Zack turned his chair to face her. “Do kids still play Truth or Dare?”
“Little kids do,” Taylor said.
“Well, I think we just saw the beginning of a pretty high-stakes game of Truth or Dare.” He wheeled towards the door. “Now I’d better get a shower. I’m going to be late for work.”
I called Keith. “What did you think?” he asked.
“Zack says Jason’s started a game of Truth or Dare.”
“That’s what I think too. I’m just not sure why. I know Jason’s reputation has taken a beating, but that wasn’t Ginny’s doing. All this crap about the rumours originating in our campaign.”
“Did they?” I asked.
There was a pause. “Good question,” he said finally. “I’ll find out. Yelling foul before I knew for sure there’d been a foul would be a pretty elementary mistake.”
“You’ve got a few things on your mind,” I said.
“Thanks, but there’s never an excuse for stupidity.”
“How’s Ginny doing?”
“She’s furious. She’s got a bunch of interviews lined up for this morning. They were supposed to be the first steps down the yellow brick road to the leadership, but now she has to deal with Jason’s press conference.”
“Has she talked to him?”
“He’s not taking calls,” Keith said. “As soon as Ginny’s through with her interviews, she’s going to go to Jason’s and see if she can work something out – maybe some kind of joint statement about the heat of the moment and cooperating. Anyway, I’ve changed my plane ticket. I’ll hang around Regina until this is worked out. It shouldn’t take long.”
I’d just got out of the shower and into my jeans and shirt when the police cruiser pulled up outside. Zack greeted the officers at the door with the journal and a smile. “Here you are, and I’ll need a receipt.”
One of the officers was female, and both were very young. The male officer scribbled a receipt and handed it to Zack. “We have a few questions.”
“Shoot.”
“You are Zachary Shreve?”
“I am.”
“And this journal belonged to the deceased Cristal Avilia?”
“It did.”
“How did it come into your possession?”
Zack gave them his shark smile. “Can’t answer that. Lawyer-client privilege.”
“Who’s your client?”
Zack’s smile grew wider. “Come on – you know better than that.”
“Did you read this journal?”
“Yes.”
“Did anyone else?”
Zack smiled and remained silent.
The officers may have been rookies, but they knew enough not to waste time on an immovable object. They gave Zack his receipt, thanked him for his cooperation, nodded in my direction, and left.
A minute later Blake Falconer pulled into our driveway. I opened the door for him. Blake’s shirt was fresh, his tie smartly knotted, and his slacks had a knife-edge press, but he looked haggard and spent.
“What were the police doing here?” he said.
“Taking possession of Cristal’s journal,” Zack said.
Blake winced. “Well, that was the right thing.”
“Where the hell have you been?” Zack said.
“Here and there.”
“You’re going to have to do better than that,” Zack’s tone was scathing.
“Can I at least sit down?” Blake said. Without waiting for an answer, he walked into the living room and sank into the armchair by the fireplace.
“I’ll leave you two to talk,” I said.
“Don’t,” Blake tried a smile. “Zack’s always easier to deal with when you’re around.”
I sat in the other armchair. Zack wheeled close to Blake. “Okay. Where exactly is ‘here and there’?”
“After I read Cristal’s journal, I drove around for a couple of hours.” Blake’s eyes met mine. “Did you read it?”
I nodded.
“Then you know that Cristal lived in hell for the last month of her life.”
I nodded.
“Jason Brodnitz is a fiend,” Blake said. “What he did to her was sick… inhuman.”
Zack’s voice was soft. “No one knows for certain that Jason Brodnitz was Cristal’s boyfriend.”
“I know,” Blake said.
Zack’s head shot up. “Cristal told you Jason Brodnitz was her pimp?”
“Not in so many words, but I knew Brodnitz was managing her finances. A few months ago, Cristal asked me to review her real estate portfolio. I’d handled the original purchases and she wanted to liquidate her assets. I refused. Her holdings were all in the warehouse district and prices were skyrocketing. I advised her to hold on. A few days later she called me back. She thanked me, and said she’d found someone who she trusted to protect her interests.”
“And she told you the person she found was Jason Brodnitz?” I said.
“Yes,” Blake said. “But I didn’t tell her what I should have told her: that Jason was a terrible choice, had a lousy track record, and was living off his wife. I didn’t say anything. I was afraid that if I did, I’d lose her.” Blake turned to Zack. “I know, I know – exactly the same mistake I made with Lily.” His voice broke. “Same result too. I lost them both.”
“Blake, you look exhausted,” I said. “Why don’t you get some rest? You and Zack can talk about all this later.”
“No,” he said. “Because I may have screwed up, and Zack should know. When I read Cristal’s journal and saw how that sick bastard Brodnitz had manipulated her, I went to his house. He wasn’t there. I pounded on the doors and on the windows, but he never came. Then I got in my car and waited for him. Apparently, I fell asleep. When I woke up, there was a car parked in front of his house – I guess it was his. I stood on the lawn and screamed his name for about twenty minutes. Then, suddenly, it was as if I could see myself – this raging beast. I thought about Gracie, growing up without either parent. I went back to my car, drove to the office, showered, changed, and came over here.”
“Did anybody see you?” Zack asked.
“You mean last night?”
Zack nodded.
“I’m sure they did. I was hardly rational. I’m surprised no one called the cops.”
“You were lucky.”
“I know.” He held his hand out to Zack. “Lucky in a lot of ways. Thanks. I’d better check in at home now. Let them know I’m all right.”
Zack looked at him curiously. “Are you sure you are?”
Blake stood. “I’m sure. The worst is over.”
Zack and I went to the door together to watch Blake drive off. “Well, that was a hell of a way to start the day,” Zack said.
“But you heard the man. The worst is over, and you know what I’m going to do?”
“What?”
“I’m going shopping.”
“Retail therapy? That’s not like you.”
“I’m going to food shop. How do you feel about going up to the lake tonight, just the two of us?”
“What about Taylor?”
“She can stay with Mieka. Taylor loves being with Maddy and Lena, and I thought I’d sweeten the pot with
