Maxine Skye, Private Eye

by Monique Smith

  I didn't know what to say but then I found my voice. “Honey, I'm so, so sorry. I wish I would have had the chance to meet them. They sound like wonderful people.” “They were.” he said full tears falling now. “But they would have loved you.” he cried. We sat quietly for a while and he continued crying. I rubbed his back and wiped away his tears. I felt awful for him having lost his parents in such a tragic way. Then suddenly he was ready to go. “My father was a manly man. He wouldn't want to see me crying like this...I have to get it together.” he said standing up and brushing off his pants. Then he extended his hand to help me up. “Babe, it's okay to cry if you need to, you're only human.” He kissed me on the forehead. “That's why they would have loved you. You are sweet and caring. That's why I love you.” he said. “Your mother doesn't know what she's missing.” he said taking my hand.

  On the ride home we played 'Mint Condition' and sang out loud. It was fun and it was what we did to enjoy each other. God had been good to us because through so much pain and dysfunction, we found each other. There was a man parked across the street in a black Cadillac and dark tinted windows. Lance noticed right away. “Do you know who that guy is?” “Nope, never seen him before.” I blurted out before I could think about it. Once we were inside I remembered that I had seen him before. “Oh!” I said. “What is it?” “I have seen him before. He was following Steve, his name is Mitch. Steve said Lucy uses him for stuff.” “What kind of stuff?” Lance asked. “Steve said he's a henchman.” Lance stood still for a moment. “I'm gonna go over there and talk to him.” Lance said. “No please don't do that.” I said. “Why not?” “Because I don't want you getting involved.” “Max, I'm a policeman. It's my job to get involved. He's following you. It's against the law to stalk people.” “I know but this is my business...” “If something happened to you, I already told you I couldn't handle it.” I just stared back at him with nothing to say. “You haven't been to my place in a while. Pack up some things and come out of the back door. I'm going out of the front door.” “Leave on a light and the t.v.” I did as he said and met him at the back of my apartment and he immediately took the freeway to his apartment. “What was that all about?” he asked me when he was sure we weren't being followed. “I

  don't know. I guess Lucy wants to keep tabs on me too.” “Why?” “She knows I'm helping her brother.” “How does she know that?” “I guess Mitch told her. He saw Steve and I at a meeting.” “Why didn't you tell me she knew about you helping?” “I didn't want you to worry.” “Max! You have to tell me this kind of stuff. What else don't I know?” I told him everything: the call I got from Lucy, the meeting I had with John and his wife and about Steve and how afraid they all were of Lucy. “I want you to drop this now.” he said. “I can't just drop it Lance. I said I would help him and that's what I have to do.” “You are so stubborn!” “I can't just leave him in the balance, especially when I know he's innocent.” “I knew these people were crazy, I knew it!” he said loudly. “Calm down Lance.” I said. “Calm down? You're dealing with a crazy woman who will stop at nothing to get what she wants. Now she's sent another nut to sit in front of your door and watch your every move. How am I supposed to react?” “I know you're upset.” “Yes I am.” he said. He called Eddie and asked him to drive by my place to see if the Cadillac was still there. It was. “Ask him to tell you why he's been parked there for so long?” “Eddie said he is waiting to make a delivery to you.” “Tell him he can leave it with you Eddie.” Lance told him. “He said he was given strict instructions to deliver to Maxine Skye.” Lance said. “Tell him it will be safe with you Eddie. Then tell him to move on.”

