Wouldn’t the wounds be proof that she’d been attacked? But Rory would only say she was defending herself.
Lake fumbled in her muddied purse for her BlackBerry. Miraculously it was dry. She needed to call Archer—and she needed to get a lawyer. It would be too dangerous to deal with all this on her own.
To her dismay the call went straight to Archer’s voice mail.
“Kit, I’m in a terrible jam. I—Rory tried to kill me. She was the one who killed Keaton. I’m in Bedford Hills, New York. Please call me back as soon as you can.”
She tried Hotchkiss next, knowing she’d get voice mail and yet hoping there’d be some kind of emergency number. Though she would hardly expect him to represent her in this situation, she thought he might be able to recommend someone. No luck. She had a few friends who practiced law and she wondered if she should contact one of them. Won’t it blow their minds to hear me describe this mess? she thought ruefully.
Then her BlackBerry rang and to her relief she saw that it was Archer.
“Tell me you’re all right,” he demanded as soon as she answered.
“Physically, yes—just a little bruised. And woozy. She put something in my drink to knock me out. But that’s not the problem. Rory’s totally crazy and she’ll probably try to make it seem like I attacked her or something.”
“Where are you, anyway? I mean, where in Bedford Hills?”
“I’m on the side of the road in my car. There’s a cop here, or just behind me. Rory tried to run me off the road and she hit a tree with her car. She may be injured but I don’t know.”
“Rory killed Keaton, you said? Were they having an affair?”
“More of a fling, I’d say—last winter. According to her, the baby she’s carrying is Keaton’s—had I told you she was pregnant? But she’s such a nut job, who knows if it’s the truth? I need to get a lawyer fast—is there anyone you know?”
Her eyes caught something bright on the road ahead, and over the sound of the rain, she heard the wail of a siren.
“Oh God, there’s an ambulance coming,” she said, peering through the windshield. “She must be injured.”
“I do know a couple of lawyers who handle criminal stuff. Let me see if I can round up someone for tonight.”
“Thank you. Thank you.”
“Do you have any idea where they’ll be taking you?”
“A police station, I’m sure.”
“Okay, call me back the minute you know which one. And tell them you need to go to an emergency room first to be tested for the drug she gave you. You’ll need that as evidence. Plus it will buy you some time until I can get there with a lawyer.”
“You’re coming, too?”
“Yes. I’ll start driving north as soon as possible. Just call me when you have the exact location.”
As she hung up, the ambulance slid by her, slick with rainwater, and moved carefully up the road beyond the curve. It stopped around the bend, and she could see only the flashing lights through the trees.
She had no idea how long she was supposed to sit here. Surely they’d be sending someone back to talk to her. She tried to assess her situation. What would she tell the police? That she had gone to Rory’s house to see the files. The files would be there as proof and Archer could back up her claims about the clinic. And her head injury would verify that she’d been attacked. But if she told them that Rory tried to kill her because she believed Lake had been with Keaton, that might be enough for the cops in the city to have her DNA tested. And then there’d be proof that Keaton had bedded her. She pictured the smug expression on Hull’s face when he heard the news. And possibly Jack’s, too. Then she pictured Will and Amy. I can’t lose them, she thought.
She’d have to come up with something to explain everything. But Rory would have her own version. She’d say that somehow, when they were looking at the files, she had realized that Lake had slept with Keaton and killed him. She’d slipped a drug into Lake’s tea so she could escape, but Lake figured it out and tried to overpower her. She’d followed her in her car to see where she was headed.
I have to counteract whatever lies Rory will tell, she thought. But how? With what? She glanced up quickly, realizing she’d been