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The patrol car continues up to the house, and Johnson gets out to speak with Striker.
Will notices me staring at him. “What? Did I do something wrong?”
I reach for his hand. “Not at all. I’m proud of you for not losing your temper.”
“I haven’t lost it yet,” he says, returning his attention to the front porch.
After a brief word with Striker, Officer Johnson pats him down and walks back towards us.
“Striker would like a word with you both. He wants to apologize for the way he treated you. I searched him. He’s unarmed. My guess is he’s harmless. I can make him leave if you prefer.”
Will looks over at me and I shrug. “I guess it won’t hurt to hear him out.”
We get out of my truck and tentatively approach the front porch.
“I owe you both an apology,” Striker says. “My behavior is unforgivable. Rourke offered me a large amount of money to report his lies. I didn’t care whether you were innocent. My greed got the best of me. I crossed several ethical boundaries, and I may lose my job for it. But I’d like to make it up to you.”
“Do you have any idea the damage you’ve caused?” Will says with feet apart and arms folded over his chest.
“I do.” Striker turns his attention to me. “I put your life in danger. And I’m so sorry for that. I’d like to hear your story. Our entire community needs to hear your story.”
Will’s face reddens. “I figured you had an ulterior motive. If I weren’t learning to control my anger, I’d punch you in the nose. Again.”
My hand shoots out to Will. “Hold on a second, Will. I want to hear him out. Why do you think anyone cares about my story?”
“I painted an unsavory image of you. Because of me, everyone in this town thinks you’re a marriage wrecker. They should hear how you sacrificed your safety to protect Will. If you agree, we’ll have a sit-down interview and a one-on-one conversation. I’ll let you take the lead. I have a camera crew on standby. They can be here in a matter of minutes.”
I’m torn. Part of me wants Will to kick him off his property, but the other part very much wants to clear the air. If Water’s Edge is going to be my home, I want its citizens to know the truth about me. Especially now that I no longer have anything to hide.
“I’ll do it.”
Will narrows his eyes. “Are you sure?”
I nod. “Positive. As long as I can edit out anything I don’t like.”
Striker grins. “Done. I’d like to do the interview here. The late afternoon lighting is perfect.” He looks at Will. “You can choose the location.”
Will expels a reluctant sigh. “The veranda would probably be best. I’ll show you, and you can decide.”
“I need to freshen up. I’ll be back down in a minute.” I grab my overnight bag out of the car and hurry inside. I change into jeans and a fresh white blouse and smear on a little makeup. When I return to the veranda, two chairs are set up in front of a waiting camera crew.
Ethan and I sit down together, the camera rolls, and I start talking, the words flowing smoothly. Ethan says little during the interview except to prompt me when I get sidetracked. I tell my story from the beginning, from the time I realized my husband was a criminal to Rourke forcing me to testify against Will.
I look straight into the camera. “I’d like to set the record straight once and for all. I didn’t meet Will Darby until after Labor Day. I did not know him at the time of his wife’s accident. Her tragic death was a devastating loss for him. We were two lost souls who developed an unlikely friendship. Will is a good man, and I have always believed in his innocence. And you should too.”
The cameraman says, “Cut! That’s a wrap.”
Ethan jumps up and pulls me to my feet. “That was lovely, Julia. Very compelling. If we hurry, we can lead with it on the six o’clock news. But I won’t have time to send it to you for approval. We could wait until tomorrow night, but with tonight being Friday, we’ll have a better audience. You have no reason to trust me, but I promise I won’t let you down this time.”
I look over at Will, who is rubbing his eyes. I can’t tell. Is he crying? “What do you think?” I ask him.
“I say go with it. There’s no way he can mess that up.”
At five minutes before six, Will opens a bottle of red wine, and we sit down together on the sofa in the family room to watch the news.
Ethan leads the story with a heartfelt apology to the community. “I betrayed your trust, and I am truly sorry. This story has taught me many valuable lessons.” Striker swipes at his wet eyes. “I had a chance to sit down with Julia Becker earlier today. I think you’ll find her story as compelling as I did.”
Pride bursts inside me as I watch the footage. In hindsight, it took a lot of courage for me to tell my story. Living under an assumed name made me feel guilty, like I was a criminal keeping a dirty secret. But it was my husband’s dirty secret, not mine. I’ve done nothing wrong. I have nothing to be ashamed of. I needed to admit that to myself as much as to the world.
