Chapter 26 Chris Knows

I tried to smile normally - hoping I was just imagining things - as Sherry corrected him."It would have been justifiable homicide, not self-defense.You should know the difference, Mr. Criminal Defense Attorney," she joked.

He laughed and agreed."You're right as always, my love.If you had killed him, if would have been justifiable homicide."

I froze, knowing that I had not imagined his emphasis on the word 'you' just then.I forced myself to meet his gaze, and he gave me a small smile and an ever-so-slight nod.I looked away and swallowed hard, feeling my throat closing up as panic started to set in.

Shit! He knows...something.What does he know?How? Fuck, fuck, fuck, this is not good! My internal freak-out went unnoticed by Sherry, and I was afraid to look at Chris again.I was battered by emotions from all sides - fear of being discovered, guilt for my sins, shame for involving my best friends.

I felt sick to my stomach and fought back the urge to confess my sins and purge my soul. I couldn't put that burden on them.I couldn't make Chris choose between friendship and the laws that he had sworn to uphold. He was one of the good guys.He had always been adamant about making a difference with his work.He didn't try to subvert the law when defending his clients.He provided the best defense possible, by making sure that evidence was properly obtained, the investigation was legally conducted, and that any extenuating or mitigating circumstances were brought to light to help his client's position. He didn't lie for his clients, and I wasn't about to ask him to lie for me, either.

My heart broke as I realized that I would need to call Uncle Pat to activate Plan B...a new identity in a new country, cutting all ties to anyone who knew me as Lila Montgomery.

"Lila?Hey, are you OK?You've gone really pale, and you were totally spaced out there for a second." I startled as Sherry reached over to clasp my hand. I looked at her in a daze, still lost in my dark thoughts.

"Uh, yeah, I...I think things are just catching up to me. I'm going to head home.I just need an early night, I think." I stood up, before looking in dismay at the table of dirty dishes."I'm sorry for leaving you with this mess...let me at least clear the table first," I said, as I began to gather the dishes.

Sherry stood and took them from my hands."I'll get these, don't worry about it, honey.You look like you're about to fall over.Are you sure you're just tired?"

"Yes, I'll be fine, really. It's just been a long day.I'll call you tomorrow."I turned to grab my purse off the bar and heard Sherry telling Chris that she didn't think I should be driving.

I stopped and turned my head toward her. "No, that's all right, I'm fine to drive."

Chris walked over and gently cupped my elbow, guiding me toward the door to their garage."Nope, you heard my wife, and she's right.You don't look like you should be driving anywhere.I'll drive you, since Sherry's been hitting the wine tonight. We'll worry about getting your car back to you in the morning."

I stopped arguing, knowing that whatever happened - whatever he had to say to me once we were alone - was entirely deserved. I would hear him out, and call Uncle Pat as soon as I got home.

He didn't say a word as we got in the car, and he backed out of the garage.The silence was oppressive as he pulled out onto their street without even glancing at me.I tried to practice my deep breathing exercises, but it seemed as if there wasn't enough oxygen in the car.I knew I was on the verge of a full-blown panic attack.I closed my eyes, trying to focus on my "happy place" as my therapist called it.

My eyes flew open as I felt the car slow to a stop. I looked around and realized that Chris had pulled into the park a few blocks from their house.I watched him warily as he turned the car off and shifted in his seat to face me. The nearby streetlight illuminated the interior of the car just enough to make out his features.

"It's OK, Lila. Breathe."

I inhaled a shuddering breath, and he reached over to clasp my hands, which I had clenched tightly together on my lap.

"Relax, honey.It will be OK, I promise.Whatever happened, it's OK."

Tears welled in my eyes, blurring his features, but I could make out enough to see a small smile on his face.

"Listen to me, and please don't say anything until I finish.As of this moment, you are my client, and I am your attorney of record.As such, any and all communications are privileged, and cannot be divulged.Is that clear?" he demanded, and I nodded.

