I was perpetually worried about the kids, especially Ayla. Then there were the break-ins. Would there be another intrusion? The constant uncertainty made it even harder to sleep at night.
At least I now hadBinti. Not only did she make me feel safer, but she was also good company, following me everywhere, quietly dozing in my office while I worked and happily curling up in her new dog bed beside me at night. Her presence made evenings more tolerable.
We’d quickly settled into a routine. A long walk first thing in the morning, followed by her breakfast. After lunch, it was time for another walk, this one shorter, just around the block. After dinner, we took aquick stroll up the street and back. Just before bed, I let her out for a few minutes to do her business before we turned in for the night.
As advertised,Bintibarked noisily whenever an unknown person came to the door to deliver a package or on other business. In the past, I would have found a dog’s constant barking at strangers very annoying. Now, I couldn’t be happier.
I was learning to operate solo.
I leftBintiat home in her crate when I went to meet Nasser in Reston, where Fred Perkins had an office. Perkins’s law firm was situated in a high-rise that towered over a busy town center. Under the terms of the deal, Nasser and I were required to view the FiveA’s operating agreement in Perkins’s office. As soon as Nasser and I arrived, we were shown to a conference room with a glass wall that looked out on the corridor.
“Remember,” Nasser said as we took our seats. “We’re not allowed to take notes or pictures of the document.”
“They’re acting like they’re the CIA or something. These people need to relax.” Not that I could. My nerves were tight, and my heart thumped heavy against my ribs. Here it was. The moment of truth. After weeks of wondering, I’d finally begin to unearth the secrets about Cozy Glenn. I hoped with everything in me that the LLC papers would somehow exonerate Ali, leaving my memories of him intact. Not only because I needed Ali to be who I thought he was. But also because of what revelations about a secret girlfriend would say about how naive and easily duped I’d been.
An assistant brought the document in and set it on the table in front of Nasser. It was short, just a few pages. I inched closer while the assistant quietly departed, closing the glass door behind her. Nasser zeroed in on the key elements before I’d even started scanning the contract.
“Only two officers. One is Ali.”
“And the other?” My eyes searched the written agreement, trying to see where Nasser was reading.
“Samantha Price.”
“Who?” I didn’t immediately compute his answer. “What?”
He pointed to her name on the paper. “See it there?”
“Who the hell is Samantha Price?” I burst out in frustrated disbelief. “First Carol Darius and now Samantha Price?” Instead of providing answers and closure, the operating agreement generated more questions and confusion. Tears rose in my throat; I swallowed them down.
“It doesn’t say who she is,” Nasser answered quietly, soothingly. “But she is the woman who got the house. You’ve never heard of her?”
“No. Never.” Then I realized that wasn’t true. “Wait ... I may have seen the name before, but I can’t remember where.”
“Maybe it’ll come to you.”
“There’s no mention of Carol Darius in the entire thing?”
“Let me make sure.” He read the document to himself while I tried to compose myself. I didn’t want to cry in front of Nasser and everyone at the Perkins firm who happened to pass by the conference room.
I blinked back tears. “This is unbelievable,” I hissed, reaching into my purse for my phone.
“What are you doing?” Nasser put his large hand on my arm, firmly but gently stopping me from pulling my mobile out.
“What do you think? I’m going to google Samantha Price. Maybe that will jog my memory.”
“Put the phone away.” The words were decisive. Serious. “The terms of the agreement dictate that we not access our phones while we have the document.”
“Oh.” I left the phone where it was. “I forgot.” While Nasser continued to study the contract, I racked my brain, trying to remember where I’d seen Samantha Price’s name before. It was just on the edge of my memory. I’d seen the name in writing. I could picture it. But where? “Oh my God.”
He looked up. “What is it?”
“I know where I’ve seen that name before. It was on one of Ali’s Facebook posts. She left a comment on an old photo of us with the kids saying that he had a lovely family or something like that.”
Nasser set the document down. “I wonder how he knew her.”
“Her Facebook had almost no info on it.”
“What the fuck was Ali doing?” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “A secret house. These women that nobody close to him has ever heard of. It’s like I never knew the guy.”
