by Ward, Alice
***
Mom and I made a slow, silent loop around the perimeter of the property before settling down on one of the bench swings that looked out at the valley. We rocked, still quiet, for a few long moments before she let out a long sigh and took my hand.
“I can’t imagine how difficult this must be for you. Is there anything I can do to help?” The sincerity in her voice both warmed and broke my heart at the same time. I shook my head and collapsed into her arms the same way I had as a little girl. Sobs racked through my body and I cried until there were no tears left in my eyes.
“So you really haven’t heard from him, then?” Mom asked, rubbing my back with long, comforting strokes. I shook my head against her shoulder and caught my breath.
“No, I haven’t. I expected him to call by now, or send me a message. Something terrible has happened, Mom. I can feel it deep in my bones. Either Asher is in terrible danger, or I’ve been wrong about him this whole time and he’s left me. And I don’t know which to hope for. The idea that he could just walk away from what we have without turning back, it’s too much for me to bear. But at least that would mean he’s safe.”
“Shh,” Mom hushed me. “I know you’re worried, honey. But think about it. Why would Asher marry you if he didn’t love you?”
“Maybe he felt guilty,” I suggested, admitting my worst fear. “Maybe he didn’t really love me, but felt obligated to make sure I was taken care of.”
“You’re just talking nonsense now, Lauren,” she insisted. “Do you think your father and I would have been so happy about your quickie marriage if we weren’t positive that Asher loved you?”
“You really think so?”
“I know so, sweetheart. It’s all over his face when he looks at you.”
My tears started flowing again. “But Mom, don’t you understand what that means? If you’re right, it means Asher’s fallen into the middle of something terrible. It means he’s in so much danger, he can’t risk a phone call or an email.”
“Or it means that like us, he’s not exactly sure what’s going on and doesn’t want to make any moves until he is,” Mom suggested.
I bit my lower lip and considered her words. “I guess that could make sense,” I agreed.
Mom released me and leaned away, studying my eyes. I could tell she had something on her mind, but she seemed hesitant to say anything.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she assured me. “It’s just… honey, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you. That first time you came to the house after you started seeing Asher—”
“That first time I lied to you?” I asked, wincing at the memory.
“I wasn’t going to bring that up, sweetheart. But yes, that’s the day I’m talking about. I knew there was something going on with you. The next day, when we found out what Rachel had been putting you through, I still felt like it didn’t completely explain the vibes I’d gotten from you. It seemed… well honey, at times it seemed like you were saying goodbye to us for good. Not because of your words, but because of the sadness in your eyes. You were ready to run farther than the Montgomery estate if you needed to,” she finished, a statement, not a question.
I nodded, unable to meet her eyes. “I’m sorry, Mom. But yes. I was ready to disappear with Asher for good if that was the only way we could be together.”
“And now?” she pressed. “If he makes contact and asks you to join him, what will you say?”
“I’ll say yes,” I admitted without hesitation. “I know that’s not the answer you want to hear. And believe me, the decision doesn’t come without an enormous amount of guilt. But Asher’s my husband. I don’t know why he ran, but I know he’s no more of a criminal than I am. I love him and I’m going to do whatever it takes to be with him.”
Mom let out a sigh and squeeze my hand. “You’re right. It wasn’t the answer I wanted to hear. But it’s the answer I was expecting. I hate this, Lauren.”
“I know you do. I promise if it comes to that, I’ll find a way to let you know I’m safe. I’m so sorry, Mom.”
“I understand. I hate it, but I understand. I pray we’re getting ahead of ourselves and this whole mess is worked out sooner rather than later. Will you make me one more promise?”
I shifted nervously on the swing, not wanting to promise something I couldn’t deliver.
“It’s not that big of a deal,” she assured me. “At least I don’t think it is. I was just hoping if it does come to that, you’ll say goodbye before you leave?”
“I’m not sure I’ll be able to do that,” I warned. “But I promise I’ll tell you whatever’s safe for you to know. That’s the best I can do.”
“Well, I guess that’ll have to be good enough.”
CHAPTER 2
Mom and I stepped back into the house to find Kennedy and Parker waiting at the kitchen table. Stacks of paperwork were spread out before them and they both seemed to be working with renewed determination. We made it half way across the living room before they realized we were in the house.
“Lauren, you startled me,” Kennedy said after looking up and jumping.
“I’m sorry. You two looked deep in thought. What’s going on?”
“Sit down,” Parker instructed, kicking out the seat across from her.
“I think we found some leads. We found something, that’s for sure,” Kennedy told me as Mom and I settled on the other side of the table.
“Well, don’t keep us in suspense. Spill,” I insisted.
“Okay. We already had a ton of files on William. But until the escape, there didn’t really seem to be much reason to study them. Parker and I started combing through the files and verifying their contents Sunday. We’re not sure what all of this means yet, but we’ve found some inconsistencies in William’s records.”
“What kind of inconsistencies?”
“Well, his birth certificate, for starters,” Parker explained. She pushed a Xeroxed page across the table and continued as I studied William Murphy’s birth certificate. To my untrained eye, nothing looked out of the ordinary.
