Chapter 7

As soon as Ed hung up on Sydney’s call, he raced downstairs to Paul Zeller’s office, and was told by his assistant that he was out to lunch, and probably wouldn’t be back for another hour.

“Find him,” he said tersely. The idea that Sydney had been arrested and was being taken to a federal jail was unthinkable, and he wanted to get her out immediately, not just as her boss but as her friend.

This was the last thing he wanted to happen to her, and he kept wondering over and over again if Paul had known that the bags were real and probably stolen. The supplier had given him a fantastic deal on them, but Ed couldn’t believe Paul would set Sydney up like that and let her take the risk of bringing in stolen goods. He felt guilty for what he was thinking. But whatever he thought, they had to get a lawyer and get her out, and untangle the mess about the allegedly stolen bags. There was a huge market for stolen goods in the fashion industry, particularly leather goods of all kinds. Vuitton, Chanel, Prada, Gucci, it happened to all of them. Thefts were committed, and the bags were trafficked all over the world. And a lot of the stolen articles were shipped from Africa and Asia into Europe and the States.

Ed called Paul on his cellphone and it went to voicemail. He paced up and down outside his office and was waiting for him when he got back from lunch, looking relaxed and pleased, and he seemed startled to see Ed, visibly upset and tense.

“Sydney got arrested in customs. The bags are stolen goods. Her name is all over the documents, so they arrested her. You’ve got to call a lawyer and get her out. The poor woman doesn’t deserve this. She’s been there since one o’clock,” and it was almost four by then. The words came out in a rush. Ed had been going crazy waiting for him. Paul indicated to Ed to follow him into his office, where he took off his coat, dropped it over a chair, sat down at his desk, and stared at Ed.

“First of all, I had no idea the bags were stolen,” he said, clearing himself as the first order of business.

“That’s beside the point, we can talk about that later. You need to call a lawyer right away. She can’t take the blame for a corporate entity. We were duped by the manufacturer, or at least I assume we were. They can’t expect her to take responsibility for it. You have to send someone down there to get her out.”

“I’m not sure who to call,” Paul said slowly. “She needs a federal attorney, and to be honest we don’t have one.” And he seemed to be in no hurry to find one, much to Ed’s dismay.

“Has anything like this ever happened before?” Ed asked, still looking frantic.

“Once, about five years ago.”

“What happened?”

“The employee got five years in prison, and served four. That was different. He had knowledge that the goods were stolen, or he suspected it, and never warned us. He was getting a commission from the vendor who sold them to us.”

“Sydney had no idea those goods were stolen,” Ed assured him. “She’s an innocent and this is all new to her.” But Paul was well aware of that himself.

“She probably didn’t know,” Paul conceded, “but let’s be honest here. She’s a sophisticated woman. She knows what expensive handbags look like. She may have recognized what these were, even if you and I didn’t. And she didn’t say a word about it to me. For all we know, she may have been getting a commission from the vendor, to bring them in anyway. You and I weren’t in China. We don’t know what went on there.”

“Are you saying she knew these were stolen goods? Are you kidding? She’s a babe in the woods. She’s a terrific designer but she’s never dealt with purchase and importation. She wouldn’t know the difference between a good copy and the real thing. And she trusts us. She had no reason to suspect the merchandise was stolen.” He had no qualms about vouching for her, and no doubt in his mind.

“I certainly hope not,” Paul said, looking righteous, as Ed began to wonder how much he’d had to drink at lunch. He was moving very slowly, while Sydney was sitting in a federal jail at the airport.

“Why are we sitting here talking about this, wasting time? Why aren’t you calling an attorney?” There was a long pause as Paul looked at him.

“Ed, have you ever read our employee handbook? We have a very clear policy about incidents like this. If an employee gets arrested in the course of the work they do for us, in any form, at any time, in any country, we are not responsible for their legal counsel, nor to defend them. It is entirely their own responsibility. We can’t be responsible for three hundred employees who can get arrested at any time for any reason. When you sign your work contract with us, you indemnify us from any responsibility to defend you. Sydney will have to find her own attorney to defend her in this matter. I have no way of knowing if she knew if the purses were stolen or not. I can’t vouch for her. The manufacturer may have offered her a cut when she was in China. She may look lily pure, but you never know what people are capable of.” Ed couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His eyes looked like they were going to fall out of his head as he listened to Paul.

