LITMIR.BIZ

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dissolve into tears if she spoke, she nodded in response.

       “The story will die down before you know it.” Maxine watched her kid sister in the rearview mirror. “You’ve been through far worse and survived, so try not to stress.”

       Claudia drew strength from her sister’s words. She’d come a long way, overcome insurmountable odds. It was a miracle she’d made it out of Lynchburg’s eight-block housing project in one piece, but despite all the hard times, she knew growing up in the hood had made her who she was today—a tough, hard-nosed woman who wasn’t afraid to fight.

      If that’s true, her conscience challenged, then why are you running away?

      Because what happened last night terrified me.

       “I thought I was strong enough to handle all of the media attention,” she began, shuddering at the thought of what had taken place twenty-four hours earlier, “but it’s become too much. The prank calls, the cruel stares I get whenever I’m out in public.”

       “The chatter will die down before you know it.”

       Claudia wasn’t so confident. Not after everything that had happened since her ex-husband’s arrest. Her mind slipped back to two weeks earlier, to the day her peaceful, uneventful life took a turn for the worst. She woke up that morning with a smile on her face, a song in her heart and a reason to celebrate. Finally, after months of William’s bitching and complaining, their divorce was final. He was gone, out of her life forever.

       Or so she thought.

       Shaking her head, she remembered the exact moment her world came crashing down around her. The phone rang, and a husky voice on the other end asked her to comment on William’s arrest. Claudia hung up the phone. It had to be a prank call. A bunch of bored suburban kids who had nothing better to do than play phone games. But the calls kept coming. The Wall Street Journal. Newsday. Her friends and associates. It seemed everyone knew the details of the case except her.

       Their questions were harsh, probing. And filled in the missing pieces of the puzzle. Her ex-husband and three of his business partners had been indicted on eight counts of corporate fraud. Logging on to the computer confirmed it, and the pounding in her head—that started seconds after the first phone call—quickly infected the rest of her body. The whole city was talking about the collapse of Qwest Capital Investments, and Claudia couldn’t turn on the television without seeing another interview with a teary, shell-shocked investor. Her heart went out to each and every one of them, from the retired naval officer to the school superintendent.

       Claudia didn’t know what to believe, and everything she read bordered on lunacy. She was stunned by the arrest, absolutely blindsided by it. William was a lot of things, but he wasn’t a crook, was he? The question ran through her mind again when the two plainclothes detectives arrived later that day to interview her.

       Or rather, to interrogate her.

       They questioned her about William’s business dealings and eyed her suspiciously when she didn’t give them the answers they were looking for. Then, after an hour in the hot seat, they accused her of being his accomplice. Burning with indignation, she vehemently denied the accusation. The detectives were convinced she was lying and threatened to haul her down to the precinct for further questioning. Images of being handcuffed, booked and fingerprinted attacked her mind. What would her clients think if she was named as a coconspirator in the case? And how would it affect her company? When it was all said and done, would she even have a business to worry about?

       Claudia cleared all thoughts of her ex-husband and his troubles from her mind. Like she’d told the two detectives who’d interviewed her, William wasn’t her problem anymore, and she had better things to do than waste time pondering his guilt or innocence.

       “How long will you be gone?”

       “I’m not sure. A month. Maybe longer. It all depends on how things play out. I was thinking of going to Lynchburg to see Aunt Hattie, but I haven’t made up my mind yet.”

       “But the last time you went down there you vowed to never go back.”

       “I know, but I’m desperate,” she admitted. “I haven’t done anything wrong, but I’m being made out to be the bad guy. You’d think I was the one who embezzled two million dollars from Qwest Capital Investments.”

       “The only reason the media’s taken an interest in you is because you’re the beautiful, much-younger trophy wife.” Maxine shrugged and offered a sympathetic smile. “Your rags-to-riches story makes for good TV, and it will probably sell a ton of newspapers, too.”

       Thinking about the state of her event-planning business made Claudia’s hopes crumble and her shoulders sag in despair. “I’ve lost three jobs in one week.”

       “You’re planning the mayor’s luncheon, and that’s bound to be great for business.”

       Claudia cleared her throat. “Someone called yesterday from his office and said my services were no longer needed.”

       “I don’t understand why you’re being punished for something William did. He’s the one who stole from his investors, not you.”

       The tears Claudia had been holding in finally broke free. “I feel terrible about what he’s done,” she confessed, covering her face with her hands, “and I can’t help feeling responsible. I was his wife. I should have known what he was doing, I should have stopped him.”

       The car jerked forward violently when Maxine slammed on the brakes.

       “Don’t you dare blame yourself for what he did,” she scolded, twisting around in her seat like a human pretzel. “William ruined those people’s lives, not you. You were surprised by his arrest, just like the rest of us.”

       “I wish there was something I could do to help his victims.” Sniffling, Claudia cleaned her mascara-stained cheeks with her fingertips. “If my accounts weren’t frozen I’d—”

       Maxine gasped. “The banks froze your accounts? They can’t do that!”

       “They can if there’s a court order. The Securities and Exchange Commission filed a request with the court on Monday, and there was nothing my lawyer could do to stop it.”

       “I don’t understand why the authorities are pursuing you. You’re innocent.”

       “The investigators are convinced I was in on it, and since we were married for ten years and only recently divorced, they argued for additional time to substantiate their case against me.” Hearing herself repeat her attorney’s words made the situation more real, made her realize that things were going to get a whole lot worse before they got better. And that brought a fresh batch of tears. “Mr. Tibbs said I’ll probably be subpoenaed to testify in William’s case.”

       “I can’t believe these people. Next thing you know they’ll be fitting you with an ankle bracelet and confiscating your passport.”

       “They tried, but the judge refused.” Claudia forced a smile. “It’s a small victory. At least I’m free to come and go as I please without fear of being hunted down.”

       “If you need anything, just ask. Money’s been tight ever since Royce lost his job, but I don’t mind dipping into my savings to help you out.”

       “I couldn’t ask you to do that. You’re pregnant.”

       “I know, but it’s the least I could do. I was the one who encouraged you to date William and look how things turned out.” Maxine made a clicking sound with her teeth. “If I had known he was a lying scoundrel, I never would have advised you to marry him.”

       “That’s in the past. I’ve moved on, and despite everything that’s going on right now I’m in a really good place.” Claudia tugged on her cap, pulling it down so low it covered her eyebrows. Okay, so she was lying, but she didn’t want Max to feel guilty about something that wasn’t her fault. William was her past, and as of last Thursday they were officially

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