Page 25 of Drowning in Lies
The last video was just David and Scott again, three weeks after Mom's funeral.David was complaining that I was really depressed.
"She doesn't do anything but mope around the house and cry. She only gets out of bed to go to work, then goes back in to lay down when she gets home. She's like a damned ghost around here.She isn't eating, she barely talks to me, and forget about sex.She hasn't let me near her since her mom fell the first time. She needs to go back on those anti-depressants or something."
Scott had chuckled."Maybe that'll work in your favor. She gets depressed, offs herself, and you inherit everything."
David seemed to get pissed off and shoved his shoulder. "What the fuck's wrong with you?"
Scott rubbed his shoulder and turned a glare at David."Me?"Scott had asked."You're the one cheating on her and stealing from her for years, man.You're the one drugging her up and making her go crazy."
David flipped him off."Just shut up, Scott.It's not like you're innocent in all this.It was your fucking idea, remember?"
"Hey, don't blame me, asshole!I told you to help yourself to a little extra.Not my fault you got greedy,"Scott told him with a shrug, which seemed to piss David off even more.
"Really?I wouldn't have had to be so greedy if you hadn't bled me dry with your 'consulting fees' all these years."
Scott laughed."You think I'm sticking my neck out for free on this shit, man?You're my brother, and I love ya, but I'm not risking prison time for anything less than what you're paying me."
David just shook his head."Yeah, what-the-fuck-ever. Just don't talk about Lila like that again. I was in love with her, you know that, and believe it or not, I still care about her. I don't want her dead."
Scott immediately shot back,"No, you just want her money."
David gave him a dirty look and flipped him off again. They went on to talk about trying to get their hands on the money from the sale of my mom's house and the rest of the inheritance once her will was probated.The video ended a few minutes later, with David telling Scott he had to go, or he would be late meeting Marissa.
"Who the fuck is Marissa?"Scott asked in confusion.
"The blonde with the mile-long legs from the casino the other night," David had said with a cocky grin.
"You're hooking up with her again? I thought that was a one-time thing."David shrugged.
"Yeah, well, Vanessa's been out of town on that project for Randall for a few days, and Lila sure the fuck isn't putting out right now.So, Marissa it is."
Scott handed David another baggie of powder and told him to have fun with his leggy blonde."I expect all the dirty details tomorrow, bro,"he said as he walked out, and the video went dark.
There was silence in the room as the video ended. I closed my eyes and tried to clear my mind of all the disturbing images and heartbreaking words I'd heard for the last hour or so.
Chris put his arms on both of my shoulders and gently squeezed."You gonna be OK, honey?"Sherry leaned over and put her arm around me and whispered, "I'm so sorry, Lila. I hope he's burning in hell right now."
I nodded and laid my head on her shoulder for a minute before straightening and looking at the two detectives. "So, what do you need from me now?" I asked quietly.
James spoke first."I made some notes as I listened to these again and picked up on a few more things that I didn't catch before.I'd like to go over it with Mike and see what he picked up, too, before we ask you anything else.Quite frankly, Lila, I hate that we had to ask you to watch that, and I'd like to minimize any other questions we have for you."
"James, I'm gonna suggest that we hold off on Lila meeting with Andy until tomorrow afternoon," Mike said.He turned to me. "Andy is the forensic accountant you were going to meet with this afternoon."Looking back at James, he continued, "I think he may be able to help us piece together some of this if we give him time to look through everything."
Before James could respond, Chris spoke up. "I think that's an excellent idea.I'm not comfortable with putting Lila through any more stress today anyway."
James agreed, and a new meeting was set with Andy, James, and Mike at the police station tomorrow at 2:00 pm.
As we cleaned up the lunch things and got ready to leave, I mentioned that I planned to take my car back when we left.Sherry was concerned about me being too upset to drive, so Chris volunteered to drive my car back to their house, while I rode with Sherry. Once we got back to their place, I told them I was going to go lay down for a while.
"I need some time alone to try to decompress after everything I've seen and heard today," I said, heading toward the stairs.
"OK, honey. Why don't we order Chinese for dinner around 7:00, and you rest until then. You want your usual?"
"Yes, that sounds good. Thanks, Sher."
I took a nice long shower, needing to scrub the lingering feeling of filth from my skin. After toweling off and drying my hair, I slipped on an oversized T-shirt and a pair of yoga pants, then laid down on the bed. As I reached over to plug my phone into the charger, I realized I had a voicemail from my boss, who was calling to check on me. She had just returned to the town after being on vacation and the office secretary had just told her about David. I sent her a quick text letting her know I was OK and would call her tomorrow.
I curled up in the middle of the bed and hugged the extra pillow, trying to relax my mind. I eventually dozed off, only to have fitful dreams of Vanessa and David living in my house while I was locked outside, looking through the window at them.
