Page 72 of Forever Endeavor

CHAPTER 22

Billie

As soon as the garage’s heavy door closed, sealing them inside, Sonny snapped. “Goddammit, Cal! This time you’ve gone too far!” He then pointed a finger at Billie. “What did I tell you about getting suckered in by his sob story?”

Bernice clucked her tongue. “I have to agree with Sonny, this doesn’t look good.”

“Hold on, before anyone says one more word…please just listen,” Billie said. “Give us a chance to explain. Despite what you just heard, Cal didn’t lie to me, or to any of you.”

“Then what was all that about?” Stan asked, glaring at his brother.

“That statement to the press was the only part of Cal’s story that wasn’t true. There is a woman. Liona Li. She is the woman in the picture Fielder sent. We tried to see her in Madison, but it didn’t go as we planned, so we made up that statement on the way here to kill this story once and for all.”

Sonny balked. “Wait a minute, you’ve lost me.”

“Liona’s son wouldn’t let us see her.” Sadness permeated Cal’s craggy voice.

“Why not?” asked Bernice.

“To protect her privacy,” Cal answered.

“And her bank account,” Billie added. “Her son doesn’t want anyone without a pedigree near the golden matriarch of their wealthy and well-connected family. They’ve got her locked down tighter than Fort Knox.”

Sonny scratched his head. “But I thought she was the one who reached out to Fielder. The photo…?”

“She did,” Billie said. “But then her son nipped the whole thing in the bud. Sounds like the Li family threatened Fielder if he didn’t keep Liona’s name out of the story and we were given the impression they could make life decidedly unpleasant for us if we didn’t do the same.”

Cal shrugged. “It’s not like we had any other choice.”

“There was no way those reporters would ever stop digging, so Cal came up with the idea to fake a confession and make them think he fabricated the story,” Billie continued. “He threw himself on the sword to forever keep Liona’s identity a secret.”

“The press is gonna rake you over the coals for this, you know,” Sonny warned.

Cal shrugged. “If I’m the scapegoat, so be it. I did what I had to do.”

Billie squeezed his shoulder. “Everyone who knows the real Cal knows who he is and what he’s about, no matter what anyone says. You did a very admirable thing today.”

Stan stepped toward him and held out his hand. “Brother, I’m sorry I doubted you.”

As the two men shook hands, Billie glared at Sonny.All right, now it’s your turn to apologize.

“Me too, Cal. I’m sorry I assumed you lied,” he said sheepishly.

“I know you’ve had your reasons not to believe me, Sonny, but I hope those days are behind us now.”

Billie’s phone vibrated to life. “That must be Fielder. I saw a few missed messages on our way here,” she said, reaching into her bag. But it wasn’t Fielder at all. It was Carmen. “Sonny, mind if I take this in your office?”

“Of course, be my guest,” he answered as she was already on her way.

“Hi, Carmen?”

“Billie! I’ve been trying to reach you since yesterday.”

“I’m sorry, I’ve been meaning to call you back, but it’s been crazy busy.” Billie closed the door behind her.

“What on God’s green earth is going on? The last time we spoke, you were telling me about your book which sounded exactly like this cockamamie story in the news. And things just keep getting stranger…because I swear, I’m looking at an online photo of you with that man. Now they’re saying he made the whole thing up.”

“Wow, news travels fast. I haven’t seen it, but my guess is that it’s a picture of me with Calvin Hayes taken a few minutes ago.”

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