Lawful Lover
Page 56
“Thank you.” Daniel reached for Holly’s suitcase. “Let me take that. Come up.”
He ushered her to the elevators.
“Where’s Sabrina? She promised to pick me up at the airport with that fancy driver of yours,” Holly said and walked into the elevator, rolling her carry-on bag behind her.
Daniel pressed the elevator button and waited until the door had closed before responding to her question.
“I’m sorry. Had I known, I would have sent the driver myself.”
Holly frowned. “What do you mean? Had you known?”
Daniel sighed. “Sabrina ran out on me a few hours ago.”
“What?” Holly’s jaw dropped and she stared at him.
The elevator pinged. A moment later the doors opened. Daniel motioned to the corridor and waited until Holly had gotten off the elevator, then followed her.
“Well, explain!” she insisted impatiently.
He reached for his keys and opened the door. “Come in. It’s easier if I show you rather than explain it with words.”
“What did you do to her?” Holly asked suspiciously as she entered the apartment and looked around.
He felt defensiveness creep up his spine. “I didn’t do anything to her. It was a misunderstanding.”
Dropping Holly’s suitcase, he closed the apartment door, then pointed to the chair where he’d left the flowers and the photo.
“That’s what happened. She received a photo in the mail today.”
Holly picked up the picture and flattened it with her palm. Then she pulled it closer to her face and looked at it intensely.
“Oh my god!”
Daniel cringed. “It’s not what it looks like!” Uh, well, why did he even try? Nobody was going to believe him anyway. Least of all Sabrina’s best friend.
“Audrey, I assume?”
“Yes.” Daniel was aware that Sabrina had told her friend all about his breakup with Audrey.
“I cannot believe you’re that stupid!” she said, shaking her head.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m assuming this is not photoshopped.”
He shook his head. “No, I’m afraid the incident happened. Audrey surprised me in a department store and cornered me. But I didn’t—”
“Well, of course you didn’t,” Holly interrupted him, holding up the photo. “This is clearly staged. And I can’t believe you didn’t figure that out while she was doing it.”
Daniel raised his eyebrows, surprised at Holly’s words. “Of course it’s staged, but how can you tell?”
“Simple: Audrey is very meticulous in her appearance. Perfectly styled hair, a professional make-up job, manicured nails… and that outfit, I guarantee it cost more than my car. Her bag? More than a month’s rent in San Francisco.”
“Yeah, that’s definitely Audrey’s style.”
“Exactly! No woman as concerned with her appearance as she would mess it up by sticking a newspaper into her handbag.” Holly chuckled. “I bet she doesn’t even read anything but the society pages.”
Daniel leaned over the photo in Holly’s hands and looked at it more closely.
“Son of a bitch,” he muttered. He pointed at the headline he could clearly make out on the newspaper. “She put the newspaper there so that it would show, and Sabrina would easily be able to confirm that the picture had been taken only a few days ago.”
“Exactly. Audrey planned this. Besides, she must have had a photographer with her to take clandestine pictures.”
“That conniving, scheming—”
Holly put her hand on his forearm. “Later. You said the photo was sent to Sabrina, not to you?”
He nodded, pointing to the envelope that still lay on the floor.
“Had she wanted to blackmail you, she would have sent it to you. But by sending it to Sabrina, she’s making it clear what she wants: she wants Sabrina to leave you.”
Daniel sighed. “Sabrina wouldn’t let me explain. She just ran. I’ve been all over the city looking for her. She’s not answering her cell. I’m worried sick and I don’t know what to do.”
“Well, of course she won’t talk to you. But she’ll talk to me.”
“And how are you gonna make her listen to you?”
“I’m the one who convinced her to pretend to be an escort, remember? I’m also the one who convinced her to go back to you after the first incident with Audrey. And if my memory serves me correctly, it was also I who convinced her to—”
He ushered her to the elevators.
“Where’s Sabrina? She promised to pick me up at the airport with that fancy driver of yours,” Holly said and walked into the elevator, rolling her carry-on bag behind her.
Daniel pressed the elevator button and waited until the door had closed before responding to her question.
“I’m sorry. Had I known, I would have sent the driver myself.”
Holly frowned. “What do you mean? Had you known?”
Daniel sighed. “Sabrina ran out on me a few hours ago.”
“What?” Holly’s jaw dropped and she stared at him.
The elevator pinged. A moment later the doors opened. Daniel motioned to the corridor and waited until Holly had gotten off the elevator, then followed her.
“Well, explain!” she insisted impatiently.
He reached for his keys and opened the door. “Come in. It’s easier if I show you rather than explain it with words.”
“What did you do to her?” Holly asked suspiciously as she entered the apartment and looked around.
He felt defensiveness creep up his spine. “I didn’t do anything to her. It was a misunderstanding.”
Dropping Holly’s suitcase, he closed the apartment door, then pointed to the chair where he’d left the flowers and the photo.
“That’s what happened. She received a photo in the mail today.”
Holly picked up the picture and flattened it with her palm. Then she pulled it closer to her face and looked at it intensely.
“Oh my god!”
Daniel cringed. “It’s not what it looks like!” Uh, well, why did he even try? Nobody was going to believe him anyway. Least of all Sabrina’s best friend.
“Audrey, I assume?”
“Yes.” Daniel was aware that Sabrina had told her friend all about his breakup with Audrey.
“I cannot believe you’re that stupid!” she said, shaking her head.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m assuming this is not photoshopped.”
He shook his head. “No, I’m afraid the incident happened. Audrey surprised me in a department store and cornered me. But I didn’t—”
“Well, of course you didn’t,” Holly interrupted him, holding up the photo. “This is clearly staged. And I can’t believe you didn’t figure that out while she was doing it.”
Daniel raised his eyebrows, surprised at Holly’s words. “Of course it’s staged, but how can you tell?”
“Simple: Audrey is very meticulous in her appearance. Perfectly styled hair, a professional make-up job, manicured nails… and that outfit, I guarantee it cost more than my car. Her bag? More than a month’s rent in San Francisco.”
“Yeah, that’s definitely Audrey’s style.”
“Exactly! No woman as concerned with her appearance as she would mess it up by sticking a newspaper into her handbag.” Holly chuckled. “I bet she doesn’t even read anything but the society pages.”
Daniel leaned over the photo in Holly’s hands and looked at it more closely.
“Son of a bitch,” he muttered. He pointed at the headline he could clearly make out on the newspaper. “She put the newspaper there so that it would show, and Sabrina would easily be able to confirm that the picture had been taken only a few days ago.”
“Exactly. Audrey planned this. Besides, she must have had a photographer with her to take clandestine pictures.”
“That conniving, scheming—”
Holly put her hand on his forearm. “Later. You said the photo was sent to Sabrina, not to you?”
He nodded, pointing to the envelope that still lay on the floor.
“Had she wanted to blackmail you, she would have sent it to you. But by sending it to Sabrina, she’s making it clear what she wants: she wants Sabrina to leave you.”
Daniel sighed. “Sabrina wouldn’t let me explain. She just ran. I’ve been all over the city looking for her. She’s not answering her cell. I’m worried sick and I don’t know what to do.”
“Well, of course she won’t talk to you. But she’ll talk to me.”
“And how are you gonna make her listen to you?”
“I’m the one who convinced her to pretend to be an escort, remember? I’m also the one who convinced her to go back to you after the first incident with Audrey. And if my memory serves me correctly, it was also I who convinced her to—”
