“This is another attempt from Clint to hurt me. He just got fired for harassment. He sent the video.” She held up the detective’s business card. “And I’m going to report him to the police. If you want to believe that’s me doing that, nothing I say will change your mind. But it’s not me.”
“It looks just like you,” Janet pointed out.
She didn’t know Janet that well, but she appreciated her honesty. “It’s a clever doctoring of what I assume is an internet porno movie. I don’t know how he did it, but do you really think I’d participate in something like that”—she held her hand out toward the monitor—“with someone filming it? Come on. I’m not that daring. And what reason, other than revenge and spite, would someone have to send it to everyone here? You think I’d want to share that with anyone, especially my coworkers? No way.”
The women nodded and shared looks. She hoped she’d made her case, but right now their feelings and judgments about her didn’t matter. She needed to get Detective Valdez on this and hope he could tie it to Clint and arrest him for . . . What was the charge? Harassment? It seemed too little for the crime and how this could ruin relationships—or God forbid, get her fired.
If he put it up on the internet, there was no hope of getting it down. Once it was out there, it was out there forever.
Emmy came forward and put her hand on Liz’s shoulder. “I’m really sorry this is happening to you.”
Liz looked up at her, every emotion roiling inside her, sinking her shoulders and pushing a sigh out. “I just don’t understand why he’s doing this to me. I didn’t do anything to him.”
“Bastard,” Janet called out.
The other women murmured their agreement. She hoped they remained on her side.
“Thanks for coming to tell me you all got it. I’m not sure if the detective working the case will want to talk to you, but be prepared. Oh, and if you get anything else, please let me know.”
Janet waved the others to head out for the night, but turned back and said, “I hope you get him for this.”
“Thanks.” But she didn’t have much faith in the system Clint circumvented at every turn. The trespassing and assault charges might stick, or get pled down to lesser offenses that amounted to nothing more than a fine, but Clint knew how to get away with this kind of thing because he’d done it before without getting caught.
Emmy touched her shoulder again. “Are you going to be okay?”
She shook herself out of her dismal thoughts and tried to focus. “Yeah. I just need to send the email over to the police, then I’m going home.”
Emmy glanced out the window through the blinds. “Tate’s out front waiting for you. Want me to tell him to come in?”
She shook her head. “This will only take a second, then I’m out of here.” Sick to her stomach and drained from this constant onslaught of worry over the next bad thing to come, she wanted to go home and just be with Tate. She’d like to erase this from her mind, but some things you can’t forget.
How was she going to tell Tate about this?
The last thing she wanted to do was make him worry about her more.
And she didn’t want him getting arrested for going after Clint for this.
Maybe that’s exactly what Clint hoped would happen, then he’d get Tate in trouble and out of the way so he could come after her.
Okay, she needed to stop watching Dateline and seeing her life in all those stories that seemed so implausible until they actually happened.
She wondered how many of Clint’s acquaintances would describe him as the quiet guy next door.
It just goes to show you never really know someone. Or what they are capable of doing.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Liz needed a moment alone to send the email and gather herself before she faced Tate and delivered more bad news.
“Maybe you should take some time off.”
“I’ll think about it.” But she had no intention of doing that because it kind of felt like giving in or giving up. Not her style. But it was getting harder to hold up under the anxiety.
She wouldn’t let Clint wear her down.
Emmy left without another word.
The silence in the office swallowed her, but the thoughts in her head kept her amped.