Andy Keeps Trying - Chapter 19

ANDY KEEPS TRYING

Chapter 19: Andy learns the ugly truth

“The hitman was paid with money that was taken from David’s bank account the day before.” Adrian reiterated solemnly.

“That can’t be real.” I immediately dismissed him. 

“Andy, I’m sorry. I have the evidence with me. I’m pretty sure.”

“Pretty sure?”

This had to be a joke. 

Adrian had to be messing up with me.

“Yes. I wouldn’t talk to you about it if I didn’t have concrete proof.”

“David wouldn’t do that… Adrian, what are you even talking about? He’s the one who got shot! He’s not suicidal. What the hell?”

“I know it sounds crazy, but look—”

Adrian pulled out his phone and started searching for the so-called evidence.

I paced around the messy living room.

I simply could not believe it. It just did not make any sense.

“Why would David hire a hitman to shoot himself!? He almost died! I was there. I saw everything!”

“I was too but… Just look at this, Andy.”

Adrian tried to show me something on his phone, but I ignored him.

“No… That’s bullshit. Is this because David and I are together? Is this some sort of jealousy trip?”

“What? This has nothing to do with us, or the fact that you’re dating him.”

“Really? Cause it seems awfully convenient that my ex-boyfriend suddenly thinks my current boyfriend is a mastermind hiring hit men!”

“Convenient? Andy, can you hear yourself? Why would I make up something like that? This is real life. You’re the delusional one, thinking a guy like Crown is above suspicion!”

That was the moment when Cody came out of his bedroom, naked and disheveled, wondering what all the yelling was about.. 

“What's going on? Andy, are you okay?”

He had visibly just woken up and jumped out of bed.

He struggled to open his eyes and assess the situation.

“Adrian has gone insane, but that's all right.” I explained.

I was pissed.

“I haven’t gone insane; you’re being stubborn and…”

Adrian walked toward me and Cody immediately put himself between us.

“Hey, what are you doing here, man? Back off!”

I had never seen Cody like this before, except maybe for the very first time we met, when he threatened me with a butcher knife.

He stood before me with his penis swinging, creating a shield between Adrian and I.

He seemed ready to punch the guy if he walked any closer.

“This is ridiculous.” Adrian said. “I came here as a friend to warn you before I publish the article.”

“You're going to write about this? In the Daily Philly News?”

“Of course. What did you think I was investigating for?”

Cody was confused.

He told me later that he initially thought we were just having an argument about our relationship.

If only it were that simple!

“Hold on— What are you two talking about? What investigation?”

I let out a sigh.

“Adrian has a crazy theory about the shooting at the rally.”

“It’s not crazy… Good Lord, Andy.”

“He thinks David hired the guy who literally shot him. Like. The weirdest suicide attempt ever.”

I saw Cody getting even more perplexed.

He knew David pretty well. After all, he was his boss. They had also just spent a night partying together.

“Sorry, what now?” He asked Adrian.

“If you'll just let me show you the evidence I've gathered, maybe we can talk.”

“All right, show it to us.” Cody said.

"Thank you, that’s all I wanted to do. Andy, are you ready to calm down and hear me out?”

I still did not like his tone, but I suppose there was a reason why I did not want to look at his evidence in the first place. 

I was scared of the truth.

“Fine… Cody, just put something on.” I said, jaded.

The situation was serious if I was asking Cody to get dressed. I mean, what was I doing denying myself the eye candy?

He looked down at his dick, hanging low, as if surprised by his own nudity.

“I was in crisis mode.” He said sheepishly before sliding into a pair of shorts.

I rolled my eyes.

Honestly, I was so hungover; I was not in the right state of mind for this.

“Look, guys, I’m not happy about it, and I’m confused, too, but what I’m about to tell you are just the facts.” Adrian explained once we had all cooled down.

“Okay, hit us up.” Cody pressed him.

First, I managed to get access to the police files on the shooting. Honestly, they did very little work on this case. Since only the shooter died, they didn’t seem that interested in the case, and David never formally pressed charges. That in itself is strange enough.”

“He wanted to move past it. That doesn’t mean anything.” I pointed out.

