Claire put her hand on her own leg where Paul had scraped away the skin. “And then?”
“He was undoing his belt buckle. I heard whistling, like really loud, whistling. It was a couple of guys. They were walking in the woods and they thought we were making out. I started screaming for my life. Paul jumped up. He ran back toward the car. One of the guys chased after him and the other helped me up. They wanted to call the police, but I told them no.”
“Why?”
“I’d just gotten bailed out of jail for the billionth time. Paul was an upstanding grad student with two jobs. Who would you believe?”
She knew whom Claire had believed. “The two guys—”
“Were gay men looking for a hook-up in a South Alabama forest. The cops would’ve known that the minute they opened their mouths.” She shook her head at the futility of it all. “And I didn’t really care about me at that point. My only concern was getting him away from you.”
Claire put her hand to her forehead. She felt feverish. They were still standing in the foyer. She should’ve invited Lydia in. She should’ve taken her to her office and sat with her. “Do you want a drink?”
“I told you, I’m in recovery.”
Claire knew that. Paul’s detectives had sat in on Lydia’s meetings and recorded her every word. “I need a drink.” Claire found her wine glass on the floor. She swallowed the dregs in one go. She closed her eyes and waited. There was no relief.
Lydia asked, “Do you have a problem with drugs and alcohol?”
Claire struggled to return the glass to the floor. “Yes. The problem is that I don’t like them very much.”
Lydia opened her mouth to respond, but light filled the entryway as a car came up the driveway. “Who’s here?”
Claire turned on the video keypad by the door. They watched the screen as a black Crown Victoria parked at the mouth of the front walkway.
“Why is a huckleberry here?” Lydia sounded panicked. “Claire?”
Claire was grappling with her own panic. She was more worried about which huckleberry it was. Mayhew come to make sure she hadn’t made copies of the movies? Nolan with his inappropriate remarks and creepy looks and maddening questions that gave no explanation as to why he was here in the first place? Or was it her parole officer? He had warned Claire that he could turn up and drug-test her without notice.
She told Lydia, “I’m on parole. I can’t have drugs in my system.” Claire’s thoughts raced against the Valium. She remembered another detail from Paul’s files. Back when she was using, Lydia had pled guilty to a felony drug charge in order to avoid a prison sentence. Claire tried to push her down the hallway. “Pepper, move! I’m not allowed to associate with felons. They could take me back to jail.”
Lydia didn’t move. She was trapped in place. Her mouth worked silently, as if there were too many questions running through her brain to pin down just one. Finally, she said, “Turn down the lights.”
Claire didn’t know what else to do. She pressed the ambient button on the keypad. All of the lights on the ground floor dimmed, which would hopefully hide the state of her pupils. They both looked at the video screen, their faces inches apart. Lydia’s panicked breathing matched Claire’s. A man got out of the car. He was tall and solidly built. His brown hair was neatly parted on the side.
“Fuck,” Claire groaned, because her brain wasn’t sharp enough right now to deal with Fred Nolan. “It’s the FBI.”
“What?” Lydia’s voice almost squeaked with fear.
“Fred Nolan.” Claire’s skin crawled at the sound of his name. “He’s an asshole special agent from the downtown office.”
“What?” Lydia looked terrified. “Did you commit a federal crime?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.” There wasn’t enough time to get into it. Claire switched the video screen to the front-door camera. The image showed the top of Nolan’s head as he climbed the steps.
“Listen to me.” Lydia kept her voice low. “Legally, you don’t have to answer any of his questions. You don’t have to leave with him unless he arrests you, and if he does arrest you, don’t say a Goddamn word. Do you understand me, Claire? None of your bullshit jokes or funny asides. Just keep your fucking mouth shut.”
“Okay.” Claire could feel her mind clearing, probably from the rush of adrenalin coursing through her body.