Promise You Won't Tell? (20 page)

“She wants the money paid as a donation to her personal charity.”

He frowns. “What charity?”

“She said she’d give me the details when you’re ready to write the check. Apparently she’s raising money to help underprivileged children get scholarships to private schools.”

“Well, how fucking nice,” he says, with a sneer. “What a saint! I wish she was
my
fucking client. That story ought to play pretty damn good in court.”

“You think she’s making it up?”

“I have no doubt she’s registered a charity.”

“I understand she’s raised several thousand dollars so far.”

“Well, la-de-fricken-da. I guess my two million dollar contribution will help her attract matching funds from schools all over the country. Before you know it the bitch will be paying herself a salary to run a hundred million dollar charity. She’ll be set for life.”

“I’ll deliver the message.”

“You do that.”

I stand to leave. He says, “She’ll take it, right?”

“I don’t know.”

“What do you mean? Why wouldn’t she take it?”

I shrug. “I thought she’d take the first offer.”

“The million?”

“Uh huh.”

He says, “Because, who wouldn’t, right? And now I’ve
doubled
it.”

He’s right. Of course she’ll take it. Why? Because right now she’s got nothing. And Gavin’s right, her case sucks. The court won’t let her sue for damages because the molesters are juveniles. She’s suffered personal and public humiliation, and the boys who caused all the problems are going to wind up with no worse than a slap on the hand. We’re talking two million dollars! Tax-free, since the money will be deposited in her charity. Of course she’ll take it.

And yet…

I wouldn’t mind making Gavin squirm a little more. So, from some dark, ugly place deep inside me, I allow myself to say, “If you want my honest opinion, I think she’s going to say no.”

“
What
? “
Why
?” He’s practically pleading.

“I can’t explain it, Gavin. She seems so sure of herself. Not cocky, exactly, just…totally confident. I’m not sure what you guys are talking about with regard to the birth certificates, but she didn’t bat an eye over the million dollar offer. I’ve never met anyone quite like her at seventeen years of age.”

“Fuck her,” he says. “Fuck her to hell and back.”

“I’ll make the offer,” I say.

I get as far as his office door.

“Three million,” he says. “And not a penny more.”

My legs nearly go out from under me. I try to contain my enthusiasm, but it’s hard. I can’t describe how proud I am that I gave in to my ugly streak. Because in the span of thirty seconds I just got Riley an extra million dollars!

“I’ll tell her!”

“Dani?”

“Yes?”

“Make sure she knows that’s my final offer. Anything more, and I’ll take my chances in court.”

“I’ll tell her.”

“Be firm.”

“Count on it.”

I start to leave again, and he says, “You’d take it, wouldn’t you?”

Would I?

I think about it.

“Yes. Absolutely.”

Of course, I’m not Riley Freeman.

“If we keep meeting like this, my mom’s going to think we’re having sex,” Riley says.

“Not funny,” I say. “Sophie’s already giving me shit about it.”

“That aside,” she says, “You look like the cat that swallowed the canary. What happened?”

“Like I said on the phone, I had a very interesting chat with Gavin.”

“Tell me.”

“He went to two million dollars on his own. But I told him I didn’t think you’d take it.”

She laughs. “Good girl! And he responded?”

“He went to three million! Riley, can you just imagine? Three million dollars! In cash!”

“Impressive. Thank you, Dani.”

“I told him he’d have to donate the money to your charity, and said you’d give me the details.”

“All true,” she says. “Except for one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“This is going to cost him
six
million, not three.”

“Slap my face!”

“What?”

“Punch my eye. Right here, where it’s nearly swollen shut. That’s the most painful area.”

“What on earth are you
talking
about?”

“That way I’ll know this isn’t a dream.”

She laughs. “It’s not a dream, Dani. If Gavin wants this to go away, it’s going to cost him six million.”

“What’s the extra million for?”

“Insulting me with this offer after I was nice enough to let him out for five. Why are you frowning?”

“Because I hate to be out of the loop.”

“What do you mean?”

“What am I missing, Riley? What do you and Gavin know that I don’t?”

She gives me a sly look. “Promise you won’t tell?”

“According to the live birth records Mona had in her possession, which I now have in mine, Ethan Clark was born twice.”

“Fine,” I say, pouting. “Don’t tell me.”

“I just did.”

“Right. Thanks for nothing.”

“Dani? I’m serious.”

“So what are you saying? That Ethan’s the world’s first documented case of reincarnation?”

She laughs. “Indulge me.”

“I thought I was.”

“Story time. Allison Bennett came from the wealthiest, most prestigious family in Memphis, Tennessee. Gavin Clark knew he hit the mother lode when he knocked her up. Fearing the family name could never handle the scandal, they managed to pull together a legendary wedding in the space of ten weeks, which was really pressing it, since Allison was five months pregnant at the alter. After the wedding, she and Gavin went on a prolonged honeymoon, courtesy of Allison’s parents. They were taking six months to travel the world. Over the next six months, family and friends received letters postmarked from the world’s most exotic locations. In truth, Allison wrote all the letters beforehand, gave them to Mona, and Mona traveled to the destinations and sent the letters.”