“Yes, maybe. Anyway, one thing the police discovered that the general public doesn’t know about, is that there was a briefcase at the hitman’s place. There was exactly $9,850 in cash inside.”

“Okay, and…?”

“Those idiots from the P.D. never really explored where the money was coming from, but I had a plan. What I did next was not completely legal, so bear with me…”

“Really, Adrian? Illegal spying on people?”

“I didn’t spy…”

Cody cut the both of us off before Adrian and I could start arguing again.

“Andy, just listen to the guy.”

“Thanks. So, I found a way to access the bank statements and activities of some of the people involved in the rally. It was a bit of a crap shoot; I had no idea if I could find anything. That information is highly confidential too, and even the police would have a hard time getting it. I'm not sure if they even tried. Anyway, I obviously started with Broadhall and his entourage.”

“Makes sense.”

“There was nothing. No unusual fund transfers. On a hunch, and since I already knew the Crowns were capable of a lot, I checked their bank accounts too. They have so many of them, it was a real mess— those guys are loaded as fuck— but I did find the statements of one bank account which turned out to be enough.”

“Where exactly did you get that information?” I could not help asking.

“I can't say. But it’s legit. I found a bank account in the name of David Crown, and well, it's pretty self-explanatory. Exactly one week before the shooting, he withdrew $3,000 in cash. Who does that? Three days later, he withdrew another $5,000. The day before the shooting, he withdrew another $2,000.”

“10k.” Cody commented.

“Almost exactly the sum found at the hitman’s place. It makes sense that he would have already spent about $150 for himself, especially since the money was withdrawn in $100 and $50 bills.”

“That’s suspicious, but…”

He showed me the receipt. Screenshots of the statements.

“Andy, this account hadn't been touched in years. Years! No withdrawal, nothing. And just like that, David uses this hidden bank account with not that much even in it to withdraw 10K… Almost fully emptying it. Days before the same amount of money is found at the hitman’s place!”

“Why don't you tell the police, then?”

“It's because of how I got the information. Look, I haven’t told anyone about it. I finally got the statements last night, but I have to give them to my editor-in-chief, and then, we'll publish it. This is huge, much bigger than a cheating scandal. Andy, I still have a lot of respect for you, and I know I’ve already caused a lot of chaos in your life. But this story has to come out, and I had to tell you first; you need to be careful.”

I stayed silent for a while.

I looked at the screenshots over and over again. There was no activity on the account except right before the shooting. There was no activity afterwards either.

I still did not understand, but I now believed that Adrian was telling the truth.

The ugly truth.

It hit me, like a brick in my stomach.

Was David a psycho?

“What would his motive even be?”

“I think he has plenty.” Adrian replied. “He was in the middle of a messy divorce with his wife. She probably leaked the pictures to the press to take his spot in the campaign. He lost everything: his career, his status… He had many reasons to want to kill her.”

“Hold on, Adrian. You don’t know him like I do. I swear David doesn’t care about the campaign. I was at the meeting where Rebecca decided to take his spot for the running, and God, we’re now certain that she was the one who planned the whole thing with the leaked pictures. Frankly, David was just relieved. He wanted to give up. He never really wanted to be Governor in the first place. Rebecca, though… She's capable of anything.”

“You think?”

And the epiphany finally came.

“Adrian! They were still married at the time, and they only started talking about divorce after he got shot. David made his decision at the hospital. So, at the rally, they were most likely still sharing bank accounts!”

“And in our patriarchal society, it would likely be under the man's name…” Adrian exclaimed.

“Yes! I don't think David withdrew the money. I think it was Rebecca. We got it wrong when we assumed all this time that she was the target and David a collateral victim! It was the other way around!”

My mind reeled. Adrian’s too.

He connected the same dots.

“She did get a huge boost in the polls after this. Also, she had plenty of reasons to be angry with her husband. After all, he was sleeping with you…” 

“Wait, guys. So now you think it’s Rebecca? She hired someone to shoot her own husband?”

My hands started shaking as I came to the same realization.

“I think she'd be capable of this.” I whispered.

The image of her face during the shooting came back to me.

It gave me chills. 

Just as when my mind had finally clicked about the leaked photographs, everything started to make sense in my head— and once again, it all led back to Rebecca Crown.

“Your boss is a psychopath, Andy.” Cody summed up wisely.