  “What happened?” I asked anxiously after Lance hung up. “Eddie has the package now.” he said. “Well, what is it?” “I don't know. I think it would be best for Eddie to take the package to the station and open it there.” “Why?” “We don't know these people like we thought. They're dangerous, who knows what's in it.” Lance said throwing his hands in the air. “Is he going to call when he finds out what it is?” “Yes Max.” he said sounding like he was talking to a five year old. I sat shaking my leg for over an hour before Eddie finally called back. “So?” Lance said. “It's a letter with a check for $100,000.00.” “What!” I said. “What does the letter say?” “It's from Lucy Knight on behalf of Knight, Hall and Hall. She's thanking Max for her service and asking her to back off from interviewing her family, friends and anyone else you might need to talk to.” “Tell him to rip it up.” I said flatly. He spoke to Eddie a few more minutes and then they hung up. “She's really serious about getting you out of this...a hundred thousand dollars is allot of money.” Lance said. I just nodded. “Are you going to back off?” he asked. “You know me better than that.” “I know you don't know who you're dealing with. You thought she was a sweet lady who just wanted to stop a thief and give you a chance. Turns out she's a cold-hearted bitch who just wants her way and won't stop until she gets it. In my estimation of things, she's just getting started.” “With what?” I asked him. “Stopping you.”

  Lance slept extra close to me through the night. “Are you okay to stay here alone today?” he asked buttoning up his uniform shirt. “Of course.” I yawned. “I'm still on desk duty, so you can call the office or my cell phone if you need anything. I would like you to just stay inside today okay?” “I'm not a child Lance.” “I know but I just want you to be safe that's all.” “Am I under protective custody?” I asked in a teasing voice. “Under my private protection.” he said kissing my forehead. “Call if you need anything.” he said grabbing his cup of coffee. I made myself a cup and settled in for a relaxing day of news, reality shows, talk shows, cooking shows, whatever I could to keep my mind occupied. Around 2:30, my cell phone rang. It was John Hall.

  Chapter Thirteen-John's Ready to Talk “Hello?” “Hi... Ms... Skye...” he said lowly. “I've been thinking allot about my family and the situation. I've realized that I am part of the problem if I'm not going to help solve this.” he stammered. “Okay...” I answered in the same slow drawl he was using. “When will you be available to meet with me?” I asked. “I have some time today. My schedule has been clear the last couple days because I have been trying to clear my mind. I couldn't focus on my clients and it wasn't fair to them. I have to get this taken care of so I can get back to my life.” “I understand. I can be there to meet with you in a couple hours.” I told him. “Alright. I'm at my office. I'm not working. I come here to get a little peace and quiet. You understand, you've met my boys.” I laughed. “Yes, I have.” As I started to get dressed I thought about calling Lance to let him know what I was planning to do. But he would only try to talk me out of it...and then he would worry. So I decided to go ahead despite his request for me to stay inside.” “Hi Steve, it's Max.” “Hi Max.” he said with the same slow drawl his brother used. “I'm going to meet with John now. He's ready to talk.” “Great!” he said with a little more enthusiasm. “What's the plan?” “I'm going to get the rest of what he has to tell me. I suggest you get your attorney, Mark Garboni, is his name right?” “Yes.” “Get him going on your defense. Tell him your brother has everything you need to get you cleared.”

  “You're sounding determined.” he said. “I am.” I got dressed professionally again. John knew I was a professional private investigator but I wanted him to know I'm about my business. I took the familiar ride again to John's offices. Before I got out I decided to give Verene a call just to let her know what I was doing. I hadn't been in touch with her in a while and it was feeling like I didn't have a partner. The receptionist was not at her desk. It was quiet. Much different from the first visit we had. “Hi Ms. Skye.” John said reaching out to shake my hand. “Hello John.” I followed him back up to where we had the first meeting. “Can I get you something to drink?” “Um, no thanks. I just killed a large cup of iced coffee on the ride over.” “Okay.” he said his eyes shifting. I pulled out my iPad and opened up the notes that I had so far on John. “So, can we
start from the top? I'll go over what you've already given me and then you can add as needed.” “Sure.” he said looking uneasy. He began shifting in his seat which started to make me uncomfortable. “I see you gave everyone the day off.” I said. “Nice boss.” “Yes, like I said...I needed some quiet time to clear my head.” “Alright...so, what I have so far is...” “Nothing.” another man's voice came from behind me. I turned to see who was talking. There was a tall, black man standing in the door way. He was well dressed in a suit jacket, dress pants, and a button down shirt. He looked like he'd had a fresh hair cut and shave. He was wearing dark sunglasses which he removed as he walked toward John and I. “Sorry to interrupt your meeting, but I believe that this one will be adjourned early.” he said giving me a half cocked smile.