“That seems like a lot of trouble to go through. The Bennett family couldn’t have been that concerned about people finding out their daughter had sex before marriage. This wasn’t
that
long ago.”

“High society, Dani. As they say, the rich are different than you and me.”

“No kidding. So what happened?”

“Gavin and Allison were tucked away on the Bennett’s private estate in California. The plan was to have a midwife deliver their baby at the estate. Four months later, Allison’s father would secure a live birth certificate from a small hospital in Nevada, in return for a generous contribution. Instead of going back to Memphis, the young couple would begin their new life together here in Nashville, where Gavin’s marital connections would quickly earn him a full partnership in a local law firm.”

“So what went wrong?”

“Toward the end of Allison’s pregnancy, she became violently ill, and nearly died from dehydration. They had to call an ambulance. She was rushed to the hospital, where, two weeks later, she gave birth to a little boy. She named him Ethan.”

“Then what happened?”

“They stuck to the original plan. Four months later they got the phony birth certificate from Nevada, and they’ve been using that one ever since.”

“How did they hide it from friends and family? The fact they were raising a four-month-old instead of a newborn?”

“They were in a different city, remember? And they kept a low profile that first year. After that, no one questioned their kid looking a few months older than the others his age.”

“Mona told you all this?”

“She did.”

“So let’s see if I understand. Ethan has two birth certificates, four months apart, from two different states.”

“That’s right. And both show a live birth delivered to the same parents.”

“Which is impossible.”

“Exactly.”

“And Ethan and his parents used the newer one, which is phony, because it kept Memphis society from finding out Allison got knocked up before the wedding.”

“That’s correct.”

“I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that the older birth certificate, the real one, shows that Ethan is eighteen years old. And was, when he molested you last week.”

“To be precise,” Riley says, “he was eighteen years and nine days old on that fateful night.”

“Which means he can be tried as an adult.”

“By Jove, I think you’ve got it,” she says.

“Which means if your attorney pushes for sexual assault, he could do prison time.”

“That’s stretching it. I mean, we’re still talking about a stupidly rich family, with lots of connections. But it does mean his name could be spread all over the country, and I’d be able to sue him in civil court.”

“What type of award could you get in a civil lawsuit?”

“Now that the photos have hit the internet? Two or three million, easily.”

“Which Gavin has already offered you. Without the hassle of a lawsuit”

“True, but what’s the Clark and Bennett family name worth?”

“What do you mean?”

“If the court finds out Ethan’s eighteen, even if he escapes jail time, he’ll be a registered sex offender.

“Holy shit!” I say.

“Exactly.”

“So the number’s six million?”

“It is. And Dani, I know it sounds like I’m taking advantage of the situation, but I guarantee he’d pay twice that much. This is a drop in the bucket for a guy who contributes three million a year to crooked politicians. I’m not exaggerating, I looked it up. And don’t forget, unlike his donations to politicians, he’ll get a tax deduction for this. Yes, this whole thing is nasty business. But I didn’t ask for it. And so far I’m the only one who’s had to suffer public humiliation for it. Gavin can keep it that way and help something good come out of all this by making a one-time contribution to a charity that will help me change people’s lives.”

“You make a helluva case,” I say.

The front door of her house opens. A woman comes out and stands on the porch and stares at my car.

“Your mom?” I say.

“She’s not too subtle, is she?”

“Let me guess. She’s heard I’m gay?”

“Once the toothpaste is out of the tube, there’s no pushing it back in.”

“Well, I don’t blame her for being nervous,” I say. “I’m six years older, the windows are fogged, and I keep showing up to meet you in the car. Probably looks bad from her point of view.”

We look at her mom a minute. Then Riley says, “I’ll be a good steward of that money, Dani.”

“I believe you.”

She adds, “Deserving kids are going to benefit from this. And if that means crooked politicians have to live without bribes for the next two years, I’d call it a good trade.”

“I agree. I’ll give him the message.”

She pauses. Then says, “Based on what you know of him, and what I’ve said about Ethan’s age, what’s your opinion? You think he’ll write the check?”

I sigh. “Honestly? I think you’re reaching. The time element already made this a tough sale. Now you’re rubbing his nose in it by adding an extra million.”

“You think I’m gouging him.”

“This is your party, Riley. I’m just delivering the cake.”

“What would you do if you were me?”

“I would’ve taken the million. So you
know
I’d take the three.”

We’re quiet a minute, two women sitting in a car, in the dark, under the watchful gaze of a concerned mother.

When her mom starts flipping the porch light on and off, Riley says, “I agree.”

That surprises me.

“You’ll take the three million?” I say.

“No. The number’s still six. But I agree he’s going to say no.”

The porch lights flicker faster, almost like a strobe light.

I say, “But you still want me to tell him six million?”

“Yes.”

“And if he says no?”

“Then hand him this.”

She unzips a pocket on the right thigh of her cargo pants and removes a CD, places it in my hand.

“Riley! Omigod! Is this—”

“Don’t ask. But promise me something.”

“What?”

“Do
not
show this to Gavin unless you’re convinced he won’t pay the six million.”

“You want me to play it for him or give it to him?”

“Give it to him, and tell him it’s a copy. But promise you won’t watch it.”