Page 39 of This Could Be Us
She draws a shaky breath, pulls her hand out, and offers me the drive.
I reach for it, but she doesn’t surrender it right away, holding on with the tips of her fingers.
“I need your assurance that I’ll get the things I asked for. I need to keep the money that’s in our accounts. I have a few months of savings to help us survive while I get on my feet. This isn’t a gift, Judah. It’s a negotiation.”
“I can’t make promises without knowing what’s on it. Hell, I can’t make promises at all, but at least let me see what you’ve got.”
“I’m not a math genius like you, but even I can tell what’s there could be crucial to the case.”
I stare at the tiny drive in my hand for a second before rounding my desk and sitting down to slide it into the laptop. There are so many folders, all with numbers for file names. When I open the first file, it contains a series of figures I immediately recognize as account numbers and international transaction codes.
“Shit,” I breathe, my pulse quickening as I click on file after file detailing transactions and laying out a clear trail to shell accounts, some of which I recognize from what I’ve been able to uncover on my own. “Soledad, do you have any idea what this is?”
She nods jerkily, drawing her bottom lip between her teeth and biting down. “I don’t know what it all means, but I can tell it’s damning.”
“It blows the case wide open. It’s basically a road map to places the money has been sent. Passwords, account numbers. Everything.”
“Oh.” She rapid-blinks, as if processing what I’m telling her. “Okay. So that’s good, right?”
“For us, yeah.” I need this information, but she’s been taken advantage of enough. She should understand the implications of turning this over to me. “This strengthens the case against your husband significantly. I can’t guarantee he won’t get more time if we have this information than he would have if we didn’t.”
“I understand that, but we all make choices. Edward chose this scheme over our family.” Her eyes are hard and diamond bright. “He’ll serve the time for what he did, but my girls won’t suffer. He’s not taking us down with him. He doesn’t get to ruin their lives.”
“So you’ll turn it over to the FBI?”
“I’m turning it over to you.”
I stare at her and then at the on-screen evidence the Callahans need to condemn Edward and recover as much of their money as possible.
“Why?” I ask simply. “Why me?”
“I don’t trust the FBI.” Her laugh is harsh and hoarse. “I certainly can’t trust the Callahans, but I can’t do this by myself, so I have to trust someone. I choose you.”
Shock rolls through me like thunder, and something else. Satisfaction? Pleasure? I’m pleased that she trusts me. I want to be worthy of it.
“No one knows this case better than you do,” she goes on. “You have the inside track with the Callahans, and you’ve been the liaison with the FBI. No one is positioned better to advocate for my family and me.I know it’s not your job, but for some reason, I believe you will. Please don’t make me regret this.”
She glances down and toys with the edge of the bandage. “It’s the proof you need, but it’s also the proofIneeded that the man I’ve been with nearly half my life doesn’t exist.”
Her composure is vellum, so sheer it barely hides her devastation.
“I’m sorry, Soledad.”
“There’s something else you should know,” she goes on, not acknowledging my sympathy. “You said before that you thought Edward was working with someone. This could just be a woman scorned, but I think you should look at his assistant, Amber.”
“What do you mean, ‘a woman scorned’?” I ask, watching her closely.
“They’re having an affair.” She sniffs and swipes at a tear before it even falls.
“You’re sure?”
“Oh yeah.” Her smile is bitter, and she releases a harsh breath. “I’m very sure about that.”
A man would have to be a fool to cheat on a woman like her, but we’ve already established that’s exactly what Edward is.
“I’m sorry,” I say again, though I realize how empty it must sound to her.
“Don’t be.” She clears her throat and tucks a stray curl behind her ear. “I know the truth now. That’s all that matters.”