“Will,” Elizabeth said in a calm yet brittle voice. “I need help.”
“Are you okay?”
“They found drugs in my bag. I have no idea how they got there. It’s a mistake. I’m so scared.”
Darcy’s heart was breaking at the terror in her voice. “I know, love. We think George planted them on you. Listen, the best lawyer I know is going to be there soon. Her name is Linda St. Andrews. She’s going to help you.” His voice ran down. “I love you, Elizabeth.”
“What’s going to happen?”
“We’re going to get you out, Lizzy. You’re going to be released and you’ll be all right.” Neither of them was convinced by his words.
“Oh God, Will,” she whispered.
“Lizzy, listen to me. You have to be tough. I’m going to get you out of there. No matter what I have to do. Do you understand?”
“Okay, I’ll be tough.” Her voice sounded more like her usual self. “But please hurry.”
“I will. I love you!”
There was a pause, and then Elizabeth said, “I have to go. Bye.”
“Bye.” He turned to see Richard watching him. He had clearly just arrived with Charlotte.
“Lizzy?”
Darcy nodded.
“Is she okay?”
Darcy nodded once, then shrugged and turned away.
Charlotte passed by her brother, touching his arm supportively, and placed her flower in the refrigerator. She noticed the bouquet of roses intended for Elizabeth lying forgotten on the counter and began unwrapping them. Silently Richard joined her, reached into a cabinet, and brought down a crystal vase.
“That’s lovely,” she said softly.
Richard gave her a slight smile as he put some water in it. “Aunt Anne always had great taste.”
Charlotte smiled gently back to him and began arranging the roses. She longed to do something more, but recognized that she couldn’t and was grateful she could occupy herself with this simple task.
The elevator rumbled and opened and a woman entered the loft, talking on a phone. She was tall and slender, in her midthirties, with blonde hair that was wrapped in a neat twist at the back of her head. She was the top criminal attorney in the law firm that handled De Bourgh Records and had a long history with Slurry. She hung up as she reached the living room and walked right into Darcy’s arms.
“Damn, Will. What happened to you? You look horrible,” she commented after releasing him.
“Linda, thanks for coming.” His eyes were haunted. “You have to help her.”
Linda nodded. “I’ve been talking to my friends downtown; I’m on it. The deputy DA who’s been assigned is a good guy. It’ll be okay.” She smiled and looked around. “Charles, could you introduce me to the people I don’t know?”
Charles quickly took care of the introductions. Linda nodded to LBS, making a silent observation on the pairing-up that was going on. “It’s nice to meet you all.” She walked Darcy to the table and pulled out a chair. “Now, I want you to sit down and tell me what you know.”
Darcy settled into a chair, with Charles joining him. Linda sat across from them and crossed her legs, waiting.
“It was Wickham,” Darcy said without preamble.
Linda’s face changed in a flash. “That asshole?! How the hell did he get involved? I thought it was part of your contract that he got nowhere near you?”
“Lizzy is a part of Long Borne Suffering, the warm-up band on our tour. The Wickham rule doesn’t apply to them,” Charles explained quietly.
“What happened?”
“Wickham was hired to direct LBS’s video.”
“And why don’t I believe that was a coincidence?” Linda interrupted “Oh, wait, I know! It’s because he’s a scumbag who would do anything he could to screw you over.”
Charles hid the smile he couldn’t repress behind his hand. “We suspect Wickham learned about Lizzy and Will’s relationship, but that’s just a guess based on what he told us.”
“Go on.”
“LBS flew down to Tampa yesterday to shoot a video. Everything was fine until today, when Elizabeth was stopped at the airport, searched, and found with drugs.”
“Help me out here; is there any chance the drugs were hers?”
Darcy’s eyes narrowed as Charles answered, “None at all. She’s clean.”
“And Wickham?”
“Wickham was on the flight back to New York with them.”
“He rode with Lizzy to the airport as well,” Jane volunteered.
