Once Upon a Friendship

He was a very special man.

She was glad to have his friendship.

Not because of the money. But because of him. He was a part of their lives. And she wasn’t going to get all weird and make it uncomfortable for him to continue to be with them. Their little family was vital to all three of them.

Far more important than any curiosity about how well he kissed.

* * *

LIAM RELUCTANTLY AGREED with Gabrielle and Marie. The residents of Threefold’s newly acquired apartment building should know the truth about his identity.

Gabrielle wanted them to know because knowledge helped prevent misconception that could turn to rumor and then dangerously wrong statements, should any of them be interviewed by the FBI.

Marie thought they should know because they were family, and family watched out for each other. She figured with Grace and Edith and the others home all day, watching everything that went on, someone up to no good would have a more difficult time creating havoc for Liam.

Liam figured they were both right.

All three of them concurred that it would be best if Marie and Gabrielle called a gathering of the residents and told them the basics of what was going in Liam’s life. They thought it best that he not be present so as to forestall the questions that would likely bombard him if he was accessible to them. The women were going to let everyone kn

ow that Liam was understandably stressed, so it would be very much appreciated if everyone respected his need for silence at this time.

He wasn’t so sure the few younger residents they had would respect that stance. But he was fairly certain the older ones would. And since all but two of the rented apartments were currently rented to that older population, he wasn’t all that concerned.

He didn’t see Elliott Tanner behind him on his way to court on Monday. Nor did he see him in the courtroom. He thought he caught a glimpse of him in the foyer on the second floor of the courthouse as he came out of the courtroom just before noon, but couldn’t be sure.

Truth be told, he didn’t spare a lot of thought for the guy. The story unfolding before his eyes was consuming him. He had a seventeen-year-old boy who wanted to know himself, to find out who he was and what he was capable of accomplishing without being dumbed down, as he put it, by the antidepressants and anti-ADD medications he’d been on since elementary school.

His parents, who clearly loved him and were hurting for him, understood from his medical team that to take him off the medication could very likely make him a danger not only to himself, but to others.

He argued that they couldn’t know for sure what he’d do as he wasn’t off the medication long enough to find out. He wanted to drive. To date. But how could he ask a girl to love a freak like him? Someone who might flip out if he missed a pill?

His parents didn’t see him as a freak. They saw a gifted and capable young man who had some chemical flaws in his makeup. Flaws that could be completely managed by the medications he was taking.

Both sides had compelling arguments.

The expert witnesses who were going to be testifying were believed to side 100 percent with the parents. The boy’s legal team, who were responsible for Liam and other reporters in the courtroom, were counting on the sway of public opinion to make a difference.

Liam wasn’t sure it wasn’t some kind of bullying tactic. He also wasn’t sure it was.

He was going to be in court for the rest of the week.

He had a missed call from Gabi. He’d turned his phone off in the courtroom. But he returned her call as soon as he was out.

“Did you get my message?” she asked, picking up after the first ring.

“No, I just called you back. We’re on lunch break. Court is due to resume at one and go until three.”

“The case is just being heard by a judge, right? No jury?”

“Right.” But she hadn’t called him about his story.

“I got the bank statement you asked for.” There was an odd note in her voice. Excitement. High energy. And a bit of doom, too.

“And?” he asked, dread filtering over him like a dark brown cloud, encasing him in a haze through which he couldn’t see clearly. If his father was guilty of fraud, then so be it. Liam couldn’t change the truth.

“It’s a private account, Liam. As in personal. There’s no tie to the Grayson monies. And no sign that the monies being deposited into it are being filtered back out again in little less-than-ten-thousand-dollar increments like we saw in the other accounts. They’re deposited that way. But they’re being spent by debit card, in amounts that appear to be normal living expenses. Eating out. Groceries. Shopping. They range from ten dollars to a few hundred.”

“What are you telling me? That my father isn’t guilty of fraud?”