Page 139 of In the Air Tonight

“They have a very strong case.”

“They do, but there’re things we can do to fight back.”

“If those things include besmirching the reputations of the victim or the witnesses, that’s a nonstarter for me. I’d like to discuss a plea.”

“I’ll contact the prosecutor.”

“You aren’t going to try to talk me out of it?”

“Not if you’re unwilling to mount a full-throated defense. There isn’t much I can do for you without that. I’ll reach out to them and get back to you.”

“Thank you.”

I put down the phone as despair and exhaustion come at me from all sides.

Cam calls a few minutes later. “How’d it go?”

“She’s going to talk to them about me pleading guilty.”

“That’s it? You aren’t going to fight it?”

“Not if it means going after Neisy and Blaise, which is what Bridget would do to mount what she called a ‘full-throated’ defense. Besides, how do I fight two eye witnesses?”

“There’s asecondone?”

“Ramona Travers saw us leave the party together. After I was charged, she came forward.”

“Oh my God. This gets worse by the minute. Don’t do anything right away. Let the hysteria die down a bit.”

“It won’t change how I feel. I’m choosing not to put myself or my family through a trial that I’ll lose anyway. At least this way, there’ll be some money left for Caroline and the kids.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“There’s nothing to say. The past has caught up with me, and now I have to pay the price.”

“You sound shockingly calm about this.”

“What else can I do?”

“Nothing, I suppose.”

“What’re you hearing about the situation with you guys and the affidavit?”

“I asked Bridget to look to into it.”

“I really hope nothing comes of that.”

“You and me both, brother.”

Chapter 27

Denise

NOW

All four kids are sick, and I’m going slowly crazy from tending to them on my own while Kane is in DC for three days. Thank God he’s due home tonight because I think I’ve got a fever, too. I wouldn’t blame him if he ran for his life from our germs rather than coming home, but he’d never do that.

The phone rings, and I jump on it, so it won’t wake the twins, who’ve been cranky and miserable for days now.

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