Page 39 of Zero Divergence
“I think you hate how disappointed you are that someone you liked and respected turned out to be human,” Royce said softly.
“Human? Is that what you call a cheating bastard?”
Too late, Sawyer realized what he said. He wanted to kick himself in the ass. He knew how hard Royce struggled after learning Marcus had cheated on Candi. Royce still couldn’t reconcile the man he’d loved with the one who lived a double life for three years. “God, I’m sorry.”
Royce placed his hand on Sawyer’s thigh, calming him. “I’m not condoning what Vincenzo did, but I can at least understand better now that sometimes people take pieces of our heart with them when they leave us. Vincenzo thought he’d healed and decided he was ready to move on with Lucinda. It just took one brief encounter for him to realize Vivian still owned a large piece of him. He should never have acted on his feelings the way he did, but give him time to step up and do the right thing. I think he’ll surprise you.”
“Not as much as you just did,” Sawyer admitted.
Royce squeezed his thigh once more before retracting his hand when the exit and guard shack came into view.
As they approached, they triggered an automatic sensor to unlock the gates. Mustache Man and Mall Cop stared daggers at them while they waited for the gates to open, then stupidly flipped them off as Sawyer accelerated past the shack once the gates parted wide enough for the car to fit through.
Royce rolled down his window, stuck his head out, and yelled, “Have a nice day.”
Sawyer laughed at his partner’s antics. “That’s a tamer reaction than I was expecting.”
“Those dumbasses aren’t worth a lecture from the chief.”
“True,” Sawyer agreed. “Where to now?”
“Bytes and Brew,” Royce replied. “I want a breakfast sandwich and good coffee. The partners won’t be arriving at the law office for another hour or two.”
“Always worried about your stomach,” Sawyer teased.
“Second only to my dick, GB.”
Royce scrubbed a hand over his face. “This case is going to be a fucking nightmare, especially when word gets out about the affair. People love sex scandals.”
“Especially with politicians,” Sawyer added. “Don’t you find it remarkable that neither Blakemore nor Vincenzo knew about one another? Vincenzo referred to Blakemore’s room as the guest bedroom instead of her roommate or tenant’s room. Blakemore didn’t indicate he knew Vivian’s pining resulted from a renewed relationship with Vincenzo that had failed.”
“Yeah, I agree it’s odd, but not impossible,” Royce said. “I mean, their arrangement could’ve easily been adjusted around Blakemore’s work schedule with weekday romps at hotels, saving the overnight stays at her place for weekends.”
“Why never at his place?” Sawyer asked.
Royce thought about it for a second. “Having sex with her in the bed he shared with Ms. Fairchild is the lowest of the low blows.” Like it often did when infidelity came up in a conversation, his mind wandered to Marcus. His friend could’ve invited his girlfriend Amber over on the weekend he’d died since Candi and the kids were away visiting family, but he’d chosen to stay at Amber’s apartment instead. Why? Was it Marcus’s way of keeping his lives separate, or had he worried Amber would’ve lingered and prevented him from going inside the garage and starting the car with the door closed? Marcus was complex and flawed, and he might never understand his friend’s choices.
Bullshit!Stop being a coward and listen to the fucking tape if you want answers.
Royce swallowed hard against the bile rising in his throat. He was afraid of what he would hear on the tape. Plain and simple. He felt like he was barely clinging to the brightness Marcus had brought into his life as it was. Royce could finally remember happier times with Marcus, and he wasn’t ready to discover worse things about his best friend that would set him back to reliving the nightmare of discovering his body every time Marcus’s name was mentioned. Royce wasn’t prepared to let go of the good. Who could blame him?
“Do you know what else I find hard to believe?” Sawyer asked, snapping Royce out of his gloomy thoughts.
Royce turned to look at Sawyer. “Hmm?”
“That Ms. Fairchild didn’t know something was going on with Vincenzo.” Sawyer glanced over and met Royce’s gaze. “Think about it. Vincenzo’s campaign staff would’ve scheduled his events long before he found out his dissolution never went through. Ms. Fairchild would have his speaking engagements and fundraising appearances in her calendar since she likely accompanied Vincenzo to many of them. He’d have to inform her of any new additions or deviations from the original plan. Wouldn’t she notice excessive changes?”
“You make a good point,” Royce said, letting Sawyer’s words mesh with his thoughts. “He claimed Ms. Fairchild knew about the situation with Ms. Gross, so wouldn’t she be included in discussions with attorneys, or at the very least ask for updates if Vincenzo excluded her from those meetings?”
Sawyer nodded. “You’d think.”
“We need to know more about Ms. Fairchild and figure out what she knew about his reunion with Vivian Gross and when she found out,” Royce said. “I think most people know when their significant other has fallen out of love with them or is engaging in an affair. There has to be unmistakable signs, right?” Sawyer nodded and Royce continued. “If you suddenly couldn’t get it up for me, or your sex drive tanked out of the blue, my first concern would be your health. Once those worries were laid to rest, my brain would start leaning in other directions.”
Sawyer nodded. “Same.”
Fuck. Had Candi suspected? Had Marcus grown distant and less affectionate? Did her heart make excuses for the things her brain pointed out to her? It was easier to deny things that were blatantly obvious when facing them held severe consequences and drastic changes, not only for you, but for your children too. Royce had lived in a state of avoidance since finding out the confessional recording existed.
“Do you think I’m a coward?” Royce asked suddenly.