Sweet Carolina Girls Part 24

"It's delicious," Lauren said, looking around the big room, "I have figured out your real motive for having me move in with you."

"Oh yeah," Harper said, "and what is that?"

"You need art work for the walls in this place," Lauren said, then Harper smiled, "Yes, you have found me out. I only love you for your artwork."

They continued to drink wine and talk about which pieces of Lauren's art would look good here and there, long after their plates were empty. Lauren wanted to add a few of her antiques to the furniture, which Harper thought was a great idea. They both agreed some of the rooms in the house did not look finished. Harper wanted Lauren to take over the decorating duties, since she had such a good eye for it.

"Honey, you do whatever you want to the house, it's yours now too. I bow to your art degree on this one." Harper said, clearing away the dishes.

Lauren followed her into the kitchen with the rest of the dishes, "I want it to be our home, so you need to come over to the studio and help me pick out the pieces."

Harper enveloped Lauren in her long arms, "I like the sound of that, our home."

"Oh, I forgot about the fas.h.i.+on show." Lauren tore out of Harper's arms. She was at the entrance to the hallway when she turned to Harper, "Well, are you coming."

"Not yet, but I bet I will be soon," Harper whispered to herself and then she took off for the stairs, Jasper hot on her heels.

It wasn't long before Jasper descended the stairs, found his baseball and climbed on his blanket on the couch. His girls were at it again and he couldn't bear to watch.

Chapter Twenty-Six.

Monday morning the sky was blue again and the trees were alive with flowers and buds. The flowers Harper planted out front were stretching up to reach the sunlight when she and Lauren drove away. A low mist hung over the tips of the gra.s.s on the sides of the road. Harper was having a hard time waking up this morning, because they skipped the run and slept in. Her restful weekend had taken its toll both physically and mentally. She had made some life changing decisions in less than 48 hours. She wasn't sorry she had made them; she was just shocked at herself for doing it. Harper was usually so thoughtful and cautious, but with Lauren she just didn't care about the consequences.

"What are you thinking about so hard this morning?" Lauren said, sighing into a stretch and yawn. She wasn't much more awake than Harper.

Harper replied, "Just trying to wake up. Man, I'm tired."

Lauren, finis.h.i.+ng her stretch, managed to squeak out, "Me, too."

Harper opened the console between them and handed Lauren a small box with a tiny pink bow on top.

"Harper you can't keep buying me stuff," but Lauren was tearing the paper as she spoke. "When did you have time to wrap this?"

Harper didn't tell her it was one of two boxes that came with the house. She let Lauren think she wrapped it just for her. This little white lie was harmless, she'd tell her the truth later.

"It's my own set of keys and a garage door opener, how sweet." Lauren kissed Harper on the cheek. "Now you can have your spare back."

They rode quietly the rest of the way to the hospital, kissed each other goodbye and went off to their separate duties. Harper worked through lunch again, so she could leave early to pick up the I-phone in Durham. Lauren was going to bring her Tahoe back to the house, which meant she had to move the boat before Lauren got home. It had a cover, although it needed a new one, so she could park it in the back yard by the gate. She made it back from Durham in time to beat Lauren home from the hospital at 5:30. Harper moved the boat and was just plugging the I-phone into her laptop when she saw headlights and heard the garage door opening, meaning Lauren was home.

Lauren entered the utility room with both arms holding sacks of food. Harper took them from her and placed them on the kitchen counter. Although they kept in touch all day through text messages it was so good to see her at home. Harper helped her with her coat and scarf and then kissed her pa.s.sionately, before she could get two steps into the house.

"Is it me or the spaghetti sauce I'm about to make that has you so excited?" Lauren teased Harper.

Harper kissed her neck, "It's definitely you, but I am hungry."

"Well, get out of my way and let me cook. Go... get out of the kitchen," Lauren said, swatting Harper with a dishtowel.

"Okay, I'm going. I was just about to see what, if anything is left on Shelby's phone when you pulled in." Harper was already in the dining room by the time she finished her sentence. She popped her head back around the corner to ask, "Are you sure you don't need help chopping or something?"

"No, I won't get anything done with you in here. You can't keep your hands off me," Lauren laughed as she spoke, peeking around the cabinet door at Harper.

Harper came back around the corner and leaned on the archway, "And that's a bad thing, how?"