He sighed and paused for a moment before continuing gently, "I'm not sure exactly what transpired or how things happened - and let me be clear - I'm not asking for details, unless you want to divulge them. I'm not asking for confirmation of my suspicions.I'm not asking for a confession about anything that you or someone else may or may not have done.As your attorney, I want to advise you about what I've observed, so that you are aware that others could possibly make the same observations. You need to keep in mind that I'm not the only one trained to look at body language and verbal cues."

I nodded, unable to speak around the lump in my throat.

"I've noticed some things that just seem a little off. Maybe it's because I know you so well - I'm closer to you than I am to my own sister - but a few things have pinged my radar.Your reactions have seemed a little muted compared to the Lila I've known for years.I've seen you tense up at certain questions.Often, it was likely caused by understandable distress at the question itself. Sometimes, though, it was a fairly innocuous question, but you tensed slightly and then very carefully answered it.The night we discovered David missing, you were extremely calm for the most part.Shock will do that to people, so it wasn't an unreasonable reaction.It was unusual for you , though."

He squeezed my clenched hands again, as I started trembling. "You were hurt and angry when Horton told you about the affair.The Lila I've known for years would have gone ballistic and would have likely marched down to the morgue to castrate David's body, with my wife's help, no doubt," he added wryly.

"I didn't realize it until later, but what I didn't see that day was surprise.Anger, pain, humiliation, grief...that was all there, but there was no shock at his revelation. There was more of a resigned acceptance. I remember you said, 'the man I loved wouldn't do that.' At the time, I remember thinking what a sad statement that was. Now, I think it was a carefully crafted statement.You didn't say 'David didn't do that.' You distanced yourself from him, not referring to him by name.'The man I loved - past tense - wouldn't have done that.'And you were right, that man wouldn't have cheated. But David - the man he had become - did cheat. I have to wonder now if you knew it, or at least suspected it."

My tears fell, and Chris reached up to wipe them away. He opened the center console, and pulled out some napkins, probably leftover from his habit of eating in the car after grabbing lunch from a drive-thru window.

"I noticed the same thing when we discovered the fraud and the missing money.The only time I saw real shock was when you found out about the $57,000 transfer the night David died.The rest of the time was anger, hurt, betrayal but not actual shock or surprise.Everyone reacts a little differently, so nobody thought anything about it.I even dismissed it as just one of those things, until today when Josh Parker went over the search when the wine was discovered.He showed you pictures of your refrigerator before the techs emptied it and asked if anything looked out of place. You tensed up.It wasn't obvious, but I noticed because I know you so well.There was no reason to tense up at that question, yet you did."

I looked out the front windshield, not able to meet Chris's gaze.He gently squeezed my hands again, in a gesture of comfort.

"Then, he mentioned that the police theorize that Scott either snuck the bottle in or gave it to David before he died.Either way, it would have been done prior to David dying, since the whole basis for their plot was so that David would inherit everything, right?"

I nodded and turned to look at him."His question, and your response to it, made me think back to the night his body was found. I remember getting more bottled water from the refrigerator thatnight, and I remember thinking that you looked like you could use something a little stronger.I remember that I got a bottle of wine out of the wine cooler, before deciding you probably needed a clear head for whatever was happening, so I put it back. Here's the thing, honey.I wouldn't have needed to get a bottle out of the wine cooler if there was already a bottle in the refrigerator.I think that's why you tensed up when he asked you if anything looked out of place.That wine bottle wasn't in there that night, yet there is no reason for Scott and Vanessa to have put it there after David died."

I closed my eyes and took a ragged breath but had no clue what to say.

