The Deception

by Marina Martindale

  "I'm sure it must have been very painful to learn that he was being unfaithful to you," said Billie.

  "Yes, it was. I sat there and cried my eyes out. I was heartbroken. I've been in love with Scott since I was nineteen, and I thought we had a happy marriage."

  "Obviously, you thought wrong," countered O'Dell. "So, how did that make you feel? Did it make you angry? Were you angry enough to lash out? Perhaps lash out at your husband's mistress?"

  "Of course I was angry, but my anger was directed toward Scott. This woman, Ms. Daniels, is a total stranger to me."

  "So, what did you do after that?" asked Billie.

  "I've already told you. I went out for a long walk."

  "Where?"

  "Our subdivision has a common area with a playground. I walked around there for awhile, and then I sat down on a bench. I don't know for how long. After that, I decided to go to The Cattle Rustler and console myself with a greasy burger and a hot fudge sundae."

  "Mrs. Andrews, I'm afraid your husband is telling a very different story," said Billie. "According to him, that morning you accidentally knocked a photograph off the wall while you were making up the bed."

  Maggie's blood turned to ice. Once again, she put on her best face and tried to remain calm.

  "You know, I'd forgotten about that. That actually happened a few days before the morning I borrowed Scott's computer. He must be mistaken about the date."

  "You're sure?" asked O'Dell.

  "Of course I'm sure. Yes, I recall accidently knocking one of the photos off the wall. You remember, Agent O'Dell. I showed you where they'd been hanging; right over the bed. I wasn't paying attention that morning and I accidently knocked one off the wall."

  "What day did that happen?"

  "I can't remember the exact day, sir. It's been months. But it wasn't the on same day I borrowed Scott's computer. That I do know."

  "I'm sure you must have been very upset when that happened," said Billie. "I understand that you and your husband are both art collectors, and that it was a limited edition photo."

  "Yes, we are. Or rather, we were. And you're right, it was a limited edition photograph."

  "Did it get damaged?"

  "The frame did, luckily the photo itself wasn't damaged."

  "Did you know who the model in the photo was?" asked O'Dell.

  "No. The title of the print was on the back of the frame, but I don't recall ever seeing the model's name. So who was she?"

  "I think you all ready know who the model is, Mrs. Andrews," said O'Dell. "According to the computer forensics report, right after you read your husband's email you went to the website for Carrie Daniels Photography. Would you like to explain?"

  Maggie felt a chill running down her spine. She'd deleted the browser history that day, along with all of the other files. Many months had passed since then. How could they have retraced her tracks? Surely all the deleted files would have been written over by now.

  "I'm sorry, sir," said Maggie, apologetically. "You must understand it was a horrible day for me, and I'm sure I've blocked out many of the details of what happened. But now that you've brought it up, I vaguely recall going to that website, but I was so upset that I really don't remember it."

  "According to our report, you spent a lot of time on the about us page of Ms. Daniel's website. There's a picture of her on that page."

  "So what are you getting at, sir?"

  "What I'm getting at, Mrs. Andrews, is that you've been lying to me." Maggie heard the anger in O'Dell's voice. "So, here's what really happened. You went to Carrie Daniels' website because you wanted to find out who your husband's mistress was."

  "Okay, so maybe I did. Is that a crime?"

  "No," said Billie. "Under the circumstances, it would have been perfectly understandable. If I'd just found out that my husband had been cheating on me, I'd want to know with whom."

  "But stealing the other woman's identity and forging her signature is illegal, Mrs. Andrews, and it will get you a long prison term."

  Maggie could feel herself starting to sweat. She had to remain calm.

  "Look, I didn't steal anyone's identity, and I didn't forge anyone's signature. Scott did that, not me. Like I said, I went for a long walk, and then I went out to lunch. I didn't return until much later that day."