“Are you telling me that you’re going to step aside and let her take the fall here? What kind of human being are you? The poor woman was bringing those purses in for you, not to sell on a street corner somewhere. And now she’s been arrested for trafficking in stolen goods.”

“Maybe the manufacturer or someone else offered her a better commission than I did. But whatever happened, she is responsible for her own defense. We’d go under if I had to provide every employee here legal counsel every time they get in trouble.”

“You had her sign all the documents, for chrissake!” Ed was shouting at him, and Paul only nodded. “You could have had anyone sign them, and I heard you tell her to do it all herself. You used her, didn’t you, just in case you got caught on this one. How many times have you done this before and never got caught?” Ed was livid. “And now you’re not even going to get a lawyer for her?”

“No, I’m not. If she read her employment contract, she would know that.”

“What is it, in microscopic print in Chinese somewhere on the flip side of the contract? I read contracts very carefully and I never saw that clause when I signed up.”

“Then you should have read it more carefully, and so should she, if she decided to take a better commission behind my back, or took the responsibility for goods she may have known were stolen. You and I will never know the truth,” Paul said, and Ed had to force himself to remain calm so he didn’t hit him.

“So that’s it? You let her take the blame for something you did? You cut your losses over two hundred cheap purses that you probably knew were stolen and she didn’t?” Ed realized now that Paul had been testing to see how easy it was to get them in, and let Sydney be the one to do it and be responsible if anything happened.

It was obvious now that Paul was going to do nothing to protect her. Ed slammed out of his office and went back to his own desk. He wasn’t sure what to do, but first he had to find a lawyer for her. And he did the only thing he could think of. He called his youngest uncle in Hong Kong, who was only ten years older than Ed, waking him up at 6 A.M. Hong Kong time. He explained the situation to him, and said he needed to find a federal lawyer for her in New York, and he had no idea who to ask. His uncle had met Sydney with Ed, and knew immediately who Ed was calling about.

“And you’re sure she had no idea they were stolen goods?” Ed’s uncle sounded faintly cynical, and knew what a kind heart his nephew had and that at times he could be naïve. Sydney was, after all, a grown woman who had been in the fashion business. He had to take into consideration that she might be guilty.

“I promise you, the woman is innocent about this kind of business. Her husband died six months ago, and I think our shit of an employer set her up and used her as a convenient person to blame if things went wrong.”

“That’s entirely possible. Is she in need of money?” he asked reasonably. It would explain why Sydney might have taken the risk and made a deal with the manufacturer to bring in stolen goods, and Ed hated to tell him the truth.

“I think she probably is short of money since her husband’s death. He died without a recent will, and there were some problems with the estate, but that doesn’t mean she’d become a criminal to solve the problem.”

“No, but stranger things have happened. And why do you want to find her an attorney?”

“Because our employer isn’t going to, I just found out. She has no one else to help her. I’m her boss, and she’s my friend.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” he promised. “I’m not sure I can come up with a name immediately. I’ll let you know what I can find out. I have a friend I went to school with at Oxford who’s a lawyer in New York. He may know someone who can help her. But she needs a federal defense lawyer who specializes in criminal cases. That’s not as easy to find as a good tax attorney. I’ll see what I can do. And Edward, be careful. You may not know this woman as well as you think.” He tried to warn him, and Ed was instantly annoyed.

“Yes, I do.” He thanked his uncle for trying to find a lawyer for him, and then walked out of the office at not quite five P.M. He didn’t tell anyone that he was leaving, and he didn’t care. He took a cab home and called the customs office at the airport from the taxi. But all he got was a recording, telling him their location and no hours. He thought about going to the airport and trying to see her, but she had already told him he wouldn’t be able to, so he called the federal jail in the city instead, and was told that no prisoner by that name had been transferred from the airport yet. They refused to tell him when she might come in. They told him to call in the morning. All he could do now was wait to hear from his uncle with the name of a federal criminal attorney, or for Sydney to call him herself. Until then, there was nothing he could do.

