“Let’s talk reality. If Zander’s smart, he’ll get a bulldog of an attorney who will do everything he or she can to make sure those videos never see the light of day. I can already hear him spouting off to a judge that the chain of custody was broken when Flo gathered the video evidence at Zak Verwood’s home. Then we have Halle and David’s security people handling dashcam, bodycam, and any other video evidence that was taken at the crash site. There is a strong possibility that, with the right judge, all that evidence will be tossed. Zander’s goal will be to turn this into a he said/she said argument.”
Bev stopped and looked around the room. I didn’t want this idiot walking or getting off lightly. He’d threatened two women I cared deeply about, and I couldn’t even get myself to the bathroom without my dad’s help.
“I’m going to remove myself from the room at this point,” Bev said. “I shouldn’t be in the room when you make your decision. No matter which way you’re leaning, I just wanted to point out that you have a short window in which to decide. I’m sure you all know what I would do.”
I knew exactly what she would do. This was the woman who kept prodding me about how I’d obtained the police reports that ended up linking all the rapes to Brandon. She was very much by-the-book. I appreciated that she’d basically advised us that if we decided to take this into our hands and release it, we needed to do it quick! We watched her pack up her things and leave the conference room.
“She’s right,” Frank said. “You need to decide if you want to get out in front of this thing or let the police handle it. There’s a risk that Halle and David could face some backlash. It could also spill over onto Rita. Hollywood doesn’t look kindly on people exposing the ugly side of the business. For example, I expect David dodged a bullet this past summer when Kimberly Fillmore didn’t come forward with her allegations against Laurent Vance.”
The whole Cuban thing had been a mess. Laurent had sent Kimberly to my room to spend time with me. When I found out, it was too late; we’d already slept together. I’d encouraged her to come forward and even had Saul contact the studio about it. Kimberly had decided she didn’t want to risk never working again and had simply left the film. Laurent’s accident pretty much made the whole issue moot. In a way, that might have been a blessing in disguise for everybody, including Laurent.
“Zander is well-connected,” Saul shared. “But I think there’s enough that’s happened that we don’t have to worry about studio executives working behind the scenes to either protect him or do you harm. My best guess is that he’s gone far enough off the reservation for them to shun him.”
“What do you think?” I asked Brook and Halle.
“If it were up to me, I’d go scorched-earth on his ass,” Lexi chimed in.
Everyone seemed surprised by her response. She looked around the table, and I saw in her the same steel I’d seen when my mom confronted her.
“I know how my dad’s brain works, and believe me, he thinks the same way most top execs do,” Lexi said. “Hollywood is all about doing favors or having leverage on your competition. Someday, you will need to call in your markers or use whatever dirt you may possess to get something done. Zander has something on someone if he has survived three sexual harassment situations and has come out on top,” she explained.
“You’re saying they’ll defend him again?” Brook asked.
“Only if you give them a choice. If you make him radioactive, they’ll run from him. Get as much information out there as you can and make it overwhelming,” Lexi suggested.
“I agree with her,” Rita said. “I think the police side of this is secondary.”
“What about my movie?” Halle asked.
“The short answer is that at a minimum they’ll have to recast Zander’s role. I’ll make sure of that,” Saul said. “Worst-case scenario would be them shutting down production and the movie not get made.”
I saw my friend absorb that possibility. It took her a moment to respond.
“I say we take him down,” Halle finally said, and then turned to me. “You’re okay with that?”
“Absolutely,” I agreed.
“Then, we need to get working. I’m going to need you to stay for an extra day so we can hold a press conference,” Frank told me.
“Whatever it takes,” I agreed.
Then I couldn’t help getting an enormous grin on my face.
“After all, for once, it’s not as if Coach Hope can have a cow about me missing practice, right?”
Somehow, even with all the pain, I felt lighter.
◊◊◊
Brook, my mom, and my dad were flying home tonight. Before they left, I wanted to talk to Brook about this weekend, both the sexy stuff and her interest in my business. While we did that, Mom and Dad stayed in the conference room to talk to Caryn, Kent, Frank, Saul, and Jack and Bev Mass.
