by Jenna Brandt
Hank made a couple of grunts under his breath. After a few minutes, he pointed to a line of numbers on the screen. “You see that? That’s some of the thickest security layers I’ve ever seen. Whoever put this together definitely didn’t want to be found.”
“Does that mean you can’t figure out who gave this to me?” Molly asked, discouraged.
“No, I didn’t say that. I’m saying it’s going to take some time. There’s a bunch of layers of security, along with some hacker traps and rabbit holes to mislead anyone looking for clues.”
“How much time?” Spencer inquired. “We really need to find out as quickly as possible.”
Hank gave Spencer a smug look. “Lucky for you, I’m really good at this. I can get it done in a couple of days.” He turned his attention to Molly and added, “I’ll text you once I have the information for you.”
Molly and Spencer stood up, and headed towards the door. Before they left, Molly turned to Hank and patted him on the arm. “Thanks for doing this, Hank. I owe you.”
“No problem, Molly. You’ve helped me out a few times with rent and such; you know I’m always willing to return the favor with tech support.”
As they got into the car, Spencer said, “I’m really grateful for your help. The fact you believe in me means more than you can ever know.”
“I want to figure this out, for both our sakes. I don’t want you to lose your career over lies, and I want to be able to go back to my boss and tell him that there’s no story. That it was all fabricated and a hoax.”
“You and me both,” Spencer agreed. “Here’s hoping Hank can get to the bottom of it.”
Spencer was running late—something he hated. It often happened because he didn’t know how long an appointment or court proceeding would go. Today was no exception; he was trying to make up time as he was coming from a bail hearing for one of his clients.
He had been able to get the man out, but the bail amount had been steep since it was his second offense. Twenty thousand dollars later, his client had been released into his wife’s custody until his court date.
After entering Morning Perk Coffee Shop on Main Street, he inspected the establishment for Molly. Had he gotten the time wrong? A glance at his cell phone revealed a text message telling him she was running late. She would be there in a half hour.
Spencer took a seat at the counter, figuring he could get a cup of coffee while he waited, and not take up a table in the meantime. He ordered an Americano coffee, and read his emails as he sipped the hot drink.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Molly enter the coffee shop. She was on her phone and she looked frustrated as well as distracted. He got ready to wave her over, but as she moved behind him, her conversation made his blood run cold.
“I know, Bernie. I’m doing my best. This assignment has more complications than I first suspected. You’ve got to give me a little more time.” There was a brief pause, then she continued, “No, it has nothing to do with Spencer Wilmington’s good looks. I simply haven’t gotten to the bottom of the allegations, but I promise I’ll have a great exposé for you as soon as I find out the truth. I’ll get back to you with an update tomorrow.”
She touched the screen to end the call, then placed the phone in her purse. As soon as she looked up and noticed Spencer, her face went white and her eyes grew round with surprise. “Have you been here the whole time?” she asked, with worry in her tone.
Slowly, he nodded his head. “I heard everything.”
“It’s not what you think. I haven’t told my boss I’m working with you to prove your innocence because I was worried how he’ll react,” she said, defending herself.
"Right, and proving I’m innocent isn’t nearly as juicy a story as proving I’m a corrupt public servant.”
“That’s not why,” she stated adamantly. “I’m trying to protect you. Bernie is old school; he would pull me off the case and assign someone else if he knew I was involved with you.”
Spencer was hurt, but he didn’t want to let Molly know. He really thought she believed in him, but the fact she didn’t tell her boss the truth made him wonder if she was feeding him what he wanted to hear to get him to trust her. Was it possible she was telling Spencer the truth about her motives for working with him, or was it all an elaborate web of lies? He couldn’t figure out if she was trying to protect him or keep him close so she could manipulate him.
“Do you have feelings for me, or is this just part of your tactics when gathering information for a story?” Spencer probed, hoping she would confirm she cared about him.
“I can’t believe you would ask me that. I’ve never kissed anyone I don’t have feelings for, let alone for a story.” She crossed her arms and added in an accusatory tone, “Besides, I’m not the one who has proven himself to be dishonest. You’re accusing me of having shady tactics, but you could be doing all of this to cover up the truth. Maybe you’re trying to keep me from finding out the allegations are valid.”
Spencer jumped to his feet, glaring at her. “How dare you. I think it’s best if I handle this on my own from here on out.”
“You’re more than welcome to do that, but I’m also going to continue on my own. It’s my duty as a journalist to report the truth,” she said firmly before turning around and leaving the coffee shop.
As he watched her walk away, he wondered if he was letting whoever set him up not only ruin his career, but his relationship with the love of his life.
Chapter 13
The buzzing of Molly’s phone woke her from her sleep. She was certain it wasn’t morning, but maybe she was wrong. She fumbled around in the dark, trying to grab the glowing, vibrating nuisance. Her hand finally made contact, and she yanked the phone to her.
The clock read 1:15 AM and the name Hank flashed across the screen. Typical. He didn’t think about time the way the rest of the world did, but she knew he was calling about Spencer—and despite how they ended things the day before—she needed to know the truth.
