Wrapped In Shadows (17 page)

After another stream of warnings and edicts from the judge, a court officer approached to escort me out of the court room. I was jumping out of my skin, halfway listening to what Jack was babbling in my ear. There was a new flurry of activity and the purr of heightened conversation. I tilted my head, for the first time allowing my gaze to fully sweep the cavernous room and the hungry spectators. I wasn’t surprised to see a few of my own press contacts in the mix.

Jack’s voice was completely drowned out by the sudden thud of my heart when my gaze collided with that of the platinum blonde sitting rigidly still in the back of the courtroom. Katie’s eyes were brilliantly blue and as turbulent as a stormy ocean. The emotions radiating from her caused something to kick hard in my gut and I felt my entire world rock off kilter.

I swallowed the shock of seeing her and looked away, intentionally breaking eye contact. A deluge of emotions flooded me, fear at the forefront. She shouldn’t be here. She could be recognized by the loitering reporters or by someone in the crowd. She’d been the one who’d asked to keep our night at
Sensations
a secret, and now more than ever I wanted to leave it that way. Having her linked to this scandal could destroy her. I remembered her panic at the penthouse and the terror in her eyes at the possibility of us being discovered. Is that why she was here? Because she was worried about what I’d divulge? Or was it out of concern for me? Jack gave a few more instructions and I kept my head down as I was led out of the courtroom. I purposefully avoided the troubled gaze stalking me.

That evening, I walked into my apartment. Livy ran into my arms and I held her for a long while, squishing her little body and savoring the love we shared. Not only did I count my blessings for this five year old, but I made an oath right there and then to never be separated from her… Okay, maybe when she went off to college…
maybe
. I promised myself that I’d always be there when she needed me. I’d failed with my wife and was determined to not make the same mistakes again. I was already mother and father to Livy, and it would kill me to know she was left all alone in the world. I was determined to get to the bottom of what was going on.

After a quick shower and real food, I returned the frantic calls from my brothers and parents. They’d seen the headlines and were fraught with worry. I’d had to keep my brothers from storming the jail. I made plans to meet with Jack and an investigator from the attorney’s office the following day, then touched base with Bruce.

I sat on the couch holding my cell phone to my ear as I watched Livy practice her latest ballet moves.

“I’ve been trying to keep him calm, but Tom Grummel has left a few messages.”

I rubbed the back of my neck and sighed. The corporate attorney had already left a few messages.

“He wants to meet as soon as possible,” Bruce continued. “Are you sure you want to deal with him right now, that you want to go through with the takeover?”

I sighed. Common sense had been asking me the same question. With everything going on, maybe I shouldn’t be taking on this new venture, but it wasn’t like me to back out of something that felt right.

“Set up the meeting for first thing Monday morning.”

“I’m on it.”

I was about to sign off when Bruce’s voice stilled my hand. “Luke…I’m here if you need anything.”

“Thanks.”

I signed off and stared unseeing at the wall. It had been Bruce along with some of my other buddies who’d dragged me to
Sensations
that night. Bruce oversaw the HR department at work and had accessed my recent medical files. That night at
Sensations
, I found out that he’d submitted the paperwork, paid the massive fee, and had easily gotten me approved as a member. My friend probably felt horrible about how things turned out, but this sequelae could not have been predicted and I didn’t blame any of my friends. I appreciated and understood their efforts to pull me from my recent doldrums. I also appreciated the fact that Bruce didn’t ask for details of that night. Beyond the brief ‘did you enjoy yourself?’ to which I’d answered in the affirmative, we hadn’t spoken about my time at
Sensations
.

Hell, every year around the anniversary of Roslyn’s death, I’d find myself in an emotional slump. I knew part of it was because I had no closure. Roslyn’s death was still unsolved and because of that, I felt chained to the grief of losing her. The police had never found her murderer. Her body had been discovered in an abandoned taxi cab under the Brooklyn Bridge on a rainy Sunday morning. I was used to her going out late with her friends and coming home at all hours in the morning. We’d fought about it constantly.

