“I can’t comment on that case other than to say that it turned out well.”
“I’d say that you’re on quite a roll, Skip.”
Skip did his best to look embarrassed, which wasn’t hard given what he’d just done.
As Emily and her cameraman were packing up their gear and heading out, she said, “You’re going to a lot of trouble to make this case high profile. What’s in it for you?”
“I’m not expecting to get anything from this, Emily. We just want to see justice prevail. And if that means raising the profile of the case, so be it.”
He closed the door behind the news team as they left and glanced at the clock. Hell, he only had thirty minutes before the next one would be here.
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
Roxy
I expected Wally to dump me at my condo. Instead, he took me to Keller’s for dinner. The waitress seated us, handed us a couple of menus, then left us to read and decide on what we wanted.
Given that I might never see this place again, I had a desire for just one thing. “I already know what I want—a cheeseburger with fries.”
Wally raised an eyebrow. “They’ve got salmon, chicken. Don’t worry about the cost, this one’s on me.”
“Since when do attorneys buy their broke clients dinner?” Mom and Dad couldn’t afford this guy. They certainly couldn’t afford his markup for dinner.
Wally ignored the question. “I’m about to give you the best advice you’ll ever get—and I won’t charge you a cent for it.”
I planted my elbows on the table. “Free advice from an attorney? Oh, please.”
“Go to the bar, have the bartender turn up the sound, shut up, and listen. Now.”
His tone was so insistent that I turned to see what was so important on the TV. It was Skip, being interviewed. Again. I glanced at Wally. He shooed me away. I rushed to the bar and said, “Tommy, turn that up for me? Okay?”
He nodded and turned up the sound. I only caught what must have been the last of the interview, but sat stunned. Tommy handed me a glass of Chardonnay. “Looks like you need this.”
I stared, dumbfounded, at the glass.
Tommy grinned at me, “I’d say he’s a keeper.”
“He doesn’t even like me.”
“He loaned you five mil and he doesn’t like you? Hot Rox, you’re out of your freaking mind.”
I shot a glance at Wally over my shoulder. Shut up, he’d said. He knew what was going on. I picked up my glass. “Thanks for the wine, Tommy. Put it on our dinner tab, would you?”
Back at the table, Wally must have seen the stunned look on my face. “You’ve had a helluva day. Almost no sleep. Airports. Punching out bad guys. In jail, out of jail. Break-ins, breakouts. Man, if I had a day like that, I’d be a basket case. I ordered your burger and fries, by the way.”
“What’s going on, Wally?”
“I just told you. It’s been a big day.”
“What was Skip doing on the news? Why’d he say he loaned me that money?”
“Smart girl like you, I’m surprised you need someone to spell it out.”
I waited while the waitress refilled his water glass. “Bring me a Guinness, would you? I can’t let her drink alone.”
The waitress smiled and waltzed away.
I stared into my wine glass, trying to make sense of what I’d just heard. “I want to know what’s going on.”
Wally sat back as the waitress set down his beer. He took a sip and leaned forward. “I’m sure you’re familiar with the adage, ‘the best defense is a good offense.’”
I held his gaze. “So? You’re going to tell me I need to go on the offense?”
“Not at all. What you need to do is be quiet and let events unfold. My guess is that by Monday, the police will have forgotten all about you and your case will be closed. Except for that little assault thing, of course. That one might cost you—probably probation.”
Wally’s phone rang. He glanced at the display, smiled, and answered. “Wally Price.” A few seconds later, “Oh, Sergeant Grimes. Yeah, I just saw that myself. Can you believe it? I didn’t think he wanted anyone to know he had that much money.”
He took a sip of his beer.
“You know, I didn’t handle the estate of his uncle, but from what I understand, it was very large. I mean, very large.” He seemed to listen for a few seconds, then spoke again. “Okay, I’ll let you know if I hear anything.”
Our food arrived and I stared at my burger, not sure if I was hungry or not. I didn’t like having people manipulate my life. Skip had no money, but had just told the world he had millions. Had he lied about his background, too? He could pick locks. He had a condo on the beach. Nothing added up, including my feelings for the man who’d betrayed me. “Why’s he doing this?”
Wally chuckled as he picked up his burger. “Isn’t that just the five-million-dollar question? Eat your food before it gets cold. Oh, and by the way, you can see the next interview on the ten o’clock news. KFMB, if I’m not mistaken.”
I sat up straight in my chair. It was my turn to be stern. “What else did he do?”
“He kind of put together a game plan. He did say he had to make a stop downtown. I’m not sure what that was all about.”
“He’s the one who trashed my office?”
“I’m an officer of the court. I could never condone someone breaking in, let alone vandalizing a place like that. Besides, the police are theorizing that this Sonny Panaman had some friends pay you a visit. They said something about him using a Gmail account for all this. I hear they’re going to check that out. Anyway, they broke in. They only ransacked your office. That sure smacks of revenge to me.”
“I need to see him.”
Wally stuffed a French fry into his mouth and moaned. “These are so good.”
“I need to see him. Now!”
“That can’t happen. As your attorney, I’m advising you to keep your distance from Skip Cosgrove for a while. We wouldn’t want to give any perception of impropriety.”
“What am I going to do now?”
“Like I said, sit back and wait. Keep quiet and let events unfold. Oh, and go online tonight. There’s a little money issue you need to deal with.”
“What if I don’t?”
Wally’s eyebrows went up. He licked his lips and held my gaze. “I’m a lawyer, my concern is the law. But personal favors? Those are gold, lady. I’m going to give you one other piece of free advice. When someone throws you a lifeline, don’t drag them down with you. But if want to throw everything away, that’s your choice.”
I nibbled on a fry and thought about Wally’s message. Nobody, not even my mom and dad, had ever put their life on the line to save me. Skip had done that. Twice. “It’s really over?”
“Most of it. Except for that assault thing.”
I swallowed hard, the pressure of tears blurring my vision. “I thought he didn’t like me.”
Wally smiled. “Lady, I’d think about that one. If this guy doesn’t like you, just imagine what he’d do if he did.”
I drained the last of my wine and motioned to the waitress. I needed another. When this was all over, Skip Cosgrove was in for a helluva payback.
THANK YOU
I hope you enjoyed reading “License to Lie.” I also hope you’ll take a moment to tell your friends what you thought of it. Whether it’s in person or via your favorite social media site, I will appreciate any help you can provide in letting others know about “License to Lie.” Posting a review or giving a rating on the site where you bought the book and/or on Goodreads is another great way to help others discover it.
If you’d like to stay in touch, visit my website at terryambrose.com for real-life scam tips or to learn more about my other mysteries with character, including the second book in this series, “Con Game.” Stop on by, say hi, or just look around. I’d love to hear from you!
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