by John Milesky
“I guess wearing my habit around here would be a dead giveaway that I’m not Genevieve,” Maggie said, jokingly. She was only trying to make the situation a little less tense, but Alverez remained professional and didn’t crack a smile. Truth is, Maggie didn’t know how to handle the situation herself, and she was trying to make herself feel a little more at ease.
“Your sister’s car is being returned today, so you’ll have transportation to go wherever you’d like,” Alverez interjected. “It’s a gold Mercedes. It should be back in your sister’s parking space any time now.”
“Good. It’s an easy city to get around in without a car, but having one would save a lot of time,” Maggie admitted. “I had to leave mine at the convent. I think I found the keys to the Mercedes on a hook in the kitchen.”
“I also have a set of keys,” Alverez interrupted. “I’ll be returning those to you as soon as possible.”
“Well then,” Maggie said, “I better start going through my sister’s clothes and find something that suits me.”
“I understand that this is going to be difficult for you, Maggie,” Alverez said. “I don’t want you to do anything that you are not comfortable with.”
Maggie noticed it was the first time he addressed her as Maggie and not Sister. It made her a little uncomfortable because the game had now changed. She was no longer Sister Margaret or Sister Maggie. She was now Genevieve and that gave her chills as she realized the danger she was now in.
Chapter Thirteen
Maggie woke up in the mind frame that she was not a nun, at least for a little while. She lay in bed most of the morning thinking about how she should act now. She was excited, regardless of the danger.
After having a cup of coffee, she showered and dressed as Genevieve. She had a twelve o’clock appointment to get her hair styled. How should I have it done? was the thought that occupied her mind all morning. Regardless, she was determined to keep up the façade that she was now Genevieve.
While she was getting dressed, Genevieve’s cell phone rang. Maggie’s stomach became a bundle of knots. She looked at the caller ID, and the number indicated the call was coming from the Washington, DC area. She wondered if the duplicate phone was ringing, too. Regardless of her nervousness, she answered the call. Luckily, it was only a call from the hair salon asking to push her appointment back a half-hour. She agreed and hung up the phone. She was a bit disappointed it was only the salon calling, but there was a part of her that was also relieved. She stood in silence, as thoughts began to flood her mind. She started to doubt whether she made the right decision.
Genevieve’s cell phone rang again. This time the caller ID indicated it was Alverez. Maggie answered instantly.
“Hello,” Maggie said into the phone.
“This is Detective Alverez.”
“Good morning, Detective.”
“I see you are going ahead as planned?” Alverez said. “Getting your hair done this afternoon?”
“Yes,” Maggie answered. “I guess if I am going to play the part of Genevieve, I should keep up appearances and jump in with both feet.”
“That’s good,” Alverez responded. “I am just calling to double check on you to see if you have any doubts about what you are doing.”
“I appreciate that, Detective,” Maggie responded. “I really do. But, I want to do this. As long as I have you looking out for me, I’ll be fine,” She lied. She was a nervous wreck about what lay ahead of her.
“Ok, well, I programmed my number into your phone, so if you have any questions or doubts, please don’t hesitate to call me.”
“Trust me,” Maggie said. “You will be the first person I call. Now, I have to get ready for my first day as Genevieve. Thanks for checking up on me.” With that, Maggie ended the call and headed into the bedroom.
Once in the bedroom, Maggie started to acquaint herself with Genevieve’s makeup. It felt odd being there, but she pushed through the moment and finished getting ready for her appointment. When Maggie was finally satisfied with her appearance, she left for the hair salon.
Maggie was greeted at the hair salon by the owner. She apparently knew Genevieve very well, as she greeted her with a hug. “Good morning, Gen,” the woman said.
“Good morning,” Maggie said.
“Elaine will be with you in a minute,” the woman said. “May I get you something to drink?”
The salon was high-end, with a bar in the rear. It was not the typical place where a nun would go.
“Nothing for me, thanks,” Maggie said.
“Please, have a seat, and I’ll let Elaine know you are here.”
After a few moments, a tall, beautiful, brunette in her mid-40’s came out from the back room to greet Maggie. “Genevieve, how are you?” Elaine said as she gave Maggie a hug.
“Just fine,” Maggie answered. “How are you?”
“Oh, same ole, same ole,” Elaine said. “Now let’s make you beautiful. What do you want to have done today?”
“I thought I’d leave that up to you this time,” Maggie said. “So let’s try something new.”
“Ok, then,” Elaine said. “Do you want to try those highlights we talked about last time you were in?”
Maggie thought about it for a second. How would she explain highlights back at the convent?
“Sure,” Maggie answered. She was determined to be as much like Genevieve as possible. If that meant taking chances, then, she thought she would start with her hair.
It took almost two hours for Elaine to transform her. She left the salon looking more like Genevieve than she had in a long while. She felt beautiful and thought she’d show herself off a little. She decided to stop by the grocery store on her way back to the apartment.
While Maggie was in the grocery store, Genevieve’s cell phone rang. It was a 202 number. She assumed it was Detective Alverez calling her to see how she made out at the hair stylist. She was wrong. Without thinking, she answered the phone.