Roslyn had been a fashion model before she had Livy and she’d always consorted with the popular set. I’d thought that married life and a child would tame her, but the party invites kept coming, and she continued to accept them. That’s how I’d met Mrs. Rogers. I’d come home from a business trip to find my six month old daughter in the care of a nanny, and my wife nowhere to be found. She’d surfaced the following day stating she’d flown to LA for a Grammy party held by a producer friend. It was clear her priority had not been her family. She’d gotten caught up in things that eventually ruined her.

I knew it would be easy to blame Roslyn for all our marital troubles, but I had to shoulder equal responsibility. During the early years of our marriage, I’d been working like crazy to get Davenport PR established. Working long hours and traveling regularly, I hadn’t been able to give Roslyn the attention she was accustomed to receiving.

I’d tried to salvage our marriage for Livy’s sake as well as the fact that I’d loved my wife dearly. Before Roslyn,I’d been a believer in love, and hope, and happily ever after. She’d moved out for a brief time, and even though there’d been rumors that she’d been seeing someone even during our marriage, I’d tried to get her back. I was willing to forgive the lies and deceit. I’d been hopeful, had thought that maybe there was a possibility of reconciliation. I’d even tried to get her more help for her problems, but shortly after we’d resumed a relationship, she’d been murdered.

I’d failed her. It had been my job as her husband to love and protect her, to keep our family together, and I’d failed miserably. I felt the familiar grip of my crushing guilt. It was a monster inside that squeezed the breath from my lungs along with faith and hope. A monster that my dragon couldn’t seem to defeat. I’d gotten the tattoo shortly after Roslyn’s death. It was an oath going forward to always protect what was mine. This entire ordeal with the murder charges exposed raw places inside I thought had healed, or at least scabbed over. But the reality was, I was still hurting, still angry.

Livy crawled into my lap, pulling me from my thoughts. She snuggled in close, clutching Annie to her chest. Smiling up at me she stifled a yawn. I knew she was fighting sleep. Mrs. Rogers had tried to put her to bed before she’d left just now, but my recalcitrant daughter had not been cooperative. I understood her fear of me leaving her again, and cursed the circumstances that had planted that rotten seed in her brain. Saturated with fatigue, her heavy lids draped shut, but in need of reassurance, she snapped them open and peered wide-eyed up at me.

“It’s okay. I’m here. Go to sleep, princess.”

She shook her head, scrubbing her curls on my shirt.

“How about a story?” I asked, rising from the couch with her in my arms. I’d bet if I put her in bed, she’d fall asleep before I got to the second page.

She mumbled against my neck, her mop of dark hair falling over her face, and her arms barely making their way around my shoulders. I loved the way she smelled. It reminded me of early morning after a long rainfall. Fresh and pure.

The doorbell rang just as I was turning to head down the hall, and I backtracked, making my way to the door. Mrs. Rogers smiled when I pulled the door open, holding out a package for me.

“Back so soon?” I returned the smile, my eyes landing on the box.

“This package was waiting downstairs at the front desk. I thought I’d bring it up before I left. In case it was important.”

I shifted Livy and took the package, grinning at Mrs. Rogers.

“I’m sure you had to wrestle it away from Harry.”

Harry was my ancient doorman who we always joked about. It was comical that he was thought of as security as he was afraid of his own shadow, and completely inept at his job.

“Harry was actually asleep.”

I chuckled, not doubting Mrs. Roger’s words. I looked down at the box. I hadn’t been expecting anything.

“I’ll see you in the morning.” Mrs. Rogers waved and headed down the hall.

I pushed the door shut with my hip and placed the package on a nearby table. Livy wiggled in my arms, her gaze zooming to the table.

“Dada! Open present! Open!” With an excited squeal, and now surprisingly wide awake, she jumped from my arms and grabbed the package. “Can I open? Maybe Santa came early! Let’s see! Let’s see!”

I laughed and nodded, happy to see Livy’s exuberance as she zealously ripped open the brown paper wrapping.

“Dada! It’s a shirt!” she exclaimed, pulling the garment out of the box.

My throat went dry as my daughter held the now partially unfolded shirt up for my inspection. She pouted as she regarded it.

“Too big for me. I think Santa brought it for you, Dada.”

