Page 65 of Wicked Promises

“The car belonged to Tobias Hutchins.”

I blink. And then… blink again.

My mouth gapes open and closed.

What?

“He was your dad’s?—”

“I know who he is,” I snap. “I… Riley and I…”

Caleb narrows his eyes. “Youwhat?”

I take a deep breath. All my sleuthing is about to come out into the light.

“We ran into him in New York City,” I remind him, “and you told me who he was later.”

Caleb’s eyes narrow. “I told you his name was Tobias, and that he was your dad’s lawyer.”

“Right.”

“And I know for a fact that there aren’t any online articles about it?—”

“Correct,” I interrupt. “I know.But, there can only be so many Tobiases in New York City. And a lot of law firms actually list their lawyers on their websites with nice headshots, so…”

“You found him, I take it,” Caleb says drily.

“Went and visited him,” I admit.

His hand curls into a fist. “You didwhat?”

Eli laughs, waving the vodka at Caleb. “Want this? Might make the bad news easier to swallow. Pun totally intended.”

“Shut up,” Theo hisses.

“Anyway,” I continue, “he was pretty fucking shady.”

He doesn’t really seemmad, just irritated. And appalled. And… stumped. I, Margo Wolfe, have rendered Caleb Asher speechless. It’s about damn time I’ve had the upper hand.

“Obviously you didn’t just stop at finding the car’s registration or whatever?—”

Caleb winces. “Tobias might not know a teenage stalker, but he certainly knows my mother.”

I go still. “From seeing her in court?”

“From before that,” he admits. “He and my mother have been friendly over the years. I think they went to undergrad together.”

“That had to have been a conflict of interest.”

Caleb sighs. “I think my mom paid him off.”

It takes a second for his words to register. He thinks his motherpaid offmy dad’s lawyer? Why the hell would hekeep that to himself? That should be proof enough of Dad’s innocence. Even if it’s not enough for him, it’ssomething.

Horror courses through me, and I shoot to my feet. “How long have you known?”

His expression is open. Sincere, even.

“I overheard them,” he says. “They often had conversations in my parents’ bedroom, just the two of them.”