Lauren was enjoying the banter and kept it up, "It's not a bad thing, it's just that when you help you are so easily distracted by the least little thing."

"You mean like the fact I can see that your nipples are hard through your tee s.h.i.+rt, that kind of thing." Harper's grin was growing to a broad naughty smile.

Lauren kept moving about the kitchen, but continued the conversation with Harper, "Exactly that kind of thing. You might lose focus checking out my t.i.ts and cut a finger off."

"And you would like for me to keep all my fingers?"

"Yes, I think that I would, now scat." Lauren needed to focus on the sauce and officially dismissed Harper with a wave.

The smell of sauteing onion began to waft through the house. Harper sat back down at the crowded dining room table. They never ate in here anyway. While she absentmindedly started the program to download the images from the I-Phone, she looked up at the wall where the photos had been taped. Something about this accident did not fit.

Harper heard an alert from the laptop and saw the I-Phone was recognized by her computer. That was a good sign. "Hey honey, this is Shelby's phone. It has her listed as the owner."

"That's good. I'm sure she'll want it back, if just for the contact info alone," Lauren answered, from the kitchen.

Harper thought to ask, "Hey, did she see your ring?"

Lauren called back, "No, it never came up. Call me if you find something on the phone you think might be useful. I'd like to see it."

Harper transferred the photo and video files to her laptop and unplugged Shelby's phone from her computer. She took it to the old farm desk where both she and Lauren's chargers were and placed the phone in one. Harper didn't expect to find anything when she started going through the photo files. The first two folders were labeled Vacation and Home. Harper had no need to look in those. There were several photos of Lauren, Lauren and the dogs, Lauren at their house and various sites around campus, in a miscellaneous folder. Then she found what she was looking for.

There were still shots of Shelby and Lauren at Abby's with Harper standing in the background. Most were shot at odd angles casting dark shadows on the faces in the pictures. It made everyone look mean and angry. There was also a picture of Shelby's shattered bourbon gla.s.s on the floor.

There were no more interesting shots, so Harper moved on to the video folder. There were only two videos located there and both had the same date as the accident. The first video began as Shelby was screaming out of Abby's driveway. Leah was obviously the photographer. She never appeared on the screen, but Harper could hear her voice. She listened carefully through the headset, as what happened when Shelby left Abby's unfolded in front of her.

Shelby's image could barely be seen because the only light came from the instrument panel. She looked at the camera and said, "Put that d.a.m.n thing down."

The sound of the car engine indicated that Shelby had slowed the car very soon after leaving Abby's. She appeared to be focused and concentrating on driving, although she did look very angry. The video moved away from Shelby and pa.s.sed over the dashboard and refocused on the radio. Leah's disembodied hand reached out to turn up the volume.

Shelby's voice could be heard above the now loud music, "Turn that down and I said put my phone up." A hand closes over the phone and the video goes black, but the sound is still playing.

Leah's voice says, "d.a.m.n, we were having fun and then you had to go see your ex. Total buzz kill. Forget her, let me..."

The video suddenly stopped.

Harper took a minute to process what she had seen and heard. Shelby appeared focused and was obviously not driving out of control. She was driving drunk, but she just didn't seem reckless. Harper clicked on the next video. Immediately there was chaos, although Harper couldn't see anything but changes in light, she could hear Shelby's voice in a panic.

"Get off me. You're pus.h.i.+ng my foot down on the gas. Get off!"

"You know you want me," Leah's voice said.

"You're going to kill us both, get off me now!" Shelby shrieked.

"No, you're not taking me home," again it was Leah's voice, only scarier.

Tires squealed in the background, as Shelby applied the brake and at the same time the engine kept accelerating. Shelby was screaming in terror now, "Let go of the wheel, let go!"

Then the awful sound of the tires laying deep dark skid marks on the pavement, then another screech of the tires and then except for Shelby screaming, the sound of silence, as the wheels left contact with the road. The loud crash of the car flipping onto its top made Harper jump. Then there was a skid, the sound of the car hitting the guardrail and then silence again as the car started to flip into the air.

Images flipped by on the screen too quickly to recognize them. The last sounds were of the phone smacking around in the car and then landing under the pine needles. Harper realized her chest was heaving from the adrenaline coursing through her body. She just heard Shelby's ma.s.sive car crash live and on video tape and it could possibly clear Shelby of manslaughter charges.

