Promise You Won't Tell?

Chapter 30

He’s making a joke? He must have spoken to Allen Roemer, the Underhill’s attorney. 

A half hour later, Gavin Clark enters my reception area with two teenage boys. I recognize one of them.

“Hello, Ethan,” I say.

“What happened to your face?” he says.

“I ran into a bore.”

“You mean ‘door,’ right?” Gavin says.

“Nope.”

He says, “It does look painful. Introduce yourself, Ronnie.”

 “I’m Ronnie English.”

He moves toward me, to shake my hand.

 “I don’t shake hands,” I say. “Nothing personal.”

 “Germophobe?” Gavin says.

 “No. But my explanation might make you nervous. Why are the boys here?”

 “I want to talk to you with them present. At some point, if you’re interested, I’d like you to hear their side of the story.”

I frown.

Gavin says, “I know what you’re thinking, that they’ve been coached. But I’ll ask them to tell you what they told me. I can’t guarantee it’s the truth, but I’d like your take on it.”

 “What exactly do you hope to gain?”

 “In a perfect world? I’d like to hire you.”

 “To do what?”

 “Advise my legal team, help us obtain additional information, allow us to benefit from the investigation you’ve already conducted.”

 “You don’t see that as a conflict of interest?”

 “Not really. From what I understand, you were never hired by Riley or her mother. You were simply trying to find out what, if anything, happened to her at the slumber party.”

 “The photos have answered that question.”

He glares at the boys, then says, “The photos are damaging. But they don’t prove molestation.”

I laugh, derisively. “You’ve seen the photos?”

 “Yes, of course.”

 “And you think they don’t rise to the level of molestation?”

 “Proof of molestation, Dani.”

 “Please tell me how you would explain them. In a courtroom.”

 “I’d argue the photos have been displayed in the wrong order.”

I laugh.

He says, “Assume Riley was completely naked when the boys arrived. And yes, they wrongly photographed her. But they were simply photographing what they saw when they entered the room.”

 “You make it sound like a bird watching excursion.”

He shrugs. “What do you expect? I’m an attorney.”

 “It’s exactly what I expect. But please elaborate.”

 “If the boys found her naked, and proceeded to dress her, and photographed each stage, to prove they were dressing her, they actually did her a service.”

I wish I could say I never wanted to hurt someone as badly as I want to hurt Gavin Clark at this moment, but sadly, that isn’t true. 

Which tells you a lot about my life.