“So … what’s next? Are you done? Is there anything else she wants you to do?” I asked.
“I haven’t heard from her in a week or two. She still owes me the other half of the money. So I’m not sure what’s going on. I want to get in touch, but she told me not to.Shereaches out tome. Sometimes she texts me, but usually she just shows up at the coffee shop.”
A plan began to take shape in my mind.
“Alright, Melanie—here’s what we’re going to do. You’re going to get in touch with her now and tell her you need to meet with her. Say there’s been an emergency and you need the other half of your money. Say your dog is sick and you need it to pay for the vet, or whatever—I don’t care. Just come up withsomething. And then you’re going to tell me when and where you’re meeting her.”
Melanie grimaced. “Look, if she finds out I’m talking to you, that I’ve told youanyof this, I’m dead. She’ll send my family that photo, and who knows what else she might do?”
“Well, let’s not forget that I havethisphoto of you,” I held up my phone, “and if you don’t do this, I’m going to turn you into the authorities. Got it?”
Melanie scowled. “You have no idea what you’re doing. Youdo notwant to mess with Nora and Madison. You’re not only going to get me screwed, you’re going to get yourself screwed. And probably your friend too. Is that what you want?”
“Look, Savannah doesn’t deserve this. She was never their surrogate, Melanie—shedatedMax and got pregnant. She didn’t know he was married. She has no idea that they’ve targeted her, and are scheming behind her back to steal her baby. She just thought she was having an innocent fling with a cute guy. I’m not going to let the Clarks take away her child. So either you help me, or I’m turning you in for fraud and impersonating a government employee.”
Melanie was stunned. She turned away for a moment, and I heard her swearing under her breath. Finally, she turned back to me, shaking her head, a disgusted look on her face. “Fine.”
“Good—now get out your phone, and send Nora a message.”
I told my mom I was on my way back to her place and would stay at least another day, maybe a couple of days.
When I got Melanie’s text on the way back, I smiled.
Robin Sweeny Park at 3. Picnic tables behind the basketball court.
Using talk-to-text, I replied:Good. Go meet her as if everything is normal.
I’d be watching.
That night, I lay awake in my childhood bedroom, adrenaline pumping furiously through my veins. Of course, I was exhilarated to have finally learned the truth about Melanie Daniels, Max, and the Clarks—but I was also solidly freaking out about the meetup I’d orchestrated between Nora and Melanie the next day.
What’s your brilliant plan, Jenna?
Also, was it time to clue in Savannah? At some point, she needed to know all of it. And she should probably find herself a new lawyer, because this had the potential to turn very ugly very quickly, once all the blackmail and fraud came out.
Many had warned me that the Clarks were powerful. But at the end of the day, how far would they go to get this baby? To protect their family’s reputation? Not to mention, to stay out of jail? I twisted my blankets into a tangled mess as I agonized.
I’ll wait,I finally decided. I’d fill Savannah in after tomorrow’s meetup.Hopefully then, I’ll have proof.
The more I lay there, going over and over the whole sordid mess, the angrier I got. Who the hell does this family think they are? How dare they mess with people’s lives like this? And to think I’d actually started falling for Max in the beginning! But I was just a distraction from the woman he really loved—his wife. That spoiled, evil, manipulative woman.
I couldn’t wait to see the look in their eyes when they finally learned it was over—that they were finished, that I had done it. That their plan would not succeed. Savannah and I would have justice.
I swiped away a stray tear. For the first time in a year, I felt a tiny seed of hope, deep in my core.I finally have answers. I finally know why this happened to me—and to Savannah. Now it’s time to finish this.
Maybe, when this was all over, I could meet someone new—someone who would actually love me. Then, maybe, I could have a family of my own.
Tomorrow. Three o’clock. Robin Sweeny Park. That’s when it ends—and when the new me begins.
CHAPTER29
THE NEXT DAY,I was too nervous to eat. Three o’clock felt like it would never come. When it was finally time to go, I crushed my mom in a giant hug and promised to visit again soon.
I threw my duffel bag into the backseat of my car; I was planning to head back home to the city after my little adventure at the park. I wanted to fill Savannah in on everything as soon as possible, and help her start looking for a new lawyer. I just needed some proof—like a confession—to seal the deal. That’s where Melanie would come in.
I called her to confirm everything before taking off for Sausalito. She said the meeting with Nora was still on. That’s when I told her the final part of the deal: right before Nora arrived, she would call me and stick her phone in her pocket. I wanted to be able to hear and record everything Nora said. Melanie was to bring up their plan so I could get Nora on record discussing the blackmail and the phony DCS investigation. Melanie was pissed, but she knew she had no choice. I reminded her that getting Nora’s confession would help her out too, if the police came after her—it would prove that Nora had blackmailed her, had forced her into all of it. This was for everyone who had been a victim of the Clarks.
A few minutes before three, as I hid behind a tree some distance away from the picnic table where Melanie sat waiting, I saw a white Mercedes-Benz pull up to the curb and park on the street next to the basketball court. My phone buzzed—it was Melanie, holding up her end. I pressed the phone to my ear in anticipation as the woman I knew must be Nora Clark got out of the car and slung her Louboutin tote over her shoulder. She wore a stylish black dress with a bright pink blazer and black pumps. Her eyes were hidden behind black, cat-eye sunglasses. Her energy was sharp and focused. Melanie gave her a little wave as she approached.
