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“Excuse me, Harlow. It appears your father is commenting in the chat room that these are the actions of a petulant, spoiled only child. Do you have anything you’d like to say?”
“Indeed, I do,” she said with a sad smile. “Perhaps my father and mother would like to explain to the public how theirotherdaughter was murdered by the very men they handed her to. I am not an only child. My sister, Garbo Judge, was given to men as a sexual trade for a debt my father owed. She was sexually, physically, and psychologically abused and murdered. I’m sure my father will add that it cannot be proven, but he’s wrong.
“Thanks to some supportive help from a few amazing friends, my sister’s grave was discovered in our very backyard. At this moment, her body is being examined ad-nauseam by an independent coroner and forensic expert. Do not buy into whatever my father is selling. He is trying to cover for himself and my mother.”
She took a sip of water, exhausted from the long press conference. Continuing to stare into the camera, she waited to see if Lane had any other questions worth answering.
“There is one more question, Harlow. Do you believe that the president is aware of your father’s alleged criminal activity?” Harlow stared into the camera, her eyes boring into the viewers on the other end.
“I pray for his soul if he is aware.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
“What the hell is she doing?” frowned Spencer. “Maxine! What is she doing?”
“She’s getting even with us,” said his wife, taking another swig of the whiskey in her glass. She turned to see the maid standing in the corner. “Another, Luvenia.”
The maid nodded, pouring another glass for the woman. Her drinking was at epic levels lately, and judging from the television, there were reasons.
“Slow down,” said Spencer, staring at her. “We’re going to have to appear in public and answer this bullshit. I need you to be sharp!”
“I’m as sharp as it’s gonna get, Spencer. You and Seth started this bullshit, not me. I agreed to everything simply because the sex was fun and exciting. I didn’t mind trading my body for a few favors. Yea, it was brutal sometimes, but it was the price to pay for all the luxury. I never agreed to using our daughters.”
“Don’t be so pious with me,” he frowned. “You fucking knew everything! You and Seth were spending more and more time together. You knew it all, and you were in on it. Don’t even think about pretending to be the innocent spouse with me.”
“But I am innocent,” she smiled, batting her eyes. “I’m the innocent, battered wife who was forced to do unspeakable, unimaginable things with my spouse’s debtors. It was terrible.” She laughed a cackling sound, and Spencer just stared at her. She’d sell him out in a second if she thought she could get away with it. He couldn’t kill her. That would be too obvious. When the phone rang, he knew who it would be.
“Spencer Judge,” he said quietly.
“We have a problem,” said the man on the phone. “Your daughter is interfering in our plan, and I don’t like interference. You and I had a deal, Spencer. Seth jumping to his death was convenient and timely. Saved me the cost of a bullet. But since we still have no idea where your daughter is, this is tough.
“How did she get all the papers? Where did she find all of that?”
“I’m not sure. She said she took them from the house, and I suppose that’s possible. But it doesn’t explain how she got into the safes. If I accuse her of that, they’ll know that I had all of that documentation in my home. Let me think for a while.”
“Don’t take too long. We’ve got things to do.”
He disconnected the call, then looked up and tapped away on his phone again. The chat room was a safe place to ask questions without appearing in person or having to hear yourself on live television.
“Excuse me, Harlow. It appears your father is commenting in the chat room that these are the actions of a petulant, spoiled only child. Do you have anything you’d like to say?”
“Indeed, I do,”she said with a sad smile.“Perhaps my father and mother would like to explain to the public how their other daughter was murdered by the very men they handed her to. I am not an only child. My sister, Garbo Judge, was given to men as a sexual trade for a debt my father owed. She was sexually, physically, and psychologically abused and murdered. I’m sure my father will add that it cannot be proven, but he’s wrong.
“Thanks to some supportive help from a few amazing friends, my sister’s grave was discovered in our very backyard. At this moment, her body is being examined ad-nauseam by an independent coroner and forensic expert. Do not buy into whatever my father is selling. He is trying to cover for himself and my mother.”
“How did she know she was buried there?” gasped Maxine. “How? How did she even know she had a sister?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know,” he said, shaking his head. His wife stood, slamming her empty glass on the table. “Where the hell are you going?”
“I’m going to pack. I’ll take a few weeks and go to Paris or London for a while. Let this all blow over, and then I’ll come back.”
“Do you honestly believe they’re going to let you leave the country right now? You can bet your sweet ass that an open investigation is going to happen. We will have to find a way out of this.”
“A way out? Are you mad? There is no way out, Spencer. All of your lovely documentation is proof of what you and Seth did. You two are responsible for this. There is nothing to prove otherwise.” She stormed off to their bedroom, the maid still standing vigil behind him.
“What’s for dinner, Luvenia?”
“Lasagna, sir. I can always freeze it if you’d prefer something else.” He continued to stare at the television as his phone nearly vibrated off the table with calls, texts, and e-mails.
