I See You

CHAPTER 24 - A Collision of Breadcrumbs

The night before the trial Cam, Jess, and Mike came over for dinner, a first without the kiddo who stayed with his grandma. Per usual, Emma had cooked up a feast, and Jessie brought a selection of beverages to go with the coconut chicken curry and garlic naan. Tonight, Cam had something to say, and her hesitancy made everyone nervous.

"I might as well come out with it," Cam grumbled, setting down her fork. She could feel the tension at the table, and there was no reason to draw it out. "Taylor turned down the plea bargain. He really should have taken it."

"He's pleading innocent?" Mike asked with a mix of hope and confusion.

"Not exactly. His lawyer put in for accessory after the fact. Taylor swears he was framed, and that the murder weapon was blackmail."

"How?" the tablet squeaked. "By who?"

"This will all be revealed during the trial, but please, don't say a word until it comes out. It would mean my job and worse." When everyone nodded, Cam continued. "According to Taylor, he knew the Colacurcios would come collecting soon, so he stashed his dirt bike in the woods just in case they showed up, and he needed a quick getaway. That day, he saw their blacked-out SUV pull in. He didn't want his secretary in harm's way, so he told her to go pick up lunch and tell the men coming in to head straight to his office. Then he walked back in and snuck out his window.

"His plan was to go fishing with Wyatt after all, hoping to convince you to help him with the money, but when he got there, he um... he said that he uh, he watched Lisa kill you. He ran over and was about to jump in and pull you out, but he said Lisa pulled a gun on him. Apparently, she gave him a choice, die or keep quiet. He opted for the second option, and according to him, Lisa forced him to hold the bat to incriminate himself as leverage for keeping your murder a secret.

"She walked out with it, and he decided no one would believe him, so he tied up the boat, made everything look normal, and took the title to offer as collateral to the men waiting in his office. His secretary was still gone when he returned. So he made the deal, sent them on their way, and she came back with lunch, seeing him at 12:45, right where she left him."

The entire table was stunned and more than a little skeptical.

"That's bullshit," Jess said with a sad shake of her head. "Lisa is hardly bigger than Emma. There's no way she clocked a man as big as Wyatt hard enough to kill him."

"Technically, the blow didn't kill him. It knocked him into the water, and Wyatt drowned," Cam clarified awkwardly.

"She was the captain of her softball team," Emma said softly.

"What?" Cam asked, her face pinched in horror.

"It was middle school, but I'd imagine once you learn how to swing, it would be like riding a bike. She was head cheerleader all through high school, and for all her flaws, her body isn't one of them. The woman has stayed in shape," Emma admitted with a curl of her lip.

"Emma's right, but Lisa was in Seattle," Mike sighed. "Her boss confirmed that."

"Her alibi was false," Cam said with a contemplative nod, sending Mike's eyebrows to his hairline.

"But her car was seen near the restaurant she claimed to be at," Emma added.

"Then she was lying about who she was with," Mike grunted.

"If so, could she have attacked Em for talking to her old boss?" Jess asked. "They were seen on the front page in those gossip rags."

"I looked into that. Lisa's car never left the parking garage at her condo," Cam sighed.