“Yes… But I suppose we always knew that.”

“I'm sorry, Andy. Trust me, I get no pleasure in sharing this.” Adrian told me.

I let out a sigh.

Just hours before, I was happy, and now… Everything was messy again.

“What are you going to write in your article, then? What will you say to your editor-in-chief?”

“I'm not entirely sure. I have to think about it. First, I’ll check if this was actually a joint bank account, but that does make sense. If so, I’ll just tell the truth. The money came from an account owned by the Crowns, and people will draw their own conclusions. I’ll have to give everything to my editor tomorrow so we can post the article by Monday at the latest.”

“Why the rush?” Cody wondered.

I did not need to ask; I knew the reason.

“The vote is on Thursday. People have a right to know before then.” Adrian said. 

“She could go to jail. Someone died.”

“I know, Andy. She’d deserve it.”

“Yeah…”

A long silence ensued.

“Maybe I should go. I’m available if you want to talk. Do you want me to let you know if I find out anything else? Obviously, I’ll be working on this all day.” Adrian offered after a while.

“Yes, thank you. Sorry for jumping at you earlier. I… I guess I didn’t want to face the truth.”

“It’s a lot to take in. No bad blood on my end though, and talking to you did help.”

“I'll need a moment to process this, but I appreciate you telling me first, Adrian. Although, what am I supposed to do with that information now?”

“What do you want to do with it?”

“I'm not sure. I think I want to talk to David first to make sure he isn't involved. We’re supposed to see each other later today, and I don’t want to lie to him. I couldn’t even if I wanted to.”

“I’m not against it. Can you tell me if you find out anything while you talk to him? I want to have a rock-solid case before presenting it to my editor-in-chief.”

“That's a big ask, Adrian. I’m not a rat.”

“That’s not… Look, I won’t try to convince you of that. Do as you see fit, Andy.”

I looked at Cody; he seemed to be thinking things through. Maybe he had Laurie in mind, too.

Once again, this thing had the potential to blow up our entire lives. For sure, the moment the article came, our careers with the Crowns would basically be over.

Shit! How would I pay the rent once my candidate was in prison?

“Let's regroup later today. We should call each other in the evening and see where we stand.” I suggested.

“Okay, I agree with that.”

Adrian shook my hand as a sign of goodwill and left shortly after. I spent about an hour rehashing things with Cody.

He offered to accompany me to see David.

“He won't hurt me.” I said, almost offended he was implying it.

“He might react impulsively. I mean, it's huge news that you're going to drop on him. This is serious. And you’re not 100% sure it wasn’t him.”

“Cody, we should have known it was Rebecca from the start. As crazy as it sounds, it really smells like her.”

“Should we tell Laurie, too?”

“I suppose. Look, I'm going to see David as planned, and I'll just tell him what I know. If I die tonight, you know the Crowns are behind it.”

Cody made a face.

“Don’t even joke about that!”

“I trust David. I can’t sit with this information anyway.”

“Yeah…”

“Fuck. When did my life get so complicated?”

Cody kissed my forehead.

“Sorry, bro. I think the trouble started when you got hired by Rebecca Crown."

“That sounds about right.”

Two hours later, I met an oblivious and happy David at his apartment.

It broke my heart to see how excited he was when he opened the door for me.

We had not had sex for 36 hours, which was quite a record for us lately. He jumped on me and covered me in kisses,groping my ass lewdly as I walked in.

“That was cool yesterday, right? You had a happy birthday, babe?” 

“I did.”

He licked my neck. He was so horned-up.

“I had to resist being too hands-on with you last night. It was hard, especially since you looked so good as a magician.”

“They're wizards in Harry Potter, not magicians.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you.” He joked.

I had a lump in my stomach.

This was the worst.

“David, we need to talk.”

“What's up? You don't look good.”

“I'm hungover, but it’s —"

“Is it about yesterday? Did I do something wrong?”

“No, you didn’t. At all. You were great. In fact, it was one of the best nights of my life.”

“Okay, then. What is it? You don't seem too happy.”

“Let's go sit down.”

“You're worrying me, you know. Is this serious?”

“Actually, it is.”

“Someone died?”

“No, although one man did die six months ago.”