“Hello, gorgeous,” a voice said on the other end of the phone.
“Hello,” she responded.
“This is Carbon. How have you been?”
“Great! How about you?”
“A little lonely since the wife has been in town,” Carbon said. “I was wondering if we could get together tonight.”
Maggie froze. This was it. She had officially become Genevieve.
“Hello?” Carbon said again.
“Of course,” Maggie answered. “I’d love to see you.”
“How about I come by your place around nine?” Carbon said.
“Of course,” Maggie said again. “Nine would be fine.”
They hung up the phone, and Maggie stood motionless in the frozen food section. She was waiting for Alverez to call. A moment or two passed, and the cell phone rang again. This time it was Alverez.
“You did great!”
“I didn’t sound too nervous?” Maggie asked.
“A little hesitant, but nothing noticeable,” Alverez answered. “Are you sure you want to go through with this?”
“Yes,” Maggie said. “I’m sure.”
“Ok,” Alverez answered. “I will be over your place around eight, so we can go over a few things before he arrives?”
“Do you know who Carbon is?” Maggie asked.
“The initial, C? It could be one of the four suspects we have been unable to identify. That’s good.”
It didn’t feel so good to Maggie. A heavy feeling hung around her stomach, and for a second, she thought she would throw up.
“Ok, Detective,” she finally said, “I will see you at eight o’clock this evening. And Detective? Please don’t be late.” She hung up the phone.
It was official now. No matter how anxious she felt, she had started something in motion that she was unable to stop. Tonight at nine o’clock, she would have to meet a man she didn’t know anything about. She was nervous even though she had hours before his arrival. Part of her was a little excited. She finished shopping an
d headed back to the apartment. No matter what, she was determined to be prepared. She was determined to start the game. She was determined to catch her sister’s killer.
Chapter Fourteen
When eight o’clock rolled around, Maggie’s nerves were on edge. She had been wrenching her hands together for hours. It was all she could do to keep steady, while she dressed for the evening’s events. The buzzer next to the elevator rang. It startled Maggie as she was in deep thought about how the evening would play out. It was Alverez.
As Maggie waited for Alverez to ride the elevator, a calm started to come over her.
“Good evening, Maggie,” Alverez said, as he stepped off the elevator.
“Good evening, Detective,” Maggie responded.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m a bit nervous, but I’ll survive.”
“You look-” Alverez started, but hesitated as he remembered he was talking to a nun. He couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she was. “-you look stunning. It’s amazing how much you resemble your sister.”
“Thank you, Detective,” Maggie said. “You don’t know how good that makes me feel.”
Alverez was in awe of Maggie. He had never seen someone so beautiful in his life. For the first time since the investigation began, he felt a sexual attraction towards her. Maggie sensed his hesitation and quickly broke the awkward silence. “May I get you something to drink?” she asked.
“No, I’m fine,” Alverez answered. “There are a few things I’d like to go over with you.”
They made their way into the living room. Alverez wasn’t carrying his briefcase this time. They both took a seat on the sofa. Alverez took a deep breath before he began to speak again.
“This evening is going to be ok,” he started. “Just remember, I am here. I will be waiting in the other room. I want you to put this in your ear.”
Alverez took out a tiny earpiece; it was smaller than a pencil eraser. “I want you to put this in your ear,” he repeated. “I have one in my ear as well, and I will be able to hear everything that you say. If at any time you feel like you are in danger, just say so, and I will come right in. I will be waiting in the other room and when I think it is time, I will come in and apprehend the suspect. I won’t wait too long-probably just a few moments. I don’t want you to be in any more danger than necessary.”
“That’s sweet of you, Detective,” Maggie said, as she took the earpiece from Alverez, “but, I’m a big girl. I think I will be just fine this evening.” Maggie put the earpiece in her ear. “Can you hear me?”
“That’s pretty clear, but let me go into the other room and make sure I can hear you from there.” Alverez got up from the sofa and went into the other room to do a sound check on Maggie’s earpiece. The sound was clear enough for his satisfaction, so he returned to the living room and took his seat on the sofa next to Maggie.
“There’s one other thing I’d like to go over with you,” Alverez admitted. He seemed a little hesitant. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a revolver. “I want you to have this, just in case.”
“In case what?” Maggie asked.
“In case, he makes a move on you, and I can’t get in here fast enough. In case, I have a heart attack. In case, the door to the other room gets jammed. There are a hundred possibilities why you should have this-in case. I just don’t want you to get hurt. That’s all. Now, where can we put this so you’ll have easy access to it in case you need to get to it in a hurry?”
“How about if we put it in the sofa cushions?” Maggie said.
The detective took the revolver and stashed it in the sofa. “Would you like me to go over how to use it?” Alverez asked.
“Just point and squeeze the trigger, I’d imagine,” Maggie stated.
“Pretty much,” Alverez responded. “I left the safety on. To take it off, just flick this little switch, and the gun is armed and ready to fire. Are you sure you don’t want me to go over it with you?”
“I’ll be ok, Detective,” Maggie admitted.