  I tried but I couldn't pull my eyes away from his. One of his eyes was dark brown, almost black and the other was blue. “Car accident.” he said pointing to his blue eye. “John who is this, what's going on?” I asked finally able to look away. “I'm sorry Ms. Skye.” he said. “Your sister got to you, didn't she?” He looked down in his lap. “So who are you?” I asked the blue eyed man. “That's not important. What is important, is that you understand how serious this situation is.” he said leaning on John's desk closer to me. “I'm here to collect you as I was instructed by my employer. If you co-operate with me, if you play nice, you'll be fine.” “And if I don't?” “Then I'm not so sure what will happen to you.” he snarled. He stood back up and I saw his gun in a holster on his hip. “What's going to happen now?” John asked. “You've done your part, man. You don't have to worry about the rest.” John looked at me like a lost puppy. “She'll be fine...if she wants to be.” the man told John. “When is Steve's trial?” he asked. “In three days.” John answered. “Let's go.”he said waving his hand in my direction. “Go...where?” I said dumbly. “You don't need to know that, just get up and let's go, and for your own good, don't make this hard.” he said looking down at me.

  I stood up and gathered my things. “I'll be taking your purse, iPad, cell phone, car keys.” he said holding his hand out for me to hand him my things. “How am I supposed to make an emergency call if you have my cell phone?” I asked sarcastically. “Oh, you're a funny one. We're gonna have a good time.” he smiled still holding his hand out. I put my cell phone and tablet in the purse and handed it to him. “Keys?” I sighed then fumbled around in my jacket pocket for the keys. As I felt the keys I suddenly remembered the pepper spray Lance gave me a couple weeks ago. Lance. He is going to be so mad when he finds out I left and then got myself kidnapped. I moved fast to unhook the spray from the keys and then handed them to him praying he wouldn't decide to frisk me. “Alright, let's go.” he said motioning me to the door. I started walking out and he was right behind me. Once we were outside he put his hand under my arm and guided me to a black Escalade with tinted windows. He chirped the car and it unlocked. He opened the backdoor and motioned for me to get in. He walked to the driver's side, got in, and immediately made a phone call. “Yeah, I've got her.” he said. “He's fine as far as I know.” “I know the place.” “Yeah, I got it, three days, four tops.” “Alright.” “Sit back and relax honey.” he said. “We're going on a little trip.”

  I could barely see out of the dark windows but I was trying to make out the streets. It was pointless especially since I wasn't familiar with this area. I looked at my watch and tried to keep the time so I could try to figure out how far away I was by how long it took to get there. I was also able to see the speedometer so I counted the miles. It seemed like it took forever but we finally reached our destination. “Put this on.” he said tossing a black scarf at me. “Why?” “Just do it...please.” he said. I decided to be a smart ass so I wrapped the scarf around my head as if I was wearing it to bed. “Not like that!” he yelled. “Just wait a minute.” he said getting out of the car. I thought it would be the perfect chance for me to try and grab my phone out of my purse but he was also a smart one. He took the purse with him. He walked around and opened the door snatching the scarf from me. He pulled the back of my head and wrapped the scarf around my head covering my eyes. “Let's go.” he said pulling me out of the car. He again grabbed me under my arm. We started to walk across gravel and I counted the steps to see how far away the car was from wherever he was taking me. He let my arm go and I heard keys jingle. After a few seconds he opened a door and grabbed my arm again and we walked inside. “Watch your step.” he commanded. But it was too late because I tripped over the thresh hold.

