning with a vengeance. “What if they say I’m making it all up?”

  “You forget one thing.” This was the part of the story I was least looking forward to. “I was here the other night. I saw him arrive ... and what came after.”

  “But you’ll get in trouble for spying.”

  “Not if you don’t press charges. I’ll get some grief. I’m willing to absorb it for the greater good. The question is: Are you willing to put yourself out there for the same reason?”

  She thought about it for a full minute before nodding in acquiescence. “I’ll do it. You’re right. I have exactly one move and this is it. I can’t let him win, not after the way he used me. It’s not fair ... and he’s a pig.”

  “He’s definitely a pig.” I grabbed my notebook from my back pocket. “We’re taking this chronologically. Start to finish. Don’t leave anything out and think hard about the way he set this up so all the details are correct. It’s important.”

  “Okay. I need to get some caffeine before we start. It’s going to take a while.”

  “Good idea. Get some for me, too. I need to text my boyfriend and tell him where I’ll be so he doesn’t worry. We’ve got this. Trust me. I know exactly what I’m doing.”

  28 Twenty-Eight

  Eliot was waiting for me when I returned to his shop. He obviously recognized the spark in my eyes because his smirk was at the ready.

  “You got what you wanted, didn’t you?”

  I tried to play it cool. “How do you know that?”

  “Because I know you.” He spared a glance for Fawn, who was practically sitting on the display counter so she could better hear us, and then directed me toward his office. “In here.” He shut the door before speaking again. “Did she go on the record?”

  I nodded. “She did. It’s her only option. Savage is going to throw her under the bus Monday. That means I have to get a story in tomorrow’s edition. I’ve already called Fish and told him to save me the prime spot.”

  “So ... how are you going to handle it?”

  “Well, that’s the thing. I have to be careful.” I’d run through various scenarios during the ride back to Mount Clemens and I had a plan. “I have to call Savage — or at least his legal team — to give him a chance to comment on the record. If I do it too early that will tip him off that I’m coming for him, so I have to wait until it’s too late for him to organize a news conference.”

  “How late is that?”

  “After the six o’clock news shows and before the ten o’clock. He can call a conference after that, but most of the news stations have skeleton crews on weekend nights so it will be better for me to wait until that time.

  “I know that you probably don’t like my job interfering with our weekend, but I have to do it,” I continued. “It’s the only way.”

  Eliot waved off my concern. “It’s fine. I knew when we got together that things like this would pop up. It’s a smart plan. What do you want me to do?”

  “You started background checks for me on some of the players right after the shooting,” I reminded him. “Can you finish them?”

  He nodded. “Those really did fall by the wayside. It won’t take me long to go through them. What are you looking for?”

  “I don’t know.” That was the truth. “If you find anything weird, let me know. Other than that ... I’m fishing. I’m writing up Ally’s part of the story first. Jared is taking her photograph right now. Once I finish with that I’m going to start interviewing the other players ... including both of the other accusers.”

  He leaned against the door and folded his arms across his chest. “How do you think they’ll react?”

  “Not well. They’ll both be here, though. There’s a four o’clock rally so it can make the news cycles. I want to be done with the main writing by then so I can focus on the other people I need to talk to.”

  “It sounds like you have a plan.”

  “I do.”

  “Then let’s get to it.” He leaned over and gave me a quick kiss, his lips curving. “Have I mentioned that I love that wild look you get in your eyes when you’re about to break a huge story? Are you going to want to celebrate tonight like you usually do?”

  “S’mores and video games? Um, yeah.”

  He snickered. “I was talking about the other thing.”

  “Oh, well, that’s a given.”

  “Then it’s going to be a good night no matter how late we work. Don’t worry about me. Do what needs to be done. This is your thing ... and you’re very good at it.”

  My cheeks flushed at the compliment. “I’m going to blow everyone else out of the water.”

  “Of course you are.”

  I TOOK MY COMPUTER TO THE upstairs apartment to work. It was quieter and I didn’t have to worry about interruptions. Eliot promised to monitor the protest and text if something happened. By the time I’d finished with the initial work, things looked normal in the courtyard and I was ready to move on to phase two.

  “Anything?” I asked, popping into the shop to exchange information before heading out to start questioning the other players.

  He shook his head. “No. It’s been quiet. Your grandfather and Mario are doing a ridiculous amount of business.”