By six o’clock, Sydney had been in the cell at the airport federal customs facility for five hours. She had heard from no one, no attorney had shown up, the customs broker had left as soon as they took her away, and she hadn’t been able to get calls from Paul Zeller or Ed Chin. She was sure that they were both doing everything they could, and a lawyer would show up any minute and get her released. The federal agents who had locked her up told her nothing either. They acted as though she didn’t exist. The only human who would speak to her was the girl who had smuggled the heroin between her legs, and she had lain down on the cot in their cell and gone to sleep. She had flown in from Mexico City, she had told Sydney, and had been awake all night.

At seven o’clock, they brought each of them a sandwich on a tray, and a bowl of instant soup. They had no catering facility there, and had to buy airport food for their prisoners. It was just a holding tank, and they shipped anyone incarcerated there into the city as fast as they could. At nine o’clock that night, two female customs agents walked in, handcuffed her and the sleeping drug smuggler who woke with a start, and led them outside to a small van. They put them in the back to take them to the federal jail in the city. Their valuables, like Sydney’s purse, cellphone, watch, earrings, and wedding ring, were in a plastic bag given to the agents who drove them, to turn over to the jail when they took them in.

The drug smuggler fell asleep again on the short ride to the city, and Sydney watched the familiar route slide by from behind the iron mesh on the windows. She had never in her worst nightmares imagined that she could be in this position. But she was sure that Paul Zeller would straighten it out by the time she got into the city, and she would be released.

Instead, when they arrived at the federal jail facility, the Metropolitan Correctional Center on Park Row across from the courthouse on Pearl Street, she and the smuggler were herded into another holding tank with six other women, and told to strip. They were in the receiving and discharging area, and had each been given a federal register number to identify them. The rules were posted in English and Spanish. Sydney stared at the federal deputies in disbelief. This wasn’t possible. It was like a bad dream. The others took off their clothes rapidly, and seemed used to the routine. They were all in for various forms of drug charges, and crossing state lines with possession with intent to sell hard drugs. One woman was in for trying to smuggle firearms into the airport, and a pale young girl who looked like a teenager was high on crystal meth and had tried to rob a bank with two friends. They were an unsavory-looking group, and all of them stood naked in a matter of minutes in the drafty cell. All the guards were women, and Sydney shivered as she took off her clothes. Within minutes, she was as naked as the others, while a federal officer gathered up their clothes and threw them into plastic bags with their names on them. And then one by one, handcuffed again, they were led into a dismal-looking room, while six tough-looking female guards stood around and watched.

All the guards surrounding them were women, and one of them put on rubber gloves. They were told to bend over and hold their ankles for a cavity search, and for a minute, Sydney thought she was going to faint. She forced herself to think of something else while they searched her, and then pushed her toward a shower, handing her a towel, some rough cotton underwear, a denim jumpsuit, and “bus shoes.” There were tears in her eyes when they took her mug shot, and finally led her to a cell where she was alone. It had a cot, a toilet, a tiny sink, and a shelf with nothing on it. They handed her a toothbrush and a bar of soap, and left her there to wonder what was happening in the outside world, and if help would ever come. She couldn’t believe that Paul and Ed had abandoned her, nor could she understand the delay in getting her out. They left the lights on in the jail all night, and she lay awake on the narrow cot, listening to the sounds of the jail around her, the catcalls, the screams, the women who sounded insane, and the conversations among the guards as they walked by. She did breathing exercises to try to stay calm. All she wanted was to be released. And she was sure that by morning she would be. The whole thing was a terrible mistake. She thought of Sabrina and Sophie, and was determined not to call them, even if she could. There was no way she was going to call her daughters and tell them she was in jail.

Ed’s uncle Phillip called him at ten o’clock that night. It was eleven A.M. in Hong Kong, and he had finally reached his friend in New York, who had given him the name of a federal defense lawyer who he said was expensive, but a good guy. He had gone to Harvard Law School with him.

“Are you paying for this?” Ed’s uncle asked him.

