He owed back taxes to three different government agencies, and his business practices included selling cars with rolled back odometers and forged inspection certificates. More interesting was his personal life. Curtis had been married four times, divorced three times, and was currently separated from wife number four while carrying on affairs with at least two other women besides Amber. He had a gambling problem, a drinking problem, and a habit of borrowing money from people who charged interest rates that would make a loan shark blush. This guy's a walking disaster, Ray explained, spreading the documents across his desk.
He's one bad month away from losing everything. How bad? Bad enough that if someone were to say report his business practices to the state attorney general's office, he'd probably be looking at criminal charges. I studied the papers, feeling a cold satisfaction building in my chest. What about personal stuff?
Family, friends, reputation? Ray pulled out another folder. His oldest daughter just got engaged. Big wedding planned for next month. Very expensive, very public.
Curtis is supposed to walk her down the aisle. Supposed to? Well, that depends on whether certain information about his recent activities becomes public knowledge. I left Ray's office with enough ammunition to destroy Curtis Brennan's life several times over. But I wanted to be strategic about it.
Random destruction was satisfying, but ultimately pointless. What I wanted was surgical precision. The opportunity came the following Friday at Tessa's school talent show. I hadn't planned to go. My relationship with my daughter had been frosty since the divorce proceedings started.
But Tyler convinced me it would be good for my image. You need to look like the stable parent, he said. The one who shows up, who cares about family, makes Amber look even worse when she doesn't show. The school auditorium was packed with parents, grandparents, and siblings, all armed with smartphones and the kind of forced enthusiasm that comes with mandatory family events. I found a seat in the back, trying to be invisible.
Tess was performing a dance routine with three of her friends, something involving a lot of spinning, and what I assumed was supposed to be synchronized movement. She was actually quite good, though I might have been biased. During intermission, I was standing in the lobby when I heard familiar voices behind me. I turned around to see Amber and Curtis standing near the refreshment table like they belonged there. Amber was wearing a new dress, something expensive that she definitely couldn't afford on unemployment benefits.
Curtis had his hand on the small of her back, a gesture of ownership that made my jaw clench. Nick. Amber's voice was artificially bright, the tone she used when she was nervous. I didn't expect to see you here. It's my daughter's school, I replied.