I think about Alice in that coffee shop, people calling her a liar. About her mother choosing Lance over her own daughter. About Tracy pressuring her to sign that statement.
If I do this—if I confront Tracy—it destroys any chance Alice has of a relationship with her mother. Not that there's much left to destroy.
“I want to talk to Tracy.”
“Officially?”
“Not yet. Give her one chance to make this right.”
Chris nods. “Just be careful. She’s not going to take this well.”
“She’s been fighting dirty for years. Time someone fought back.”
After Chris leaves, I sit in the booth going through the folder again. Six women. Six times Lance hurt someone, and six times Tracy made sure he faced nothing.
Until Alice.
Alice is the first one who didn’t back down. Who didn’t let Tracy’s threats and bribes make her disappear. And now Tracy’s trying to destroy both of us to protect her income.
Not anymore.
I pay for the coffee and head to my truck. Snow's coming down harder now, coating the windshield. My hands grip the steering wheel until my knuckles go white.
Six women. Six times Tracy chose money over doing the right thing.
But Alice didn't back down. Alice didn't let Tracy make her disappear.
I've got everything I need to end Tracy Campbell's career. And this time, there's no amount of money that will make this go away.
Time to show her what happens when someone finally fights back.
Chapter 37
Sawyer
Tracyarrivesfifteenminuteslate, which doesn’t surprise me. She’s wearing her usual work clothes and that fake smile she uses when she thinks she’s in control.
I’m already seated in the same corner booth where I met Chris yesterday, the manila folder closed on the table beside my coffee cup. Tracy slides into the seat across from me, looking around the nearly empty diner with obvious distaste. Her perfume is too strong in the small booth.
“Charming place,” she says, settling her purse in her lap.
I ignore the jab. “Though I suppose it suits you.”
“Thanks for coming.”
“Your phone call was rather demanding.” Tracy signals the waitress for coffee. “I hope this won’t take long. I have real work to do.”
“I’m sure the Carlston family keeps you busy.”
Something flickers across her face, but she recovers quickly. “I don't know what Alice has told you about my job—”
“This isn’t about what Alice told me.” I open the folder and slide the first document across the table. “This is about Jennifer Walsh.”
Tracy goes very still. Her eyes drop to the police report, and I watch the color drain from her face.Good.She recognizes it.
For a moment, she doesn't speak. Just stares at Jennifer Walsh's name like seeing a ghost. I wonder if Alice knows how desperate her mother is to keep this job. Desperate enough to cover for Lance every single time.
“I don’t know what this is supposed to prove.”
