The man fit everything Savannah wanted. She liked them tall. College-educated. Widowed. Income over 150K. Best of all, he had a smile that wrapped her in promises.
Yesterday, she clicked “like” on his MatchMadeinHeaven.com profile. Max responded with a long, sincere message saying he found her smile beautiful and telling her how much he loved what she wrote in her profile. He suggested they correspond outside of the site and offered his cell number.
Perfect.
Savannah waited a day and called, not wanting to seem too eager. She loved Max’s voice, warm and rich, like caramel. They had much in common. Both loved jazz, dancing, and traveling. He said he’d been waiting for the right woman to take with him on his first trip to Venice.
They met for their first dinner at the Bistro, where he presented her with a rose. Max ordered champagne. They shared a slice of chocolate silk pie after she confessed her weakness for anything chocolate. She imagined telling her sister Abby, “he has all the moves,” as Abby often told her after dating someone new.
He forgot his wallet at home on the second date. Savannah found his embarrassment endearing and paid their check. He stopped off by her office the next day, with an envelope full of cash, along with a dozen roses. Max’s actions confirmed everything Savannah had sensed about him.
After four dates, Max left to visit his daughter at her East Coast college. The night before he left, he gave Savannah a tender kiss and said, “I know it’s early but when I return, let’s go away together for a few days, just you and I.”
The next evening, as promised, Max called Savannah. “I’m at the hospital.” He sounded exhausted.
“What happened?”
“It’s Lizzie.” He seemed to catch his breath. “She’s hurt. Her car was totaled.”
“No! How is she?”
“The doctor says it’s touch and go.”
She waited, imagining his tears.
“I’m just glad I’m here. For her.”
“Me, too.”
“But it’s hell. And the hospital.” He snarled. “Their paperwork. She aged off my health insurance last year. Never got her own plan, and they need a hefty deposit up front.”
“Do you have the money?”
“I always keep around five hundred loose, but the rest is tied up in stocks and bonds . I’ve been on the phone with my broker, but it’ll take days for them to get me the money I need.”
“Don’t you have enough in cash?”
“I gave them five hundred, but they want three grand. So that’s twenty-five hundred more.” He groaned.
Savannah waited for him to continue.
“I hate to ask but is there any way you could help?”
Max had told her about his investments on their third date, after she’d overheard him talking with his broker. He dazzled her with his financial acumen and had offered to help her learn investing.
“Never mind, I shouldn’t have asked. We don’t know each other well enough.”
“What do you need?”
Savannah pressed the recording function on her cell.
“If you could . . . wire me $2500, I’d be able to take care of the hospital.”
“To the hospital?”
“To my account. I’ll be able to pay you back in three days.”
I’ll do it.” She glanced at the recording function, noticed the numbers rolling forward, and said, “Tell me exactly what I need to do.”
“Oh, darling, that’s so wonderful.” Max gave her his banking details and told her how to wire the money.
After ending the call, she played back the recording. She’d captured not just his words, but his smooth caramel voice. Only then did she reach for Abby’s photo where it sat on her desk. She touched the tip of her finger to her sister’s face before turning the photo over. She’d tacked Abby’s suicide note on the photo’s back.
I fell for him.
He took it all, my heart, and every dime I’d saved.
I thought we were building a future. I was a fool.
That afternoon, Savannah visited detective Jim Davis of the police department’s fraud division and handed him the recording. The detective smiled sadly. “You caught another one?”