When she looked up, Harper realized Lauren was standing in the archway, drying her hands on a towel. Harper stood up, removed her earphones and started toward Lauren talking very fast, "Cut off the sauce, I mean call Molly first then cut off the sauce. We have to go to Durham."

"Harper, what's going on? I've been trying to get your attention. What's happened? What did you find?"

Harper was a buzz of movement, unplugging her laptop and shoving it in its case. Then she grabbed Shelby's phone and her own out of the chargers. She put Shelby's phone in her laptop bag and her own phone in the front pocket of her ragged, lying around the house jeans.

Harper looked down at her pants and the threadbare tee s.h.i.+rt she was wearing, "I can't go to Molly Kincaid's office dressed like this."

Lauren stopped Harper by grabbing both of her arms, forcing her to look at Lauren, "Harper, what is it, what did you see?"

"Shelby might be guilty of driving under the influence, but Leah caused the accident and we have proof," Harper answered, breathlessly.

Lauren became all business, "Okay, throw a sweats.h.i.+rt over that and you're fine. You tennis shoes are on the back porch. You can put them on in the car. I'll do the kitchen, you lock up and I'll call Molly on the way." Lauren could be very organized and in control if she had to be. That was nice to know.

Lauren was already in the Tahoe, engine running, with the garage door up, when Harper closed and locked the utility room door behind her. Lauren appeared to be in an adamant conversation with someone over the car phone. When Harper opened the door she heard a young woman politely telling Lauren she would have to wait until tomorrow to speak with Ms. Kincaid. Harper wanted to speak out and warn the young woman that Lauren was on a mission from G.o.d and would not be stopped. At least that's the impression Harper had of the situation, as she climbed into the pa.s.senger seat, sliding her laptop case behind Lauren's seat for the trip.

Lauren smelled like spaghetti sauce. It made Harper's stomach growl. Harper knew it would be a while before she saw food and opted to drink the water bottle, she had thought to grab on the way out. Lauren fixed her eyes on the rear view mirror, where it appeared she focused the face of the young woman, on the other end of the phone.

"M'am, I don't usually like to do this, but like my momma said, if you can't throw that name around what else is it good for?" Lauren was speaking in the voice Harper had come to know as her Ms. Zachary voice. "My name is Lauren Zachary...Yes, that's right, Zachary. Do you recognize that name? You are in downtown Durham aren't you? Then look out a window honey, I'm sure you'll see it on the side of a building somewhere."

Lauren was really getting into the character she had taken on and Harper was enjoying the show, leaning back on the pa.s.senger side door. They were still in the garage. Thank goodness the door was open.

"Yes, that Zachary, now you get on your blackberry and you find Ms. Kincaid and you give her this message. I'm headed for her Victorian office. I have evidence that will blow the Shelby West case out of the water... Yes, she can call me at this number... and you have a good evening, too."

Harper clapped and whistled. Lauren backed the Tahoe out of the garage saying to Harper, "Oh, shut up. I hate to do that."

"Oh, I think your mother would have been proud of that performance. I'd give it a 9.5"

Lauren wrinkled her brow, "Why only a 9.5?"

Harper kissed her on the neck, "Only, because you didn't say, aas G.o.d is my witness,' or threaten her first born son."

Lauren began to relax visibly and settle back in her seat, she turned to Harper, "What do you know about putting on airs Ms. Lynch? Oklahoma isn't in the real South."

"You have never been to a gala given by the Oil Men's Club. There may never be more blue hair and diamonds in one room. My mother's mother used to drag me around to this ball and that and of course I had to debut, as I'm sure you did. She would roll over in her grave, if she knew about you." Harper wasn't joking. Her grandmother might just haunt her, if she found out her only granddaughter was one of those lezzies, as she preferred to call some of Harper's teammates.

They continued the conversation, as Lauren drove, "The difference out here is there is old money and new money. Oil money is new money at least to the Native Americans you come from. Old money carries a social status new money can never reach. Bill Gates would be snubbed by these people."

"Oh yeah, I know. There's a difference between Tulsa oil money and Oklahoma City oil money because Tulsa had their money first," Harper replied.

Lauren's face turned serious, "So, why are we driving to Durham. What did you see in the files?"

Harper sat up, getting excited again, "The entire accident is on video. You can't see anything, but you can hear everything, but wait I'm getting ahead of myself."