“No, I’m sure she’ll pay for it herself. Our employer certainly isn’t going to. Apparently it’s in the small print in our work contracts that if we get in trouble in the line of duty, we’re responsible for the legal fees ourselves.”

“Nice people you work for,” Phillip Chin said in a tone of disapproval. “When are you coming home?”

“One of these days.”

And then Phillip asked his nephew a question he’d been curious about for the past five hours. “Are you in love with this woman?”

Ed laughed. “No, I’m not. I’m still gay. But I was her immediate superior. I should have protected her and I didn’t, and I feel responsible for her now. We’re friends and she doesn’t deserve what happened to her. And I’m not convinced of our boss’s innocence. This is all I can do to help. At least I can contact an attorney for her.”

“And you’re planning to continue working for this man?” His uncle sounded shocked.

“No, I’m not.” He had made the decision that night, while he thought about the whole sequence of events. He realized now that Paul had used Sydney, dazzled her with a profit participation in the sale of the bags and using her name for a “signature line” to get the goods into the country, and let her take full responsibility in case something went wrong. Sending her to China to sign all the papers and be responsible for the deal had been a way of shifting all the risk onto her. And it had worked. Sydney was in jail now, and Paul was not. And he was even willing to suggest that she might have double-crossed him, to make her look guilty and absolve himself, which was even worse. Paul Zeller was a despicable person, and Sydney had been his unwitting victim. There was no way Ed was going to abandon her now. He had a strong suspicion that Paul knew the bags were stolen. And if so, he had probably done it before. Their leather goods were famous for their high-class look. Maybe this was why. “I just haven’t had the chance to tell him yet,” Ed said in answer to his uncle’s question. “This all happened this afternoon. I haven’t even been able to speak to her again since she got arrested.”

“If she’s innocent,” his uncle said cautiously, “this must be a shocking experience for her.” He was beginning to feel sorry for her, if everything his nephew said was true. He had found her to be a kind, charming person when they met, with great dignity.

“I’m sure it has been. The first thing I want to do is get her out of jail. And I’ll call the name you gave me tomorrow. I’ll let you know how it works out.”

“Good luck,” Phillip Chin said and then hung up, and Ed sat staring at the name he’d written down. Steven Weinstein. He just hoped he could help her and get her off the hook. It was Paul Zeller who deserved to be in jail, not her. Ed sat awake all night worrying about his friend.

Ed called Steve Weinstein on his cellphone at eight A.M. He apologized for calling him so early, and Weinstein said it was fine, he was on his way back from the gym. Ed explained how he had gotten his name, via his uncle in Hong Kong, and told him what had happened to Sydney at the airport the day before, and that he believed she was being transferred to the federal jail in New York.

“Your employer sounds like a nasty guy,” Weinstein said coolly.

“I guess he is, while he pretends to be everyone’s best friend. I always thought he had a shady underside, but nothing like this.”

“And you don’t think it’s possible your co-worker had some part in this, or knew what was going on?”

“Absolutely not.” Ed vouched for her without hesitating. “She was a very successful designer until sixteen years ago when she remarried.”

“Who was she married to? Or is she still married?”

“He died about six months ago. Someone called Andrew Wells.”

“Of the investment banking firm?” The attorney sounded momentarily impressed.

“I believe so. She doesn’t talk about it a lot. I think there have been problems with the estate and her husband’s daughters by his first marriage. They inherited everything, so she went back to work.”

Steve Weinstein was thoughtful for a minute. “If she’s who I think she is, this is going to get some attention in the press, which will be unpleasant for her until we clean this up. They may use her as an example and prosecute her vigorously to make a point.”

“Can you at least get her out of jail immediately? She must be totally freaked out. She sounded hysterical when she called me, and she must be wondering why no one has shown up. I thought Zeller would send his attorneys to her, but apparently it’s against company policy, which none of us knew. I’m planning to quit today. The guy is a sonofabitch and I’m convinced now he’s a crook,” Ed said heatedly.

“Are you romantically involved with her?” Weinstein wanted to know as much as possible before he saw her.

“No, I’m not,” Ed said matter-of-factly. “I was her immediate supervisor. She reported to me, and we became friends.”

