I Know Lucy (A Fugitive #1)(48)

The sandwich arrived.

The waitress didn’t sit, but as she slid the plate across the table she whispered, “It’s not a rumor. I only said that because I don’t want Tori’s name tarnished. She’s a good person.”

“Okay.” Alex nodded, keeping his movements slow. “Don’t worry. Nothing you say will leave this table.” He sounded so sure and confident. I couldn’t tell if he meant it or not though. He was a reporter and knew how to get details any way possible.

“Alright fine.” She sighed. “One day we were doing this massive spring clean of the house. It was during the Christmas break, they were all away skiing so the place was deserted. I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to go into Mr Derwin’s office, but I kind of did and when I was dusting around his desk this envelope dropped onto the floor.” She bit her lip. “I know I shouldn’t have looked in it, but I just couldn’t help it. I felt like I was in some sort of spy movie.” Her laugh was dry and short.

“What was in the envelope?” Uncle Alex’s food was forgotten.

“Pictures.”

My stomach plummeted into my shoes.

Don’t say it, please don’t tell me.

“They were of Tori’s dad, totally getting it on with this girl…Peyton. I mean she was only fifteen.”

“Did it look consensual?” Uncle Alex’s sharp frown was not a good sign. I didn’t want him going after a story like this.

“I guess. Either way it’s statutory rape though, right? And for a guy who’s well known in the community as a family man and who supports a ton of charities, it didn’t look good.”

“Did the photos actually show them…” He glanced at me. “Having sex?”

“No, they were pretty tame actually, just him kissing her neck and feeling her up a bit. But still.”

“So he was blackmailed then?”

“Yeah, I guess. But why didn’t he just get rid of the photos?” She shook her head. “I kind of freaked out when I saw them and kept my mouth shut. Peyton had taken off in October without so much as a goodbye. I know Tori was really surprised and hurt by it. They’d become friends, you know. I didn’t want to get in trouble and I didn’t want my aunt getting fired. Tori was a really nice person too and if this had gotten out, she would have been devastated.” She pushed at the photo again. “I didn’t have the heart to tell her I knew why her friend had disappeared so fast, because I’m guessing that bitch had a wad of Mr. Derwin’s cash in her back pocket when she skipped town.”

I closed my eyes, breathing through my nose. Hearing Dani being called a bitch made my skin crawl. I wanted to stand up and defend her, but how could I?

She’d slept with an old man?

I wanted to puke.

Uncle Alex ignored my no doubt pale expression and continued with the questioning. “Did you ever see her with a tall, blond guy?”

“No.” The waitress shook her head. “Peyton was pretty private. She always came to Tori’s place for tutoring and she never talked about her home life. I remember hearing Tori ask her about her dad once and she got really edgy. I couldn’t help wondering if she came from an abusive home or something.” The waitress looked sad. “I don’t know. Whatever the reasons, the girl had secrets. She was either being used or putting on a really good show.”

I swallowed, wondering if it was a combination of both. “What school did she attend?”

“Same as Tori, it’s a private school. Sorry, I can’t remember the name of it right now.”

My nod was numb and lifeless, my voice devoid of emotion as I thanked the waitress. Alex took one look at me and then asked for his sandwich to go. With a confused frown, the waitress took it away, bringing back a box a few minutes later.

“So where to next?” Alex shut the car door behind him and looked at me.

“Nowhere. I don’t want to do this anymore.” I looked at the picture of Dani in my hand and screwed it into a tiny ball, throwing it over my shoulder into the backseat.

“Hey, I know this hurts. But it’s better that you find out all this stuff before jumping into a relationship with her, right? This is why I don’t date.”

I flashed him a glare, then grabbed the steering wheel, gripping it until my knuckles turned white.

“I’m falling for her and I’ve just found out all this shit I don’t want to know!” I slammed my fist on the dashboard. “None of those stories seem like her. She just doesn’t come across like that at all.”

“I guess she’s a good actress.”

I shook my head. “Damn good.” My voice was hard and bitter.

“What I want to know is why. I mean, she can obviously play a con, but what got her started in it?” Alex gazed at me, his expression thoughtful. “If I were you, I’d go home and write up everything you know. Map it all out, try to figure out some sort of timeline.”

He paused, his lips pushing to the side.

“Then what?” I snapped.

“Well, then you need to decide just how much you like this girl. If she’s worth it, then maybe you should call her on it.” His blues eyes hit me with full force. “Maybe once you find out her reasons, you won’t be so mad with her anymore.” His smile was sad. “Or you’ll be so mad it’ll be easy to walk away.”