“It’s a forgery,” Kennedy piped up. “You wouldn’t be able to tell, even if you were looking at the original. But this birth certificate is from USC Medical Center. And when I called the hospital to verify its authenticity, they had no records for William Murphy or his parents, Juanita and Marshall.”
Mom raised an eyebrow and studied Kennedy across the table. “Shouldn’t someone have caught that when he was being prosecuted?”
“It’s not surprising that it slipped past them,” Kennedy explained. “His social checks out and it matches the birthday listed on the USC certificate. There was no reason for anyone to question it, especially since William pled guilty.”
“So we know this birth certificate is fake. But we have no idea where or when William was born, or even if that’s his original name,” I summed up.
“At the moment, yes,” Kennedy agreed. “We’re running searches on Juanita and Marshall. I’m hoping we’ll at least get a hit for Juanita. There has to be a record of her giving birth somewhere. If we find William’s original birth certificate, we may find out what he’s trying to hide.”
“I’m not sure that will be much help. What are the chances that a forged birth certificate from fifty years ago is related to the mess we’re in now?”
“I have no idea,” Kennedy admitted. “But I have a hunch this is worth looking into further.”
Parker’s laptop chimed from the kitchen island. She retrieved it and stared down at the screen.
“Which search came back?” Kennedy asked, craning her head to see the screen.
“The vital records search on Marshall Murphy. Look at this.” Parker turned the screen to Kennedy. She squinted and studied the information for a minute and then turned her lips down in a frown.
“What is it?” I pressed, tension choking my words.
“Asher’s grandfather, Marshall Murphy, passed away thirty-eight years
ago due to complications of polycystic kidney disease.”
“Why does that matter?”
Kennedy stared at me across the table with raised eyebrows. “Has Asher ever mentioned having issues with his kidneys?”
“No… why?”
“There’s no mention of it in any of William’s files either. One of Jackson’s cousins by marriage suffers from the disease. So do four of her six children,” she explained.
“So it’s genetic,” I realized out loud.
Kennedy nodded. “If one parent has the disease, each of their children have a fifty-fifty shot of having it as well.”
“So you’re thinking Marshall might not be William’s dad?” Mom asked. She rubbed her temples, trying to get the details straight in her head.
“There’s a chance,” Kennedy agreed. “Look at this. Marshall’s blood type is listed as A positive. William’s is B positive. We’ll have a better idea whether or not my hunch is right once we track down Juanita’s records.”
“I’m still not convinced this has anything to do with what’s happening now,” I insisted. “What other angles are you looking into?”
“We’ve reviewed William’s court records,” Parker answered. “According to the statement he gave the prosecutor’s office, he was transporting a shipment of heroin for the Chavez family when he was jumped on this side of the border by members of a rival family. He shot three of them, killed two. His story was supported by the responding officers. When they arrived, William was alone with the victims. Half of the heroin had been blown open during the gun fight. The prosecutor offered William life with a chance of parole in exchange for William’s guilty plea. He took the deal and he’s been at Atwater ever since.”
“That’s the official story. But Asher said that’s not what actually happened. But then again, when I saw him Saturday, he said he’d learned that half of what he believed about his childhood was a lie. So who the hell knows what happened?” My voice was brimming with frustration. I wanted answers and digging into the past was only uncovering more questions.
“Actually, we have a pretty good idea of what happened,” Kennedy told me.
Parker nodded. “I was able to get in touch with some of the department’s old undercover officers who were embedded in the organization when William was busted. William and Luis were both mid-ranking thugs back then. The story the undercovers heard was that Luis was actually the one running the heroin that night. He’d gone behind his father’s back and bought from a new supplier in an attempt to show he was capable of more responsibility. Luis’s father, Carlos, was the head of the family and he was reluctant to groom his son for the position. When the buy went south, William stepped in and took the blame.”
“Asher said he was forced to,” I reminded her.
“He probably was,” Parker agreed. “But Carlos wasn’t the one who forced him. According to Larry, one of the officers, Carlos was furious when he learned what Luis had done. That’s why the family lawyer didn’t try harder to keep Luis out of jail when he was arrested for the crimes Asher documented.”
“So who bullied William into taking the fall?” Mom asked.
“That remains one of our many unanswered questions,” Kennedy replied with a sigh. She shut the file in front of her and rubbed her eyes with a yawn.
“You’re exhausting yourself. I think you’ve earned a break,” I insisted. “And speaking of breaks, where’s Claire?”
“She’s in the office. She said she had some business to take care of. Between you and me, I think being under lock down again is harder for her than she’s letting on. She just launched her catering company and now she’s having to cancel bookings. I think she really needs this to work.”
“I know,” I agreed with a sigh of my own. “And I realize keeping you all here is probably overkill. But I have no idea who Asher’s mixed up with or how long they could have been watching us.”