“I’m not following.”

Why was I the one having to deliver this news again?

“The hitman. Let's sit down. I'll tell you everything I know.”

And I did. 

I explained how Adrian had come to my place that morning, how he had been investigating the shooting since it happened, how he had found leads and gathered evidence illegally, and, of course, how it all led to David’s old bank account and the money received by the hitman. 

“I assume this was all Rebecca… Right?” I asked tentatively.

David looked down.

It was rare for him not to hold up his gaze.

I feared the worst.

“It's all true. The bank account, the money transfer… and yes, it was Rebecca. Her and her father. She swore to me that she didn’t intend for anyone to get hurt, though.”

“What? You knew?”

“I did…”

“Fucking hell, David! It’s just like the pictures of us leaking! I’m such a fool. I’m the biggest fool on this planet!”

“Don’t say that.”

He tried to hold my hand but I pushed him away.

“How could you know that and not tell me or the police? You almost died! Remember?”

“Listen to me, okay?”

“I'm done with that shit.”

He put his hand on my thigh. I took a deep breath and let him.

I could not react impulsively again.

“I had no idea before it happened, of course. But then, at the hospital, Rebecca freaked out when she realized how far it had gone. She sincerely feared for my life, I believe.”

“Too little, too late!”

“Yes, you're right. She confessed as I was in my hospital bed. She said her father came up with the idea that a politician who survived a shooting would get a lot of publicity and might even swing an election. She said the plan was never to have the hitman shoot anyone, let alone me. She said that she had to use one of our old accounts to pay him, so she was worried about that, but she thought— and obviously she was wrong— that there was no way this information would come out. Her father was very good at this kind of thing normally.”

“David, this is insane. In-sane!”

“She apologized for the first time in her life.”

“AND SO, FUCKING WHAT?” I exploded. “She said sorry and this is all good?! I mean, the pictures were already too much. I don’t know how you moved on from that. I don’t know how I did! But this? That woman is dangerous. Actually dangerous— she’s a murderer.”

“She was blinded by the campaign, her chances of winning, and the polls.”

“The polls? So, it’s my fault?”

“No, of course not. Why would you even say that? It’s just… Politics and power, it makes some people go overboard; she made a terrible decision.”

“And you're not mad at her?”

“I am. We separated for good that day. I didn't report her, but I didn’t forgive her either. We’re divorced now.”

“Now I get it… You took that leap and finally filed for divorce because she tried to murder you! That was what this was all about?”

“She didn’t try to murder me.”

“I was on stage with you for God’s sake! She was there, too! That was the worst moment of my life. I couldn't sleep or function for weeks after that. To this day, I still jump when I hear a car door slammed too hard!”

“I’m sorry, Andy.”

“For what? You got the worst of it. You were bleeding out! You could have… Fuck… The bullet just missed your vital organs by an inch.”

“I know. I just don't want Zach's mom to go to jail. Can you understand that? I didn’t want to press charges against my own wife. I still feel guilty about putting her through the ringer all these years when she did everything to help me— to support my career, our family.” 

“David, can’t you see it? This is what she does; she manipulates people. She played on your guilt. She rewrote the story to make sure she always comes out on top, even though she does terrible things. She has to be held accountable for this.”

David sighed.

“Andy, just think about it. What if your ex hadn’t found out about this yet? Wouldn't our lives be easier right now? Wouldn’t we be happy?”

“Of course, but I don't see how…”

“That's why I haven't said anything. Because I like my life right now. I don’t want to destroy Zach. I don't want to be in the middle of another nationwide scandal. So, yes, I let Rebecca have her fucking dream— and I left, knowing Richard Pallow wouldn't dare go against me again when I had this on them.”

“That's another level of messed up.”

“I know…”

“And it's too late anyway. Now the information is out.”

David broke down crying when I said that.

That threw me off.

“I'm sorry for all this mess, Andy.”

It literally broke me to see him like that.

I held him in my arms.

“David, I'm sorry you got stuck in such a toxic relationship. What you had to endure, and then what you had to keep for yourself, that’s not okay, that’s not healthy.”

He was breaking down.

There I was, thinking he was so strong and nothing could affect him.

What was I thinking? He was without a doubt the biggest victim in all this. 