  “Good for them.” I rolled my neck, briefly smiling when I realized Mario was standing next to Julia, who towered over him, helping her with condiments for her hot dog. “They’re kind of a cute couple, huh?”

  Eliot followed my gaze and smirked. “She’ll eat him alive.”

  “That’s why they’re cute.”

  In silence, he moved his hand across my back. “Where will you start?”

  “Jenny.”

  His
eyebrows hopped. “Why her?”

  “Because even though this story focuses on Savage, I can’t forget about Crawford. He’s dead and there will have to be a reckoning. He’s still part of the narrative right now.”

  “Do you want me to go with you?”

  “I’m fine. You said your buddy wasn’t capable of shooting Crawford because that’s not how he rolls. I very much doubt they’ll move on me when downtown is so busy. That’s if they’re the guilty parties at all, which you don’t believe.”

  “I might not believe it, but I don’t want you putting yourself in danger if I’m wrong.”

  “It will be fine. I won’t be over there long. I simply need to talk to everyone I can ... and it starts with her.”

  “Well ... good luck.”

  “Thanks, but you said it yourself; this is the part I’m good at.”

  JENNY DIDN’T APPEAR SURPRISED when I strode into her restaurant.

  “I take it you’re back with more questions.”

  “I am,” I confirmed, heading straight for the bar. Baxter was behind it, a rag in his hand as he wiped down the counter, and the look he gave me was suspicious. “I need to ask you about Dan’s relationship with Savage.”

  Jenny furrowed her brow. “I told you that he didn’t get involved with Savage until after we divorced. I mean ... he would’ve gotten involved with the man before that if he could. Savage wasn’t on anybody’s radar at that point.”

  I glanced around the restaurant. It was mostly empty, which was disappointing. “What about Lily? She was with Dan when he joined forces with Savage.”

  “She’s not here.”

  “Where did she go?”

  Jenny shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m not her keeper.”

  “You two are buddies.”

  “Do you keep track of all your buddies?”

  “I’m a complete and total busybody,” I admitted. “I often keep track of my buddies because I want to know if they’re going to do something stupid so I can mess with them.”

  “You sound like a great friend.”

  “I have my moments.” I stared at her. “Is it possible that Dan was close enough with Savage’s inner circle that he might’ve learned secrets? I’m not asking you this on the record. Something has come up. I’m simply looking for insight. I’m sure Lily told you at least something about Dan’s relationship with Savage.”

  Jenny eyed me for a long beat and then shrugged as she slid onto one of the stools at the bar. “When Lily came to me she was upset. Things weren’t going the way she thought they would. She married Dan for the money and then found out that he didn’t have nearly as much liquid cash as she thought.

  “Dan had a certain pattern,” she continued. “He acted like a great guy, painted himself as a victim of malicious females and hid his true colors until you were already under his spell. By the time I realized the truth it was already too late.”

  “And he did the same with Lily,” I mused.

  “Pretty much. He wined and dined Lily, took her shopping and schmoozed her. She thought she would be able to do whatever she wanted, shop as much as possible, while occasionally serving his sexual needs.”

  I made a face. “See, that doesn’t sound like a healthy marriage.”

  “I agree.” She smirked. “But Lily didn’t care about a healthy marriage. She cared about financial stability. She didn’t love Dan. To you and me, it seems odd that she would marry someone she didn’t love, but she cared more about the money.

  “She was dating someone before she married Dan,” she continued. “She loved him. She was young, so it was probably a case of puppy love, but she admitted that she was depressed when she had to break things off with him. She did it because the money was more important. I think it weighed on her.”

  “Well, I would hope it weighed on her.” While part of me liked Jenny, I found everything about Lily annoying. “Did she ever mention Dan and Savage having problems?”

  “DJ.”

  “What?”

  “DJ,” she repeated. “That was the guy she was dating. He was a little older than her. She talked about him nonstop for a bit when she first came to me, and I could tell she was having trouble reconciling her thirst for money with the one that got away.”

  That was all well and good, sweet even, but I was on a timetable. “What about Savage? What did she say about him?”

  Jenny shrugged as she returned to the present. “She never had much to say about him. She didn’t like him. I mean ... she thought he was a real hero originally. She admitted that. But she hated him by the end.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. She never said. I assumed it was because of his politics.”

  “Except she willingly worked for the radio station,” I noted, my mind drifting back to the original interview with Lily. “That’s how she met Dan. She was interested in Savage but didn’t think she could snag him. She adjusted her expectations after and settled on Dan.”

