“I understand this is sudden. Thank you for agreeing to meet, Mr. Green.”
I heard the shuffling of papers for a moment before he spoke again.
“I’m due in court in thirty minutes, but I should be free by noon. I can see you at twelve-thirty today if that works for you. My office?”
“Yes, your office is fine. I’ll be there then.”
After I hung up, I took a deep and calming breath. Then I tried counting to ten, but it didn’t seem to help. My nerves were still jumping as I looked up the second phone number I needed to dial. This call was even more nerve wracking than the last, as I was still apprehensive about whether or not I could follow through with my plan.
“The City Times. How can I direct your call?” asked the female phone operator.
“Yes, hello. I’m looking for a Mr. Mac Owens.”
“Mr. Owens is off site today. Can I direct you to somebody else, or would you like me to put you through to his voicemail?”
“Oh, um…voicemail would be fine. Thank you.”
After she patched me through, I waited on the line until a gruff male voice could be heard, telling me to leave a message.
“Mr. Owens, my…” I hesitated before continuing, and then swiftly decided to not leave my name. I would leave a bit of detail on what my call was about instead. “I’m interested in talking with you about a story. It has to do with Charlie Andrews. If you could please give me a call back at your earliest convenience, I would appreciate it.”
I rattled off my phone number and quickly hit the end button. My heart was racing and the ball of nerves in my gut felt heavier than a wrecking ball. It worsened as I pulled up my calendar, the same calendar Alexander referenced to obtain my schedule, and began typing in a fictitious doctor appointment for twelve-thirty.
It’s better this way.
Nonetheless, guilt weighed heavily in my chest as I gathered the Beaumont files. Grabbing a box of tissues on the way out, I tried to force the pangs of my conscience aside and made my way to the design room to meet my team.
Clive, my lead marketing coordinator for Turning Stone, already had design drafts and mockups displayed on the flat screens when I entered. He was writing notes on the white board and looked up upon my arrival. He raised his eyebrows when he saw me.
“No offense, Miss Cole, but you look terrible.”
“Thanks,” I stated dryly.
“I know this planning session is important, but do you want to reschedule?”
I looked around the room at the other eight people assembled and ready to go. A part of me did want to reschedule, but it wasn’t because I was sick. It was because I felt too anxious to concentrate on the job at hand.
“No, I’ll be fine. I want to be well prepared for Friday’s meeting with Sheldon Tremaine. Beaumont jewelers is too big of a contract to risk. Let’s do this.”
alexander
I stood in the doorway of my office and shook the hand of Sheldon Tremaine. He was just leaving after a very productive meeting. Ironically, while Krystina was discussing the advertising strategy for his business with her team, he had been meeting with me.
I had asked Sheldon to come to my office to discuss his business appointment with Krystina later in the week. I also wanted to discuss commissioning Beaumont Jewelers to create a piece of jewelry that I would give to Krystina as a wedding gift. His work was impeccable, as was proven with the triskelion necklace he had made for her, but the commission also gave me leverage. I used it to solidify the promise that he’d commit to advertising with Turning Stone.
“I’ll get a design drawn up for you and send it over, but I think I know exactly what you’re looking for,” Sheldon assured.
“I’ll look forward to it. It’s a pleasure doing business with you.”
“Likewise, Mr. Stone.”
After Sheldon left, I went back to my desk and pulled up my calendar – my real calendar.
Setting up the meeting with Sheldon had been tricky. I couldn’t type his name in my calendar or I’d risk suspicion from Krystina if she happened to look at my schedule for the day. Instead, I blocked the time out as being in a meeting with George Canterwell, knowing full well that Krystina wouldn’t disturb me if she knew I was meeting with the old miser. Laura, on the other hand, was completely thrown off when Sheldon Tremaine showed up. She had merely tossed me a strange look, but didn’t ask questions. She knew better.
