Page 58 of The CEO's Revenge

“Terry?” I repeated amazed. I remembered him as a sweet old man.

“Robert’s pockets are very deep. And he just had the knack of finding the right accomplices at the right time. You know my aunt Ruth?”

“Of course, how is she?”

“She’s alive, but I paid a high price for her life. I’m sorry it had taken so many years out of yours to have her with me still.”

I sighed. The lack of money was the root of all evil. “I understand, Lillian. It’s a pity you didn’t come to me first. I could have helped and kept you out of feeling obligated to Robert.”

She pressed her left hand into her cheek and when she spoke her voice was full of regret.

“Your heart was always in the right place, Max. I don’t even know why I let him manipulate me like that. There isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t feel guilty about what I did. Robert fired me shortly after, you know. The bastard did not even want to give me a recommendation. It was hard, but I managed somehow. I wish I had never met him and I don’t want to have anything to do with him ever again.”

By now we were back at her house.

“I’d like you to come inside. I have some things that might interest you. You need to know about the photos.”

“I know about them. I need something that will convince Savannah I’m innocent.”

Lillian smiled suddenly. “You’ve come to the right place. I have exactly what you need. Come inside.”

We entered the house resplendent with the smell of a great meal. Lillian grinned at me as she took Bruno off the leash.

“You came on a good night. Aunt Ruth made lasagna.”

“Ah, the way to a man’s heart, but perhaps not today. I am too stressed to do justice to your Aunt’s fine culinary skills”

She nodded. “I understand. Come with me.”

I followed her deeper into the house. Lillian preceded me to the back porch where she invited me to sit and did not beat around the bush.

“Once when Robert had a few glasses of wine he admitted to me he hated the fact that Savannah chose you over him. I also kind of guessed that he had always been a little envious of your software skills. He knew it was your skills that made the company what it was. At some point the feelings he had must have turned into hatred so he set up the accounts to look like you were authorizing checks. What he didn’t know was that Terry kept a secret record. When I left the company he sent me a copy of everything with a note that simply read:

Just in case…

It looks as if ‘just in case’ is finally here. So you can have that. Also, I’m sorry to say, it was me who arranged everything with the prostitute, the photographer, the bartender to spike your drinks. Luckily, I too, kept records. Just in case.”

I could feel my chest fill with a sense of victory. “So, Lillian, you owe it to me to help prove to Savannah I was set up with that woman.”

“I’ll do you one better. I kept her number. Her name is Rachel and she actually doesn’t live too far from here. I happened to know she’s no longer employed in that field. She found Jesus, became clean, and studied to become a hairdresser.”

My eyebrows rose. “You kept in touch?”

“Actually, no. I just happened to run into her one day at Target. She remembered me immediately. I have her number if you’d like it.”

“I would.”

Lillian read her phone number out to me and I keyed it into my cellphone.

“Call her. I’m pretty certain she would be more than willing to tell her side of the story to Savannah. And if you need me to go meet Savannah myself, I will too. Tell you what. Let me talk to Rachel later tonight and see if I can get her to agree to come along with me to see her. It’s the least we can do to right the wrongs we did to you.”

“I would really appreciate that, Lillian.”

I said my goodbyes and headed back to the city. That night, I could barely sleep as I thought about all the information I had uncovered.

* * *

The next morning,even before I’d had breakfast, Lillian called.

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