Chapter 3 - The Social Guillotine
Friday night arrests meant no bail hearings until Monday morning. Julian was forced to spend the entire weekend in county jail, wearing a bright orange jumpsuit and sharing a cell with a man arrested for aggravated assault.
Beatrice, meanwhile, was experiencing a different kind of prison.
By Saturday morning, the neighborhood rumor mill had gone into hyperdrive. In elite circles, a scandal is a currency, and Beatrice’s friends were spending it lavishly.
I was sitting by Lily's hospital bed when my phone started buzzing. I had ignored Beatrice's forty-seven missed calls, but this was a text from a neighborhood mom who had been at the dinner party.
Claire, we are so horrified. Beatrice tried to tell everyone Julian was arrested over an unpaid parking ticket, but Mary Montgomery's husband heard you talking to the police. The Country Club board is holding an emergency meeting. We are all on your side. Stay strong.
Beatrice had spent three decades meticulously crafting a facade of superiority, elegance, and wealth. In less than twelve hours, it had burned to the ground. She was no longer the matriarch of a respected family; she was the mother of a violent abuser.
My phone rang again. It was a restricted number. I answered it.
May you like
"Claire, this is Julian's lawyer," a slick voice said. "My client is willing to offer a very generous financial settlement if you drop the charges and state that the injury was an accident."
"Tell Julian," I replied coldly, "that he can keep his money. I am taking his freedom." I hung up and blocked the number.