"There is an audio recording from inside the car of the entire accident, and you think Leah caused it?"

"Wait, let me tell you. I found two videos from that night. The first one started when Shelby flew out of Abby's driveway. It shows that Shelby slowed down immediately and was not driving or acting recklessly. She was obviously very angry and Leah was getting on her nerves."

Lauren was nodding as she listened processing the affect the information had on Shelby's case. Harper continued, "The next video must have been started when Leah climbed over the gear s.h.i.+ft to f.u.c.k with Shelby. It had to have been lying there and gotten turned on somehow."

Lauren didn't care how the device was turned on; she wanted to know what was on the tape, which was evident when she said a little too anxiously, "What the f.u.c.k was on the tape?"

Harper was taken out of her distraction of trying to figure out how the camera was turned on by Lauren's tone, she answered quickly, "Leah was mas.h.i.+ng down on Shelby's leg, pinning her knee, which in turn pinned her foot on the accelerator. Shelby yells at her to get off, but then Leah starts saying Shelby is not taking her home in a really weird voice. The next thing you hear is Shelby screaming for Leah to let go of the wheel and then the crash. It's pretty hard to listen to."

"Play it. I want to hear it." Lauren didn't so much ask Harper to do it, as tell her what was going to happen.

"Are you sure you want to listen to it while you are driving?" Harper asked concerned.

"Yes, I want to hear it before Molly does. I don't want to be taken by surprise in her office."

Lauren was resigned to hearing the audio from the video, so Harper played both videos for her on the laptop. While she played the second video, Lauren covered her mouth, as the terror in Shelby's voice grew and grew. The sound of the car landing on its roof made her jump, like it had Harper the first time she listened.

As Harper listened this time, she heard things she didn't hear before. She could hear Shelby trying physically to push Leah off of her. It sounded like what Harper thought a rape would sound like, as Shelby tried to regain control of the car and get this crazy woman off her. She also heard Leah whispering, "You said we were going to f.u.c.k." Leah's voice sent s.h.i.+vers down Harper's spine.

When the video ended with the thud of the device hitting the ground, Harper remained silent, letting Lauren take in what she had heard. Lauren continued to drive in silence for several minutes, before she at last spoke.

"Did you hear how horrified Shelby was?"

Harper knew what she meant, "Yes, it's shocking to listen to."

Then Lauren got angry, "That little b.i.t.c.h caused all of this and they have crucified Shelby in the paper. I do hope someone will play that for her family, after all the horrible things they have said about Shelby." She was crying now, in a fury, "I know I shouldn't wish that on them, but how they made Shelby some pariah taking advantage of their good Christian girl, makes me sick."

Harper let Lauren rage, because she needed to get it out. She had been holding it, because she thought her fury belonged to Shelby, and she couldn't at rage her in her condition. Now that she had a new target, her wrath had no boundaries.

Lauren carried on, "I was so mad at Shelby. Part of me even thought she wrecked the car on purpose to get me to come back. I mean, I never thought she meant to kill anybody, but now, I am so f.u.c.king mad and I want to choke Leah, but she's already dead. How sick is that?"

Harper convinced Lauren to pull over, so she could drive and Lauren could continue to rant if she wanted to, but by the time she got in the pa.s.senger seat Lauren had calmed down considerably. Harper held Lauren's left hand, while she wiped her face with Kleenex with the other. She didn't have anything else to say and concentrated on composing herself, before Onstar told them they had arrived at their destination.

When they knocked on the door, it was Molly that opened it. She ushered them into her office and shut the door. The place was impeccably restored, in its original Victorian brilliance, yet blended with modern technology so seamlessly. There were flat screens and digital monitors everywhere, but built into the architecture with no visible wiring. Harper was so busy looking around, she almost didn't make it into the office with the other two women.

Molly sat down behind her desk and smiled at them. She addressed Lauren first, "I understand from my staff that you have something very important to tell me, Ms. Zachary." Molly emphasized the Ms.

Lauren was humble in her reply, "Look, I didn't want to do that, but I really think you need to see what we have. It changes everything."

Molly turned to Harper, who was still standing with the laptop bag over her shoulder. She realized they were staring at her so she started talking and unpacking her computer. "In my email on Sunday, I told you we found, what we thought was, Shelby's cell phone. It turned out to be hers and I found some very interesting video, or actually audio from the video, that we think will help Shelby's case."