"Remember, I'm just telling you my observations, so that you can keep them in mind if the subject comes up with anyone else.Now, as I parse through the various conversations over the past week, I've wondered about a few other things. The Flanagan's, for instance.I have to wonder, if a bottle of drugged wine happened to appear, and the drug and the wine happened to have connections to two of the people who wronged you...well, retaliation is kind of a standard move for the Mob.Then, there's the comment that Sherry made to me the evening that Horton told you about the affair.She was absolutely livid on your behalf and said, 'and to think Lila was so sweet to that bitch when we went shopping that day', and told me that you'd been in great spirits, for the first time in months.So, now I'm considering the possibility that David was...assisted into the lake that day, perhaps by someone who discovered the affair or the fraud, or both. And perhaps that same person told you about it, and that's why I saw rage and grief and betrayal, but no shock or surprise."

"So, retaliation, murder, planting false evidence - they all seem to be something a Flanagan might do to look out for one of their own.Of course, we don't want to get on the bad side of the authorities or the Flanagans, so if any part of my observations is true, then we certainly want to keep this to ourselves. We don't want to give anyone a reason to look beyond Scott's and Vanessa's conspiracy, or David's tragic accidental death."

I looked at him carefully and was surprised to see a hint of a smile on his face. He leaned over the console and dropped a kiss on my forehead.

"If I needed to, I would present a solid case that it was self-defense due to extreme emotional and physical distress.There is no doubt in my mind that David, Scott, and Vanessa were willing to risk your life for their greed. However, I would prefer that you remain the innocent victim in this scenario, since that's what you are at the heart of the matter.So, do not, under any circumstances, speak to anyone regarding this case unless I am right by your side to redirect any questions that might trigger a reaction from you. Before you give testimony in court, I will work with you to ensure that your reactions are nothing more than would be expected from a grieving widow, horribly betrayed by her husband and his accomplices."

I shook my head at that."No, Chris, I can't let you do that. I can't involve you anymore than I already have.I'm so sorry for what I've put you and Sherry through.I'll never forgive myself for that," I said with a sob.

"I'm your attorney and one of your best friends.It is my job in both of those roles to help you through this.I can't literally help you hide the body, but under these circumstances I have no ethical qualms about helping you avoid any possible repercussions.Some people just don't deserve to live, and David was one of those people. Scott is too, but we'll have to let the court system have him at this point.Someone has ensured that he and Vanessa will get even more than they deserve, and I'm OK with that, too."

I wiped my eyes with another of the fast-food napkins and gave him a grateful smile."What about Sherry?" I asked hesitantly.

"My lovely wife would have jumped at the chance to help you hide the body, but I do appreciate that you didn't ask her to do that.If you want to tell her, I think she can handle it.If you don't want her to know, then I won't volunteer the information.Attorney-client privilege applies to my wife as well."

"Oh, Chris, I don't want you to have to lie to her."

"Well then, you either need to tell her yourself, give me permission to tell her, or be sure you don't get your ass arrested," he said with a slight grin."Now, let's get you home before my wife calls wondering what's taking me so long."

The next several weeks went by in a flurry of activity. I ended up quitting my job, after my boss jumped ship to a different publishing house.Her replacement demanded that I return to work immediately despite the leave of absence that had been approved, and was an absolute bitch when I declined to do so.She pushed the issue, and for once in my life, I flaunted my money in someone else's face.

"If you value your paycheck, you'll be back in the office by Monday morning," she had sniped at me over the phone.

I smiled gleefully, sorry that I couldn't actually see her face when I responded, "Actually, I don't value my paycheck at all. I earn twice as much on the interest from my trust fund every month, not to mention the dividends from my investments.I don't need a job, but I liked this one. I don't like you , however,so please consider this my resignation.I'll submit it in writing to HR within the hour."

The following week, Chris and Sherry departed for their "second honeymoon" on the gorgeous beaches of Santorini, Greece.I flew to St. Bart's the following day.I was determined to banish all memory of David on this trip.I checked into the resort where we'd stayed before and gave a sigh as I opened the door of the villa and walked inside.Everything looked exactly the same as I remembered it, except for the man reclining against the headboard of the king-sized bed.

"Hello, Princess. How was your flight?"