He hopped in the shower, which he turned all the way to cold. He made sure to scrub every inch of his skin, refusing to hurry and refusing to shiver. When he was done, he toweled himself off and put on his favorite suit. This was an important day and he wanted to look good.
He’d been keeping a low profile since he got out of prison, laying the groundwork for his upcoming plans without drawing too much attention to himself. But all that would change today. This was the start of his public reinvention. It was crucial to his overall plan and had to go well. He felt a funny flicker in his stomach and eventually managed to identify it as nervousness.
The schedule for the day was quite involved. Even though the judge had dismissed his case, Kyle still had to meet with a parole officer twice a week. He didn’t mind. Acing those sessions would pay dividends when his character was inevitably questioned down the line.
After that appointment, he had a meeting with his recently created foundation, WCP, which stood for the “Wrongly Convicted Project.” It dispersed funds to charities that provided legal support to prisoners fighting false charges. It also allowed Kyle to perform some clever accounting magic, which he would eventually employ to help some friends he’d made behind bars.
After that, he had an interview with a local news station about the foundation. He’d been meeting with a media relations expert who’d taught him how to focus on the foundation without getting caught up in unpleasant conversations about the reason he was convicted in the first place—that whole mess with Jessie. This would be his first attempt to navigate those choppy waters.
Once the news interview was over, he had one of another kind. He was meeting with a wealth management firm based out of Rancho Cucamonga, not far from his Claremont townhouse. He’d moved to the charming college town, over thirty miles from downtown Los Angeles, so that no one could credibly accuse him of trying to intimidate his ex-wife. And if the interview went well (he’d been assured by his friends in Monterrey that it would) he’d have an imprimatur of legitimacy that would be crucial to the work he had planned in the coming weeks and months.
He needed the credibility that came with a position at a well-respected firm. And though he didn’t like to admit it, he needed the money too. He’d made a pretty penny before the whole murder thing. But the divorce from Jessie and his legal defense had drained much of his resources. He still had access to funds he’d cleverly squirreled away during the marriage. But that wasn’t enough to run the foundation, support the lifestyle he wanted, and finance the total destruction of his ex-wife’s world. He simply needed more income.
He was just finishing up breakfast when the front doorbell rang. He checked the security camera using his phone and saw that it was his parole officer, which wasn’t a total shock. He’d been warned that unscheduled home visits weren’t uncommon and to be prepared.
“Hi, Mr. Salazar,” he said, opening the door. “I thought we were supposed to meet up at your office at nine. Just couldn’t wait, huh?”
“You’re aware that unannounced home visits are permitted, Mr. Voss?” Salazar asked crisply.
“Of course,” Kyle said as if he’d been expecting him. “I figured that after so many trips to your place that you’d return the favor at some point. I was just finishing up breakfast. Can I offer you anything? Coffee? I make a mean cheesy egg scramble.”
“No thank you. This needn’t take too long. I just wanted to see what you had planned for the week to make sure you were meeting your court-ordered obligations.”
“Sure thing,” Kyle said warmly, turning and heading back into the house. “My calendar is in the kitchen.”
Salazar followed him cautiously. Kyle continued to act as if they were just old buddies catching up, pouring the man a cup of coffee and putting it on the table across from him. Salazar, despite his earlier protestations, took a sip.
Kyle walked the man through the very itinerary he’d been assessing only moments earlier, minus a few details, of course. He could tell within minutes that Salazar was satisfied but kept going, poring over every appointment he had all week. The goal was to be so forthcoming that Salazar didn’t feel the need for another in-home visit any time soon.