Lily kept her voice low so Jeannie couldn’t overhear. “He rendezvoused with Anne in Las Vegas, believing they were going to have sex. Do you have her cell phone number?”
“No, I’ve never had a reason to call her. Are you telling me Bryce was having an affair with her? Think about it, Lily. If Anne was sleeping with your husband, you’re the last person she’d want to hang out with. Are you certain it was her? It might be someone else with the same name.”
“Someone who just moved here from New York, who just happens to be an attorney? Its her, Tessa.” Lily filled her in on what she’d learned from Bryce and the police detective. “Isn’t this too big of a coincidence?”
“Not really,” Tessa said thoughtfully. “Everyone in California goes to Vegas, Lily. Anne isn’t working, and she just moved here from New York, so it seems plausible for her to want to see Vegas. Hell, maybe she’s a gambler. There’s this teacher who’s a gambler, Lorraine Prichard. She lost her house, and her husband filed for divorce last week. The district is threatening to fire her because she disappears for days without notice. We don’t have enough teachers as it is. There are forty-five kids in my class. How can I teach that many children? I’m going to apply for a job at a private school.”
Lily sighed, wondering if Tessa realized how thoughtless she was being. She’d just told her Bryce was in jail for attempted rape, and she’d already turned the conversation back to herself. But Lily needed her. When you need someone, you have to take the good with the bad. “I thought you were considering going back to college to get your master’s.”
“Yeah, well, I’m under contract for the rest of the year.”
“Did Anne ever say or do anything to make you think she was a gambler?”
“No,” Tessa answered, “but neither did Lorraine Prichard. If you were a compulsive gambler, would you run around and tell everyone?”
“Do you remember the name of the law firm in New York Anne was with before she moved?”
“I have no idea,” Tessa said, kids yelling in the background. “You were talking to her about that stuff, not me. Anne and I took aerobic and spin classes together. There wasn’t a lot of time for chitchat. She was also pretty serious about weight training, so I generally kept my mouth shut. You know me, I’m not good with the weights.”
“Let me go, I need to see what I can find out.”
“What are you going to do about Bryce?”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
“I know how you get when you’re alone, honey,” Tessa told her. “My God, you were crouched in the corner the other morning. If you want, I can sleep over at your house tonight. Fred certainly won’t miss me. All he does is watch television.”
“I love you,” Lily said, tears streaking down her face.
“I know, even though you don’t always show it.”
“I’m sorry, Tessa.”
“Hey, I know I’m a blabbermouth. Most people can’t handle me. You get a merit badge for putting up with me for so long. Hold on, Lily.” She stopped and shouted, “Riley Foster, come here right this minute. If I ever catch you pulling hair again, I’ll send you to the principal’s office. Now everyone line up by the door.”
Lily tapped her nails on the desk while she waited for Tessa. “You’re busy. I’ll call you back later.”
“Listen, I’ll go home, grab some clothes for tomorrow, and be at your place around six. Then we’ll go out and get something to eat.” She laughed. “You talk about me having an eating disorder. When you’re upset or under stress, you turn into a toothpick. And don’t give me a bunch of crap about how you can’t eat, or I’ll have to force-feed you. You’re going to need the strength to get through this, sweetheart. I know about these things. My brother’s in prison in Alabama.”
Lily was shocked. “You never told me your brother was in prison.”
“Like I said, some things you just don’t talk about.”
TWENTY-THREE
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30
QUANTICO, VIRGINIA
“How’s this sound?” Genna Weir asked, holed up in Mary’s office. The room had two desks in it, but no one was assigned to the other workstation. “‘Handsome white male, forty years old, successful business owner, seeking twenty-something female who wants to be spoiled.’”
Mary was preparing her own ad. “Only hookers are going to bite on that. Axe the spoiled line and it’s fine. Part of the reason guys want to fool around with a married woman is they think they won’t have to spend any money on her.”
“But we’re not looking for a married woman,” Weir pointed out.
“We’re not looking for a hooker, either. Check this out.” Mary read from her computer screen. “‘Experienced philanderer seeking discreet lady. Professional with family. Dark hair, five-foot-ten, one hundred seventy pounds, excellent lover.’”
“Clever,” Weir commented. “You’re describing the victims’ profile. If I write the same thing, though, they might get suspicious.”
“Just change it around a little. It’s not like anyone checks these things. It’s like eBay, just an interactive database.” Mary spun her chair around and kicked off her shoes. It was nine at night, and cartons of half-empty Chinese food were piled up in the trash can. “While you’re doing that, I’d like to take a look at Waverly’s credit card statements. The police went over them and didn’t find anything unusual.” She smiled. “We’re the FBI, though. And don’t forget, the PD didn’t know what they were looking for.”
