Page 39 of Tell Me Your Lies

I shake my head. “He couldn’t get on the yacht, not without ID. It can’t be him.”

“The thing is, Alani, no one would know anything about Damon. He could have been a guest’s plus-one. His name would have been taken before boarding and checked off when he left. The cops have that information.” Brunel clears his throat. “Do you believe that the secret that Susan planned to tell you was something about the night of your birth?” He stares at me. “Something that Isabelle has been withholding for many years?”

I wrap my trembling hands around the hot paper cup and take a sip of the disgusting coffee. As it slides down my throat, I shrug. “It’s a tangled mess. I believe that Susan had something to tell me about Rachel, my birth mother. I didn’t believe that Isabelle was involved. I can’t make head nor tail of it; everything is so twisted. All I know is that my birth mother, Rachel, was right in the middle of everything. She gave me up for a better life but for some reason her involvement with Isabelle continued. I believe that reason died with her and Susan.”

“Just a minute.” Brunel stands and knocks on the door. “I need to speak to Isabelle and get to the bottom of this. Eat something. I’ll be back very shortly.”

I search his face. “Isabelle is here?”

“She’s on her way.” He slips through the door.

In the silent room all I can think of is Brunel’s words. “You are not a match with the DNA found under Allison’s nails.” Thank God I didn’t kill her. I stare at the pack of sandwiches and, suddenly hungry, I finally open them and take a bite. They are certainly better than the coffee. I chew slowly and allow everything that’s happened to percolate through my mind. Did one of the Boswells kill Allison to keep Isabelle’s secret? Is that why they’re checking all the tests again? A horrible feeling creeps around me so tight, it’s like it’s strangling me. Lucas, the person I call my friend—or is he? Is he using me to cover his own guilt?

FIFTY

Isabelle

Cops drag me from my bed in the middle of the night and as I climb into the back of a patrol car, I see Mia being questioned by a woman cop. The detective who read me my rights is cool and professional. He doesn’t care if I’m famous or not. To him I’m just a perpetrator. We run the gauntlet through the paparazzi. Cameras flash and I duck my head, covering my face with my hands. I don’t know what’s happened to Linc. I’ve heard nothing since they took him and Alani away. When we arrive at the police station two uniformed officers escort me inside through the throng of people crowding around the entrance. I’ve already been searched and I detested having a man’s hands all over me. I’m used to people staring at me so walking through the office doesn’t really concern me but it does when David Brunel meets me at an open door and we go inside. “Where’s Linc? Is he okay? What’s happening?”

“Sit down, Isabelle, we have a lot to discuss.” Brunel sits opposite me and picks up a pen beside a legal pad on the desk. “I want you to forget all the fantasies and the lies that you’ve told over the years and tell me the truth about what happened the night that Mia was born. You should be aware that Allison gave a flash drive to Alani. It contained everything that Jenny discovered about the night you and Rachel Stackhouse gave birth to daughters. They also discovered that the story you told about Barnes storming the hospital to kill Rachel was a complete fabrication. They have reason to believe that Rachel was blackmailing you in the month before someone murdered her. Since everyone was DNA tested, we believe we know some of the story but not the reason why.” He stares at me with a serious expression. “Was Rachel Stackhouse blackmailing you?”

I feel tears well and nod. “Yes, and I paid her but she kept coming back for more.”

“So, you killed her?” Brunel’s gaze doesn’t leave my face. “I’m your lawyer, I need to know the truth if I’m going to defend you.”

I shake my head. “I didn’t kill Rachel.” I think back to the last time I met her in some dive motel and gave her a wad of bills. “She’d kept her word for years but then she fell on hard times and thought I was an ATM. Yes, I wanted to kill her but I didn’t.”

“Why was she blackmailing you, Isabelle?” Brunel makes notes on the legal pad and then raises his eyes back to me. “I’d like to know the reason.”

I remember the night as if it were yesterday and my stomach cramps. “I did it for Linc but if he discovers the truth, he’d never understand.”

“Did what?” Brunel fixes me with a feral stare.

It’s almost a relief to tell him. “I swapped the babies.” I see his face tighten and need to explain. “I’d told Linc I’d finished an affair but it went on longer than I admitted. When I saw my baby girl, with blonde hair, I knew he’d take one look at her and know she wasn’t his. Rachel’s baby was dark haired just like Linc, and she didn’t want her, so I made an agreement. I paid her a ton of cash for her silence. I kept paying her because Linc would divorce me if he found out and I’d be stuck with someone else’s baby to raise on my own—and you know Linc owns everything. He gives me plenty of cash but we have a prenup. He’s never trusted me.”

“Who else knew about the swap?” Brunel makes more notes.

I shake my head. “No one.” I raise my chin. “I told no one. Nobody saw me change the bands on the babies either. I stole some from the nurse’s station when she was away and replaced them on the babies and I kept Rachel’s baby beside my bed. From that moment, she was my daughter and I cared for her. Look at her now, she fits right in. Linc never suspected anything.”

“Did you even care what happened to your real daughter?” He rubs his chin.

I shake my head. “She was going to a good home. I knew she’d be okay. I’ve never given her a second thought.”

“Really?” Brunel clears his throat. “Actually, you know her quite well.”

I swallow hard, trying to imagine who he could be talking about. “I’ve met her? No, that’s impossible.”

“She’s living with you.” He leans back, observing me. “Alani Fairchild is your daughter. The DNA tests confirm it.”

FIFTY-ONE

Alani

I’m dog-tired, and my eyes are so dry I can hardly blink. I fold my arms on the table and lay my head down on them. The blanket offers me a modicum of warmth. The room at least has a clock, not like the timeless dungeon they kept me in before. I stare at it watching the second hand tick away the time. It becomes mesmerizing and each time it hits twelve, it gives a little shudder as if reluctant to go around again. I’m still not sure what’s happening. Will they allow me to go home—and where is home? New York, my adoptive parents’ house or will Isabelle still want her story told? Exhaustion grips me and I close my eyes and startle awake when the door opens. I glance at the clock to see that three hours have passed. I blink and my throat is like sandpaper. I push to a sitting position and stare at Detective Watkins and Brunel. The latter places a to-go cup of good coffee in front of me and a bag of donuts.

“Sorry, it’s the only place I could find open.” Brunel sits down beside me. “There are parts of your story I needed to tell Detective Watkins about. I also spoke to Isabelle and she gave me some details. She was being blackmailed by Rachel over an incident that happened the night you and Mia were born.”

“We’ve found Damon Barnes and he was doing time when Rachel Stackhouse was murdered, and he wasn’t a passenger or staff member on the yacht. He is someone we’ll be watching but he’s in the clear as far as we can tell.” Watkins opens his hands. “We need to know what you found on the flash drives. We obtained a warrant to seize the files and there are no flash drives in your room and your laptop has been reset. It’s literally empty. Who would have reason to do this?”