Remember Me? (Book 1) COMPLETED

Committee Pt 1

KATHERINE

By the time I sat in the car with Matthew, I was beyond tears, pity, or anger. I had a mission.

"How do we get access to the cameras?"

Matthew started the car, pulling out of the parking lot. "Slow down, Kat," he said, reaching over to clasp my hand. "You've got a lot of things running through your mind. We need to sit down and talk things over." He threw me a sideways glance while we waited as a red stoplight. "Especially what you know about Richard and Octavia."

We got out at a cafe, and I went to a secluded corner booth while Matthew ordered us some lattes. I doubt I could drink it now, but at least it would be something in my stomach.

A few minutes later, he passed me a cup and sat down. "Now tell me what happened."

I ran through the events of this morning, my grandfather's sudden entrance, the realization of my illegitimacy, my grandfather's involvement in Starlight Crows and God knows what else. Matthew's expression hardly shifted as I spoke, and I could tell he was in lawyer mode.

I sipped my coffee to let him have the floor to speak. He silently studied the sunrise pinking the horizon, turning the black sky gray, then gradually building to a fiery orange as the sun's crown crested the hospital's silhouette. His phone buzzed on the table, but he rejected the call. His gaze fell to me.

"I have to say, Katherine, that you are one of the strongest people I know." His warm gaze was so penetrating that I almost couldn't breathe. "I'm sorry that your grandfather can't see the reality of the person that you are. The fact that he has taken so many steps to undermine your life show his character more than yours. They also," he said, "leave a trail of evidence."

"Like the anniversary emails?" I offered.

He shook his head. "Circumstantial. Consider Starlight Crows. If we can hear the truth from Chase—which he might give up once he sees the true weight of the case against him—" Matthew gestured to his computer bag "—then your grandfather will be charged with conspiracy. And if we can get the camera footage from the hospital," he added, "then it may be enough to get the state to relinquish Erland's guardianship back to you and Camille."

I nodded, but I wasn't sold yet. "I see what you're getting at, but how do we start with this?"

Matthew shot me a rueful grin, pulling a folder out of his computer bag. "You know that case I was working on last night?" He tapped the first page. "I sat down with Betsy to get an overview of the financials of Chase Industries. That, with a well-placed call to Nick, and we have a case. Enough to take down Richard and Octavia, while keeping both companies as clean as possible."

He went on. "With your grandfather conspiring with Richard on the book, there's no doubt a lengthy investigation can uncover the real depth of their collusion. In which case—"

"They would go to prison," I finished.

"Or face a lawsuit big enough to be forced to declare bankruptcy."

Truth be told, this was a solution, but it wasn't the most thrilling option to tear down so many people—even if they did deserve it through their actions. But if they got away with it, how much worse would this get? I considered my grandfather, how he started with tearing apart my relationship, coming now to steal my brother from me and pull Wayward out from under my nose. Was there no end to his deception? Would he ever stop if he wasn't caught?

I already knew the answer.

"Let me talk to Betsy first," I said, frowning. "Richard is her husband. She should know about what's coming."

Matthew gave me a look. "She won't warn him? The most important part of this is so they don't have time to hide the documents."

I shook my head. "No. I'll talk to her now, when we get home—"

My phone pinged. Grey.

Grey: Hey, Ms. Secret Owner. You know the meeting where Mr. Chase is supposed to buy your shares for good? Word is, the Committee is forming today at 12 to finish the transfer before Christmas tomorrow.

I frowned, sent a reply, then passed my phone to Matthew. "How soon can you get everything arranged?"

Matthew checked his watch. "Do whatever you need to do with Betsy. You can take the Jeep. I'll meet you at Wayward at noon."

We took our coffees half-finished and hurried to the car, our breath coming out in clouds of frosty air. Before long, he dropped me off at the house and pulled out of the driveway.

Betsy greeted me at the door, surprise registering on her face when she saw me. She stepped forward, somewhat guarded, as if expecting me to turn her away again. Truth be told, I was still mad at her for lying, but I found myself rushing to her side to wrap her in a hug anyway.

"Oh, Kat," she said, "do you forgive me?"

I squeezed her tighter. "You'll have to forgive me first for what I'm about to tell you." We pulled apart, but clasped hands, hers cold and trembling. "You need to promise me that you can keep this secret."

She nodded, face grim with determination. "Anything." Dark purple colored underneath her eyes, and she looked for all the world like she hadn't slept, but now was not the time to ask. If I didn't work up the courage now, I'd never say a word, not if it would break my best friend's heart like I knew it would.

By the end, we had moved to the couch, and once I had finished, Betsy's expression hadn't changed a bit.

"I know you may need some time to think about this," I said. I glanced at the clock on the wall—10AM. We had 2 hours. "You can have the space you need to process, but—"

Betsy was shaking her head. "No, Kat." She let out a heavy sigh. "I already made up my mind when I sat down with Matthew last night. As much as I loved the man my husband used to be, he's not the same. He deserves what's coming."

I squeezed her hand gently, then stood. "I'm sorry, Betsy."

She sighed and stood. "Me, too." She hugged me again. "I'm going to my room for a bit. Let me know when you're heading out."

I nodded, unable to speak past the lump in my throat that formed at the broken expression on my best friend's face. My gaze was glued to the door where she disappeared long after she had locked it. After what seemed like forever, I went upstairs to shower, change, and get dressed into new, ironed clothes.

Even though I scrubbed and scrubbed, I couldn't shake the nagging feeling that I was still dirty, like the spit that flew from my grandfather's lips at the word bastard was permanent ink tattooed on my forehead. A mark to show my awful parentage. By the time I got out of the shower and dressed, I got no new messages on my phone. In the hall, a Bible caught my eye and I was suddenly moved to open it, search for words to fill the emptiness in my heart that my grandfather had somehow cut into me.

My phone rang. Matthew. "I'm all ready, Kat," he said. "Waiting on you."

"Coming now." I snatched the keys off the counter and was halfway out the door when Betsy appeared.

She appeared for all the world like a professional businesswoman, her brown-red curls tied back, her lips pursed in a thin line. "I'm coming with you."