The Deception

by Marina Martindale

  "I wish I could take him home with me," she said as she took the seat next to him.

  "Trust me, there've been a few times when we needed a break," laughed Mark. "He has his moments."

  "But he's a good kid, and I can tell the two of you are good parents."

  "We try," said Olivia, "but it's not always easy. We'll see how we do once his little brother arrives. We were hoping for a girl this time, but we'll take another boy. Then that's it. We're not having any more."

  They dropped Carrie off at her motel. She carefully got out of the Jeep, not wanting to disturb Jacob. Once again she thanked Mark and Olivia for the night out. They waited until she was safely in her room before Mark backed the Jeep out.

  "Nice lady," said Olivia as they drove away. "I like her a lot better than Casey."

  "Me too. I've known her since I was eight years old. She and Alex always were close. She was one of the few people who really understood him. Give it six months, maybe a year. She'll be my sister-in-law."

  Thirty-Five

  "You again? Don't you have better ways to spend our taxpayer dollars?"

  Once again, Ken O'Dell, along with another female agent, was at Maggie's door.

  "I apologize for the inconvenience, Mrs. Andrews, but I'm going to have to take you back in for more questioning."

  "What for?"

  "We need to fingerprint you."

  "What! I'm not going with you."

  "Sorry, Mrs. Andrews," he said, firmly. "There's been another incident involving the Daniels case, and while you may not be a suspect, you're still a person of interest."

  "Am I being arrested?"

  "Not at this time, ma'am, but just like before, it would be best if you cooperated."

  Maggie let out a sigh and picked up her purse. As usual, O'Dell was right. It had been several days since she'd mailed the letter to Carrie Daniels. No doubt she'd received it by now. Crybaby that Carrie was, she would have brought in the authorities again. But then, if all went according to plan, they'd pin the blame on Scott and put him back in jail. She smiled to herself as O'Dell led her to his vehicle. She cooperated fully once they arrived at the field office and as she wiped the ink off her fingers Billie came in to take her back into the interrogation room where O'Dell was waiting, along with someone with the Postal Inspector's office.

  "We just have a few questions that we need to ask you," said Billie, "and then someone will take you home."

  "Of course."

  "Someone's mailed a death threat to Carrie Daniels." The Postal Inspector noted the date the letter was mailed as he explained that any crime involving the U.S. Mail fell under his jurisdiction. The FBI would be assisting him in his investigation. "So, Mrs. Andrews, can you tell me where you were the day this letter was mailed?"

  "I can't quite recall, sir, although I was probably at home."

  "Were you?" asked O'Dell. "According to our sources, you were working on an assignment for a temp agency in Phoenix that day."

  "That's right. I'm so sorry. Yes, I'm working with a temp agency. Some days I'm working and others I'm not. Since I don't have a regular schedule it's sometimes hard for me to remember where I was any given day. Sorry for the confusion."

  "Nice try, Mrs. Andrews, but you're not fooling us one bit," he said, firmly. "Someone mailed a death threat to Carrie Daniels, from Phoenix, the same day you were working in Phoenix."

  "So what are you trying to say? Are you saying that I'm the one who wrote it? How many million people live in Phoenix? I'm sure Carrie Daniels has slept with more than one woman's husband. Why am I being singled out?"

  "You're not being singled out, Mrs. Andrews," explained the Postal Inspector. "In fact, your husband was our prime suspect."

  "Makes sense. So where is Scott? Is he back in jail?"

  "Sorry to disappoint you, Maggie," said O'Dell, "but this time Scott has an airtight alibi."

  Maggie's heart skipped a beat. She let out a tiny gasp while O'Dell was talking. She hoped he and the others hadn't heard it.

  "You look surprised, Maggie. Is there anything you'd like to tell me?"

  "Only that I'm through talking to you. I'm not saying anything else without my lawyer."

  "Okay, Maggie," said Billie. "You're not under arrest at this time, and I'll be happy to take you home."

