Page 60 of The Note

“Oh, but they weren’t pretty rich white girls like you,” Lauren said with a straight face.

“Okay, that was funny.”

“I aim to please.”

“God, Lauren, I’m so sorry you’re getting dragged into this. What that person said about you online is disgusting. That actually does make me want to kill someone.”

“Don’t worry about me,” she said. “My skin might be gorgeous, but it’s calloused where it matters.”

Despite her words, Laurenwasworried about the potential blowback. She was certain a couple of those biddies on the symphony board had Google alerts at the ready, searching for a reason to get rid of her without making it about their buddy, Jessica. In her letter, Jessica had portrayedherself as a victimized woman shocked by her husband’s tawdry infidelity, but her arrangement with Thomas predated Lauren. Jessica only got resentful about it when the woman Thomas had chosen for his long-term unconventional relationship was Lauren instead of some Twinkie. Lauren knew for a fact that Jessica had been seeing her current gentleman friend for the last seven years and was on Xanax and Ketel One martinis when she’d written that email to her friend trying to get Lauren fired.

She turned her head at the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. She hoped Nate had followed her shopping instructions. She was cooking her famous enchiladas with chili con carne and green rice tonight, and she wasn’t sure she trusted a bachelor to know a corn tortilla from flour, cilantro from parsley, or a poblano from a jalapeño.

She was rising to her feet when she heard another car engine and then the distinct sounds of car doors opening and closing. She turned down the music on the speaker and exchanged a glance with Kelsey. Something wasn’t right. The knocking on the front door quickly escalated into pounding.

It wasn’t until she was opening the door that she made out the words. “Police, open up!”

Detective Carter Decker was flanked on each side by two uniformed officers. The folksy just-have-a-few-questions demeanor from two nights ago was gone.

“Who else is on the premises?” he asked.

“No one,” Lauren said.

“My brother will be back soon though,” Kelsey added.

The detective nodded toward the uniformed officers, who swept past them and began moving quickly through the house. Lauren wondered why the detective hadn’t asked about May. Was it possible he knew she had returned to the city?

“Kelsey Ellis, we have a search warrant for this house, your vehicle, your telephone, and any other electronic devices that might contain evidence of your communication with David Smith. Turn around and place your hands behind your back.”

Kelsey looked to Lauren in panic.

“You can’t possibly—”

“Ma’am,” Decker said to Lauren sharply, “you need to step outside to the front yard until this matter is handled. Now!”

As she walked away she heard the detective tell Kelsey she was under arrest for falsely reporting an incident in the third degree and obstructing governmental administration in the second degree. She repeated the words over and over again in her head so she wouldn’t forget them. As soon as she could get her phone from the back deck, she’d text them to herself. A lawyer would want to know the charges.

Decker was escorting Kelsey toward a patrol car in the driveway. The sight of her in handcuffs felt surreal. Kelsey’s eyes pleaded with Lauren silentlyas she passed. “I’m going to call your father, okay? We’ll get you a lawyer. Stay strong.”

She tried to tell herself that it could be worse. At least they weren’t charging her with murder.

Lauren spotted Kelsey’s little Audi accelerating toward the house. It screeched to a stop in front of the driveway, and Nate sprang from the driver’s seat toward the commotion. “What’s going on? What are you doing to her?”

Decker held up a hand to halt Nate’s movement and guided Kelsey into the patrol car’s backseat. “Slow your roll and back up, sir, or we’re going to have a problem.”

Kelsey had vowed to always take care of Nate since her father had turned his back on him. His mother was still alive, but in light of the rapid progression of her Alzheimer’s disease, Kelsey was in some ways the only family he had left. Lauren could see now that the loyalty was mutual. Nate looked ready to charge at the police car if necessary.

“She’s my sister,” he yelled.

“And that doesn’t give you the right to interfere with a lawful arrest.”

“Arrest? For what?”

“I’m going to ask you one more time before you end up next to her in cuffs. Back. Up.”

Nate’s shoulders sagged as he stepped away as instructed.

“I left copies of our warrants on the front porch so you’ll see the two charges listed there. We’ll betransporting her to the East Hampton Town police station, and she’ll be arraigned tomorrow at two p.m. at the Justice Court behind town hall. Now I’m going to need you to move that car.”

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