  "I want the truth, Mrs. Andrews," demanded O'Dell. "You saw Carrie Daniels' picture on her website. You recognized her as the nude model in the photos so you got angry. I'll bet you were so angry that all you wanted to do at that moment was to rip those photos of her to shreds, but you couldn't do that because you didn't want your husband to know you'd found out about his cheating on you, so you broke the frame instead. Then, once you had the photo out of its frame, you decided to scan it into Scott's computer. It was the perfect plan, wasn't it, Maggie? You're an art collector. You know how copyrights work. You decided to set Carrie Daniels up so that Louise Dickenson would go after her for copyright infringement, and you'll be happy to know that your scheme worked. Mrs. Dickenson has indeed filed a copyright infringement claim against Ms. Daniels, along with your husband Scott. Only there's a problem. Carrie got a copy of the release, and as soon as she saw it she knew that someone had stolen her identity, and that her signature had been forged. That's against the law, Mrs. Andrews, so she called the police and reported it."

  "That's quite a picture you've painted there, Agent. O'Dell. Unfortunately, it's not quite accurate. Yes, I did break one of the frames. I've already told you it was an accident, and it happened a few days before I found out about the affair."

  "Did you replace the frames?"

  "Of course I did."

  "Where did you get the new frames?" asked Billie.

  "I can't recall right now. It been months, and since that time I've had other things on my mind. Like having my husband suddenly walk out on me for yet another woman. Like coming home and finding all of his belongings gone, because he decided skip out and move halfway across the country without so much as a goodbye. Like having to go through a painful divorce and having to deal with two children who are also trying to cope." The tears were streaming down Maggie's face as she reached for a tissue. "Are we done here? We'd better be, because I'm through talking to you. You've found your culprit and it's not me. It's my husband, Scott."

  O'Dell motioned to Billie to step outside.

  "She's guilty as hell," he said after he closed the door behind them. "She would have needed to take the photos out of the frames in order to scan them. If only I could prove she's the one who did it."

  "I'm convinced she's involved as well, but we still don't have a smoking gun, and she's never going to admit to it."

  "It's so damn frustrating that both of their handwriting comparisons were inconclusive. We couldn't determine if it was Scott or Maggie who forged the signature. We could only prove that it wasn't Ms. Daniels' handwriting."

  "I'll run her home, Ken. With any luck she'll feel comfortable enough with me to slip up and say something."

  O'Dell nodded stepped away while Billie went back into the interrogation room.

  "Okay, Maggie, we're done. I'm going to take you home now."

  "Thanks, I appreciate it. Like I said, I'm going through a bad divorce and I really don't need any additional stress right now."

  "I understand, and I'm sorry you're having to go through this. We just needed some additional information, that's all. We want to make sure there's a conviction in this case, and we appreciate the fact that you've been helpful."

  Maggie kept to herself on the drive back. The authorities were getting much too close to the truth. As Billie pulled up the curb she thanked her for the ride home. She walked through her front door and waited for Billie to drive away.

  "All right, you stupid little bitch! Thanks to O'Dell, it's now confirmed. You're indeed responsible for bringing the FBI in, so thanks to you I just got hauled in and treated like a criminal. And for that little outrage, Carrie, you're going to have to pay. I've told you be
fore and I'll tell you again. If I go down, you're going down with me."

  Maggie needed to come up with another plan and she knew not to use a computer this time around. She'd learned the hard way that anything she did electronically would be too easy to trace. She picked up her keys and walked to the corner to pick up her mail. Perhaps some fresh air and sunshine might help her think.

  "If it weren't for junk mail, I'd get no mail at all," she mused after she turned the key to open her mailbox. Along with a few bills, her box was crammed with flyers, coupons, and other unsolicited advertisements. She headed home and was about to drop it into the recycling can when, just like before, the perfect plan suddenly flashed across her mind.

  "Of course. I see them doing this on TV all the time, and it's not that hard. And since it's low tech they won't be able to track me down."

