Fidelity (Infidelity #5)

“I AM READY to get out of this fucking town, this fucking state. They’ve all gone mad,” I said to anyone and no one. The only one to hear was Charli. Thankfully we’d finally been left alone. It seemed like forever since we had. Not that a hotel suite was the same as our apartment, but the relief that accompanied the solitude was revitalizing.

Chelsea hadn’t stopped crying since we’d left Hamilton and Porter. Maybe she had. Now that she was in her own suite, I didn’t know. For the longest time she didn’t want to leave our sides. I couldn’t blame her reaction after the number Porter had done on her. Charli even offered to stay with her; however, honestly, I was more receptive to Isaac’s offer. He promised not to leave the front room of her suite. She could sleep and he’d make sure no one entered. Though she’d been hesitant to accept his offer, it was obvious he was more of a deterrent to unwanted visitors than Charli.

Chelsea hadn’t been sure who she feared more would knock on her door: the Savannah-Chatham police or Spencer.

Deloris recommended restraining orders to protect both Chelsea and Charli. While it seemed like a smart legal move, I knew there was no way anyone was getting through my people or me. It wasn’t happening. I’d lay down my life for Charli.

We had eyes on Spencer. So far, after leaving the jail, he’d stayed put at Carmichael Hall. According to aerial news footage, the house was clear. It was a nearby building—Charli said they were garages—that was roped off as a crime scene.

Deloris had Charli’s phone, the one Fitzgerald had given to her. Everyone already knew she was in Savannah; it wouldn’t be that difficult to pinpoint her location. Other than her clandestine rendezvous with Jane and our legal meetings, we’d been imprisoned as much as Spencer. It wasn’t only the press that was hounding both Charli and also Chelsea, but also their concern over meeting Fitzgerald or Spencer.

Charli huffed as she settled on the sofa with her laptop. “I want to leave too, but Daryl said that if Chelsea left before giving the police a chance to question her again, it could look suspicious.”

“She has Isaac. We can even leave Deloris. I could whisk you back to New York.”

“I want that too.” Her golden eyes lit with happiness. “My mom sounds… good. I’d like to see her.”

“Did she really say she was going to call Daryl about a divorce?”

“Yes.” Charli looked down at her screen. “It’s after seven. She may have already done it.”

I sat beside her, the sofa bowing to my weight as I let out a long breath and fell against the soft cushioned back. “Come on, princess, let’s go back to New York.” I reached for her sock covered feet as her toes burrowed against my leg. “Not even Rye. Let’s go back to our place. We won’t tell anyone and…” I pulled her feet until her legs were straightened over my lap. “…I’ll show you my cape.”

A stunning smile widened across her lips as I rubbed the arches of her feet.

“That feels so good,” she cooed. “You better stop or I may fall asleep.”

“That’s not exactly what I had in mind.”

“Your cape?” she asked. “Really? I was beginning to think it didn’t exist.”

“It’s all part of the myth, the legend. If I’d shown it to you too soon, you wouldn’t have truly appreciated it.”

Charli laughed. “There isn’t anything you’ve shown me so far that I haven’t appreciated.”

“I like the sound of that.”

She shook her head and looked back at the laptop. “I know I should be working on schoolwork, but I’m trying to see what I can find. I mean, the state has charged Bryce. They can’t charge Chelsea too, unless it’s as an accessory.”

I laid my head back and closed my eyes. “She has a solid alibi. She was out, all over Savannah, all day.”

“And she was alone.”

“But Deloris has obtained more than a few of the stores’ surveillance. Chelsea was on the footage. It’s all dated and time stamped. Deloris is working on the timetable. Traffic, distance, time spent in each establishment.”

Charli nodded again. “I know it’s her. You know it’s her, but with the big sunglasses she was wearing, it’s not exactly conclusive. In the pictures, in all honesty, it could be me.” She shook her head. “Daryl said Ralph could just be blowing smoke, but I think establishing an ironclad alibi is her best defense. She signed for some of the merchandise. Deloris is securing all the transactions.”

I lifted my head. “Why would he show his hand?”

“What do you mean?”

“He could have had Chelsea on the stand and taken that line of questioning. If he had, he could have, at the very least, established a shred of doubt in the prosecution’s case, made the jury question her alibi, especially with the sunglasses. Instead, he showed his hand. He’s giving us time to refute him long before this thing goes to trial. It doesn’t make sense.”