I glanced at the clock. Stephen and Bryan were due in my office in less than fifteen minutes. The architect would be here at three to meet with both Krystina and me about the house in Westchester. I absently wondered if she remembered to clear her schedule. Moving the mouse, I clicked over to her schedule. I stopped short as I went over her appointments for the day.
Doctor?
I hadn’t realized she scheduled one. Instinctively, I picked up the phone to call her Primary, but then stopped myself.
Give her room to breathe.
Fighting my gut instinct was a challenge, but I replaced the receiver nonetheless. Krystina had a head cold. I told myself that it was natural for her to schedule a visit to the doctor. I also knew she had Samuel with her. She would be fine.
I looked up when I heard a knock on my office door. Stephen poked his head in.
“Come on in,” I told him. “Where’s Bryan?”
“He’s just down the hall, chatting it up with some new intern. He’ll be here in a minute I’m sure.”
“Christ! He knows the rules. Go tell him to put his dick back in his pants and get in here.”
Stephen smirked.
“Sure. The rules. Go ahead and tell him that yourself. I’m pretty sure he’ll remind you of how your relationship with Krystina started.”
I scowled at him.
“That’s not the point.”
“Ah, come on. Cut the poor guy some slack. He’s always so serious and buried in numbers all day. Let him get his kicks when he can.”
“Last I checked, Bryan didn’t have any issue finding his kicks,” I stated dryly.
My statement wasn’t meant to be funny, but Stephen found it hilarious for some reason. I pursed my lips in annoyance. He was still laughing when Bryan finally decided to saunter in.
“What’s so funny?” Bryan asked.
“Your dick,” Stephen announced.
“Huh?” Bryan asked and raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, your dick. It’s not allowed in the interns,” I reminded him. My statement caused Stephen to laugh even harder.
“Shit! Did you just make a joke, Alex?”
I rolled my eyes at him.
Always the jokester.
Bryan, as if sensing my irritation, sat down in the chair next to Stephen and held up his hands in surrender.
“Sorry, Alex. I’ll keep it to myself.”
“You’d better,” I warned. “She’s probably too young for you anyway.”
“Well, Krystina is a lot younger than –.”
Stephen howled with laughter again, his face turning ten shades of red.
“I tried to warn you, Alex,” he said when he caught his breath. I shook my head, but couldn’t help but to crack a smile.
However, my smile was short lived, as I had important matters to discuss. I was about to lay a bombshell on my accountant and lawyer. Because they were also friends of mine, I knew they’d be more than a little shocked over what I had to tell them. My only defense was that I had met them in college, and well after I changed my name to Stone. I would explain it to them like I had explained it to Krystina, and say Alexander Russo no longer existed. I could only hope that they didn’t feel betrayed like she had.
“Alright, recess is over you two. I have something important to tell you both. It isn’t good. Stephen, depending on how things shake out, I’ll more than likely need you and your legal team,” I told them.
My overly serious tone caused Stephen to sober immediately. Both of them looked at me curiously. A ball of dread formed in my gut. In a few minutes, I wo
uld show them The City Times interview given by Charlie Andrews. Once I did that, even more people would know about my past. After all these years of keeping it hidden, it only took one conniving weasel to blow it all up.
“What’s going on, Alex?” Bryan asked.
“Bryan, as my accountant, I’ll need your input on protecting my assets. Again, depending on what happens, I don’t know the financial ramifications.”
“What the fuck, Alex! Spit it out. What’s wrong?” Stephen demanded.
“Charlie Andrews.”
18
krystina
I looked at the clock. It was nearing noontime. Feeling confident about what my team and I had accomplished, I grabbed my purse and slung it over my shoulder. It was time to meet with the DA. I tried not to be nervous as I made my way to the elevator, but it was as if my trepidation grew with every step I took. I stopped short when I spotted Samuel standing near the doors.
Shit!
I had completely forgotten about my hired shadow. Between this and the conversation with the DA, I was quickly learning that my grand master plan had way too many holes in it.
Note to self…I’m terrible at scheming.
