Thread of Truth, стр. 32

TWENTY EIGHT

She glanced at the door, making sure it was closed before she continued.

“He said he needed some money,” Christine explained. “I wasn't fully understanding. I thought he meant for the vending machine or something. I told him all I had was a five and he told me that wasn't it. He needed more.”

I leaned back in the desk. Her face was pinched tight, her lips set in a thin line.

“I asked him how much,” she continued. “And he said a thousand bucks. I thought he was kidding and laughed. Told him oh yeah okay let me just pull that out of the desk drawer for you.” She shook her head. “But he wasn't kidding. He said he wanted a thousand bucks and if I didn't give it to him, he'd tell everyone what happened.”

The emails had made it clear Desmond was blackmailing someone, but I hadn't been able to understand who it was until I realized Christine Gonzowski was Z. Knowing that they'd had a relationship, the pieces were starting to come together.

As was a completely different picture of Desmond.

“I couldn't believe he was asking me for it,” she said. “I mean, I really didn't believe it. I kept asking if he was serious. He kept saying he was and that if I didn't give it to him, he would tell his parents and they'd go to the police. I was panicked, completely scared. It was like he changed right in front of me.”

“So what did you do?”

“I brought it to him the next day,” she said. “I went to the bank on my way home, took a thousand dollars out of my savings, and brought it to school in an envelope. I was nervous the entire day. I showed a film in my classes, which I never do. I couldn't concentrate, and I knew there was no way I’d be able to teach. So he showed up after school and I gave it to him. I don't think either of us said a word. He walked in, I handed it to him, and he left. That was it.” She paused. “Or, the start of it, I guess.”

“Because it kept happening.”

She nodded. “Yep. He came back a month later and said he wanted five thousand.”

I’d figured the emails I’d seen weren’t the first ones, but the amount still surprised me.

“I lost it. I started crying, asking him why he was doing this, all of that kind of stuff. I told him I didn't have five thousand lying around and he said he didn't care. Told me to get it or he'd tell his parents.”

“So what did you do if you didn't have it?”

“I told him I'd find a way to get it,” she said. “I was terrified. Of losing my job, of going to jail, all of those things.” She took a deep breath. “So I cashed out part of my retirement account. I gave it to him a week later and he immediately said he wanted another five thousand. I told him that was fine, but I wasn't bringing the money to school. He could come to my house and pick it up.”

“That...doesn't seem wise,” I said.

“I needed to yell and scream at him and I couldn't do that here,” she said. “I couldn't do it in a public place where people would see and hear. It was the only thing I could come up with.”

“So he showed up?”

She nodded. “He did. And I let him have it. I screamed at him for what had to have been an hour. Told him he couldn't keep doing this to me, that it wasn't fair, that I didn't understand any of it. He actually stepped back a little and I thought I'd gotten through to him. I told him I'd give him the second five thousand but that was it. I was done. If he wanted to go to his parents or the police, fine. Go ahead. But I was out.”

“How did he respond to that? I asked.

She laughed and shook her head. “He said he was sorry. He took the money, but he said he was sorry. He didn't promise to leave me alone, but he didn't come to my room again. He tried explaining about how he needed money because he and his girlfriend were having a baby, but I told him I didn't care why. I just told him to take the money and get out, and to stay away from me.”

“Did he?”

“Yeah, at first,” she said. “I was still pretty rattled. He'd basically emptied what little savings and retirement I had. I didn't trust him. I tendered my resignation for the end of the year. I didn't sign another contract. I needed to get out of here, and I'm going to. And I'm out of teaching, too. Not that that excuses anything, but I'm just done with all of this.”

I nodded. That sounded like the first smart decision she'd made.

“I literally didn't see him for weeks,” she said. “Then I got the email. I was sitting at home, eating dinner, scrolling through my phone. I literally threw my phone through my television after I read it. Haven't replaced the TV yet.”

“He wanted five hundred, right?” I asked.

“Yeah,” she said. “I panicked again. I didn't have the guts to stand up to him. So I gave it to him.”

“And then he wanted more, right?”

She nodded. “Yep. He asked for a thousand and I told him no. He dropped it to eight hundred.”

“Right,” I said. “I saw those emails. He said he was coming to get it, but you didn't respond.”

“I didn't,” she said. “I was furious. I didn't want to give it to him, but I didn't know what else to do. So I took what was left in savings and brought it to school. It was actually