  She brought the junk mail back into the house and set it on the kitchen table. She reached into the cabinet underneath the sink and took out a pair of rubber gloves. She dropped them on the table and opened the junk drawer, rummaging through it until she found a glue stick and a pair of scissors. She set them on the table and put the gloves on before stepping into the den and opening the credenza. She carefully removed a sheet of paper from the center of the stack, along with a self-adhesive envelope. She brought both items back to the kitchen table and began cutting individual letters out of pieces of the junk mail, gluing a message onto the paper.

  "This is fun. It's sort of like putting a puzzle together, and when I'm done I'll have the pleasure of torturing you, Carrie."

  Satisfied with her message, she took the envelope back into the den and placed it into the printer. Her printer was a popular brand. No doubt thousands of other households had one just like it. She grabbed the phonebook and looked up Carrie Daniels Photography. As soon as she found it she removed her gloves, typed in the address and hit the print button. She closed the file without saving it, put the gloves back on, and took the envelope back to the kitchen. By then the glue on the message had set. She carefully folded the paper, stuffed it into the envelope, and pulled off the backing to seal it. She stepped back into the den, grabbed her roll of stamps from her desk drawer, and pulled one off the backing.

  "Well now, I guess it's a good thing I got a job with a temp agency," she said as she stuck the stamp on the envelope. "They're sending me on an assignment in Phoenix the day after tomorrow, and I'll have to mail it while I'm there. Hope you enjoy your little surprise, Carrie. I made it special just for you."

  Thirty-One

  Steve looked up when he heard the sound of someone tapping at his door.

  "Hey, Alex. What's up?"

  "I need to talk to you about something."

  "Of course. Come on in."

  Alex stepped inside, closed the door behind him, and pulled up a chair. He let out a sigh as he sat down.

  "Are you all right, Alex? You look pretty serious."

  "I'm afraid your boy wonder has turned himself into boy blunder."

  Steve looked closer at Alex's face. "You've slept with her, haven't you?"

  "Yeah."

  "Well now, that explains the happy glow."

  "Oh very funny." There was a hint of sarcasm in Alex's voice.

  "Well, buddy, I can't say I'm surprised. I saw this coming the day we all drove up to Flagstaff for her mother's funeral. So, you know what happens next, don't you?"

  "Yeah, I do. I'll have to recuse myself from her case."

  "It's for the best for everyone involved, Alex. Even if you hadn't taken it to that level, I've been concerned about your objectivity ever since the day you flipped out after speaking to Scott Andrews on the phone. That's not like you. You never lose your cool. If something like that had happened in a courtroom--"

  "It'll never see the inside of a courtroom, Steve. Louise doesn't have a case. She never did."

  "I know she doesn't. Hopefully you're right and it'll never make it to court. However, our immediate concern is the here and now, which means we need to talk to Reggie."

  Before Alex could respond, Steve picked up his phone and dialed Reggie's extension. As soon as she answered Steve asked her to come to his office. A minute later they heard a knock at the door. Steve opened it and she stepped inside, bringing a folder with her.

  "So how's it going, guys?" She looked closely at Alex, while Steve motioned for her to take a seat. "Uh-oh, you've slept with her, haven't you?"

  "Jeez! It is that obvious?"

  "Yes," replied both at the same time.

  "Your face is turning red too," added Reggie, "that's another giveaway."

  "Great."

  "Anyway, we need to sit down and have a little discussion about this. I take it that it was mutually consensual."

  "Yes, it was."

  "Good. The next question I have to ask is did you have a prior relationship with her?"

  "I've known her since the fourth grade," said Alex. "And we stayed friends all the way through high school."

  "So, did you ever date her?"

  "We went out, as friends, when we were in high school. I even took her to the prom."

  Reggie looked at Steve. "I think we can establish that a prior sexual relationship existed between them."

  "Hey, I said I took her to the prom. I didn't say I nailed her."

