Chapter 6
"And we'll need to look into your false claims and bogus police report," Perry added.
Franklin's face was instantly drained of all color.
He collapsed onto the couch, limp as a rag.
Katherine was so terrified she broke down in tears.
I stood up and walked the officers to the door.
"Thank you for your help," I said.
Perry glanced back at me, a hint of approval in his eyes.
He said, "You did the right thing.
"Protecting yourself is every citizen's right."
The officers left, taking Franklin and Katherine with them; both looked like zombies, totally lost.
Things finally quieted down.
I closed the door and let out a long, relieved sigh.
I grabbed my phone and shot a message to my bestie-slash-lawyer, Vicky Esther.
[Emergency SOS—dinner's on me tonight, let's talk business.]
Vicky instantly sent me an "OK" hand sign and a cheesy grin emoji.
I knew this mess was nowhere near finished.
But with Vicky backing me up, I felt like I finally had some real backup.
At 6:30 PM, I met up with Vicky at our favorite spot, a little private kitchen we always go to.
When I arrived, she'd already ordered everything.
There were two cups of coffee and a few plates of fancy snacks.
Vicky was rocking a sharp gray suit, her long hair pulled back, looking totally confident and put-together.
She was my college buddy, the star student from law school.
After graduation, she landed a job at one of the top law firms in the country and made partner in just a few years.
She was the kind of woman who turned heads wherever she went, like she had her own spotlight.
"Alright, talk to me, Ms. Screenwriter," Vicky said, giving me a teasing look as she poured water for me.
Vicky handed me the water, eyebrow arched.
"What's big enough to get the mighty Leila to actually invite me out for dinner?" she joked.
I smiled and told her the whole story, from beginning to end, from Franklin's departure overseas two years ago to the summons I received yesterday and the police knocking on my door today.
I kept it cool.
Vicky's eyebrows shot up, totally stunned.
"Holy shit!" she blurted out, unable to hold back.
"How is there such a freak in this world?
"Even the Farmer and the Snake story isn't as wild as your situation."
She was so pissed she knocked back her coffee in one gulp.
Vicky snapped, "Is he seriously playing you for a fool?
"That's outrageous!"
I slid a snack her way.
"Don't waste your energy on people like that," I said.
Vicky took a bite of the snack, and her mood finally settled down a bit.
"So, what's your plan now?" she asked.
"The cops have him nailed for making a false report; that's a done deal.
"But honestly, that's still not enough to make me feel vindicated."
I shook my head and said, "I'm not planning to do anything about it.
"I just want to draw a clear line and never have anything to do with him again.
"After all the drama today, I doubt he'll ever bother me again."
Vicky gave me a sharp look.
She said, "Leila, you're just too soft-hearted.
"With people like him, if you take a step back, he'll take ten steps forward.
"You really think getting robbed will teach him a lesson?
"No way. He'll just hold a grudge against you for everything.
"Trust me, the first person he'll come after when he gets out of the station is you."
I fell silent.
Because I knew Vicky was right.
Franklin was the kind of person who was extremely selfish and self-centered; he'd never reflect on his own mistakes.
He always blamed others for everything.
"So... what am I supposed to do now?" I asked.
"Sue him," Vicky said firmly.
"He accused you of trespassing? Then you turn around and hit him with a lawsuit for framing you and ruining your reputation.
"You've got all the proof; there's no way you can lose this case.
"We're not after compensation. We just want him to make a public apology.
"Make him post it in the community group chat and on the hallway bulletin board, and make him lose face in front of everyone.
"Let him know you're not some soft pushover."
Vicky's words had me seriously considering it.
But just thinking about all the hassle of going to court and dealing with all that red tape gave me a headache.
I just wanted to live my life in peace and focus on writing my scripts.
I didn't want to waste my energy on these kinds of people and their drama.
Vicky could see I was hesitating, so she let out a sigh.
She said, "Alright, I won't push you on this.
"But there's one thing you gotta watch out for."
"What is it?" I asked.
"What exactly did he lose from his place?" Vicky asked, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.
"From what you said, he and his girlfriend seemed way more worked up about that missing laptop than anything else.
"All that jewelry and those designer bags worth hundreds of thousands of dollars didn't seem to matter as much as that laptop."
I replayed the whole thing in my head.
That was exactly it.