“Yes!” Carver growled, the sheer indignation in his voice making it easy to believe him.
Peter took a deep breath. Carver hadn’t helped his sister frame him, and he hadn’t known that she was planning to do something like it either.
It still hurt that he’d been involved.
Carver looked down, hands clenching like he wanted to reach out and grab him but was holding himself back. “Peter, I didn’t help your sister or uncle frame you, you have to believe me.”
“I do,” Peter said.
“Oh,” Carver said like he’d been prepared for Peter to say the opposite. He rubbed the back of his neck. “That’s good.”
“I’m going to go,” Angela said, stepping around Carver and shooting Peter a look like she was almost sorry. “If you want to call, you have my number.”
Carver sat down, looking down at the table and then up at Peter.
“I’m sorry, I—”
“Can you let me think for a second?” Peter interrupted, trying to sort out his feelings.
“Of course.” Carver folded his hands on the table, waiting for Peter to talk.
“Did you know that the lawyers at Abbott and Peterson would help my uncle and sister break the law?”
Carver shook his head. “I expected them to help your uncle and sisterskirtthe law, but not outright break it.”
Peter took a deep breath. Carver sounded like he was telling the truth, but it was a weird coincidence nonetheless.
“I believe you,” Peter said, speaking honestly.
“If I thought that your sister was going to put someone in a position of being accused of money laundering, I never would have referred her toanyone,” Carver said. “I would have reported her to the authorities immediately.”
“She knows that the pardon is fake,” Peter said, changing the subject.
“How?” Carver’s brow furrowed.
“She asked the employees at the matching center if they recognized me, and one of them did.” Peter shrugged. “She didn’t believe that I would be able to get a pardon on my own.”
Carver chewed on his bottom lip. “Do you think she’ll say anything?”
Peter shook his head, telling Carver about her demand for the password.
“So she blackmailed you,” Carver stated, scowling. Peter nodded, and Carver scoffed. “And she wants you to call her?”
“I guess,” Peter said. “She’s very good at compartmentalizing.”
Carver was still scowling, deep in thought and staring down at the table. Glancing over at the counter, Peter saw Zack and Betty staring at him with undisguised curiosity.
“Can we just pretend that didn’t happen?” Peter asked, his voice a little too abrupt. Carver looked up sharply.
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing has changed. My sister consulted with you, but nothing came of it. Let’s put it behind us and eat. I’m hungry.”
“If that’s what you want,” Carver said, sounding like that was very much what he wanted too.
Peter rose, his legs a little unsteady from earlier, but not so bad that he had to steady himself. “We have good quiche, does that sound okay?”
Carver nodded, and Peter went over to the counter to get some quiche. Since it was freshly baked, he’d have to pay for it, but he got an employee discount.
