Chapter 10 - Deception
By the time I reached my home, it had just gone past noon. Despite the maticulous cleaning I had attempted on the place, my apartment still looked broken and chaotic. I threw myself onto the couch and grabbed my satchel, searching through it for my phone. Clutching the small device in my hand, I knew exactly the person I needed to contact.
After the eventful night I had experienced, it wouldn't be long until my client would be compromised. All it would take was one wrong answer to his suspicious wife, causing the whole case to come tumbling down. I needed to get hold of him as soon as possible if I wanted any chance of retrieving the tickets that Matthew so desperately sought after.
I scrolled down my contacts list, finally locating the number I wanted. After a short few rings, I was grateful when I heard my client quickly pick up the receiver on the other end of the line. It was time for me to talk my way into his home.
"Scarlett?" I heard him hesitantly ask.
"Ah yes it's me. I know a simple phone call won't suffice, so how about I tell you the good news in person?"
"You did it? Last night, you finally caught her?!"
"I can't deny that it wasn't easy, but the photos I have will prove enough evidence of your wife's extramarital activities," my confident tone announced. The line went silent for a long couple of seconds after, my client obviously contemplating over what I had told him.
"What time should we meet? I want to see these pictures as quickly as I can," his eager voice asked. I felt guilty that I was now using him to serve my own benefit, but my limited options left me with no choice.
"I can come to your place whenever you want. My whole afternoon is free now that your case is over."
"That's perfect! I'll have a car pick you up in 20 minutes, make sure to bring everything you have with you."
"Will your wife be there?" I cautiously questioned.
"No, she won't be. She hasn't come home since yesterday, I'm guessing she was with her date for the night," he sighed.
Shortly after, my client ended the line once we exchanged our goodbyes. I couldn't help but feel my heart race at the last piece of information he had given me. His wife hadn't been home since she shot Matthew. I wondered what this meant for the cunning woman, but knew that it couldn't have been good. If her date was anything to go by, she had found herself in dangerous waters.
During the time it took for my taxi to come, which my client had so kindly paid for, I scavenged my apartment for all the papers I had on the case which would prove of any use. My mind was also busy forging a lie as to why I would need tickets to Dr Wakely's high profile event. It dawned on me that my client may not have even been invited, but I couldn't focus on the negatives at that moment.
I paced down my apartment stairway upon hearing the horn of my cab outside on the street. The cool air was unwelcoming, so I seated myself in the vehicle as briskly as I could. Once I was strapped in, the driver sped off towards the uptown penthouse I was headed to, a long distance from the humble suburbs I lived in.
I clutched onto my satchel, not wanting to let it out of my sight. Ever since the attack, I had been extra careful about keeping my information away from the prying hands of those who wished to take advantage of it. I'm sure that if Dr Wakely knew what I possessed, any attempts to keep the photos safe would have been futile.
For once, the sun was shining bright in the sky, despite the chilly temperatures which accompanied it. The light atmosphere was a drastic change from the dark tone I had become accustomed to. I didn't know whether I preferred it, the brightness making it almost impossible for me to hide within the depths of the city.
The extravagant view from my window informed me of my arrival. I stared at the place in awe, its beauty overwhelmingly evident in the daytime. I hastily exited the taxi with all of my belongings before walking up to the tall building and buzzing myself in.
"Scarlett Matthews here to visit Robert Jones."
A short pause awaited my response, leading me to huff in impatience. My anticipation to get the invites had left my nerves on edge and my mind reeling.
"Scarlett, you've arrived! I'll let you in straight away," he enthusiastically replied.
His cheery mood was confusing for someone who had found out that their wife had cheated. Perhaps he was finally relieved that the long wait was over and his suspicions had been confirmed. Either way, I didn't want to concern myself too much with my client's emotional state, knowing that it certainly wasn't part of my job description.
I opened the grand door of the building and made my way to the elevator. I quickly pressed the large 3 on the wall, knowing that his accommodation was on the third floor. The elevator immediately shot up at a rapid speed, almost instantly taking me to the height of his home. As the metallic door opened, my client's luxury accommodation was revealed to my wide eyes.
Robert greeted me with a large smile, one that I noticed didn't quite reach his eyes. I realized that his positive outlook was forced throughout our phone call, obviously not looking quite as joyous as he sounded. Instead I chose not to comment on it, knowing that it was not one of the reasons why I was here.
"Hello Scarlett, it's great to see you again," he politely greeted.
"I could say the same for you Robert. But I'm sorry that the circumstances of our meeting aren't very pleasant."
"I've known what my wife has been upto for a long time now. I'm just glad you can finally prove it to me," Robert reassured.
I nodded in agreement, trying my hardest to express my empathy towards the man. After all, the love of his life had betrayed him. A part of me felt selfish for my real intentions as to why I had came, but I did my best to ignore it as our meeting continued. The truth was, after what happened last night I no longer cared about the payment he was offering, I just wanted to get away from the woman who had attempted to shoot me.
"Please come in," Robert continued, "I need to see these photos right away."
I did as he said and seated myself on a large couch opposite him. The coffee table acted as a desk for all my files to be displayed on, each containing pictures and other evidence that I had collected over the last few days.
