Betrayal (2012)

by Danielle Steel

  “The victim doesn’t have a problem with it? She’s not going to beg for mercy for her best friend?”

  “Not a chance. The assistant slept with her boyfriend for three years.”

  “Has she fired her?”

  “Not yet. I asked her to hold off until we were sure what we had from the investigation. I didn’t want our suspect to disappear on us. She’s waiting to hear when she can let her go. I think it’s okay now.”

  “Did you interview the assistant?” The deputy U.S. attorney wanted to make sure they had all the loose ends tied up before he went to the grand jury and asked a federal judge for a warrant for her arrest if the grand jury cleared it. Jim was sure they would and so was Henry.

  “I interviewed her yesterday,” Jim said confidently.

  “What’d you get?”

  “Lies from beginning to end, all the same bullshit about her trust fund and her inheritance. And I got a very nice house tour. It’s a spectacular house in the hills, and was probably purchased by the victim without her knowledge, using her cash. I’ll look into that now too. It would be good if we can get it for her as restitution. A least she can sell it.”

  “You’ll have to talk to the judge and the IRS about that.” They both knew that Brigitte wouldn’t have paid income taxes on the stolen money, which absurdly was the law, so she would be liable for tax evasion now too, and the IRS would want their quart of blood. They always did. There was always a battle between the victim and the IRS for property that had been purchased with stolen funds, and it would have to be negotiated, but that was far, far down the road. Jim wanted to get restitution for Tallie, and the U.S. attorney could help, but ultimately it would be up to the judge when Brigitte either pleaded guilty or was convicted, and she hadn’t even been arrested yet or indicted.

  “How fast can you get me a warrant for her arrest?” Jim asked with a gleam in his eye. He wanted to move forward now, and he knew it would be a relief to Tallie. It was some kind of vindication for what she’d been through, and the betrayal she’d experienced at Brigitte’s hands, not to mention the loss of an enormous amount of cash.

  “Give me a chance,” Henry said, holding up his hands. “I’ve got to get it to the grand jury and get an indictment. I’ll do that as soon as I can, and then I’ll go to the judge for a warrant. I need your summary report.”

  “I’ll have it for you tomorrow, two days latest,” Jim said and Henry nodded.

  “And our judges are swamped. But I promise you that as soon as you get me the report, and the grand jury gives us the go-ahead, I’ll walk it over.”

  “Good enough.” He knew it would take about a week after that to get the warrant, as the judge went through the stacks of requests for warrants on his desk, and Brigitte wasn’t a physical danger to anyone, so others would come first, who were. And once Jim had the warrant, he could make the arrest. He could notify her attorney, if she had one, and spare her the embarrassment of being taken out of her home or place of work in handcuffs. But as far as Jim knew, she didn’t have an attorney yet, since she had no idea she was a suspect.

  “Some of that cash may be hard to trace,” Henry reminded him.

  “Yeah, but the spending pattern isn’t. I think she took it straight to Rodeo Drive and her jewelers, and then she pretended to her employer that it was all gifts. She’s pretty smooth, and the story was entirely believable, particularly if she had family money supposedly, so no one suspected for all these years. It showed up in an unexpected audit, so she blamed the boyfriend. In fact, he and Tallie Jones broke up over it, that and the affair he had with the assistant for three years.”

  “Maybe they can get back together now,” Henry said facetiously, with a smile. He was happy with the case, and so was Jim. The case looked solid to both of them.

  But Jim shook his head. “Actually, the boyfriend is having a baby now with someone else, another woman he was cheating on her with.” Henry looked up at him and laughed.

  “You lead a much more exotic life than I do. Where do you come up with these people?”

  “Hollywood.” Jim grinned. “Although the victim is a very nice, seemingly normal woman, who isn’t involved in all the bullshit and bling, which is why I think all this went right over her head. She spends all her time working, while the assistant spends her money. As my mother-in-law used to say, ‘Nice work if you can get it.’ ” They both laughed, and a few minutes later, Jim left Henry’s office and went back to his own. They were on their way.

