“Yes.”
“It is yours. Is that correct?”
“Yes, it is, but—”
“Mrs. Rawlings, whose cell phone number is this?”
“Mine.”
“Mrs. Rawlings, I thought that you said you were isolated, no way to communicate. Let me see, I believe I have photos of you and your husband in Hawaii, Lake Tahoe, San Francisco, and yes, in Europe. Mrs. Rawlings, did you enjoy the south of France?” Claire’s head pounded with increasing intensity.
Mr. Evergreen went into a long tirade about how an unemployed weather girl deep in debt latched on to a lonely wealthy businessman with no heirs. This was an entrepreneur that not only made his fortune through hard work but was highly regarded due to his benevolent endeavors. She then seduced him into employing her as a live-in prostitute and lured him into marrying her without a prenuptial agreement. Given the perfect opportunity, this tawdry woman put poison into her poor unsuspecting husband’s coffee. If that wasn’t enough, sent his driver away on a wild-goose chase and drove away. It would have worked, except that with technology as it was, fifteen people witnessed the collapse and help arrived in time. The prosecution had many character witnesses that would testify to the generous spirit and good-heartedness of Mr. Rawlings. No one will back her slanderous accusations of this respectable man.
Hadn’t Claire been told over and over again that appearances were everything? The small room became smaller. Claire’s head hurt, her heart hurt. She saw the pictures and the expressions of her attorneys. She heard Marcus Evergreen’s accusations and tasted the sour bile as her stomach twisted and turned.
We cannot change our memories, but we can change their meaning and the power they have over us. —David Seamands
Chapter 50
He stared at the paint on the cinder block wall. Why did they always use that pale green? If it was supposed to look cheery, it failed. Anton continued to watch the wall even though he’d heard the door and knew the guard and prisoner had entered. He couldn’t bear to see his grandfather being led around.
Anton waited, hands in pockets, until he heard the door close again. Turning around, he met the eyes, the dark defiant eyes. If his grandfather were wearing a suit and if the metal table were a mahogany desk, Nathaniel would look like he did in Anton’s memory. His expression hadn’t changed. They may’ve put him in this damn prison, but they sure as hell weren’t keeping his mind here.
“So, boy, did you learn his identity?” Cole Mathews worked side by side with Nathaniel Rawls for almost two years. The day before Nathaniel’s arrest, he didn’t show for work. He didn’t call. He disappeared. Almost a year later, information that only insiders would know helped lead to Mr. Rawls’s conviction. The only released information was that an FBI agent had been embedded to investigate federal allegations. Of course, to protect his identity, his name was never released. But this was the eighties, and Anton Rawls knew his way around a computer better than most. Hacking was such a negative term for research.
Anton placed the manila folder in front of his grandfather. “Yes, sir. I found his name and enough personal information to track him down.”
“I knew you wouldn’t let me down.” He opened the folder and scanned the contents. “He has a wife and family.” He spent a few more minutes reading the pages. Then abruptly, he shut the folder, slamming his hand against the table. “This son of a bitch will pay!” His chair hit the wall as he forcefully stood. “Do you hear me, boy?”
“Yes, sir, I hear you.” Anton watched as his grandfather paced in his prison garb.
“Not just him. Hell, no. He took away my world. He took my family away. His damn kids, their kids, their kids . . . they will all face the consequences of his actions! He took everything.” Nathaniel’s eyes darkened as he moved closer to his grandson. “You know what?”
“No, sir.”
“You can’t lose everything until you have everything to lose.” More pacing. “I had everything, and now look at me! That man and his goddamn family will pay!” He moved very close to his grandson. “The day I get out of this hellhole, they will. Every one of them will regret the day he decided to bring me down.
Anton noticed the difference in the sound of their footsteps. His hard soled shoes made a distinctively different noise from his grandfather’s rubber soled shoes. They squeaked. “There is more, sir.” Nathaniel turned toward his grandson’s words.
“What? What more did you learn?”
“He had help. He worked hand in hand with a securities officer named Burke. Mathews fed Burke the information. If this securities officer hadn’t directed Mathews, he wouldn’t have been as thorough in collecting evidence.” Anton watched the shade of his grandfather’s face grow in crimson intensity as he spoke.
“And your father?” The blackness of Nathaniel’s eyes pulled Anton’s gaze to him. He felt compelled to maintain eye contact and surrender the rest of his information.
“He testified for the state.” Nathaniel’s pacing continued. “It was done behind closed doors, but it isn’t secret. The media calls him the hero in our family.”
Nathaniel collapsed red faced and defeated into his chair. The realization that his son had turned state’s witness was obviously affecting him. His tone mellowed. “Boy, you will survive.”
“Yes, sir, I will.”
“Being here today, discovering this information, and most importantly having the balls to bring it to me are all evidence of your future. Your father has always been a disappointment, but I believe he was better at one thing than me.” Anton sat in the metal chair facing his grandfather. There was sincerity in his tone and words, he asked Nathaniel to go on. “Public opinion, I never gave a damn what anyone thought. I worked hard and deserved all the money and possessions. I wanted more. That was never a secret. Remember this, you can want the whole goddamn world but never show it.” Nathaniel stared up at the camera in the corner of the room. “If they know what you want, they’ll watch you and take it away. Keep up appearances, boy. If you do that, you can take everything you want, the whole damn world is yours.”
Happiness doesn’t depend on any external conditions,
itisgovernedbyourmentalattitude. —Dale Carnegie
Chapter 51
Claire had been incarcerated for over three months and had come to terms with the knowledge that it would not end soon. The claustrophobic cell and virtual isolation were her new norm. Surprisingly, she was adapting. It was difficult at first, but with time, she developed strength and resolve.
On April 18, 2012, the courtroom sat empty except for the judge, defendant, and legal teams. Each word resonated throughout the cavernous room. Claire Nichols stood in front of the federal court judge and with the help of her legal team pleaded no contest to the charge of attempted murder. As the judge explained the consequences of Claire’s plea, she listened, felt the smooth finish of the chair she used for support, watched the judge’s lips, and wept silently.
This plea saved her the indignity of a jury trial. She didn’t admit guilt, but would not, could not challenge the charges. Therefore, she would take a lesser sentence but couldn’t later decide to appeal. She would avoid Mr. Evergreen and his questions. She would escape the dark penetrating eyes of Anthony Rawlings as she testified. She wouldn’t need to explain to the entire world how she was forced to do things and how things were so different from how they appeared. She could just go away quietly.