  “Really?” Jenny made a face. “She didn’t tell me that. I mean, I knew she worked at the radio station for a time, but she made it sound as if she couldn’t get out of there fast enough. She was only there for a few weeks before she quit.”

  “Probably because she didn’t want to work in the first place.”

  “I suppose.” Jenny shrugged. “I guess it doesn’t matter. You’re here questioning me, so does that mean I’m off your suspect list?”

  “Not yet. I’m focusing on something else today.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “Check out the front page of The Monitor tomorrow. You’ll be surprised when you see what I’ve dug up.”

  “That’s it? Not even a hint?”

  “No. I have to get going. I’m sure I’ll see you around.”

  “You can count on that.”

  I WOUND MY WAY BACK TO THE protest, pressing the heel of my hand to my forehead at the noise. I thought watching warring factions go at each other for days would be entertaining. I was wrong. It was far too loud. As an only child, I liked my quiet time.

  I couldn’t wait until this whole thing was over.

  I headed to the food truck to check on Mario and Grandpa. I wasn’t surprised to find Mario inside doing most of the work and Grandpa outside telling stories to the assembled men.

  “It took me three weeks to recover in the hospital,” Grandpa announced. “I had tetanus from the wound and I still feel a twinge when it rains. That right there is why you never take women fishing. They simply don’t belong in the wilderness.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Are you talking about the time you got the fishhook stuck in your ear?”

  Grandpa swiveled quickly and scowled. “Don’t worry about it.”

  I’d heard that story so many times I could recite it myself. “You are, aren’t you?”

  “I was telling the story about the one and only time I went fishing with your grandmother.”

  “And she hooked him when she was casting,” one of the other men interjected, laughing. “That is a horrifying story.”

  “That’s not what happened.” I ignored the quelling look Grandpa shot me. “He was hooked by one of my cousins — that one, if you must know.” I pointed at Mario. “They were all so busy trying to pee over the side of the boat that no one paid attention to what anyone else was doing. It was an accident.”

  “Don’t listen to her,” Grandpa admonished, his cheeks going red. “She was never invited on the fishing trips, so she doesn’t know.”

  “Maybe not, but you’ve told that story a hundred times,” I argued. “I’m not here to interrupt story hour anyway. I’m looking for John Crawford. Have you seen him?”

  “That’s the father of the dead guy, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “I think he’s over there.” Grandpa vaguely pointed toward the center of the courtyard, to where hundreds of people were gathered. I couldn’t see through the swarm, so finding the individual I was looking for seemed a difficult prospect. “Oh, well
, great.” I rolled my neck. “That shouldn’t make him difficult to track down.”

  “Then you best get to it.”

  I ignored Grandpa’s pointed stare and turned back to the food truck. I needed a snack to bolster my energy. I found Doug standing behind me, an amused look on his face.

  “Hey.” I was surprised to see him. “What are you doing here? I didn’t think this was your sort of crowd.”

  “It’s not,” Doug replied, sheepish. “I’ve managed to avoid this place all week ... and it wasn’t difficult. But today I found myself sitting at home with nothing to do and I couldn’t stop thinking about my father.”

  “I get it.” I flashed a sympathetic smile. “It’s hard for you to hate him because you wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him.”

  “Yeah.”

  “You don’t have to feel guilty.” I meant it. “I think your father had some backward views, but that doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to mourn him.”

  “I guess.” Doug dragged a hand through his hair as he surveyed the crowd. “I saw footage on television. You don’t really see the scope on the small screen. This is ... wow!”

  “It’s definitely wow,” I agreed. “The crowd has been growing every day. A lot of the people who show up say they’re doing it for your father.”

  “And you believe them?”

  “Not really. Still, I thought it might make you feel better.”

  “I’m not sure anything will make me feel better,” Doug admitted. “My father died before we ever had a chance to reconcile. I don’t know that we would’ve ever had a healthy relationship, but I’ll always wonder if things could’ve been better than they were.”

  “I think it’s probably normal to feel that way.”

  We lapsed into silence for a few minutes, the growing crowd jostling us closer to the street. I was fine with that because I wasn’t looking forward to braving the crowd to track down John. The brief respite was welcome.

  “So ... .” I had no idea what I was going to say. I felt the need to fill in the awkward silence. I was cut off, though, when a man in his twenties started calling out to my companion.