“Does she have kids?”

“Two daughters. They’re both designers too.”

“In answer to your earlier question, I can get her out of jail, but I’m not sure when. Today is Friday, and she has to be arraigned, and the judge has to set bail, unless we can get him to dismiss the case. If he doesn’t dismiss, there will have to be a grand jury hearing, probably after the arraignment. But that will all depend on how bad this looks, especially if her employer is throwing her under the bus, which you seem to indicate.”

“It’s the impression he gave me yesterday. He’s protecting himself. If they go after him, it could be really bad for him. He’d rather sacrifice her. I should have seen it coming, but I didn’t,” Ed said, feeling guilty again. The idea that they might use her as an example made him even more frightened for her.

“I’ll try to get in to see her this morning, and let you know what I find out.” Ed liked the sound of him. He seemed young, smart, and down to earth. At least she’d have a lawyer now and be in good hands. And maybe Weinstein could even get the case dismissed. Ed didn’t see how they could charge her with the crime. She’d been operating under direct orders from the owner of the company. How could they prosecute her? It didn’t make any sense. He hated Zeller for that. He seemed far more Machiavellian now than Ed had ever feared. He had thought him a little sleazy, not an outright crook.

An hour later, Ed walked into Paul Zeller’s office. He had already been upstairs and collected his things, and the sketches in his desk. The door to Paul’s office was open and he was drinking a cup of coffee his assistant had brought him, and he looked up with a broad smile when he saw Ed.

“I was just going to call you. We have to figure out some special promotion to replace those bags.” But he didn’t look worried about it as Ed stared at him, and he never mentioned Sydney’s name.

“That’s it? You’re worried about a new promotion, while you let Sydney rot in jail?”

“She’s not ‘rotting.’ She’s a well-connected woman. I’m sure she’s called an attorney by now. She made a big mistake.”

“No, you did,” Ed said bluntly with fury in his eyes. “The only mistake she made was taking a job here. And so did I. I’m here to correct that mistake this morning.” Paul looked surprised. “I quit,” Ed said, looking at him directly.

“Without notice? You can’t just walk out like that. You’re our chief design consultant and creative director. You have a responsibility to the company and to your team,” Paul said angrily. He hadn’t expected to lose Ed in the bargain. Sydney was expendable, which was why he had used her. Ed was not. Not easily in any case.

“And you have a responsibility to your employees, but apparently you don’t see it that way.”

“I warn you, Ed, if you walk out now, your name will be mud in the industry.”

“I doubt that. Your name is already dirt. I’ve been defending you for three years. That was my big mistake. I’m done,” he said, and turned around to walk out as Paul stood up at his desk, with a wicked look in his eye.

“If you walk out now, I can still say that you were in on it with Sydney. You’re not clear of this either,” he said in a menacing tone. Ed turned to face him again, with an expression that was rock hard.

“If you even think about doing that to me, my family will put you out of business. You’ll lose every factory worker you have in China, and your factories. You’re a scumbag. Don’t ever threaten me.” And with that, Ed walked out as Paul stared after him, and sat down in his chair without a word.

Sydney was brushing her teeth in her cell when a guard came to tell her that her lawyer was there to see her. She had no comb or brush for her hair, and she tried to smooth it down with her hands. The blue uniform they’d given her was enormous on her, and so were the “bus shoes” she’d been given. They handcuffed her again, let her out of her cell, and walked her through three locked gates and into the attorney conference room where a man in a suit was standing, waiting for her. She assumed that he had been sent by Paul Zeller. It never occurred to her that he had been referred by Ed, or the lengths he’d gone to to find a lawyer for her. She had no idea that Paul would abandon her, since she’d been acting on his behalf, on his orders, as part of her job.

Steve Weinstein introduced himself and said he’d been sent by Ed Chin, and she looked surprised.

“You don’t work for Paul Zeller?”