  "Thank you, ma'am, I appreciate it. And just so you know, you won't find my fingerprints on whatever it is you think I've touched, because I've never mailed anything to Carrie Daniels. Maybe you should stop wasting your time harassing me and go look for the real suspect."

  "That's what we're doing, ma'am," said the Postal Inspector.

  "You know what, Maggie," said O'Dell, "before you were only facing forgery and identity theft charges. Now you're looking at mailing a threatening communication, and even more jail time."

  "Scott's the one who stole her identity and forged her signature, not me, and I never mailed a letter to Ms. Daniels. Why would I? Scott left me for Nancy Edwards, not Carrie Daniels."

  O'Dell leaned across the table. His eyes bore into hers.

  "So you say, but we both know better, don't we, Maggie?"

  "I've heard enough, O'Dell. You either charge me, right now, or you let me go."

  "Get her out of here, Billie." Maggie could hear the tone of disgust in his voice. "Don't worry, Mrs. Andrews, we'll be seeing more of one another."

  O'Dell stormed out of the room and quickly walked back to his cubicle.

  Maggie remained silent during the ride home, offering only a brief thank you when Billie pulled up to the curb. She realized she'd overplayed her hand. Fortunately, she'd been careful handling the envelope the letter had been mailed in and she was positive she hadn't left any prints.

  "Damn it," she muttered after she stepped inside. "So Carrie, it looks like I've made a teeny-weeny little mistake, but it's nothing I can't recover from. Next time I'll be more careful, and yes, Carrie, there will be a next time. You can count on it. You may have O'Dell fooled about your innocence, but not me. I'll bet you're even sleeping with O'Dell too. Enjoy your little reprieve while you can, because I'll be back when you least expect it."

  Thirty-Six

  The weather had cooperated so far and the all the photo shoots had gone well. Carrie and the two models had been working on a sunrise shoot near San Luis Obispo with a beautiful secluded beach in the background. She wanted to finish before the beach got too crowded.

  "Okay, Tina, one more with your right hand on the handlebars and... that's it." She snapped the photos. "Now, one more, looking up at Carlos, there you go, and that's it. We're done."

  Both models let out sighs of relief as they began to relax.

  "What time is it?" asked Carlos.

  Carrie glanced at her watch. "Eight-fifteen. Since we've finished a little ahead of schedule today, we can kick back and enjoy the beach for a little while. They won't be coming to pick up the motorcycle until nine."

  Carlos decided to take a short walk to explore the beach while Tina went to the van to get her beach towel.

  "Would you like to join me?"

  "Sure, why not," replied Carrie.

  After securing the motorcycle she grabbed her towel and joined Tina on the trail down to the beach. Tina soon found a desirable spot. She spread her towel on the sand, took off her top, and plopped down.

  "It's a clothing optional beach," she explained, "and I want to get a tan without any lines. I've done nude work before, so it doesn't bother me."

  "I know it's a clothing optional beach. That's why we did the shoot from a safe distance." Carrie took off her blouse, revealing her tank top underneath. She spread her towel on the sand and sat down next to Tina. "I've only done one nude modeling job. It was the biggest mistake of my life. It turned into a nightmare and I'm still dealing with the fallout."

  "Really, what happened?"

  Carrie filled her in on the whole story. Tina had an astonished look on her face while she listened.

  "Good grief. It certainly
sounds like the proverbial snowball rolling down the mountain, but at least you and your friend, Alex, were able to find one another and reconnect. Strange as this may sound, I think it may have happened for a reason. Maybe the two of you are meant to be together."

  "Maybe, but surely there had to have been an easier way. And speaking of proverbial things, I can't help wondering if I've gone from the frying pan and into the fire."

  "What do you mean?"

  "After Doug and I split, and I was left homeless, I promised myself I'd never, ever allow anything like that to happen to me again."

  "Understandable," said Tina.

  "So now here I am, practically living with Alex, and I can't help it. I'm scared. What if it happens again?"

  "Carrie, can I speak candidly with you?"

  "Certainly."

  "Okay. First of all, Alex isn't Doug, so you really shouldn't be comparing the two. Secondly, there are no guarantees in life. I should know."