  He called Tallie as soon as he got back to his desk. She sounded distracted and was on the set.

  “I’d like to speak to you later, if you have time,” he said to Tallie.

  “I’m working late. Something wrong?”

  “No, on the contrary. Extremely good. You can let her go now. We got everything we wanted, to get started anyway. We’re ready to roll. I have to write my report, and then the deputy district attorney will go to the grand jury for an indictment, and then he’ll ask a judge for a warrant. I just came from the U.S. attorney’s office. You can fire her whenever you want.” Tallie looked suddenly amazed. She had come to think this day would never happen, and she hadn’t heard from Jim in weeks. She was beginning to think he’d forgotten or lost interest. It all moved so slowly, although he assured her this was fast for them. And the fact that she was an important celebrity had helped. It had created interest in the case, and they didn’t want to just ignore her. She had lost a huge amount of money.

  “When do you think it will happen?” she asked cryptically, but he knew what she meant.

  “I’ll probably get the warrant next week or the week after. I’ll move on it then.”

  “I’ll be in New York with my daughter.” She sounded disappointed.

  He chuckled. “I wasn’t expecting you to be there for the arrest. I think I can manage it myself. Trust me, I’ve done it before.” She suddenly laughed and felt relieved. Jim had done everything he said he would. And now she had to figure out when to fire Brigitte, and how. That would be a relief too. She wanted to get Brigitte away from her now. Any vestige of their friendship and trust had been destroyed, and in spite of that she’d had to fake it for two months. Now all she wanted to do was get it all behind her and never see Brigitte again. She didn’t allow herself to think of the friend she had lost, or what she had done to her. “Do you want me to come by and talk to you about all of it after work?” She thought about it for a minute. She still had questions and didn’t want to discuss them at work, and she was leaving in the morning to see Max.

  “I have to wrap up here, and I want to see my father tonight after work … and pack … Is nine o’clock too late for you?”

  “I can manage it,” he said quietly. He could have dinner with Bobby before he met her. He had a real life too. “That’s fine,” he confirmed.

  “See you then … and thank you!” she said, and then hung up. Brigitte was just walking by when she ended the call.

  “Who was that?” She was curious about everything these days, or maybe she always had been. But Tallie was more sensitive to it now.

  “Greg Thomas. I promised my father I’d help him get some of his papers in order. You know how old people are.” Her father was old but sharp as a tack, and Brigitte didn’t question her excuse.

  “How’s he feeling?”

  “Not so great,” Tallie said sadly. That much was true. He seemed to be failing slowly, like a candle being slowly snuffed out. She did everything she could to keep him engaged and alive, but some days he was just too tired to care or get up.

  Tallie and Brigitte went back to the office together to take care of some last-minute details before she left for New York. Tallie wondered if she’d ever see her again. Maybe at the trial, if there was one, unless she pleaded guilty before that.

  “Do you need anything?” Brigitte asked her with a smile, as they got to their cars parked next to each other.

  “No, I’m fine. I’ve got to see my father, and pack. I can’t wait to see
Max.” She was excited too. And she had so much to tell her. She knew nothing about Hunt or Brigitte, or any of what had happened. They would have a lot to talk about during their week together.

  “Do you want help packing?” Brigitte offered. The perfect assistant, who had stolen her blind, and slept with Hunt. She could forgive her none of it now, and wanted her gone as soon as possible. She couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to be arrested, and what her life would be like now. Jim said she would go to prison for sure because of the amount she had stolen, and there was probably more. “I can bring over dinner if you want.”

  “I’m just going to pack and go to bed. I hate that early flight,” Tallie said, smiling back at her. And every time she did now, it felt false. She was used to getting up early to be on the set, so even that was a lie. Everything was now. Everything Tallie said to her felt wrong, and everything Brigitte had done had been worse.