“Headed out, ma’am?” he asked.
“I’m just going to a doctor appointment, Sam.”
“I’ll pull the car around,” he told me and moved to press the down button for the elevator.
I had a sinking suspicion that he wasn’t referring to my Porsche that sat collecting dust in the parking garage. If I knew Alexander, he had assigned Samuel his own set of wheels. If that was the case, it could be very problematic. I couldn’t afford to have Samuel follow me. If I wanted to ditch his watchful eye, I’d have to get creative.
“No, it’s okay. There’s no need for you to come along,” I told him in my most innocent voice. The coughing fits that had plagued me all morning were suddenly absent, so I faked one for added effect.
“I’m sorry, ma’am,” he said hesitantly, as if he was unsure as to whether or not doctor appointments were in the rule book. “I’m going to have to clear that with Mr. Stone.”
And the plot thickens…
“He’s really busy today in meetings. I wouldn’t bother him. Besides, he’s the one who actually scheduled it for me,” I lied, but felt somewhat shocked at how easily it rolled off my tongue.
“Yes, ma’am. But I’m supposed to accompany you whenever you leave the office.”
“Sam,” I said and placed a reassuring hand on his arm. “I can assure you, Mr. Stone understands the importance of privacy when it comes to my doctor appointments. The doctor’s office is only a few blocks away, so I’m going to walk. Trust me, this is perfectly okay.”
Yet another pang of guilt hit me, knowing I was taking advantage of the fact that Sam didn’t know the ropes yet. If he listened to me, I knew he would be in some serious hot water.
“If you insist,” he said, but his voice was laced with doubt.
It wasn’t until the elevator doors shut that I could breathe a sigh of relief. One thing was for certain – keeping up this charade was not going to be easy. I could only hope it would all be worth it in the end.
I hadn’t lied when I told Samuel my doctor was located just a few blocks down from Cornerstone Tower. However, it had been the only truthful statement I made during our brief conversation. I thought of that as I neared the embossed glass door of a building that read LifeCare Health Center. My doctors name, along with the many others in the practice, were listed beneath it. To me, each name was a representation of the many lies I had told over the past few hours. They were like a beacon for my deceit. I was almost grateful when the doors opened and a woman and a small boy exited onto the street.
I watched them as they scurried to the curb to hail a cab. The woman, whom I assumed to be the boy’s mother, turned to the boy and placed a woolen knit cap over his head. Dark ends, nearly black, stuck out beneath the winter head gear and I was reminded of Alexander’s hair color. The boy looked up at me, watching me with pale blue eyes, as I passed by them. For some reason, my conversation with Allyson during our shopping trip came to mind.
Babies.
The cold wind whipped around me and I shivered. However, I wasn’t sure if my shiver was from the frigid temperatures or from the trepidation I felt over having children. I shook my head. That was the last thing I needed to think about in that moment.
Get your head in the game, Cole.
Pulling my iPod from my purse, I popped a set of purple buds into my ears and listened to the sultry voice of Claire Guerreso as I continued on another four blocks. When I finally reached the building that held the District Attorney’s office, I was freezing. I stepped inside and rubbed my hands up and down my arms. My cheeks warmed, thawing from the cold of the outdoors. The winter temperature did little to help my sniffling and I had to stifle a sneeze. Looking around, I spotted a restroom just down the corridor that led to the DA’s office. I made a quick detour so that I could blow my nose and freshen up before my meeting.
After popping a couple more cold medicine tablets into my mouth, I looked at my reflection in the mirror of the ladies’ room.
Geez, Clive was right. I do look terrible.
I ran a hand over my unruly curls in an attempt to smooth them out. I frowned when they refused to tame. Rather than fight it, I fastened a hair tie to create a lose ponytail at the nape of my neck. Digging into my purse, I pulled out my compact, added a bit of powder to my nose and freshened up my lipstick. I looked better, but not great.