Molly answered the phone. “Hello,” she croaked out, her voice scratchy from only a couple hours of sleep.
“Hey there, Molly. It’s Hank.”
“I know,” she said, trying to keep the testiness out of her voice. “What’s up? Did you get to the bottom of those files? Do you know who sent them?”
“I did. It turns out, the information is fake. It was never sent between the actual two people whose names appear on the email. It was just made to look like it had been with fake accounts and records.”
“Do you know who did it?” Molly asked, sitting up in her bed.
“I think it’s someone he knows. I don’t have a name, but the IP address is registered to a house in Crystal Cove.”
“Thanks, Hank. I’m going to get back to you in a bit, but I need to call Bernie first.”
“Okay, Molly. Just call me back if you need anything else.”
“Will do,” she said before ending the call.
She quickly clicked the icon for her boss. It rang twice and he picked up. “What is it, Molly?” he asked with a tone that made it clear he wasn’t happy. “This better be good, considering the hour.”
“It is,” she stated emphatically. “Hank was able to figure out the USB drive I was given was faked.”
“Really?” Bernie stated in shock. “I honestly thought the allegations were going to be true. There was so much evidence against Spencer Wilmington.”
“It was an intricate ploy. I think someone wanted to frame Spencer to discredit his wins. How did you first get turned onto the allegations against Spencer?”
“I was sent an anonymous tip via email,” he confessed. “It looked legitimate, which is why I sent you to investigate. I figured with your connections to the town, you’d get further than any of my other reporters.”
“I need you to forward me that email, Bernie. I’m going to have Hank look into it. I think whoever sent the email, also put the USB drive in my purse. They were using us to try to get the false a
ccusations published.”
“Be careful, Molly,” Bernie warned. “If that’s the case, this person is really set on burning Spencer Wilmington to the ground. People like that are really dangerous.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. When I know more, I’ll get back to you,” she said before hanging up.
As soon as Molly received the email from Bernie, she forwarded it to Hank, asking him to look into to it and see if it was connected to the files on the USB drive.
Molly tried to go back to sleep, but her mind wouldn’t rest. She couldn’t stop thinking about the fact she had destroyed her relationship with Spencer, and she had done it over a bunch of lies.
Guilt cascaded over her, and tears formed in her eyes. Why had she done that? She was scared. She had been scared since the moment she stepped foot back in Crystal Cove. She didn’t want to get hurt again, and it was easier to ruin their relationship before she could get hurt by it again.
The urge to pray flooded Molly. She folded her hands and spoke out loud to God. “Dear Lord, please help me. I’ve made such a mess of things. I should have trusted Spencer, and I should have trusted You. I’ve made a mess of everything, but You’re capable of fixing anything, God, so I ask You to intervene and make things right between Spencer and me.”
Her phone buzzed, causing Molly to jump slightly. She picked it up off her nightstand and looked at the screen. Hank was calling again.
“Hello,” she said with anxiousness. “So, was I right? Are they connected?”
“Your hunch was correct, Molly. The same person who sent the email, also made all the fake information on the USB drive.”
“Thanks, Hank. I owe you big for this one. You’re helping me save the man I love.” This time, she didn’t want to take back the words. She said them, and she meant them. She loved Spencer Wilmington, and she was going to do whatever it took to make things right.
She took in a deep breath, let her finger hover above the screen for a couple of seconds, then pressed the icon for Spencer. The phone rang three times before he answered.
“It’s rather late to be calling,” he said in a cold tone.
“I know, Spencer, and I wouldn’t have done it if it wasn’t important.”
“Why are you calling? I thought we ended things yesterday.”
“We did, but I need to meet with you. I have some new information I need to share with you.”
There was a long pause on the other side, before he said, “Okay. How about we meet in the morning. Will 8 a.m. work over at the coffee shop?”
“Yes, I’ll see you then.”
Molly tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep with anticipation of the next day. Though she didn’t deserve it, she hoped Spencer would forgive her. Even if he didn’t, she still wanted to help him. He might not want to have a relationship with her anymore, but it didn’t change how she felt about him. Telling him the truth would be her last act of love if he never wanted to see her again.
Spencer was sitting at a table by the window. She made her way right over to him and sat down in the empty seat.
“Thanks for meeting me,” she said as she placed her purse in her lap.
“You said it was important,” Spencer stated matter-of-factly.
“It is. Hank finally got back to me late last night.”
Spencer finally seemed interested in what she was saying. He leaned forward and asked, “What did he find out?”
“That the information on the USB drive was all fake, and the same person who did it also sent the original email accusing you of unethical behavior.”
“That’s good. Is there any way you can get me copies of everything? I’m going to have to turn over the evidence to the police so they can figure out who did it.”
“Hank already knows that too, or rather, he got the address for whoever did it,” she said, pulling it out and handing it over to Spencer.
“Thanks for this,” Spencer said, standing up. “I’ll take care of it from here.”
