He rode the elevator to the basement level, then descended a set of stairs and walked the darkened corridor to the northeast corner of the building. On this level, he ran into no one because the sub-basement wasn’t on any of the DOJ maps. He tapped twice on an unmarked metal door at the end of the hallway.
It opened, and Sin stepped into the small, windowless room and shut the door behind him. A slender man, known as Z, and only to a select few, returned to his desk, but Sin stood. Even if he’d wanted to sit, there was no guest chair. This office was the exact opposite of Birdie’s. A metal desk, an old chair, a laptop, and a glaring light bulb filled the small space.
“What do you know?” Sin asked.
“Only that it’s not Ms. Worthington. Birdie covered his trail on this one. There were a few business trips that I’m checking into. I’ll let you know if I find anything.”
“Thanks.” Sin reached into the breast pocket of his cashmere coat and dropped a sealed white envelope on the desk.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I don’thaveto do anything,” Sin said with a wry smile.
The slight man laughed. “No, I guess you don’t.”
* * *
Evangeline sipped the hot chamomile tea, waiting for her sister to ask about the video. Ten joyful minutes passed while Hannah updated her on her prenatal doctor’s appointment.
“Best news is that you and our future NFL kicker are doing great,” Evangeline said.
“I think he’s got the hiccups.” Hannah placed her hand on her tummy. “Such an active little boy. How will I ever keep up with him?”
“I have every confidence in you.” Evangeline set the mug down and turned toward her sister. “I’ve got to talk to you about something.”
“Okay.” Hannah sipped her tea, then set the mug on the table.
“A sex video was released and it’s been trending on social media.”
Hannah’s grimace didn’t help. Despite their being close, Evangeline had never confided her sexual fetish or how she’d acted on it. “It’s…” Evangeline hesitated, wondering if there was some way to keep from upsetting her. “It’s of your dad and—”
For as large as Hannah was, she jetted off the sofa as a wail erupted out of her. “Noooooo. No way.”
Evangeline knew better than to console her sister. On the rare occasion when Hannah did get upset, she liked her space, so Evangeline waited. After a moment, Hannah sunk down beside her.
“Are you sure? Why would he and Charlene post something like that? Why would they even make that kind of video?”
“It’s not Charlene. Birdie is with another woman…and everyone thinks it’s me.”
Silence.
Too much silence for too many seconds.
Hannah just stared at her, mouth agape. Then, she murmured, “I think I’m going to be sick.” But Hannah never moved. She just sat there, frozen to the spot.
“It’s not me in the video.” Evangeline tried to keep any emotion from her voice, but the situation was disturbing, at the very least. “The woman is masked and she has long, dark hair. She never faces the camera, plus the lighting in the video is pretty bad, on purpose, I’m sure. The media jumped to the conclusion that it’s me and I’m being slut shamed on social media. The worst part is that I’ve been forced to take A.L.—administrative leave—pending an internal investigation.” Evangeline rarely cried, but her eyes misted and she pushed off the sofa, determined to conceal her exasperation.
Her sister rushed to her side, folding her into a warm, nurturing hug. Relief washed over her and she held on to that lifeline.
“I’m so sorry,” Hannah whispered. “And I’m disgusted…shocked, really.”
As Evangeline broke away, she could see the pain on Hannah’s face. “Thank you for believing me.”
“Oh, my God, Evangeline. You wouldn’t screw my dad.” She grimaced. “He was your stepdad. That’s disgusting.”
“I’ve never heard you use the word ‘screw’, ever.”
“Well, I can’t call it lovemaking and I don’t want to drop the f-bomb around the baby.”