“No, I don’t. As I understand it from Ed, your work contract with Zeller states that if something like this happens in the line of duty, you’re responsible for yourself. Zeller is not going to help you. He washed his hands of you when you got arrested.” She was shocked by what he said. “Why don’t you tell me the whole story, starting with the trip to China and what happened there, and what happened in customs yesterday.” He took notes while she explained it all to him, and by the end of it, he agreed with Ed. She’d been set up to be the fall guy for Zeller if anything went wrong. And he strongly suspected that Zeller knew he was buying stolen goods, and probably not for the first time.

“Did you ever suspect the bags were real and maybe altered in some way, and not copies?”

“No, I didn’t. I thought the quality was unusually good. But they make some remarkable products in China. Everyone in the fashion industry uses their factories now. But I never, ever suspected they were stolen.” Everything about her suggested honesty and innocence to him. She looked dazed by what was happening to her.

“Just so you know, Zeller is claiming now that you were in collusion with the manufacturer, and got a commission from them to bring stolen goods into the States.”

“Oh my God.” She was horrified. “Do you think the judge will believe him?” There were tears in her eyes as she asked. This was the worst thing that had ever happened to her. Much worse than Andrew having left her out of his will, and losing everything.

“Possibly,” the lawyer answered her honestly. “It’s my job to convince him that you’re innocent, which I believe is the truth.”

“I am. I swear to you. I never suspected they were stolen goods. What are we going to do?” She looked bereft as she sat there, staring at him. “Can I leave now?”

“Unfortunately, you can’t. The judge isn’t sitting today. I checked. Your arraignment is set for Monday, so you’re stuck here for the weekend. You can’t leave until you’ve been arraigned. That’s where you plead guilty or not guilty, and the judge will set bail. Probably for around fifty thousand dollars. I assume you can post bond,” he said, watching her face, and saw panic in her eyes. She didn’t have fifty thousand dollars left, or even close. And she had no collateral to get a loan.

“And if I can’t?” she asked in a small voice.

“Then you wait in jail for a grand jury hearing and eventually a trial. Or maybe I can get you released on your own recognizance. You’re not a flight risk. It depends what judge we get. We might even be able to get the case dismissed, if they don’t have a strong case against you. But I think Zeller would testify against you, to avoid prosecution himself. Everything he did was designed to make you responsible if he got caught. And so far, it worked. My initial fee to represent you is twenty-five thousand dollars. It goes up to fifty if I get the case summarily dismissed. And a hundred thousand if we go to trial. And criminal law fees are payable in advance. But I don’t think it will get to trial. At worst, I think they’ll make a deal for probation if you plead guilty.”

“But I’m not guilty,” she said desperately.

“There’s always a risk if you go to trial. Things could go wrong. Juries are unpredictable.”

“Do you think I’ll go to prison?” she asked in a whisper.

“Hopefully not.” But he didn’t want to promise what he wasn’t sure he could deliver. “But it could happen, if everything goes wrong, and if Zeller is out to bury you to save himself. I don’t want him on the witness stand against you. According to your friend, Zeller is a liar and a convincing one, and possibly a crook. I’m sure he knew they were stolen goods, but he’s not going to admit that to anyone. I’m going to do my very best to keep you out of prison, if you hire me. I’m sorry you have to sit here until Monday. There’s nothing I can do about that.” He was thorough, honest, and matter-of-fact.

She nodded, unable to speak. She was thinking of what she’d say to her girls. She would have to tell them the truth. She just didn’t know when. And if she couldn’t make bail on Monday, she’d have to wait for trial in jail. And Steve Weinstein told her it could take up to a year to go to trial. “If you do hire me,” he went on, “I’d like to engage some detectives and see if we can find someone who can testify that Zeller knew he was bringing in stolen goods, and maybe even that he’s done it before. If we get lucky, someone will talk and you’ll be off the hook.” She was panicking as she listened to him. If everything went against her, she could wind up in prison. And as far as she was concerned, she might as well be dead. She was beginning to wish she were, not for the first time in recent months.

“I’ll see you on Monday, Mrs. Wells,” he said as he stood up. “You can hire another lawyer after the arraignment if you prefer. But at least let’s get you out of jail.” She nodded and didn’t dare ask him how much he’d charge for that.