A glance at the time on my cell phone screen said it was twenty-eight minutes after twelve. I had stalled long enough. It was show time.
My palms began to sweat from anxious nerves. I rubbed them against the material of my pantsuit as I made my way toward the DA’s office. His secretary, or at least I assumed she was, looked away from her computer screen when I arrived. She must have been new, because I didn’t recognize her from my previous visits.
“Hello,” I said. “My name is Krystina Cole. I have a meeting with Mr. Green at twelve-thirty.”
She smiled politely and motioned to the door behind her.
“Yes, Miss Cole. Mr. Green is expecting you. You can go right in.”
Summoning all the courage I could muster, I thanked her and pushed through the door that would lead me to Thomas Green.
The room I entered wasn’t anything fancy, but simple. There were comfortable cushioned chairs surrounding a long wooden table. Cherry bookcases filled the walls, overflowing with a countless number of legal volumes. The setting was familiar, as Alexander and I had attended several meetings with the DA over the past two months. During that time, not only had we talked about my testimony, but Thomas often recanted stories about his six-year-old fraternal twins, Olivia and Tommy. The small bit of knowledge I had about his personal life might serve me well during this meeting.
Thomas Green’s desk was at the far end of the room, but that wasn’t where he sat. Instead, he was at the polished wooden table pouring over manila folders full of documents upon my arrival. His wire rimmed glasses were pushed down near the tip of his nose. He looked up when he heard me come in and shoved the glasses to rest on top of his salt and pepper hair.
“Miss Cole,” he greeted. “Always a pleasure.”
“Likewise, Mr. Green. New secretary?”
“Oh, no. She’s a temp. My secretary is out sick. It’s that time of year,” he stated sardonically. Despite the light attempt at sarcasm, his voice was tense and matched the tone he had when we spoke over the phone earlier that morning. When he pressed his lips together and frowned, I wondered if he was just as apprehensive as I was about this meeting.
He stood and extended his hand to shake mine, but I shook my head.
“Like you said, it’s that time of year. I’m fighting a bit of a head cold myself, so you probably don’t want to shake my hand. I’m sure your wife wouldn’t want you bringing it home to your kiddos,” I said lightly and smiled, hoping that
I could ease some of the tension with the mention of his wife and children.
He quickly pulled his hand back and returned my smile.
“You’re right. They just got through a bout with the flu. Rebecca would have my head if I introduced a new germ to Olivia or Tommy,” he laughed. He motioned to the chair in front of his desk. “Please have a seat.”
“Thank you. Other than the recent flu, how is your family doing?”
As I sat down in the offered chair, Thomas walked around to his side of the desk. After he sat, we talked briefly about what his children were doing in school and about his wife’s latest endeavor to become an independent consultant for a new fad makeup company. After a while, he leaned back and looked at me curiously.
“So, now that you’re up to speed on my family happenings, I’d like to talk about why you’re here. I’ve been a bit perplexed since your phone call this morning. So much so, that I managed to get out of court early and spent the last hour reviewing the case files,” he admitted and motioned to the table covered with manila folders. “What’s so pressing that you had to see me today?”
Not wanting to beat around the bush, I gave it to him straight. Or, at least, as straight as I could without jeopardizing Alexander and Justine.
“It’s Charlie’s trial date.”
“What about it?”
“I know it’s been moved up. I need you to move it back.”
His eyebrows raised in surprise.
“I can honestly say that I didn’t expect that to come from you, especially with the amount of pressure Mr. Stone has been exerting on everyone to proceed. The jury was selected a month ago and the presiding judge is anxious to move forward as well. I can’t change the date unless you can give me a significant reason as to why you need it moved.”
I hesitated, choosing my next words carefully.
“Mr. Green, as you know, one of the charges Charlie Andrews faces is extortion. You should know that he’s up to his old tricks. A reporter was able to meet with him.”
“What do you mean? He’s supposed to have a strict no visitor’s policy,” Thomas said disbelievingly.
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