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Her voice trembles. Her face looks so solemn. Maybe I’m a stupid schmuck, but I want to believe her.
If she’s telling the truth… God, the enormity of Barclay Reed’s dirty deception hits me square in the gut. It’s so horrific it almost doesn’t compute. My father would have done anything to make me happy and help me succeed. I was stubborn and I didn’t always want his advice. Sometimes I refused to do something his way without first trying my own, but he would never, ever have plotted to throw me under the bus to save himself.
The cynic in my head reminds me again that she could be lying…but if she wanted to con me into believing how innocent she is, wouldn’t she would have spoon-fed me an elaborate story up front? Why would she have waited days and sobbed through the explanation that seemed equal parts blunt and self-critical?
I have a choice to make. But right now, I only see one. I’m putting my faith in Bethany. I’m choosing her.
As I hold her shuddering body against me, the implications of her tale hit home. He used Bethany’s brain, pimped out her body, and took advantage of her need for his attention and approval—for a fucking decade—then tried to throw shade her way so he could escape both his wife and prison in one fell swoop.
Barclay Reed left a lot of victims in the wake of his appalling scam, but Bethany was the ultimate one. He betrayed her as a human being, a boss, and a father.
I wish I hadn’t merely eavesdropped on their conversation earlier. I wish I’d killed him.
“Oh, sweetheart. I’m so sorry. That must have hurt so damn much. But the FBI cleared you, right?”
“They wanted to arrest me on principle, but the feds declined to file charges. It was touch-and-go for a while. I spent so much money on attorneys… Finally, they stopped viewing me as a suspect, but everyone else is still suspicious. Everyone. Paul Daniels? I can’t convince him that I had nothing to do with his money disappearing because I was the face of Reed Financial. Whenever he’d call in the past, I could tell him at the touch of a button what was happening with his money. So in his mind, I not only knew the funds had been swindled, I was in on it. No amount of logic has convinced him otherwise. It’s been that way with so many of my clients and their families…”
Including me. I’m part of the reason she’s crying now. Paul Daniels approached Bethany head on. He demanded information and repayment…and yeah, he was an absolute insulting douche about it. But at least he didn’t lie to her.
I did.
“I can’t tell you how many desperate calls and emails I had to ignore on advice from my attorneys since anything I said could and would be used against me…”
Which probably explains why she never answered any of my questions or accusations.
“It’s been a lot to handle. But I tried to do the right thing. An attorney friend of mine, Kathryn, helped me set up a nonprofit corporation for the victims and their families. I donated a hundred thousand dollars to the fund. I had to do something. The victims have suffered so much at my father’s hands, and I didn’t see what was happening in time to stop it. The money I gave isn’t much in the face of what Barclay stole, but was all I had to offer. I’d love to give more once the feds unfreeze my accounts, but I don’t have much liquid cash left.”
I’m stunned. Despite everything Bethany has been through, everything she probably realized she would go through in the future, she gave up the financial security she had to help others. How many people would do that? How many would bother while they were having to work so hard to simply survive?
“That’s an amazing gesture, Beth. Incredibly selfless.”
“I had plans to do more, like fundraising with corporations I’ve worked with over the years. When I started soliciting donations before I left San Diego, I quickly realized that everyone viewed my attempts to help as either a stunt to deflect my guilt or another greedy money grab. So I stepped aside and let Kathryn manage the fund.” She closes her eyes, looking as if she’s fighting tears. “The investments are growing nicely since I’m quietly managing everything in the background, but donations have become a lot brisker without my involvement.”
And Bethany feels rejected. I hurt for her. She’s been used, betrayed, and snubbed at every turn. And still, she chose to give back to others. I’m not convinced I would have been half that altruistic.
I wish like hell I could erase all that for her and make her happy. But I don’t have a magic wand, so I simply hold her tighter. “I’m sorry, Beth. Nothing has been easy for you.”