“Why was she in the same car as him?” Darcy hissed.
“Winnie was there as well,” Jane answered softly.
Linda continued. “Now, we know that Wickham was in the car and on the flight with Lizzy. Do we have any other reason to suspect him?
“He said some pretty provocative things at the airport,” Richard answered.
Linda was making notes on a legal pad. “What kind of comments, how provocative?”
Richard shrugged. “Enough that I punched him in the jaw.”
Linda looked up and held out her palm to Richard, who slapped it. “Wish I was there.”
“He said she would be going to prison,” Darcy said quietly.
Linda looked at Darcy and lifted her eyebrows. “Well, that’s pretty telling, isn’t it?”
“Wickham was searched but he was clean.”
“Sadly, he’s not that stupid. If he was, my job would be a lot easier.” Linda looked at her notes. “Okay, I think I have enough. I’m going to go over there now.”
“I’m going with you,” Darcy announced firmly.
Linda looked at Caroline, then Charles.
“No, Darcy. You can’t do that,” said Caroline.
“Why not?”
“Because, they won’t let you. She only gets to see her lawyer, and besides, Will, right now this is nothing. It’s probably not even going to be picked up by the press. But if you go, it’s going to be news. Big news.”
“Charles is right,” Linda added. “Write her a letter, and I’ll slip it to her.”
Darcy looked from Linda to Charles. Charles nodded and, frowning, Darcy walked to his library.
“Okay,” Linda said, turning to Charles, “who is she to him?”
Charles smiled. “She’s the love of his life. Can’t you tell?”
Linda sighed. “She must be to make him act like this.”
“I better check on him,” Charles said as he followed Darcy into the library.
Darcy sat at a desk, staring into space, a blank sheet of paper in front of him. “I don’t know what to write. What do you say in a situation like this? I want to apologize and beg her forgiveness, but…” He sighed, disgusted with himself.
“Don’t beg for her forgiveness.”
Darcy ran his hands through his hair and sighed. “You’re right.”
“Good. Now, write this down.”
Dearest Elizabeth,
I wish I could be there with you, but I can’t. This note is all I can do. Linda is the best lawyer I know. I trust her completely and you can trust her too. I will not rest until you are back here, safe in my arms. Please be brave, and know that I’m with you in my heart.
All my love,
Fitzwilliam
Darcy handed the note to Charles, who read it, sealed it in an envelope, and gave it to Linda, who was waiting in the living room. He then returned to Darcy and shut the living room door.
“Will, let me help. I know what you’re feeling.”
Darcy looked at him in disbelief. “How? How can you know?”
“Because I’ve been there. Remember? My dad? I went through all of this. You’re feeling angry, terrified, guilty, and helpless.”
Darcy looked down at his desk and his hands began trembling. “She trusted me, Charles. She trusted me, and I let that monster destroy her.” His voice was a harsh whisper. “I’m so afraid. She’s in jail, all alone. I would give anything for her to be here, and safe. What if, what if she’s…�
��
Charles could see what Darcy was so afraid of that he couldn’t even say it. Charles put his hand on Darcy’s shoulder. “I know. It’s hard. Get it out. Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I’m afraid that she’ll be convicted, that she’s going to prison. What if Wickham is right? What if she does go to jail and it changes her? What if she blames me?”
Charles nodded. “Those are all reasonable fears and I don’t blame you for being terrified. It sounds like you are afraid of losing her as well.”
“I am going to lose her,” he said in a dead voice. “I can’t expect her to forgive me for this. It’s just like before. I just got a chance to love her, and she’s being ripped away.”
“Do me a favor. Try to reverse the situations. Imagine that an old enemy of hers framed you. Would you hate her? Would you even blame her?”
Darcy looked at Charles incredulously. “Never. I love her. I will always love her.”
“There’s your answer, Will. If I know Lizzy, she probably just wants to get back to you, not to hate you.”
Darcy put his head in his hands and thought. “All right.”