  "What do you mean?"

  "I lost my husband two years ago," she explained. "He was on his way home from work and he was hit by an uninsured drunk driver running a red light. He was killed instantly."

  "I'm so sorry, Tina. How awful for you."

  "Thank you. However, the point I'm making is what I just told you a minute ago. There are no guarantees in life. The only thing that's certain is death, so we need to make the best of it while we can. Nick was the love of my life, and looking back, I have no regrets. We didn't waste our time worrying about stupid, petty little things. We somehow managed to make the most out of what we had."

  "So how are you coping?"

  "I take it one day at a time. I have a daughter, Nicole, who's just turned three. My mother is taking care of her until I get back and I miss her terribly. She's the reason why I'm doing this job. I want to get my degree so I can get a better job and so she can have as good of a life as possible without having her father there to take care of her."

  "Do you think you'll ever remarry?"

  "Who knows," replied Tina with a shrug. "No one can ever take Nick's place and I'm not really looking, but I suppose anything's possible. What I'm trying to tell you, Carrie, is to stop being afraid. You and Alex already have a long history together and he sounds like an amazing guy. You're lucky to have found him again, even if it was under bizarre circumstances, so please, whatever you do, don't let the actions of some idiot from your past ruin your chance to be happy. If you love this man, and I can see that you do, then go for it. Let what's meant to happen, happen. It'd be a real shame if you were to lose out because you allowed your fears to get the better of you. You may never have another opportunity like this again."

  Carrie noticed that someone had come to pick up the motorcycle. Tina slipped her top back on, grabbed her towel and they began hiking back to the van. Soon Carlos returned, and they were back on the road, heading north to San Francisco. They were scheduled for a sunset shoot in front of the Golden Gate Bridge. It, too, went smoothly. Once they finished, it was time to head to the hotel and a weekend off. Carrie got behind the wheel and programmed the GPS device.

  "So what are your plans for tomorrow?"

  "I'll be hanging out with friends here in the Bay area," said Carlos.

  "And I'm spending the day in my room, curled up with my Kindle," added Tina. "I'm tired and I want to look good for the camera. I'll leave all the sight seeing and touristy stuff for another time. How 'bout you, Carrie?"

  "I'm not sure yet."

  "It's a beautiful place. If I were you, I'd grab my camera and go take photos. You're incredibly talented. Go out and have some fun."

  "Thanks, Tina. I was having the same thought."

  As Carrie drove across the Golden Gate Bridge Tina's words from their earlier conversation echoed in her mind. She really was allowing her fears of the past to keep her from being truly happy with Alex. She hoped the following week would pass quickly. She was more anxious than ever to get the job finished so she could return home.

  She spent the following day exploring the streets of San Francisco, taking photographs of Union Square, North Beach, Fisherman's Wharf, and the Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory. She stopped for a sandwich at a sidewalk cafe, and as she watched the people walking by, she suddenly felt envious of the mothers pushing their baby strollers. She watched young lovers walking by arm in arm, and she even noticed a few men who looked like Alex. She realized she'd missed him more than she'd expected, and she thought about Tina's words again. Finishing up her sandwich, she heard her phone ring. A smile spread across her face as she checked the caller ID.

  "Hey, there, I was just thinking about you. You must have been reading my mind."

  "I guess so," he replied. "I'm out by the pool. This house is so empty without you."

  "I'm sorry, and I miss you too, Alex. I'm sitting at a sidewalk cafe wishing you were with me. San Francisco is a beautiful city, but it's a lonely place to be when you're on your own. But hey, a week from today we finish up and we'll start heading back that afternoon. Carlos and Tina are anxious to get home too."

  "A week seems much too long. Do you have to drive the van back?"

  "I'm afraid so," she replied. "That's what's in the contract."

  "Tell you what, Carrie-Anne, let me have a look at it and I'll see what I can do."

  "You got it. I'm ready to come home, the sooner, the better."

  The second week flowed nearly as smoothly as the first, with only minor glitches, such as nosey tourists, or a motorcycle arriving late, marring the way. They arrived in Seattle Friday evening. The final shoot would take place early the following morning. Once it was finished, they would begin the trip home.