Molly stood up and reached out to stop him from leaving. “There’s one more thing.”
“What’s that?”
“I need to apologize to you. I was wrong, not only in how I handled things, but by thinking the worst about you. I’ll understand if you can’t forgive me or trust me anymore.”
“I have to admit, you really hurt me yesterday, but the people you care for the deepest are able to hurt you the most. I’m not sure how all of this is going to work out between us, but I never want to live my life with a heart full of unforgiveness. I accept your apology, Molly.”
“Thank you,” she said with a smile. “I still want to help you clear your name. I think we should go to the address together.”
“Since you got me the information, I guess I owe you that much.” He gestured to the table, “Grab your purse. We can take my car.”
Spencer didn’t know what to say on the drive over to the location of the suspect. He wanted to tell Molly he still loved her, but he wondered if it just wasn’t in the cards for them to ever make it work.
They arrived at a small ranch-style house on the outskirts of Crystal Cove. Both of them got out of Spencer’s car and met in the center of the sidewalk.
“You ready for this?” Molly asked, pushing her brown hair behind her ear.
“Yes, I’m ready to know who tried to ruin my career.”
They marched up the concrete path and knocked on the front door. A few moments later, the door swung open to reveal Bob Perkins—a tall man with a thick build, brown hair and eyes, and a beard. Spencer was taken aback that they were at the house of the junior public defender. Was he behind the email and files?
“What are you doing here?” Bob asked, his eyes darting from Spencer to Molly.
“We came here to talk to you about a situation,” Spencer explained.
“You should let us in unless you want us to go to the authorities instead,” Molly warned.
Reluctantly, he stepped back and let them come inside. The house was modestly decorated. It was clean and orderly with little personal touches present. The space felt more like a hotel room than a home.
“Bill, we’re aware of what you tried to do. The question is, why did you do it?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, crossing his arms defensively.
“You’re going to deny that you created fake documents to try to frame me for unethical dealings with the district attorney? I’d think long and hard before you pretend you don’t know again. What you say and do will determine my next actions,” Spencer informed his co-worker.
“I think you’ve lost your marbles, Spencer. We’ve known each other all our lives. We played football together since we were kids. Why would I do that to you?”
Spencer waffled for a moment. He had wondered the same thing. Though they hadn’t been close, there had never been any bad blood between them. It seemed odd he would go to such lengths to frame him, not to mention he wasn’t the brightest guy to come up with such an elaborate scheme.
“Honestly, I don’t know. I always got the feeling you resented me being the first-string quarterback, but I wouldn’t think that would motivate you to do something like this.”
“I don’t even know what you’re talking about,” Bob stated with confusion. “Why do you think I’m involved?”
Molly pulled out a set of folded papers and handed them to Bob. “Because these emails are made from fake accounts linked to the IP at this address. We had someone look into it who is an expert at deciphering electronic footprints.”
Bob looked down at the papers and shuffled through them. His face turned white as he shook his head. “I’m not saying another word without an attorney present. It’s time for both of you to leave.”
“If we leave without getting to the bottom of this, we’re going to the police,” Molly warned. “The next time someone brings this up, they will be putting handcuffs on you.”
“We’ll just see about that,” Spencer heard Tiffany’s f
amiliar voice say from behind all of them.
The group spun around to find her standing by the hallway to the back of the house, holding a gun in her hands. She was pointing it at them with a look of anger on her face.
“What are you doing, Tiffany? Why do you have my gun? Why are you pointing it at all of us?” Bob asked in bewilderment.
“I’m not pointing it at you, sweetie, just them,” she said, gesturing towards Molly and Spencer.
“I don’t understand what’s going on,” Bob stated, looking back and forth between everyone.
“It wasn’t supposed to go down like this. The plan was to kill two birds with one stone. I knew the reunion was coming up, and that it would be the perfect time to spring into action,” she said, coming up to Bob and pulling him over to her side. “I was doing all of this to get you the position you deserve. Once Spencer was out of the way and you were the senior public defender, we could go public with our relationship and start setting the stage for you to run for political office. I had plans for you to be the governor and for me to be the first lady of Florida.”
“Wait, what are you talking about, Tiffany? Sure, we’ve been dating for six months now, but I had no idea you had any of that in mind.”
Her face scrunched up in irritation. “You don’t think I want to be with a low-level public defender for the rest of my life, do you? I mean, if you’re going to be my second husband, it has to be a step up, not a step down. I knew you couldn’t do it on your own, so I made a plan to remove your competition,” she explained, gesturing to Spencer with the gun. “I figured Molly was the perfect person to send the evidence to by way of her boss. I knew you wouldn’t mind me using your computer to do it. She had a score to settle with Spencer from when we were all in high school. I knew she would be an easy target to convince he was corrupt. Plus, it didn’t hurt that I would be able to stick it to Spencer since he’s treated me so badly over the years.”
“Your plan didn’t work though, Tiffany. I found out the truth,” Molly pointed out. “All you’ve managed to do is bring us closer together.”