I nodded, my thoughts racing wildly then coming to a full stop. I scanned the packaging for postal markings and found none. The fact that Katie had dropped off the shirt and not delivered it personally was telling. She’d made a decision. At the courtroom, I’d wanted to avoid contact for fear of her getting recognized, but she’d been here in my building and had chosen to keep her distance. Did the pressure she’d alluded to, or the trouble that I’d found myself in, influence her decision? Had I been a fool to think I’d have a chance with her? Had she taken Josh back?

“I think she did,” I mumbled absently.

Livy giggled. “Santa’s a boy, silly Dada!”

I managed a smile and plucked my daughter from the floor, bundling her under one arm like a football.

My daughter was right.

“Yes. Dada is silly. To bed, princess!”

Although dead tired, I slept fitfully. Shadows of the past invaded my dreams. I was lost in a maze of mystery, uncertainty, and doubt. Darkness descended rapidly and I struggled through the confusion only to find more questions than answers…more pain than solace…more anger and despair. Just when I was about to give in to the suffocation, before my last breath could leave me, Katie’s voice pierced the gloom and found me. Blindly I followed it through thick tangles and confusing webs of deception, hoping to break free. But at the end before I could emerge into the light, it was Josh who met me with straining fists and a deep, dark, thunderous laugh.

The next morning, I couldn’t find coffee strong enough to battle my fatigue or help me chase away the aura of my bad night. Determined to put out some of the fires at work, I spent the morning calling my most important clients and offering assurances that all was well. I’d been surprised to see the state of my office. Everything was out of place. I could tell that it’d been combed through. Maria informed me that the police had spent hours cloistered in the space and had turned the entire office upside down, questioning employees and looking through my most recent accounts.

Marie brought in another steaming mug of coffee and set it in front of me. I looked up from my laptop and smiled.

“You look like you could use it,” she said.

“You know that will make number four.”

“Who’s counting?”

“When I’m bouncing off the walls and yelling at everyone, you’ll wish you’d stopped two cups ago.”

Maria leaned a hip against my desk and raised her eyebrows. “You? I’ve never seen anyone better able to control his temper. I know how tough it is running things around here and you’re always even keeled. That’s how I know what they’re saying is ridiculous. You’re not the type of man to fly into a rage. You’re always calm and professional.”

“Thank you for that,” I said, taking a sip of my coffee. I always strove to be, but I had to admit there were times my emotions did rule me. “Just forgive me if I’m a little punchy today.”

“You have every right to be.” She stared at the pile of files on my desk. “You gonna tackle all that today?”

I shook my head and followed her gaze. I’d received the expenditure reports for ACE’s last quarter. Tom had dropped them off before my arrest and my accountant had made some notes for me to review. I didn’t know what was going to happen with ACE, but I would still do due diligence.

“I think I’ll take them home and go through them over the weekend. Are we set for Monday’s meeting?”

“Yes. Bruce arranged it. Nine o’clock sharp.”

“I should get through everything in time.” I cocked my head and regarded my secretary. “Maria, in the past few weeks, have you seen anyone come into my office when I wasn’t here? Or even seen anyone loitering outside in the hall without good reason?”

Maria pursed her lips and tapped long, fire-engine red nails on the top of my desk. “No. No one. The police asked me the same question.”

I approached my next question cautiously. “You seem pretty friendly with Josh Wilkinson. Besides my last interaction with him, has he been in my office at all?”

I noticed Maria’s cheeks redden, but besides appearing embarrassed, her face displayed no guile when she answered again in the negative.

Taking a deep breath, I thanked and dismissed her with a nod. She’d been my secretary since I started the company. She’d always been loyal and efficient. I had no reason to doubt her veracity. I’d heard that she’d dated several of my employees, but I never got involved in her personal business. If there was something going on between her and Josh, I’d usually look the other way. Now that I knew the situation with Katie, it sickened my stomach. I figured it was best, though, to keep my mouth shut. If I was going to speak to anyone, it would be Katie, but number one, I wasn’t sure, and number two, I didn’t want to hurt Katie. Plus I had a vested interest in her breaking up with Josh. She may not even believe me. I’d hoped she’d figure out what a rat Josh was on her own with the evidence she already had.