  "Carrie, we need to talk to you about something," said Tina as they were checking into their hotel.

  "What's up?"

  "Carlos and I have decided not to ride back in the van with you." She turned to give Carlos a knowing look as she was talking. "We're both anxious to get home, so we've booked a flight for tomorrow afternoon."

  Carrie let out a sigh. "I understand. I'm anxious to get home myself. I'm waiting for Alex to get back with me about leaving the van here so I can fly back with you."

  For some strange reason, Alex had been dodging the question about leaving the van behind. Now Tina and Carlos were giving each other an odd look.

  "No," Carlos quickly replied. "I mean, we already looked into it. The plane's full. Tina and I got the last two seats."

  "Maybe I can catch a different flight, or fly standby."

  "Sorry." Tina was shaking her head. "We already asked. All the flights are booked."

  "All right, so what's up you two?"

  "Nothing, Carrie." Carlos was trying to suppress a smile. "It's like we told you. Everything's booked. Tina and I were lucky to get the last two seats."

  "Enjoy your trip home," added Tina, "and take lots of photos."

  Carrie shook her head as she grabbed her room key and headed toward the elevator. She was tired, she wasn't in the mood to argue, and she certainly wasn't looking forward to a long drive all the way back to Arizona on her own. Once inside her room, she headed to the bathroom. She let out a shriek as soon as she opened the door. Someone was in the shower.

  "Oh my God. I'm so sorry, Carrie-Anne." A startled Alex popped his head out from behind the shower curtain. "I didn't think you'd be here this soon. Are you okay?"

  "I oughta smack your butt." She was clutching her chest and laughing at the same time. "You just scared the living hell out of me." She heard a knock at the door. Her bags had arrived. "Wait here."

  "I'm not going anywhere at the moment."

  She stepped away to take care of the bellman. As soon as he left, she stripped down and went back into the bathroom.

  "Move over, Montoya." She stepped in and joined him in the shower. "So tell me, how did you end up here?"

  "Reggie said I needed a vacation. Can you believe that?"

  "Really? So when was the last time you took any time off?"

  "Nev
er. I've been with the firm ever since I finished law school. Other than an occasional day off here and there I've haven't had a real vacation since college. Then the other day Reggie reminded me that if I didn't use at least some of my vacation time soon I'd lose it, so here I am."

  "I see. So tell me, Mr. Attorney, how did you manage get into my room?" There was a playful tone in Carrie's voice.

  "You had your two models names and phone numbers listed on your itinerary as emergency contacts, so the other morning I called Tina and had a little chat with her. Nice lady. She said she and Carlos planned to fly back to Phoenix as soon as you were done, so she called the hotel and had them add my name to your reservation. I thought I'd surprise you. I just didn't expect you to show up this soon."

  "Aha," said Carrie with a knowing grin, "so that explains why they were acting so strange when we were checking in. They were your co-conspirators."

  "We plead guilty as charged, Your Honor. I decided to fly here and then we'd drive the van back together. I don't have to be back to the office for another week."

  Carrie let out a sigh. "What a bummer we have to go home at all. This trip was just what I needed. It got me away from all my troubles. Now I'm finally feeling grounded and like myself again, but it'll all be waiting for me when I get back."

  "Not all of it. I have some good news for you."

  "Really? What is it?"

  "Reggie's making progress and she's started taking depositions. She's got all your phone records and Jonathan Fields has sent her his report. We're in the home stretch. She'll soon be ready to file her motion with the court. After that, we wait for a hearing date."

  "And how long will that take?"

  "With any luck, not long. We also have to give Louise an opportunity to respond."

  "What if she objects? I have a feeling she's going to fight this."

  "She certainly has the right," said Alex, "but even if she does, it won't be that big of a deal. Reggie will present oral arguments to the judge. Her attorney can respond, but we can show proof that your identity was stolen and your signature was forged. You need to stop wasting your time and energy worrying about Louise. It's time to start thinking about the future."