“Oh, while I’m thinking of it,” Alverez said. “There’s one other thing I’d like for you to do for me.”
“What’s that?” Maggie responded.
“I need you to place a call for me.”
“A call?”
“Yes, as you recall, there are still three names in your sister’s address book. We know one of them is Antonio D’Adamo. We have yet to locate him at this point. The other is C.C., who I think could be the suspect coming here this evening. The third name is S.A. I think I told you we have a number for him, but it’s to a disposable phone, so it’s hard to get a location on him.”
“That’s the call you want me to make?” Maggie asked.
“In case he turns it on from time-to-time, we’d like for him to have a message from you. He may try to get in contact with you, if he knows you are trying to contact him.”
“Sure,” Maggie responded.
She picked up the cell phone and scrolled through the address book until she came to the initials, S.A. She hit the send button, and the call went immediately to a generic, automated, voice message.
“Hello,” Maggie said into the phone, “this is Genevieve calling. I was wondering if you’d like to get together sometime soon. I’ve missed you. Please call me.”
As Maggie ended the call, Alverez thought about how easy it seemed for her to make the call. She sounded so natural.
“Is there anything else, Detective?” Maggie asked.
“Yes,” Alverez responded. “There’s one more call to make to Antonio D’Adamo. He’s the one who’s supposedly been out of the country since this whole ordeal began. Something tells me that a call from you could bring him back into the country.”
Maggie picked up the cell phone and made a similar call to Antonio D’Adamo. Alverez was again impressed at how easy it was for Maggie to make these calls.
It was almost as if she had been doing this her whole life. “That was pretty good,” he said. “Now, all we have to do is wait.”
They talked more about the investigation and Maggie’s involvement in it. It was almost nine o’clock, when the elevator buzzer sounded. Maggie jumped, and the blood seemed to immediately drain from her face.
Alverez noticed how white she became and asked her if she was ok. “You know, I can just apprehend him when he steps off the elevator, and you won’t have to go through any of this.”
“I’m fine, Detective,” Maggie said, as she took a long breath and headed towards the elevator. She hit the call button.
“Hello,” she said into the intercom.
“Hey, baby! It’s Carbon,” the voice said from the other end.
“Come on up,” Maggie said, and she hit the entry button.
“Ok,” Alverez said. “I won’t be far. Just breathe. You’ll be fine.”
He left to take his place in the other room and wait for the right moment.
The elevator door slid open and out stepped Carbon. He was a well-dressed man, in his mid-40s. Based on his clothes, Maggie could tell he had plenty of money. He was shorter than she expected. He had brown hair that he kept neatly styled. He wore glasses, which made him look intelligent, and which served to shield his brown eyes.
He kissed Maggie as soon as he got off of the elevator. It made her feel a little uncomfortable.
“Carbon,” Maggie said, “hello. Please come in and have a seat.”
“I didn’t come here to sit,” Carbon said.
“Can I get you something to drink?” Maggie asked.
“I’ll have my usual,” Carbon responded.
Maggie went to the bar while Carbon took a seat on the sofa. Maggie was unsure what his usual was, so she poured him a glass of scotch. When she handed it to him, he took a sip, and a look of distain came over his face.
“What’s this?” He asked.
“It’s your usual,” Maggie responded.
“This isn’t bourbon,” Carbon said, adamantly.
“Yes, I
’m all out of bourbon, so I thought this might do,” Maggie said trying to cover.
“Come here,” Carbon said, as he placed his glass on the table. Carbon put his arms around Maggie. “Am I glad to see you.”
“Carbon,” Maggie said. “Why don’t we talk for a bit before we get down to business?”
“You know you never call me Carbon,” he said. “You usually call me by my first name.”
A look of bewilderment came over Maggie’s face.
“What’s going on?” Carbon said.
That was enough for Alverez. He never should have put her in this situation. He quickly entered the living room to find Carbon looking up at Maggie with a look of wonder on his face.
“That’s enough,” Alverez said.
His presence startled both Maggie and Carbon.
“Who the hell are you?” Carbon asked and then looked at Maggie for some kind of answer. “Who’s this guy?”
“I’m Detective Alverez with the DC Metro Police Department.”
“A cop?” Carbon asked Maggie. “Are you setting me up?”
“It’s not like that,” Maggie said, sympathetically. “It’s not what you think.”
Maggie didn’t know why she felt sorry for him, but she did. Alverez was also a little bewildered by her attempt to calm this man down.
“I have some questions for you,” Alverez said.
Alverez took Carbon into custody and took him to the police station for further questioning. After they left, Maggie felt a feeling of relief come over her.
Maggie sat down on the sofa and instantly, felt a bump on her side. It was the gun Alverez had given her. She pulled it out from between the cushions and held it in her hand. She held it up and took aim with it.
“That’s one,” she said. “Pow! We gotcha.”
Maggie placed the gun on the table next to the glass of scotch. She eyed the scotch and picked up the glass and took a sip. She had a good feeling in her chest. She felt like she had taken a step towards helping Genevieve.
“That’s one down, Gen. Three more to go.”