“Are you going to deal? ’Cause Elizabeth needs your help.”
Darcy nodded. “I don’t know how I’m going to cope if she’s not released.”
Charles nodded. “Fair enough. We’ll deal with that if it happens. One step at a time.”
***
Elizabeth had been waiting in the interrogation room for almost an hour by the big clock that hung on the wall, an hour with nothing to keep her company but her own thoughts.
Talking to Darcy had been a mixed blessing. It was good to know he was helping her, but the pain and fear in his voice had made her all the more frightened.
She started when the door opened and a tall blonde woman walked in. “Ms. Bennet? I’m Linda St. Andrews. I believe Will told you about me?”
Elizabeth felt her heart lift with Darcy’s name. “Yes, yes he did,” she said quickly.
Linda smiled and held out an envelope. “This is for you.”
Elizabeth took the blank envelope and opened it, pulling out Darcy’s letter. She gasped as she recognized the handwriting and read it, eagerly devouring each word. She looked tearfully up at Linda and said, “Thank you,” in a tremulous voice.
Linda gave Elizabeth a reassuring smile and a tissue. “Feeling better? Now, let’s get down to work.”
A half hour later found them sitting with the police, going over questions. Elizabeth answered them all honestly, but it was clear the police were growing annoyed. After another fifteen minutes, the two detectives left in a huff.
“What did I do?” Elizabeth asked.
“Nothing.” Linda shrugged, going over her notes. “Cops hate that. They want you to trip up and be guilty. Innocent people make them nuts.”
“What’s going to happen?”
Linda looked up and squeezed Elizabeth’s hand sympathetically. It was clear that she was terrified. “They’re probably going to move you to a holding cell, where you get to spend the night.”
“Tomorrow you will be arraigned before a judge. That is when you will plead not guilty and bail will be set. Then you can go home to that man who is missing you so bad.”
“Will? Is he okay?” The color drained from Elizabeth’s face.
“He’s very concerned. Didn’t he tell you that in the letter?” She gestured to the paper in Elizabeth’s hands and Elizabeth nodded. “What about the trial?” she asked fearfully.
“Well, we will have to see about that,” Linda said in a businesslike tone. “I’m going to try to get the charges dropped, but that’s going to be tricky. The good news is that your fingerprints aren’t on the packet, there were no traces of residue on your hands, and with any luck Wickham’s prints will be on the packet. Add the fact that you have agreed to drug testing and that you agreed to let your bag be searched and I say we have a pretty strong case.”
“But what if…”
“Lizzy, don’t think about that now. I’m going to do my best to see this never gets to trial, and they don’t tremble when my name is spoken in the DA’s office for nothing.” She grinned. “I’m good. Have some faith.”
Elizabeth nodded, her faith stretched to its limits.
Linda smiled. “Good.” She turned to her papers and started working.
Elizabeth sat puzzled in silence for a few minutes and then asked, “What are you doing?”
“Very boring paperwork. But every minute you spend with me is one less minute you spend in the holding cell, right?”
Elizabeth smiled and nodded.
“Now, listen to me. You are semifamous, so the cops are going to be careful with you, but there might be other people in the holding cell. If at any time you feel afraid, demand to see me. I’ll be nearby so I can get here quickly. We’ll get you out of the cell and you can hang out in the interrogation room for a few hours. Understand?”
Elizabeth nodded.
“You’ll get through this, Lizzy.”
***
Darcy came out of the library when he heard Caroline swearing loudly. The large-screen TV was on and showing a picture of Elizabeth as an MTV News announcer said,
“Bennet is the singer for the girl group Long Borne Suffering, which is currently on tour with Slurry. In possibly related news, Slurry drummer Richard Fitzwilliam was also at LaGuardia Airport at the same time and was seen having an altercation with former Slurry lead singer George Wickham. Wickham now directs music videos after leaving Slurry in 2006.”
“Turn it off,” Darcy said disgustedly as he turned away.
