Eliza Starts a Rumor(31)

Alison looked at her new friend with pride. Andie was more skeptical and pressed further.

“So, you’re saying that if we proceed and gather evidence against him, and if he reacts by falling to the floor in tears and hysterics and tells you he has made a terrible mistake and will do anything to keep you and your family together, you won’t consider it? You’d still want a divorce?”

Olivia paused to think, but the lawyer in Alison believed it was just a tactic to demonstrate to Andie that she was taking her line of questioning seriously.

“There is no doubt in my mind: If he’s been cheating, I would want a divorce, especially since Lily is too young to know any differently.”

Alison was too curious about Andie’s process not to ask. “Why does this make a difference in how we would proceed?”

Every time Alison said “we,” Olivia counted her blessings.

Andie explained. “There are many tools that we can use to get to the bottom of this relatively quickly, but most of them involve some kind of surveillance. If you want to divorce, then it doesn’t really matter if you read his emails, tap his phone, go through his pockets—so be it. But if you want to stay together and work things out, this will all be a problem. He will hold your spying on him over your head just as you will hold the affair over his. I’ve seen it time and time again, with disastrous outcomes.”

“But you’re assuming guilt,” Alison countered.

“OK, so let’s say we do these things, and we find out he’s innocent. Then what? Now you have the secret. You have actually betrayed him. I’ve seen that destroy a marriage as well.”

They both nodded their heads as she spoke, taking in the complexities of the situation. She made good points. Alison stepped into the protective older sister role that she’d adopted.

“So, what do you suggest she does? This is torture for her.”

“I know. But if this is to be done right, there are no shortcuts. Like I said when we first spoke, a cheater is a liar. They go hand in hand. You cannot trust him to tell you the truth; you have to find out the truth on your own, and then present your case. You’re actually lucky. You have a first step available to you that doesn’t involve surveillance.”

Both Alison and Olivia sat forward in their seats to hear Andie’s suggestion.

“Contact the moderator of that bulletin board and ask who Anonymous is.”

Olivia was skeptical.

“What makes you think she would tell me that?”

“I’m assuming she’s not a priest.”

“But still. I mean, I wouldn’t break that trust.”

Andie smiled confidently. “Bring your new friend with you. Alison is the best criminal attorney in New York. She can get anyone to talk.”

Alison agreed, not on being the best, but on getting the woman to turn. Andie handed Olivia a piece of paper.

“Her name is Eliza Hunt. Here’s her address. Start with this and see where it leads us.”

Olivia took the sheet of paper. She had seen the street name before. She already felt better with just the little bit of control this plan was affording her.

“Will you come with me?” she asked Alison.

“Of course. I’m all in.”

“OK, let me know what you find out,” Andie said, standing up to get things moving along. She had happily squeezed them in, but she always tried to keep half an hour between appointments to avoid any waiting room crossover. Most people who sought out her help bordered on paranoid, and often with good reason.

“What do I owe you?” Olivia asked, even though she had no idea how she would pay without Spencer knowing about it.

“All I did was a few searches. No worries,” Andie said as she hugged Alison goodbye.

“Do you want one, too?” she asked Olivia, laughing.

“Please,” she answered with open arms.



* * *



—

They decided to stop for lunch on the way back to Grand Central. On the way home they ducked into the Campbell Apartment right in Grand Central for a quick bite. It was one of those hidden New York gems that, oddly enough, neither of them had ever been to. After they were done oohing and aahing at the architecture, they settled into a cozy corner table.

They ordered deviled eggs, a cheese board, and Moscow Mules, because why not? Olivia was clearly done discussing her marriage, so Alison offered up her own baby daddy saga. She began with a statement of defense: “I am in no way comparing my drama to yours, but do you want to hear it?”

Olivia was happy for the distraction. She’d been curious about Zach’s paternity from the get-go but didn’t feel comfortable asking about it. She assumed Alison had used a sperm donor. She never would have pegged her for having an unplanned pregnancy; she seemed like the type that planned everything. Alison went on to tell her about her affair with Marc Sugarman.

“At first it was fun, sneaking around, and I was happy to avoid workplace gossip. I could just imagine it whipping through the courthouses like wildfire. But now, looking back, I think it was his way of making sure we didn’t slip into a real relationship. We never even went to each other’s apartments—only hotels.”

“Do you think there was someone else?”

“No, I really don’t. Whenever we crossed paths socially, he was always on his own.”