Page 46 of The Monster I Loved
My court case for attempted murder was pending, and the lawyer I’d hired called me last night to tell me he’d found a way for me to walk free, and that he was optimistic about the outcome, so he wanted to meet today to discuss it.
The poor man didn’t know that I didn’t care one bit. Soon, I’d face a more serious charge when I successfully killed Thaddeus. Solely at Olivia’s urging, I retained the attorney. She fretted about losing me as an employee if a guilty verdict led to me being disbarred. She was kind enough not to mention that a conviction would also mean years in prison, which would make working for her fairly difficult. Luckily for Olivia, there were plenty of young, passionate attorneys looking to make a difference. She wouldn’t have any problems replacing me when I was locked away, so I didn’t feel too guilty about abandoning her like that. I had only one priority: murdering Thaddeus.
I made the quick drive with my hot thermos in hand, avoiding the coffee shop and the chance of bumping into You Know Who. I went straight to my lawyer Sean Harrow’s office, pretending I was eager to discuss the strategy.
“You’re on time,” he said as I placed my cup down and slid into the leather chair in front of his desk.
“Yes. What’s the strategy you found?” There was no point in wasting time. He charged by the hour.
“Plea deal. Kind of.”
I scrunched my face up. “Huh?”
He smiled at me but didn’t speak. I was just about to repeat myhuh?when a knock came at the door. John Fitzgerald entered the room.
“Summer Cohen, we meet again.”
My stomach churned, and bile rose to my throat. So, Thaddeus wasn’t the only Fitzgerald who made me sick to my stomach. “What’s happening here?” I looked between the men for an explanation.
My attorney jumped to his feet and gave John his chair. “Mr. Fitzgerald will get Thaddeus to drop the charges. The DA didn’t want to prosecute this case anyway.”
I stilled. Why would John help me? Also, how? Sometimes Thaddeus was stubborn, even with his father.
“Why?” I asked.
John Fitzgerald looked confused. “Do you want to be in prison? According to my son, it’s not a place anyone would want to go.”
“I mean, why the hell would you help me?”
“Summer, it doesn’t matter,” Sean interjected. “We should thank Mr. Fitzgerald.”
Damn. My little attorney was so impressed with the Fitzgeralds that he was now acting like I wasn’t the one paying him.
“She’s right. I’m not helping the daughter of the man who murdered my wife for no reason.”
Murder? It was an accident! Oh God, I couldn’t do this. I stood, ready to leave.
“Public relations is essential for our business right now,” John said, catching my eye. “I can’t have you and Thaddeus in round three of a trial.”
Now, that checked out. John put business before anything. Fine. If he could convince his piece of shit son to do that, it would solve all my problems. Thaddeus would drop the charges, giving me enough time to plan the perfect murder.
“Okay,” I said, shrugging.
“Not so fast.” He held out an arm to stop me from leaving the room. “You’ll also do your part to help Fitzgerald PR.”
My eyes blazed at him. “Like hell I will.”
Sean Harrow looked at me, confused. “It’s jail or you cooperate. Don’t be stupid, Summer. It’s an easy decision.”
As long as Thaddeus was dead before I got sent away, I didn’t care.
“Okay. Go to prison. I’ll pull all my contacts so you can get a speedy trial,” Mr. Fitzgerald said.
Fuck. This wasn’t a murder case that could drag on for months. They could try me and drag me off in a few days. That wasn’t enough time to enact my plan.
“Wait.” I rolled my eyes.
Fitzgerald smirked. “I thought so. Now, everyone in Tarrytown knows of the bad blood between our families. You’ll leave the legal aid office, come work at Fitzgerald, and show everyone the past is the past.”
