“Did you talk to Kelly and Tammy about the recording on your phone?”
“Yeah, earlier today. About an hour or so before I was attacked, I think.”
“And what did you tell them? What did Tammy say?” I asked him.
“Well, when I expelled them from the team permanently, Kelly just cried, but Tammy got angry. She said her father, the lawyer, was going to make me wish this and that.”
I nodded. “Yeah, everyone knows that her dad is some big-shot lawyer around here. But with that recording, he wouldn’t have even had a leg to stand on against you, I'm sure. That was hard, irrefutable evidence right there, and I think she knew it.”
“So how does your ex come into all of this?”
“I was at the mall having an ice cream earlier, and I saw him meet up with Tammy at a coffee shop. He handed her a package and kissed her. I guess they're dating now or something.
“But the thing is…he had a black eye and was wearing the exact same outfit your attacker was wearing. He's built, jacked on God knows what, and has short, blond hair that he spends, like, an hour styling every morning. So, he totally fits the description of your attacker.”
A light of realization began to shine in Wade's eyes.
“Oh, man. It totally makes sense now. Tammy tried to bluff that her dad would be able to take care of this, but no lawyer in the world would go against a university in a situation with verbal proof of wrongdoing. It makes sense that someone as spiteful as her would try to shut this down by making the evidence disappear before it got into official hands. She got her boyfriend to jump me and steal my phone.” He stared straight ahead in disbelief.
“I'm so sorry, Wade.”
He shook his head, anger reddening his face. “No, you don't need to be sorry for anything, Eryn. I just can't believe I was so stupid that I didn't make a backup of that file. Dammit! There has to be something we can do.”
We both sat in silence for a while, thinking about what options we might have now that the evidence was gone and Tammy held the upper hand. Then an idea dawned on me, and a smile started to spread across my face.
“You know, Wade, Leena's older brother Pete is an amateur actor. He does a lot of plays, and he's really good.”
Wade raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat confused. “Um, okay, but I’m not following. What does that have to do with our situation?”
“We need to find a costume store where we could rent a really authentic-looking police uniform.”
Wade realized what I was getting at and smiled. “There was a great place downtown where my buddies and I always used to go for Halloween costumes,” he said with a grin. “I think it's still there. You give Leena's brother a call, find out if he's up for this and what size clothes he wears, and I'll drive down there if he is.”
“Tammy thinks she can bluff us? Well, we're about to bluff her. I can only hope that this works,” I said, and pulled my phone from my pocket to give Pete a call.
*****
“I always knew this GoPro camera would come in handy one day,” Wade said as he mounted the camera on Pete's shoulder. “Good thing cops are required to wear body cameras these days, too, so Tammy and Tim won't question why this is on you.”
Pete, who was tall, broad-shouldered, and had a naturally stern-looking face, suited the role of a cop perfectly – even though by nature he was very gentle and reserved. Still, he was one hell of an actor, and he could turn on his bad cop performance in an instant and be absolutely convincing about it. And, the uniform we'd rented was ne
arly identical to the uniforms the local police department wore. I was a little surprised it was even legal to rent them out.
“So, you know exactly what to say?” Wade asked Pete.
“I've got this, man; don't you guys worry. Those two troublemakers won't know what hit 'em. I'll make sure their confession is recorded perfectly. And, you two can watch the live feed from the car across the road if you have it set up.”
“All right; well, this is Tammy's address according to university records,” Wade said, looking at the large sorority house across the road from us.
“And, that's Tim's car parked out front,” I said, pointing at a red Mustang.
“One more thing, Pete. Just make sure you never introduce yourself as a police officer. We don’t want you getting in trouble for impersonating one. I called and asked a friend of mine to make sure we weren’t putting you in a situation you might get in trouble for. Understand?” Wade said to Pete.
“Got it,” he replied.
“Okay then. Go break a leg, Pete,” Wade said, patting him encouragingly on the shoulder.
Pete breathed in deeply, and after he had exhaled, it was almost as if his face itself had changed; he was now in character. He put on his reflective aviator shades and looked the part.