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Subject: Urgent
Joey, Your suspicions were correct. Call me as soon as you can.
Ryan
I don’t want Kelsey to be worried about me again, so I pop my head out the patio door. “Ryan found something, I’m going to call him.”
Kelsey’s eyes widen as she grabs a towel and gets out of the hot tub. “I want to hear what he found.”
I nod my head in agreeance — she should be in the know of what’s going on. I dial Ryan’s number, putting it on speakerphone as I set the phone on the counter.
“Hey, Joey,” Ryan’s voice echoes in the large room.
“Hi Ryan. Kelsey’s here too. What’d you find?” I try to mask the anticipation in my voice, but I’m so ready for this bullshit to be over.
“Well, Kelsey’s hunch about how Grant won his cases was somewhat correct. He wasn’t blackmailing clients, he was bribing them. My cybersecurity contact found numerous wire transfers coinciding with trial dates. We’re pulling up his court cases to see if the names match up to the transfers.” Ryan pauses for a moment to allow the information to sink in. “He also found a confirmation email in his inbox that showed the purchase of the tracking device you found.”
Kelsey lets out a sharp breath as if she’d been holding it in the entire time Ryan was speaking. I pull her into my arms and stroke her hair, silently assuring her that everything will be okay.
“Ryan, there’s been another development,” Kelsey announces over my shoulder.
“What happened?” Ryan’s voice catches as he asks.
I explain what happened this afternoon for the third time today, which does nothing but revive my anxiety about the situation. “You might want to get in contact with the Lake Geneva PD and get a copy of the arrest report.”
Ryan lets out an irritated sigh. “This asshole has some gall, I’ll give him that — but he just dug his own grave.”
“Were you able to find out if he had anything to do with the vandalism to my shop?” My fingers nervously drum on the countertop as I wait for his answer.
“Nothing that would concretely prove it — he was good about not discussing it in writing. He did wire money to someone the day of the incident, but that could be for anything.” I can hear the dismay in Ryan’s voice that he hasn’t found any evidence.
“So, what do we do from here?” Kelsey asks anxiously.
“You two don’t need to do anything. Max and I will handle the anonymous delivery of this information to the District Attorney.“ He emphasizes the word. “I’ll also be submitting this to the state bar. The arrest report alone should be enough for an automatic disbarment, even if it’s from another state.”
The news that Grant will be stripped of his power sends a wash of calm over me. But when I look at Kelsey, I don’t see the same feeling reflected in her eyes. I see a mix of fear and anger.
Ryan clears his throat before he speaks again. “I’ll keep you guys posted as things progress. Just hang in there a little while longer, okay?”
“Thanks, Ryan.” I hang up the phone, not taking my eyes off of Kelsey. “What’s going through your mind?”
“He’s not going to roll over and accept this, Joey. He’s going to come after me.”
“You don’t know that, Angel. But let’s say for sake of argument that you’re right. You’re safe with me — I’d walk through fire if it ensured you were protected.”
Chapter 51
A wave of nerves wash over me as we drive home from the cabin. The rest of the weekend passed by far too quickly. Joey did his best to keep me… distracted… from my worries, but they still lingered at the back of my mind.
The Lake Geneva Police informed us that Grant was released from the county jail after 24 hours on the condition that he return promptly to Oak Park. If he was caught anywhere near our rental, he’d be thrown right back into a cell. I don’t know how to feel about him being back out on the streets, possibly lurking somewhere we’d never see him coming.
After Max texted Joey this morning, asking to meet with us, I texted Principal Morris and told her I’d be taking the day off.
Joey senses my returning anxiety from the driver’s seat. “Kelsey, everything is going to be okay — I promise. Once he’s lost his law license, he’ll have no more power over us.”
“If he loses his license. How do you know he’s not going to find a way out of it?” I wouldn’t be surprised if he managed to pull it off somehow.
“There’s a snowball’s chance in hell that that would happen. With all of the evidence stacked against him, he’ll be lucky to avoid time in prison.”