  Brigitte gave her a hug as they left each other, and Tallie hugged her back, feeling her insides cringe when she did. “Give Max my love.”

  “Have fun in Mexico!” Tallie called out as she left. Brigitte had said she was going to Palmilla, but she hadn’t said with whom, and Tallie didn’t care. It made Tallie wonder, as she walked to her car, when and how she was going to fire her. She called Greg Thomas from the car. She wanted to discuss it with him, and she told him everything that had been happening, and that the FBI were going to make the arrest in the next week.

  “I’ve been waiting to fire her until they told me I could. The special agent in charge of the case called me today and told me. He’s coming by tonight. So what do I do about her?”

  “I’d like to notify her by letter and e-mail,” Greg said quietly. “I don’t want you doing it face-to-face. This could get nasty, or even dangerous for you. Do you think she could get violent?” He was worried about Tallie, especially since she was alone at the house now that Hunt was gone.

  “I don’t think so. I hope not.” Tallie hadn’t really thought about it. They had been so busy getting evidence and building the case that she had forgotten what it might be like once she fired Brigitte, and she got arrested. “I think she’ll have bigger problems on her hands once they arrest her. What are you going to say to her in the letter?” It felt strange now thinking about it, as she drove toward her father’s house. She wanted to talk to him about it too. But she didn’t want him worrying about her. Every day was a struggle for him.

  “I think it should be very businesslike and clear. Irregularities have come up in your books that have shaken your confidence in her ability to handle your affairs, and circumstances have come to light that no longer make it desirable for her to be your assistant. Best wishes, good luck, and get lost. How does that sound?” He laughed.

  “Fine, except for the last line.” It was a strange feeling after seventeen years, which was most of their adult life. But it was all true. She had no idea what Brigitte’s reaction would be, if she would be angry or crushed. She would probably call Tallie in tears, and deny everything. All Brigitte ever did was lie, as it turned out.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll clean it up. I’ll do it for my signature, not yours. I want you out of the front lines on this. You can always blame it on me. I want to discuss something else with you too. Once she’s arrested, we need to file a civil suit against her to try and get some of your money back, as much as we can. She has a house, possessions, jewelry, a car, probably some money in the bank. My guess is it’s all yours. I’ll start the ball rolling on that while you’re away.” Tallie realized then that Brigitte’s life was about to come down like a house of cards. She had done it to herself. “I’m going to call the bank for you in the morning. We’ve got to take her off all your accounts and change the codes. And I want the locks changed on your house too. I want all of that taken care of before she gets the termination letter. Do you have anyone who can meet a locksmith at your place tomorrow?” Tallie sighed as she thought about it. Brigitte had done everything for her, until now.

  “No, I don’t and I’ll be in New York all week,” Tallie reminded him. “You can reach me there.”

  “I hope I won’t have to. Enjoy your daughter. I’ll take care of everything here. I can send my secretary over to your house to meet the locksmith. And I’ll handle the bank for you. Leave all the details to me,” he reassured her. She had already given him a set of her keys.

  “Thanks, Greg. Brigitte will be away too.”

  “She’ll get the letter by e-mail. And I’ll send a hard copy to her home address.”

  “I guess they’ll arrest her when she gets back.”

  “Let the FBI worry about that. I’ll take care of the civil suit and everything else. Go have fun in New York.”

  “Thank you, Greg.” She felt well taken care of, and less alone now without Hunt than she did at first. This had been hard.

  She had lost a lot in a short time, and she hated the perception of herself as a victim, but she had been, both Hunt’s and Brigitte’s. They had both played her for a fool and double-crossed her, in so many ways. It was a terrible feeling, though she was less shocked than she’d been at first. She was beginning to feel like herself again. And she had a few weeks of shooting to do when she got back, and then they would go into post-production, and she’d be finished with the film. She wanted to take a break after that. She had earned it. This had turned into the most stressful year of her life, so far anyway, and she suspected it wouldn’t be over for a while, although according to what Jim Kingston had told her, it would take a long time to come to trial, maybe as long as a year, or nine months.

