Page 53 of The Fragile Truth
Madeline’s face fell as she looked to Sadie for an explanation. “What?”
Josette hobbled into the room with labored steps, making her way over to where Banks and Madeline were standing. Lizette, Carter, Wesley, and Ian came rushing into the room.
A curtain of despair closed over Sadie when she saw Ian’s stricken expression.
“What happened?” Lizette asked, her voice breathless.
Josette fixed Sadie with a disdainful glare. “I just got here and was going down the hall to the restroom when I caught her in the study.” In jerky movements, she moved over to a chair and collapsed into it, her body shuddering in relief.
A shaft of ice moved down Sadie’s throat as she swallowed. A part of her wanted to take off running, and the other part was frozen, still as a statue.
“There’s more.” A frog clogged Josette’s throat as she coughed. “Do you wanna know why I was late for the party?” She craned her neck to look at Banks. Her voice was raspy with phlegm. “I met with a private detective who has been checking into her.”
A lightbulb went off in Sadie’s head. That’s who had been following her. Despite the tense circumstance she now found herself in, she felt a shiver of relief knowing that it was some detective following her rather than a person who wished to do her harm. Ian also looked relieved.
Josette threw Sadie a triumphant smirk. “This woman is an imposter.” Her voice creaked. “She’s not Sadie Thomas. Her real name is Robyn Allen. She’s a convicted felon and spent three years in jail for killing a man.”
The only sound in the room was Madeline’s ragged gasp as her hand went up around her throat. “Is this true?”
Sadie went weak in the knees and used the desk to brace herself. “It’s true,” she uttered. The wounded look on Madeline’s face and the hurt in her eyes made Sadie feel inestimably small.
“This is outrageous,” Lizette said indignantly.
It was on the tip of Sadie’s tongue to defend herself, but Ian spoke first. His voice was surprisingly calm, but it had the power of cutting straight through the center as he eyed Josette. “Did the detective tell you why Sadie killed a man?” Josette pulled at her collar. Her throat moved like she was articulating a response, but before she could, Ian rushed on. “Sadie was an investigator. She was working to bring down a drug dealer. The situation escalated, and her partner was killed in cold blood. Sadie shot the drug dealer.”
“She shot a defenseless man,” Josette rasped. A cynical laugh riddled Josette’s throat. “It gets better. She’s Brent Allen’s sister.”
Sadie heard intakes of surprise, but her focus remained on Ian. Tears blurred her vision as they shared a look. “Thank you,” she mouthed. It meant the world to her that Ian would come to her defense.
“Mother, what in the world?” Banks exploded. “I can’t believe you hired a detective.”
Josette’s voice grew smug as she lifted her chin. “No one gets away with pulling the wool over my eyes.” She looked at Sadie. “I found you out just like I found out that Lina was having an affair with Wesley.”
Lizette gasped like she might faint. Josette threw Wesley a scathing look. He turned crimson red and looked down. Carter wore a mortified expression, like he wished the floor would open wide and swallow him whole.
Madeline homed in on Josette. “Were you the one who sent us the pictures of the affair?”
“Yes, I was,” Josette snipped proudly.
Banks furrowed his brows. “Why didn’t you just tell us?”
“Because I didn’t want you to kill the messenger, that’s why. Y’all know how much I detested Lina. I didn’t want you to think I had set her up. I wanted Lina’s actions to speak for themselves.”
A stunned silence overtook the room. Banks was the first to speak. “Mother, were you the one blackmailing Lina? Did you ask her to go to the lighthouse that night?”
Josette cackled. “Heavens no!” She fiddled with the lace on her collar. “I have no idea who was blackmailing Lina, or even if her story is true.”
Banks turned his attention back to Sadie. “Why were you snooping around in my desk?”
Sadie straightened her shoulders, parsing out her words with exactness. “I was looking for this.” She reached for the ring and held it up for all to see.
“What?” Banks shook his head, a befuddled expression overtaking him. “Of all the things you could steal, why that?”
Really? He thought she was a thief? “I wasn’t stealing it,” Sadie retorted. “I was gathering evidence.” She lasered in on him, her words flying out with a vengeance. “You’reThe Shadow.”
“The what?” Madeline asked dubiously. She looked to Banks for an answer, but he didn’t notice because he was too busy eyeing Sadie like he wanted to rip her to shreds.
“This is absurd,” Banks spat.