“Yes, but there’s still one loose end: your credit card statement. Audrey gave a copy of your credit card statement to the reporter. It shows the charge to the escort agency. How will you explain that?”
Daniel rubbed the back of his neck. He hadn’t thought about that, too ecstatic that Holly had found a woman who looked like the spitting image of Sabrina. “Crap!”
“Yes. I’ve been thinking about it ever since I found this photo. But I can’t figure out how we can discredit the credit card statement. If we don’t, then the reporter will think you hired an escort who looked like Sabrina. And I don’t think she’ll buy the whole story as long as there’s a shred of evidence that you did hire an escort. If only that copy of the credit card statement didn’t exist.”
Yes, if only Frances hadn’t given Audrey access to his confidential financial records! For that indiscretion Frances had deserved being fired. And she’d never get a decent reference out of him.
“That’s it!” He’d just figured it out.
“What?” Holly stared at him with wide eyes.
“The credit card statement. Audrey only got a copy of it. If we can prove that the copy is a fake and that Audrey added in the charge to an escort agency to make it look like I hired Sabrina as an escort, then her whole story falls apart.”
“True. But how are you gonna do that? If I may remind you: the charge is real. My agency did charge your credit card. Besides, if you suddenly produce a different copy, they’ll think your copy is doctored, not hers.”
For the first time since Sabrina had broken off their engagement, Daniel grinned. “I’m not gonna be the one who comes forward with a new copy. Frances is going to do that.”
“Your assistant? I thought you fired her.”
“And that’s exactly why she’ll do it: she needs a reference from me more than she needs anything else.”
Holly chuckled. “You’re positively evil.” She winked at him. “I like it.” Then she paused. “And how are you gonna make this copy look more real than the one Audrey gave to the reporter?”
“I’m gonna have Frances hand over the original.”
“But the original contains the credit card charge.”
Daniel put a hand on Holly’s shoulder. “Did I ever tell you the story of how, when back in college, Wade would have nearly flunked out of statistics?”
Holly looked at him like he’d lost his mind. “Huh?”
“Well, let’s just say his skills in graphic arts and Photoshop more than make up for it. In fact, it’s a little hobby of his.”
Holly’s jaw dropped. “Are you telling me Wade is going to forge your credit card statement?”
Daniel smiled. “Let’s get to work. You contact the girl. I’ll talk to Zach, Wade, and Frances.” He looked at his watch. “We’re not gonna make the deadline for tomorrow’s edition of the New York Times, but if we can fly this woman out to New York by tonight and Wade can get the credit card statement to Frances by courier first thing in the morning, the article will be retracted the day after.”
And then he’d get Sabrina back.
24
Everything had happened like clockwork: Holly had convinced Sabrina’s Doppelganger to come to New York and tell Claire Heart that she was the real escort, not Sabrina. The money Daniel had promised her had sealed the deal. Zach had been able to organize a private jet from a friend in Las Vegas who’d picked up Sabrina’s Doppelganger in Denver and flown her to New York LaGuardia airport. Then a limousine hired by Zach’s company had chauffeured her to the newspaper’s offices.
Wade had worked all afternoon and night on reproducing the credit card statement which Daniel had been able to access online. In the early hours of the morning, Wade had presented Daniel with two sheets of paper that looked so real Daniel couldn’t tell that they were forged. Instead of hiring a courier, Wade had taken it upon himself to drive the document to Frances’ apartment in Brooklyn and delivered it into her hands.
In the meantime, Daniel had called Harvey, the doorman of his condo building and found out that Sabrina had indeed returned to New York. He’d asked him to let him know if he thought she was leaving. Under a pretext, Harvey had gone up to the apartment and noticed that Sabrina was packing boxes. But even Daniel knew that she wouldn’t be able to hire movers in a day or two.
Nevertheless, he was antsy by the time the second evening without Sabrina rolled around. He was pacing on the back porch, staring at the tent that was ready for the wedding, when his cell phone rang.