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“Why would Charles kill him?”
“Money. Power. It does crazy things to people. He could have gotten spooked.”
Theo shakes his head. “He wanted his daughter married off that bad? She didn’t need my stature or money. They were—”
“Bankrupt.” He hands Theo another folder. “The proof is in these documents. When your father and Charles met, Charles’ business was failing. Your father offered to save his company and merge the two once the land side of the business was created.”
“But why?”
“I assume for the same reason—money and power. It gave Alfred the means to acquire land on false pretenses. Monroe Investment Corp grew by millions that year. It wasn’t because of a lucky market or talent. It was because he had Charles producing fraudulent reports, just as you suspected.”
“I know all this, but why bring me into this?”
“For one, you’re his son. If he couldn’t pull your strings and trust you to fall in line, then who could he?”
“And Alana? Why would my father agree to Charles’ terms? Go along with their accusations?”
Craig purses his lips.
Geez, how many folders does he have? Craig hands him another set of papers. “It came in late last night. I was waiting to show you this morning, but my investigator finally found the girl.” Theo’s head whips up to Craig. “This is good for us. But Theo, it’s going to be hard to digest.”
Theo scans the first page.
The paper trembles in his grip. He’s shaking. “Theo, what is it?”
“I’m sorry,” Craig says.
He continues to read, his fingers gripping the document.
“What? Will someone please fill me in—”
“It’s a confession. It wasn’t Charles behind this. It was my father.”
My head snaps to Theo. He’s still staring at the paper, not even reading the words anymore.
Theo doesn’t go on, so Craig says what he’s struggling to. “It appears the girl Theo allegedly raped—”
“There was no fucking rape.”
“I know. Theo, I’m on your side.” He addresses us both. “Her name is Stacey Gilmore. She was a waitress at one of the social clubs your father frequented. Shortly before you came home from college, Alfred approached her with an opportunity he knew she wouldn’t refuse.” He stalls, assessing Theo before going on. “He offered her five hundred thousand dollars to take specific photos with you.”
“I never touched her.”
“She knows. She admitted to knowing you were drugged. She didn’t do anything with you, only posed for pictures she was assured would never be seen in the public eye.” Theo covers his mouth, scrubbing his hand down his chin. I reach out and snuggle into his side for support. “She was let into the room by a young blonde. You were already naked and passed out, and they maneuvered you into compromising positions to implicate you for potential rape. She admits you never touched her.”
The papers fall from Theo’s grip. He has yet to say anything or show any reaction to this news. “Theo, are you okay?”
“He set this up.”
“I’m sorry, Theo. I know you. . . we assumed it was Charles.”
“And this. . . this girl. She let this happen and allowed people to think I—”
“Alfred did his homework. She had a baby at the time and was struggling. Hence why she was working at the club. She regrets it, of course, but she did what she thought was right for her child.”
“And now?”
“With that money, she took her daughter out of a bad situation. Went back to school. Bought a house. She’s made a safe life for herself and her child. It doesn’t fix what she’s done, but she didn’t do it for nothing.”