“Well, there goes her reputation. I hope you’re happy,” Alex commented savagely at Darcy.
Darcy felt something inside of him snap. “Do I look happy? Elizabeth is being held by the police. Why do you think I would be happy about that?”
The room grew silent as every eye fixed on the two men.
“Well, you sure seem to be doing your best to mess her up.”
Darcy slowly closed his hands into fists. “You were the one with her when she was arrested,” he said in a dangerously low voice. “I trusted that you would bring her home safely, but you didn’t, did you? What were you doing, letting her out of your sight? Leaving her alone with him?”
Alex took a step forward, his eyes cold with disdain. “We both know Wickham would never have even looked at Lizzy if you weren’t involved. She was safe before she got messed up with you.”
Darcy took a step forward right at the same moment Richard used his strength and bulk to move Darcy away. Charlotte took that moment to grab her brother and drag him in the opposite direction. They ended up in Richard’s bedroom, which was at the far end of the loft.
“What the fuck was that about?” Charlotte asked incredulously. “Why did you do that?”
“He’s a jerk,” Alex sulked.
“That is no reason to attack the man like that. My God. Don’t you have any feelings? How would you feel if your lover was dragged away like that?”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“Probably not, but try me.”
“It’s just…” He stopped, unable to find the words.
“Don’t tell me you still love her?”
“No, at least not like that. I know that it’s over between us and has been for a long time, but… it’s hard, you know. Watching them. Even when they were fighting like cats and dogs, they would stare at each other. All the time. You had to notice.”
Charlotte nodded.
“She never looked at me like that, never.”
Charlotte put her arm around him and leaned her head against his. “I got bad news for you, Bro; you’re not Fitzwilliam Darcy.”
“Nope, I’m sure not,” he agreed resignedly.
Charlotte sat up and studied him. “You lied the other day at the airport. You aren’t okay with this, are you?”
“Char—”
“No, just admit it. For whatever reason, a part of you ju
st can’t handle Lizzy being with Darcy.”
Alex stared at the floor.
“You can’t,” Charlotte said in a low voice that indicated she was thinking out loud, “and you won’t leave, and Lizzy won’t fire you.” She paused for a moment then said in a calm, resolved voice, “Alex, you’re fired.”
“What?”
“You’re fired. I’ll discuss it with Jane, but I’m sure she will agree with me.”
“You can’t do that.”
“Yeah, I can. When Lizzy gets back, we’ll finalize it, but we’re going to have to sever our professional relationship.”
Alex stared into the eyes that matched his own and saw there was no room for change in Charlotte’s mind.
“All right,” he conceded. “But I’m staying to help Lizzy.”
Charlotte shrugged. “Not a problem. Just stop pissing off Will.”
***
Richard dragged and pushed Will into his bedroom and shut the door. “Okay, take a moment and calm down. Punching Alex’s lights out isn’t going to help matters.”
“Oh, like punching George’s did?”
“I didn’t say it wouldn’t feel good,” Richard said. “And I’m sorry about that. I lost my temper. Besides, he was asking for it and I knew you weren’t going to hit him.”
“You’re right.” Darcy sank down on his bed. “What’s going to happen, Richard?”
Richard shrugged. “Lizzy’s going to be released on bail in the morning. We’ll take it from there.”
“And the press?”
“I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s probably going to die down. After all, I was the one who punched Wickham. There isn’t anything to connect Lizzy and you other than the tour. The fact is she’s not a big enough star to stay in the news long for a drug bust.”
“Actually, there is.”
“What?”
“When Jane was hit by that bottle, Lizzy and I created a diversion so Jane and Charles could get into the hotel. We… acted for the press in the lobby.”
“Oh hell, Will.” His eyes widened. “Christ, you were in love with her even back then, weren’t you?”
Darcy looked at him from where he was lying on the bed and nodded.
Richard sighed. “And they’ve got those pictures somewhere, don’t they?”
Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star Page 45
