Apples Never Fall

“Turns out your potential scammer is an actual scammer,” said Simon Barrington to Amy as she sat at the dining room table rating the cheesiness of a new savory cheese cracker.

Simon took a cracker as he sat down opposite her.

“Cheesy,” he said.

“Overly so?” asked Amy.

“I’d say perfectly cheesy.”

His words penetrated. “Savannah is a scammer? Seriously?”

She noted that although her heart was definitely going over the speed limit, it was doing so in a controlled manner, staying in its lane. Her therapist, Roger, used a lot of car metaphors.

Simon opened a manila folder. “I did an ASIC search.”

“Clever!” Amy tried to remember what ASIC stood for.

“Australian Securities and Investments Commission. She’s on the disqualified director list. Three years ago she was the director of a business that was selling fraudulent tennis memorabilia.”

“Wait. Fraudulent tennis memorabilia,” said Amy. “That seems—”

“Like a big coincidence,” agreed Simon solemnly.

Their eyes met. Amy thought of her father’s precious signed tennis ball collection. She’d always wondered if those players really had sat there and signed them themselves.

“You think she deliberately targeted my parents?” asked Amy.

“I do,” said Simon. “I think we should go over there.” He held up the file, waved it. “Confront Savannah with this. See what she says.”

“Well,” said Amy. “I’m really grateful for this but—”

She wavered. This would be the second time he’d been to her family home. He was acting like a boyfriend: a sweet young boyfriend who deserved an

equally sweet young girlfriend. She would break his already broken heart.

“Okay,” she said, because simply looking into his clear brown eyes was as cleansing to her soul and calming to her heart rate as half an Ativan washed down with half a glass of wine.

Chapter 39

NOW

“Three years ago, this Savannah Pagonis, who at one point went by the name Savannah Smith and may have other aliases, was selling fraudulent tennis memorabilia on the internet,” said Ethan to Christina.

“Okay then,” said Christina. She sat back in her chair, tapping her pen against her teeth. “Tennis memorabilia. She clearly didn’t pick the house at random the way she said she did.”

“She was trying to scam them?” guessed Ethan. “Something to do with the tennis school?”

“Maybe,” said Christina. “And maybe she was successful? Because whenever I hear the name Savannah from anyone in that family I get the sense she had some kind of emotional impact.”

“Like they’re angry with her?” asked Ethan.

Christina considered his question.

“No,” she said finally. “More like they’re sad and possibly … guilty?”

Chapter 40

LAST OCTOBER