Late last night after Rennie spoke to Graham, she relented and downloaded her contacts to her new phone. As much as she wanted to start over, there were numbers she needed in there. She picked up her phone and called Walter to check in.
“Walter here.”
“Walter, it’s Rennie Wallace. I’m calling from a new phone number. How are you? How was your New Year?”
“Fabulous. My Lois kissed me at midnight, which is all I could ask for. How was yours?”
“Ah, that’s very sweet of her. Mine was perfect; thanks for asking. How’s the case coming?”
“In my professional opinion, which you do not hire me for, I can tell you this family doesn’t have a case against your friend.”
Rennie adjusted in her chair so she could take notes. “Tell me what you have.”
“I spoke to her friends and asked where they got the booze. At first, they said the bar, but after some prodding, I got one to tell me the truth. The father of the driver supplied the teens with the alcohol, and it is his idea to pin this on the bar. Apparently, he thinks no one will care if a small-town establishment goes under.”
“Does he know the Chamberlains?”
“He’s their delivery driver for the distribution company they use.”
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me, Walter.”
“Wish I was. The family is in financial trouble after the accident. Insurance won’t pay because they’re claiming their daughter is a victim, so until the lawsuit is settled, they’re barely scraping by.”
“Were you able to find out how they know Donna?”
“One of the other kids in the car—Donna is his grandma’s neighbor.”
“So random. Let me know what else you find. Thanks, Walter.”
They hung up, and Rennie sat there and stared at her notes. She hated this side of the law, the side where anyone could file a lawsuit and threaten someone’s livelihood without cause. It bothered her greatly.
The intercom buzzed, and Rennie’s heart dropped to the floor, bounced up, and lodged in her throat. “Yes,” she answered, shaken. She wasn’t ready for the confrontation.
“Ms. Wallace,” Ester said as professionally as she could. “Mr. Wright is here to see you.”
Rennie took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and counted to ten and then counted again. “Send him in.” She hung up and straightened in her chair. She would be strong and in control.
Theo waltzed into her office, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. An ensemble she had never seen before. She expected her heart to lurch, a desire to feel his arms wrapped around her, but she didn’t. She felt nothing.
“Renee—”
She held her hand up. “If you want to talk, you can sit. Do not come any closer.”
He did as he was told and sat across from her. Theo stared everywhere but at her. She sighed and tapped her fingers on her desk.
“I don’t have all day, Theo.”
“No, I know you don’t.”
“So, say what you have to say.”
Theo finally made eye contact with Rennie, and that was when she saw the remnants of a black eye. His eyes were also red rimmed and bloodshot. “Who hit you?”
“Angela’s brother.”
“Serves you right.”
He nodded. “Look, I never meant for this to happen. The day I met you, it was like I had met my soul mate. Within seconds of introducing myself, I was smitten. Lost in every part of you.”
“And married,” Rennie interjected.
“Married,” he sighed.
“Did you think I’d never find out?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. Honestly, I hoped she would’ve figured it out that first weekend. I didn’t come home. I gave her some lousy excuse as to why I had to stay in the hotel when I lived twenty minutes from there. When the weekend was over, I expected her to yell and scream, but she didn’t. She said nothing, and it felt so damn exhilarating because I got away with something so horrible. The thing is, I wanted her to find out because I wanted her to leave so you and I could be together, but no matter what I did, she never suspected a thing.”
Rennie herself didn’t have a lot of experience with relationships, having submerged herself in her work, but she’d like to think she would question her husband on why he hadn’t come home from a local convention.
“I had every intention of leaving my wife that first weekend.”
“Why didn’t you?”
Theo sat back in his chair. “The thrill. It was exciting. Living this double life.”
“All while putting me in danger,” she said to him. “While we were together, were you having sex with your wife?”
It took Theo a long moment to answer, and when he did, he barely nodded.
“Unbelievable. Did you ever stop to think what this would do to me? How your actions affect me? My life? My body? How do I know I’m the only one you’ve been with beside her? How do I know she’s not cheating on you? Now, I get why you always used a condom, no matter what I told you about birth control. I figured you were just anal, but after a year of dating, you would think you could trust your partner.” Rennie scoffed and shook her head. “I’m the idiot. I should’ve known something was up earlier.”