  He guided me through what I assumed was a house. I heard another door open and then he gave me a little push. I fell slightly and then I heard the door close. He unwrapped the scarf and I blinked to adjust my eyes. I looked around. I was in a room with no windows, no television, no phone. Just a bed and a chair. “There's a bathroom over there for your convenience. Don't worry about trying to escape because there's only one way in this room and one way out.” he spoke matter of factly. “The bathroom has been stocked with soap, toothpaste, towels, a toothbrush, tissue, and even shampoo. The button on the wall is for you to push if you need anything. I may or may not respond. Breakfast is at 8:30 sharp. If you are not awake you'll miss it. I don't leave food. Lunch is at 12:30 sharp and again if you aren't awake or otherwise not prepared to eat, you'll miss it. Dinner is at 6:00 sharp, same deal.” “What does it matter what time I eat? I don't have a watch.” “That's why I gave you meal times. You can judge the time by that. Look, I'm trying to be nice. Work with me here, okay?” he said. I didn't respond. “You'll only be here three days, four tops.” “You mean after Steve's trial?” He shrugged his shoulders but didn't answer me. “There's a book shelf in the corner to help you pass the time. This can be as simple or as hard as you make it.” he said closing the door.

  I was so engrossed in what the room didn't have that I didn't see what it did have: books. I loved to read so this would be helpful. I sat down on the bed and felt a sudden sense of dread and finality come over me. I was in a strange house, with a strange man in a strange situation. I was sure most private investigators didn't get themselves kidnapped. I'd never heard of such stories when I was sitting at my comfy desk eavesdropping and wanting more out of life. I laid down on the bed and started questioning everything. All the decisions I'd made which led me to this. Why did I want to be a private investigator? For the sense of excitement? This wasn't exciting. It was downright scary. For the adventure? Well this wasn't adventurous at all. I was stuck in a place I had no idea where, I was trying to stay calm when I wanted to scream and cry like a baby. I knew one thing for sure: Lance would start to look for me the second he realized something was wrong. And that would be the second he got home and saw I wasn't there.

  “Max!” Lance called into the empty dark apartment. Where is this woman he thought. “I'll try calling her cell phone.” It just rang and rang and then went to voice mail. “Damn, I asked her to stay in the house today, was that so hard?” He opened the fridge and got a Heineken. He sat down and scrolled through his cell phone looking for a number to call. “Hi, Mariah, it's Lance.” “Good, I'm good. Have you heard from Max today?” “Okay, well if she happens to call you can you please have her call me?” “Okay thanks. No, I'm sure she's fine. Yes. Alright, thanks again. Okay, bye.” He sat a few more minutes and then thought to call Verene. “Hi Verene, it's Lance. I'm doing well, thank you.” “Well I was calling to see if you'd heard from Max today?” “She did?” “Do you happen to know where he lives or where his office is? She mentioned Lakeville before.” “Okay, let me get a pen.” “Alright thanks Verene, you're a lifesaver.” Verene didn't know where John's office or home was but she gave Lance Steve's number. “Hi Steve, my name is Lance. I'm Maxine Skye's fiance'.” “Yes, well I was calling you to find out if you wouldn't mind giving me his phone number and address.” “Well because Max went to see your brother earlier today and she's not back yet. I'm just a little bit worried about her.” “Thanks Steve.”

  “Hel
lo John?” “Yes?” “My name is Lance. I'm Maxine Skye's fiance'. I was told she was coming out so see you today.” “Uh, yes she was supposed to.” he stammered. “Supposed to?” Lance repeated. “Yes but she never made it. I waited over two hours but she never showed.” “She never showed up huh?” Lance repeated again. “No she didn't.” “Alright well thanks.” Lance said hanging up. I don't think he's telling the truth Lance said aloud to himself. He opened up the laptop and Googled John Hall. Several items opened up including the story about Lucy and Steve. John's business also popped up. The JH Experience in Lakeville-Making Magic into Music. Lance mapped out how far away it was and decided to take a trip. Finding the building was the easy part but getting inside the building was harder. The gates were closed tight and the guard was not allowing anyone on the property without prior authorization from John Hall. “I'm a police officer.” Lance said showing his badge to the guard. “If you don't have a warrant, I'm going to have to ask you to leave.” Lance backed out of the driveway and headed home. But he was more sure now than ever that something was wrong. His gut instinct was that Max needed him. He didn't know how right he was.