All of Belinda’s charges had been circled. Boy, Mary thought, she is one hell of a shopper. The former beauty queen charged thousands of dollars per month, mostly at upscale department stores like Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. Stan’s charges were for restaurants, hotels, gas, and a health club, basically nothing out of the ordinary. She was about to set aside the statement when something caught her eye, and she turned to Weir. “Stan Waverly’s American Express shows a charge three weeks before he disappeared. The company name is Khan’s Preston Exxon in Dallas, but the amount is precisely two hundred dollars. The price of gas is high, but not that high. Waverly didn’t drive a big rig.”
“Interesting,” Weir said, working on the computer. “He probably had his oil changed or something. It’s worth checking out, though. Is there a phone number to the business?”
“Yeah,” Mary said, already punching in the phone number.
“Exxon Mobile,” a man with an Indian accent said.
“This is Agent Stevens with the FBI. I need to get in touch with the owner.”
The line went silent for a while. “I am the owner.”
“Can you tell me your name, sir?”
“Why you want my name? Is there a problem?”
“Before I continue this discussion, I need to know who I’m speaking to.”
“My name is Bob Smith?”
“Sure it is,” Mary said. “Where are you from?”
“Where I am from is of no consequence. I am an American citizen.”
Mary had an excellent ear for accents. “You’re from Pakistan, right?”
“Yes, but as I told you, I am an American citizen.”
“Fine, you’re a citizen. Tell me your real name or I’ll send someone from our Dallas Field Office over to talk to you in person.”
“Nevin Khan.”
“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Khan. We’re checking on a charge made by a man named Stan Waverly on his American Express Card. The amount is two hundred dollars. Can you tell me what Mr. Waverly purchased?”
“I do not know,” he said. “I will have to speak to my accountant. We sell gasoline. All of our customers buy gasoline.”
“Do you do oil changes or offer other services?”
“No, we only sell gasoline.”
“When will you be able to speak to your accountant? Two hundred dollars buys a lot of gasoline, Mr. Khan. What’s curious about this is Mr. Waverly drives a BMW. The tank doesn’t hold that much gasoline. Do you allow customers to get cash
back?”
“No, we do not.”
“That’s what I thought,” Mary said. “About your accountant—”
“My accountant is out of town. I have customers. I must go now.”
When Mary heard a dial tone, she was almost happy, since Mr. Khan had been so uncooperative. She excused herself and walked out into the hallway, calling Brooks from her cell phone.
“Hi, baby,” she cooed when a man answered.
“Are you looking for Agent East?” the person said. “He took his wife and kids to the movie.”
Mary started to hang up when he said, “Hey, I’m pulling your leg. You must be the illustrious Agent Stevens from Quantico. Don’t worry, Brooks is single. I’ll put him on.”
“Who was that?” Mary asked when Brooks got on the phone. “My God, he sounds just like you.”
“You mean the Texas accent?”
She placed her hand on top of her head. “Forgive me, I’m an idiot. I thought this was your personal number. He’s an agent, right? Now everyone is going to know. If it gets back to Adams, he’ll eat my ass for breakfast. I was supposed to be working in Dallas. He already jumped on me for not checking my e-mail the night we were together.”
East began laughing. It was the kind of laugh that couldn’t be faked, a laugh that only a genuinely happy person could make. It was so infectious, she began laughing as well. “It isn’t funny,” she said, falling serious. “I thought we agreed not to tell anyone we were seeing each other.”
“That was my brother,” he said. “Do you know what time it is?”
“Oh,” Mary said. “I’m sorry, we’re working around the clock here. I’m actually calling on Bureau business. Do you have something to write on?”
“Always.”
Mary explained about the charges on Waverly’s credit card and asked him to see what he could find out. “It can wait until tomorrow. I forgot to ask Khan when he closes the station.”
“When are you coming to Dallas again?”
Her voice dropped to a whisper. “The way things are going here, it could be a long time. Are you going to forget me?”
“No, I’m going to buy a plane ticket.”
Mary slouched against the wall. Was it really going to happen? Had she finally found the right man? “You shouldn’t come until we put this case to bed. That is, if we ever do. You know what Adams told me? I might work this case the rest of my career. I think I’d go mad if that happened.” She paused, then added, “I want you to meet my mother, Brooks. If you’d rather not, I understand.”
“Of course I want to meet your mother,” he told her. “I think I’m in love with you.”
Mary’s body felt like rubber. “It was only one night, Brooks. A person can’t fall in love in one night. We just had good sex. Really, incredible sex is more like it.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” East told her. “It wasn’t just one night. We spent the day together. We woke up beside each other the next morning. I’m serious, Mary. I knew as soon as you got off the plane. Why is that so hard to believe?”
“See if there are any openings in the Washington office,” she said, excited. “I wouldn’t want you to transfer until we spend more time together, but it wouldn’t hurt to see what’s available.”