  Tallie spent an hour with her father and told him what was going on. He was satisfied with how things were moving and what she could tell him, although he was still shocked about Brigitte. She had fooled them all. She was a total sociopath.

  After she sat with her father for a while, Tallie went home. She turned all the downstairs lights on for Jim’s visit, dug in the fridge for something to eat while she waited, and came up with half a melon and a piece of cheese. She hadn’t eaten a decent meal in two months. She didn’t have time to cook, and she didn’t care, and she had lost weight as a result. Her torn jeans were hanging off her.

  The doorbell rang just as she finished the melon, and she let Jim into the house and thanked him for coming. He had brought a copy of the report from the San Francisco bureau with him, and he handed it to her as they sat down in the kitchen.

  “I can offer you soda water, half a lime, a Diet Coke, and a PowerBar, which might be stale. I just checked. What would you like?” she offered with a grin, and he laughed.

  “Wow, that’s a tough choice. Do you want to share the Diet Coke?”

  “I’m fine with water,” she said, as she got up to pour the Coke for him.

  “You keep a well-stocked kitchen,” he complimented her. “Mine would look like that too, if it weren’t for my fifteen-year-old son. He eats a pepperoni pizza every two hours. I try to make something decent for him on the weekends.” She hadn’t before, but she couldn’t resist asking him a personal question then.

  “You’re not married?”

  “My wife died five years ago, of breast cancer. I live with my two boys, one of whom is in college in Michigan. The younger one is still at home.”

  “I’m sorry about your wife,” she said kindly, and meant it.

  “Me too. These things happen. I’m lucky I’ve got great boys. I’d have been lost without them for all these years. We manage pretty well now, but it was tough at first. Very tough. She was a wonderful woman.” Tallie nodded, watching his face as he told her. He looked sad, and like he still missed her a lot.

  “I brought my daughter up alone too. Her father and I were divorced when she was a baby. It’s a terrible thing to say, but sometimes it’s easier that way, when you’re divorced. Not to have to wrestle with someone about a child. He disappeared out of her life for a long time, and mine.”

  “Does she see her dad now?” Tallie shook her head
and laughed ruefully.

  “Not really. She’s seen him four times in her life for about half an hour each time. He’s a cowboy from Montana on the rodeo circuit. I fell in love with him in college, and Max happened—that’s my daughter. My father thought we should get married. It was never a marriage. We were kids. He went back to Montana when she was six months old, and that was that. She’s eighteen now, and a truly great kid.” She was a year younger than his son Josh.

  “I was married one other time for eleven months,” she volunteered. “Simon Harleigh.” He was an actor the entire world knew. “He cheated on me with the leading lady in his next movie. It was all over the tabloids and that was that. Hunt is the only other man I’ve ever lived with, and it lasted longer than either of my marriages.” She smiled at him while he thought to himself that Hunt had cheated on her too. She hadn’t had great luck with men, or made good choices perhaps. And yet she seemed like an extremely kind, decent woman and down-to-earth person. But she lived in a complicated world full of untrustworthy people, dishonesty, and superficial values. He felt bad about how vulnerable she was to people like that. It was hard for some people to resist taking advantage, like Brigitte. And he knew it couldn’t be easy for Tallie.

  She read the San Francisco report he handed her, and she looked up at Jim afterward in amazement. “She lied about everything. Absolutely nothing she ever said was true, except that her mother had died. The rest was all lies.” It was utterly amazing. “It doesn’t sound like her family likes her much,” she commented.

  “It sounds like they have good reason not to. She lied to them too, and ripped them all off. She doesn’t seem like it, but she’s a sick woman. She looks like anything but that.” He told her all about the stores on Rodeo Drive then. It was an incredible story and harder still for Tallie to believe that it had happened to her. She didn’t feel like a victim, and she didn’t want to be.