The slight bulge of his eyes as he viewed the photos of his wife kissing another man didn't go unnoticed by my steely gaze. He seemed stunned into silence whilst I continued to lay out the proof for him too see. After a short few minutes of quiet, I began to worry about my client who looked to be in a state of shock.
"Robert, are you ok? I know it must be hard seeing all this, but it's what you wanted isn't it?" I asked in concern.
"I'm fine Scarlett, it's just quite overwhelming now that I can finally see it for myself."
"Does this mean that you feel ready to close the case and confront your wife with the evidence?"
"I guess it does," he quietly murmured, his volume barely rising above a whisper, "But don't fret, I haven't forgotten about the payment I owe you."
Payment had been the last thing on my mind as I continued to search for ways I could bring up the issue of the gala in a nonchalant manner. I gave him a few moments to himself, reaching over and squeezing his hand for comfort. It had been a while since I had taken up a domestic case like this, and I almost forgot the impact it had on the client once the truth was revealed.
"Don't worry about my payment, I can contact you about that in a few days when you have sorted things out-"
"Certainly not," he interjected, "I had the cash ready before you arrived. You deserve the money after all the hard work you have done for me."
I responded with a small smile to his kind words. Even after all he had just witnessed, my client still cared about my own well-being rather than himself. It made the guilt of my next lie a little bit stronger.
"Thank you so much Robert, your payment is very generous. But I'm afraid for me, my hard work still isn't over. I'm starting a new case tomorrow; it's quite similar to yours actually. Another client believes that her husband is attending a gala hosted by Dr Thomas Wakely with his new mistress this weekend. However, it's been a complete nightmare trying to get myself in," I stated, my heart rate increasing as I deceived the man in front of me.
His eyes seemed to light up at my words, giving a spark to the dullness that had filled them throughout our meeting. "What a coincidence, I think I might have some good news for you Scarlett," he declared, "My wife mentioned the event to me last week, but I am certain we won't be attending anymore. In all honesty, I've never met the host anyway, so I'm not quite sure how we got invited. But you're free to take the tickets if it means that you are helping a client out."
His words felt like a stab in the heart. He truly believed I was doing this to aid an innocent woman, not just for my own personal reasons. Despite my reluctance, I didn't turn down his offer whilst he searched through a large chest of drawers for the invites he had been sent. As he pulled them out and handed them to me, my slightly shaky hands clutched onto the tickets and placed them into my satchel. They were soon followed by the $1000 cash he had promised to pay.
I swallowed a lump in my throat and forced a smile at Robert's kindness. I was lying to him just like his wife had. Only I knew that I was doing it for the right reasons, hopefully allowing me to put another guilty criminal where he belonged. I wished that there had been another way to get into the gala, without having to take advantage of someone who I had only wanted to help. After all, deception wasn't one of my greatest qualities; if only I could have said the same for Matt.
I continued to make small talk with my client for a short while, not wanting to leave the man alone after he had instantly had his heart broken by the photos of his unfaithful spouse. I may not have wanted to get too personally involved, but that didn't mean that I was completely heartless.
Our goodbye was a solemn one, both knowing that after it we would likely never encounter one another again. I appreciated the respect he always had for me throughout the challenging case, which I didn't often get with many of my uncooperative clients. He had also taken the courtesy to get me a car home, making sure that I was well taken care of. If only all of the rich were so thoughtful.
During the lengthy journey home, I decided to call Matt and inform him of the news. The ignorant taxi driver paid me no attention as I pulled my phone from my satchel and dialled the lawyer's number in. Matt answered the call straight away, his voice sounding eager over the phone.
"Scarlett, what do you need?"
"I just wanted to tell you that I got the invites for the event, so you don't need to worry about them anymore," I replied, my voice still sounding fairly strained after the hurt he had caused.
"You've gotten them already?" He asked in disbelief.
"I'm a private investigator. I'm resourceful," I smugly answered, proving to him that I was capable of keeping up my end of the deal.
"Bring them to my place on Saturday before we go. I'll need you with me at the gala if I want to discreetly navigate around the place. After all, I'm blind."
I rolled my eyes and scoffed at his statement, but said nothing more on it. It was brave of him to aggravate me if I was of such use to him. Maybe he knew that I wanted to see Dr Wakely get put behind bars even more than he did. Nevertheless, I didn't want to turn down an opportunity to cross someone off the long list of Fisk's accomplices.
"I'll be there," I stated before ending the call and throwing the phone straight back into my bag. Throughout our short conversation, the cab had maneuvered its way through the endless roads of Hell's Kitchen and had already reached the downtown area. I glanced through my window as my apartment came into view, smiling in relief once I realized that I would still be able to afford the rent now that I had been paid.
Finally things were coming into place.
Author's Note
Here's the latest chapter, hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. The eventful story line over the next few updates was incredibly fun to come up with! All I can say is expect plenty of action...
Also I've noticed lately that I'm not getting many reviews, but they really are the one thing that encourage me to keep on writing this fic! Even if its just a short comment, I still love to hear from you guys and will always reply. Don't forget, next update will be Tuesday :)