“I agree. See how easy that was? I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Wait.” Mary looked up and down the corridor, making certain no one was around. She turned and pressed her forehead to the wall, sliding her free hand up her dress. “I wish you were here with me.”
“I’m there, you just can’t see me.”
“Brooks?”
“Yeah, baby.”
“It’s insane how much I want you.”
“Me, too.”
“Oh, Brooks,” Mary panted.
“Yeah, baby.”
“I think I’m in love with you, too.”
“I know,” he said. “Get some sleep.”
“That was disgusting,” Lily said, opening the door to Tessa’s Taurus and sliding into the passenger seat. Most of the rain had passed, but you could still smell it in the air.
“Hey,” her friend said, “you’re the one who picked this place. I don’t eat at Taco Bell. If I knew you were going to make me consume a zillion calories for barf food, I would have cooked dinner for us at your house.”
Lily wrapped her arms around her chest. “Jeannie, my assistant, figured out what was going on. She’s probably told everyone by now. Judge Forrester’s husband is a criminal. Hennessey will drool all over himself when he hears. He’s been waiting for me to slip up so he could get rid of me.” Her eyes were wild. “I don’t want anyone at the courthouse to see me. That’s why I wouldn’t go to a regular restaurant.”
Tessa backed out of their parking slot. “That’s going to be hard to do, sweetie. You’re in trial, aren’t you?”
“The Stucky case was continued until Monday.”
“Okay, so you have the weekend to put yourself back together. You’ve got to calm down, Lily. Shit happens.” Tessa reached over and patted her thigh. “When my brother told me he’d shot a man in Mobile, I went nuts. Jess had always been a wild card, but I never thought he’d end up in prison. I spent a fortune on his legal fees. We could have bought a new house with that money. That’s why I haven’t gone back to get my master’s. We ran through all our savings.”
“I would have helped you. When did this happen?”
“Five years ago,” Tessa told her, turning down Lily’s street. “You were living in Santa Barbara, and we didn’t see each other on a regular basis. How could I ask you for money? You’ve spent your life putting people like Jess behind bars.”
They pulled in the driveway and parked. Once they were inside, Tessa flopped down on Lily’s new sofa in the den. Lily opened the sliding glass door so Gabby could go out, then sat across from her in Bryce’s lounge chair. She could smell his cologne. “Something isn’t right, Tessa.”
“For sure, but things will eventually get better.”
“No,” Lily said, massaging her temples. “Maybe Bryce is telling the truth and Anne is some kind of psycho. You know how I feel about coincidences. She was almost too friendly. And she kept talking about this case in Florida. You know, the preacher’s wife who killed her husband and got away with it.”
“I read about that,” Tessa commented. “She didn’t get away with it, though. She went to prison, didn’t she?”
Lily’s speech was rapid-fire. “They convicted her of voluntary manslaughter. She used a pump-action shotgun, and she’ll only have to serve a few years. Anne hates men. I could tell from the way she talked.”
Tessa went over and trapped Lily’s face in her hands. “You’re losing it, understand? You’re my best friend. You have an important job. You can’t go around blabbering like an imbecile.” She released her, then returned to the sofa. “Stop trying to put the blame on Anne. She doesn’t hate men, Lily, and she didn’t lure Bryce to Vegas. Bryce is a grown man. No one forced him to concoct this big story about a business trip, buy a airline ticket, and fly to Las Vegas. He even left you a phony itinerary. I never thought I’d hear something like this come out of your mouth. The victim isn’t responsible. Jesus, you, of all people, should know that.”
Lily knew she was becoming paranoid. On the other hand, she suspected Tessa might get a certain amount of pleasure seeing her life crumble. What was she thinking? How could she remain friends with a person like that? Tessa was right. She was losing it. “I’m going upstairs to shower, then I’m going to decide what to do about Bryce.”
Tessa had picked up a magazine off the coffee table and was thumbing through it. “I thought you already made that decision.”
“He’s my husband,” Lily told her, pausing by the stairway. “I have to do something. Bryce has more than enough money to buy himself a decent defense. The problem is I only know one good attorney who has a license to practice in Nevada.”
“Oh, really?” her friend said, responding without
listening.
“Richard Fowler.”
Tessa dropped the magazine on the floor. “You’ve got to be shitting me. If anyone has fucked up your life, it’s Richard. There’s got to be tons of lawyers who can practice in Nevada. Don’t they have reciprocity?”
“No.”
“Then look in the phone book, for God’s sake. Letting that man back in your life is a recipe for disaster. All he’s ever done is hurt you.”
“Our relationship was too complex,” Lily argued, gripping the handrail on the stairs. “You don’t understand, Tessa.”
The Cheater Page 25