“I understand,” she assured me. “I think it’s smart to take the precaution. But I think if any of us are safe, it’s Claire. And this is so important to her. I don’t like the idea of her leaving the estate on her own. But I’d be willing to split the cost of a few extra guards to go to the jobs with her. I bet if we pay them enough, they’ll even double as waiters. Claire would be protected and no one at the events would be any the wiser.”
I should have thought of that on my own. I’ve got to get my head out of my ass and remember that this is affecting everyone I love.
“That’s a fantastic idea,” I agreed. “But we’re not splitting the cost of anything. I got us all into this mess. The least I can do is keep everyone safe. I’ll tell Claire over dinner. I don’t want to interrupt her right now.”
Mom pushed her chair away from the table and rose to her feet. “If Claire’s busy, I’d better go check on your father.”
“I need to get going too,” Parker announced. She gathered her things and stuffed them into her oversized leather purse. “My oldest grandson is graduating from kindergarten tonight,” she explained with a proud smile.
“Well, tell him we said congratulations. And enjoy yourself. You’ve certainly earned it.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Lauren.” Parker stepped of the house and Kennedy turned to me, her voice lowered.
“Do you think we should put a few guards on her as well?”
I nodded. “I actually thought of that already. She’s already spent so much time away from her family. I didn’t want to ask her to stay here again, so I offered to put a team at her house. She agreed that protection was a good idea, but told me there was no need to hire anyone. The woman made one phone call and within the hour, she had a team of retired LAPD officers scheduled for the next two weeks straight.”
Kennedy let out a soft laugh. “That sounds like Parker. Everyone loves her. I bet she was a pistol back in her court reporter days. I’m glad she’s got friends watching her back.”
“I’m glad I have you watching my back. I’m so sorry I got bitchy earlier. I’m just… I’m a wreck, Kennedy. I want to have hope. I want to believe that this will eventually work out for the best like the situation with Rachel did. But I’m not sure I’m capable of hope anymore. I’m not sure I’m capable of anything.”
“I can’t imagine what this must be like for you. Honestly, Lauren, I love Asher. But once again, I’d also really like to strangle him to near death with my bare hands. After he took you to Luis’s cabin, he promised me he’d never put you in danger again. He promised he’d consider what was best for both of you instead of acting out of impulse.”
“I don’t think this was an impulse,” I said slowly.
Kennedy leaned forward, her interest piqued. “What haven’t you told me, Lauren?”
I leaned forward too. “When I visited Atwater on Saturday, Asher made me promise that no matter what happened, I’d have faith in him and remember the promises he made me on our wedding day.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I see. And did he make you any promises in return?” she countered with a slight air of resentment.
I nodded. “He promised to never stop fighting to get back to me. At the time, I thought he was talking about getting out of jail. But now…”
“So when you saw him, he knew he had less than twenty-four hours left behind bars?” I could tell she was trying her best to remain patient, but frustration was rising in her voice.
“I think so, yeah.”
“Lauren, is there anything else you haven’t told me? Did Asher warn you that he and William were planning an escape?”
“Of course not. Don’t you think I’d have stopped them if I could? I was working on a plan of my own at the time, remember? And it worked. Rachel’s behind bars and if Asher had just stayed put one more day, he’d be free right now. There’s no way I’d have let him run.”
She folded her arms over her chest and stared at me, her eyes firm. “Lauren, I’m going to ask you a question and I need you to be completely honest with me. Has Asher made contact with you
since he escaped Atwater?”
“No, he hasn’t,” I answered just as firmly.
“Would you tell me if he did?”
There’s no point in lying. She’ll see right through me.
“Mom and I just had this same discussion. I’ll give you the same promise I gave her. If and when Asher contacts me, I’ll tell you as much as it’s safe for you to know.”
Her eyebrow went up again. “Safe for who?”
I was taken aback by her question. I hadn’t considered that what kept one of us safe could put another of us in danger. Kennedy immediately knew she’d tripped me up.
“You haven’t thought this through, have you? Lauren, staying silent may keep Asher safe. But it could put the rest of us in danger. You more than anyone if you get the wild idea to join your husband without telling anyone where you’re going.”
“If you knew where Asher was, wouldn’t you be legally obligated to inform the court?”
“Yes,” she admitted. “Lawyer client privilege doesn’t apply when the client is in the process of perpetrating or committing a crime.”
“So if you knew I was planning to join him, you’d be obligated to report me for aiding and abetting.”
“Yes,” she agreed with a sigh.
“Then I guess you have your answer. I love you, Kennedy. And I hope one day you can forgive me for this. But there are some things I just won’t be able to tell you.”
***
Two more days passed with no word from Asher. We hadn’t had a chance to make his house our home, and I felt strangely out of place living there without him. I woke up Friday morning alone in his king sized bed and asked myself why I should even bother getting up for the day. A few minutes later, my phone rang and a stranger on the other line gave me a reason.
“Hello, Mrs. Reynolds?” a perky female voice asked after I mumbled a sleepy hello.
“Yes, this is Mrs. Reynolds.”
“Good morning. This is Lindsey at Omni Spa. I’m calling to confirm your nine o’clock massage appointment.”
