“No. You keep doing exactly what you’ve been doing. If you managed to score a European vacation, I’m sure she doesn’t suspect you. You don’t want any weird behavior on your part to spook her.” He winked. “You’re going to have to tell me about that trip when this is over. Who knows how long the State Attorney’s o ce will take to give the go ahead.
They’re really concerned with making sure the charges stick.”
“I’m sure she’s going to spare no expense to hire the best defense attorney.” She tried to remember what she usually sounded like, but it was hard to parody herself. “Maybe the one married to the lady from Real Housewives of Miami ,” she joked even as she lost the feeling in her extremities and her vision blurred.
Jayson laughed as he relaxed his shoulders. “Oh, I bet that’s exactly what they’re thinking. They’re going to vet our witness up and down before they give him immunity and
press charges. If we get this wrong, there will be hell to pay.”
“Who’s the guy?” Charlotte asked as nonchalantly as she could. “Do you think he’s legit?”
“Eric Ledesma. I have a good feeling about him,” he replied without a hint of suspicion. The fact that he trusted her without question only made Charlotte’s guts churn harder. “This guy told me he knows a few others too. He was brought in by a couple. Apparently, they both partake of Alexandra Leon’s services.” He laughed. “Dude’s a good friend. He’s trying to negotiate immunity for them too, but the ASA told him not to breathe a word of this to them.”
Charlotte hated the way Alex’s name sounded on his tongue. So harsh. Like she was just some random person o the street.
“And you think he’ll stay quiet?”
“Yeah, I do. Some of the other guys aren’t so sure, but that’s because they didn’t meet his wife.” Jayson chuckled.
“That lady is kind of terrifying. If he messes this up with loose lips, it’s the end for him, I’m sure.” He made a throat-cutting gesture with his finger.
“You never know what people are capable of when their backs are to the wall,” she replied, barely aware of what she was saying.
“I know you’re disappointed that this wasn’t your big play, but nobody blames you, okay? This guy was an act of providence. I really don’t think we were going to get anything on her otherwise. Eric told us she vets people like crazy. He insists he hasn’t had sex, but it’s either about to happen or he’s lying so his wife doesn’t ruin his life. Either
way, I’m going to tell you what I told him. Don’t change anything. Just business as usual until you hear otherwise, okay?”
Jayson stood, towering over her before pulling her into another hug. “We’ll be back to normal soon.”
More words were exchanged, but Charlotte wasn’t sure what they were. A moment later, she was alone staring at an enormous tub of ketchup. It was the last thing she saw before darting across the narrow hall and into the restroom where she puked until she tasted blood.
CHAPTER 39
LONG AFTER THE hot water ran out, Charlotte stood in the shower. The icy water stopped hurting after her skin had gone numb. After a sleepless night half-spent on her knees in front of the toilet, the cold shower was a blessing. Better than she deserved.
I can fix this , she thought, replaying the conversation with Jayson in her head. She’d picked over his words so many times she didn’t think there was anything else left.
Eric hadn’t done anything that could be considered sexual activity. Paying to touch Leah’s feet wasn’t a crime. Unless he decided to lie to incriminate himself for something he didn’t do, the prosecutors wouldn’t move forward on his confession alone.
Shutting o the water with shivering, frozen hands, Charlotte reached for her towel. They couldn’t prove anything illegal was happening.
“Not unless they flip the Thatchers.” Charlotte’s sleep-starved brain let the thought escape the confines of her mind. “They have too much to lose. Why would they make themselves social pariahs?”
Charlotte committed to the conversation with herself. It helped her organize her thoughts. “They’re shrewd. They’ll get a lawyer who will see the cops don’t have anything concrete. No reason for the Thatchers to give them anything.
Even with immunity, they’d be dragged into the public scandal of testifying against Alex. They would only do that as a last resort.”
Invigorated by possibility, Charlotte slicked her wet hair into a bun and pulled on the first trouser and shirt combo that matched. She’d be two hours early for work, but she needed to get to her computer as quickly as possible.
“They haven’t approached the Thatchers yet because they want Eric to get them something,” she reasoned as she sped out of her apartment complex, her fingers gripping the steering wheel like she might slip away if she let go. “The more people they bring in, the riskier it gets. They don’t want Alex to get wind of what’s going on.”
Charlotte’s empty stomach churned painfully. If only she’d been able to keep the fistful of antacids down, it would be easier to think about how she was betraying Jayson’s trust without feeling like she might die.
Forcing herself out of her emotions, Charlotte thought like an investigator. If she were running the show, she’d send Eric in with a wire or recording device. Get Leah to talk about what illicit services she could o er. Everything else was too risky.
Even using the spy on the inside to push into new territory to corroborate Eric’s account could alert Alex to the investigation . . . It’s not like they knew Charlotte was
already in it. As far as anyone knew, she hadn’t broken in.