  "I understand," said Reggie. "However the point is a prior relationship existed between the two of you before she become your client, which means you're off the hook as far any possible ethics violation goes, but it's still problematic. At the moment, my concern is what's in Ms. Daniel's best interest. We still have a fiduciary responsibility to her, and as a senior partner of this firm, I have to be sure that everything is above board. That said, I'm now going to have to ask you to step aside and let another attorney take her case."

  "I understand, Reggie. I've already told her I'd have to turn her case over to someone else and she's okay with it. In fact, she was more concerned about the possibility of some sort of disciplinary action being taken against me."

  "That sounds like our Carrie, all right," commented Steve.

  "You've kept track of all your billable hours, haven't you?" asked Reggie.

  "Yes, I have. As you know, I took her case pro bono. My plan was to ask the court to order Louise Dickenson to cover the cost of her legal expenses."

  "That's all well and good, but since that time an anonymous donor has come forward to pick up her tab."

  "What? I hadn't heard about that," said Alex. "When did this happen?"

  "A couple weeks ago," explained Reggie. "And no, I don't know who it is either, being as they've asked to remain anonymous. My guess is it's probably one, or both, of the Mercer brothers. She helped make their family rich, back in the day, so now they're returning the favor."

  "Of course, that would make sense. Anyway, I have the invoices for George and Betty McCormick's services, and Jonathan Fields will sending me a bill."

  "Good, then you'll need to talk to Joan as soon as we're done. In the meantime, Alex, I'll be the one who'll be handling her case from here on out, so you know she'll be in good hands. Steve's already given me some information, but I need to be brought up to speed, so let's head over to your office."

  They told Steve goodbye as they left. Once they arrived at Alex's office he brought out the file and proceeded to over Carrie's case, step by step, explaining every detail.

  "I've proven that she couldn't have been there when the release form was signed," he explained, "and I've forwarded the information on to Jack Collins. Carrie will be meeting with Jonathan Fields later on this week so he can run some tests on her laptop and her office computer, but it's just a formality. It's not if, but when, Louise drops her claim. I do have one other thing that I need to do for her, but it's a separate issue."

  "What's that?"

  "I need to change her business name and break her office lease. Our official excuse will be that she needs more space. However, we all know Maggie Andrews is the one who really did this,
and now that she's starting to stalk Carrie, I'm very concerned about her safety. I've also arranged for her to have a security guard present whenever she's in her studio."

  "I understand," said Reggie. "I'll let you handle name change, but I'll take care of the lease, if you don't mind, since there's always the remote possibility it could end up in litigation. Meantime, I'll contact her later on today to schedule a meeting. So, would you like to hear you some good news?"

  "Of course."

  "I've been talking to a prospective client, and I've scheduled a meeting for you later this week. You really are the best attorney for them, Alex, and they're looking forward to meeting with you. Think of it as a swap for the Daniels case."

  Reggie handed Alex her folder, explaining that it was a family business partnership gone sour, and now one partner was suing his brother-in-law for breach of contract. It was a complex case involving a company with a net worth of several million dollars. Alex's face lit up as she went over the details.

  "It's right up my alley, Reggie, and it'll go on for years. There's nothing quite like the feeling of having a little job security, especially on a day when I feel like I've been taken out behind the woodshed."

  "Oh come on, Montoya," she said with a smile. "Trust me, you'd know it if I ever took you out behind the woodshed. You're human, Alex, and we've all noticed the change in you since she came on the scene. You're much happier now. Your life seems to have more of a purpose, and in the bigger scheme of things, a happy attorney is more productive and a bigger asset to this firm. Now you can move forward without the complication of representing her. In the meantime, I hear she's a really good lady and I look forward to working with her."

  Reggie was about to take her leave when Alex's phone rang. Louise's attorney was calling.

  "Hang on, Reggie. With any luck, we'll be able to put this one to bed right now."

  Alex greeted Collins, asking him to please wait while he put his phone on speaker. He then introduced Reggie.