She thanked him for coming to see her, and was taken back to her cell in handcuffs again when he left. She lay on her bed, thinking about everything he’d told her. She felt as though her life was over. She hadn’t moved, eaten, or gotten up, when Ed came to see her during visiting hours that afternoon. She had been advised that she had the right to a one-hour social visit per week. The guard told her she had a visitor, and she asked who it was.

“I’m not your social secretary,” the officer snapped, put the handcuffs on again, and took her to a room where she was strip-searched before entering the visiting area. She saw Ed waiting for her and began to cry the moment she saw him. It tore his heart out when he looked at her and was allowed to hug her, and then they sat down in a small room full of inmates and their visitors. She was designated as a pretrial inmate. She looked terrible, as though she was in shock. She hadn’t felt that bad since Andrew’s death that summer.

“Are you okay, Sydney?” he asked her, and she nodded as they held hands. She could hardly speak she was so upset.

“Sort of. Thank you for finding me a lawyer. I never thought something like this could happen, or that Paul would turn out to be such a shit, and a dishonest person,” she whispered to him.

“He’s very slick. I never trusted him. I told you that in the beginning, but I never thought he’d go this far. I quit this morning. He’s trying to claim you made a deal with the manufacturer to get himself off the hook.”

“Steve Weinstein told me. I’m sorry you quit your job over this.”

“I’m not.” He smiled at her. “It was time. I don’t want to work for a bastard like him.”

“What am I going to tell my girls? They’re going to be mortified. Especially if it hits the papers.”

“It could,” Ed said honestly, especially if they made an example of her, as Weinstein had suggested to him.

“Imagine if I go to prison,” she said, looking terrified. Just the past twenty-four hours had nearly broken her spirit. Time in prison would kill her.

“You won’t. You’re innocent. Maybe he can get the case dismissed.” She nodded but he could tell she didn’t believe him. She was humiliated and desperately afraid, and he couldn’t even hug her to console her, except at the beginning and end of the visit. But at least they could hold hands. And after an hour, they were notified that their allotted time was over. Ed hugged her again and she thanked him for coming and waved at him miserably as he left, and when he got outside in the cold December air, tears rolled down his cheeks. Sydney was being strip-searched for contraband by then, and was led back to her cell afterward.

She lay on her bed after his visit and didn’t get up again. She didn’t eat, and on Saturday morning, she called Sabrina. She had to call her collect, and Sabrina took the call sounding puzzled.

“Where are you?” There was an endless pause before she answered, as she choked back a sob. She could barely get the words out.

“I’m in jail,” Sydney said miserably. “I didn’t want you to worry if you tried to call me.” But Sabrina was even more worried knowing where her mother was. Sydney told her the whole story, and Sabrina was almost too stunned to speak.

“I told you that guy was scum,” Sabrina said angrily, not sure who she was angrier at, Paul Zeller or her mother for being so foolish and naïve. The story didn’t surprise her, but she was horrified for her mother. “He has a terrible reputation. Can I bail you out?”

“Not till Monday. The judge won’t set bail till then. And it might be very expensive.” She didn’t tell her she might not have the money to pay for it. She’d been careful with her salary, but her funds were running low.

Sabrina asked for her lawyer’s name, and her mother gave it to her.

“I don’t want you to come to court, though. Wait until I get home. And you can’t visit me. I only get one visit a week, and Ed Chin came to see me. He found the lawyer for me.” They talked for a few more minutes and then hung up. Sabrina called the lawyer immediately and discussed the whole situation with him, and he told her how bail worked and how much it might be. And then she called her sister, and Sophie cried pitifully when Sabrina told her what had happened. They both cried, worried about their mother, and Sophie was distraught that they couldn’t visit her. The situation was unbelievable.

The two girls spent Saturday night together, and Sabrina told her everything the lawyer had said. She had already made the decision to pay her mother’s bail. Sabrina owned her own apartment and would use it as collateral with the bail bondsman. She wasn’t going to leave their mother in jail a second longer than she had to. Steve Weinstein had said he would walk Sabrina through the process on Monday morning before the arraignment.

It was an endless weekend for all of them; Sabrina and Sophie worrying about what would happen to their mother, and Sydney lying silently in her cell, wishing she were dead.