I mean, he had been under the Pallows’ influence for all these years, basically acting as their puppet. He had to hide his sexuality for decades. He was made to run huge political campaigns he did not even care about. Then he suffered a nationwide public humiliation in the press, being forced to come out. And finally, he was shot, virtually by his own wife.

What was I complaining about already?

My life was easy compared to his. 

“I’m sorry, David. I’m not sure what will happen now. All I can say is that I… I really am on your side.”

“Thank you, Andy.”

We stayed like that for a while until David asked me to leave. He wanted to spend some time alone.

I understood, as I needed time to think about everything, too.

Thank goodness Laurie was already at the apartment and up to date when I came back home. She was discussing everything with Cody.

I was glad not to have to deliver the news again.

She hugged me warmly as soon as I walked in.

Once again, we went over everything: the affair with David, the leaked photographs, Rebecca becoming the head of the campaign, the shooting, and now Adrian finally uncovering the whole truth.

“I have to talk to him tonight, but I have no idea what to say.” 

“Nothing.” / “The truth.”

Laurie and Cody spoke at the same time.

She thought I should stay away from this whole thing, while Cody thought it was time to stop lying and be straightforward.

“Adrian knows everything already, you can just confirm that David suspected Rebecca too. You don’t have to go into the details but… Guys, Rebecca hired a hit man who could have very well shot you both! She should go to prison, ASAP.”

Cody was right, of course, but I was still considering my next move when another visitor arrived.

This one would be a doozy.

The intercom rang. Cody went to answer it, and when he told us who it was, he looked like he had seen a ghost.

“Guys, it's Rebecca.”

“Oh shit.”

“This ain’t good.” Laurie said.

This was the second time Rebecca Crown barged in uninvited.

The first time was after she caught David and me during Christmas break, when she tried to convince me to go back to work.

At the time, I freaked out so much, but it now seemed insignificant in light of our current situation.

“What should I do?” Cody asked.

“Tell her to come up. Let's get this over with.”

“I’m here. There are three of us, and it’s just her.” Cody told us as if we were about to get into a physical fight.

I doubted that.

My concerns lay elsewhere. This felt like one of those moments that could change everything.

Laurie, Cody, and I were nervous as we waited for her to ascend.

Rebecca came in a minute later with a grave and closed-off expression on her face.

“Hello, Reb…”

She cut me off.

“Do they know?” She asked, glancing at Cody and Laurie.

I nodded.

“Yes, everybody knows.”

“What do you mean, everybody?”

“The news is about to come out; in the newspaper.”

She let out the longest sigh.

“Andy, you can't let this happen.”

“What?”

“The vote is in less than five days. We’re polling ahead; we have this in the bag. We can’t ruin everything now. We can’t let Broadhall win. He’s a dangerous man.”

I foolishly thought she would try to explain herself, give a reason, or talk about her father’s involvement, but no. 

Once again, she was only obsessed with the campaign and winning the primary.

“A dangerous man? Rebecca, you hired a hitman!”

How did she not see how serious this was? Did she not realize she was likely going to prison?

“This was a terrible mistake, and David getting shot was never part of the plan. Andy, you need to make the right decision here.”

“Oh, Rebecca. I’m so done. Power moves are great and all, but that wasn’t it.”

“People’s jobs are at stake— your jobs— and, more importantly, people’s lives depend on the results of this primary. The conservatives will win the governor's seat next year, that’s a given, and we cannot let Charles Broadhall be the candidate. You know Adrian Park. You have history with him. You can convince him. We have money if he needs some. We have resources. Do whatever it takes to get us all out of this situation! We’re counting on you.”

“We? Who’s we? You and David?”

“The entire team! Do you want Laurie here to lose her job? Do you want a fascist leading the state?”

“Fuck, Rebecca! It’s not fair to put that on me. I’m not your employee right now, this is so fucking crazy.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to help us? You’re probably the only person who can convince this reporter not to run this story and blow up all our lives. Andy, don't do it for me; do it for all the people who will be affected if this comes out. Think about Zach. Think about everything we worked so hard for and all the people involved. Go talk to Adrian Park. Change his mind; tell him what he needs to hear. Whatever! Save the fucking day so we can win this primary and move on!”