Maxine Skye, Private Eye

by Monique Smith

  I must have fallen asleep. I had no idea what time it was and I couldn't judge by the light outside since there were no windows. The lamp had been turned on and there were flannel pajamas lying on the chair. There was a bottle of water and an apple on the chair with a note: you missed dinner. Since I missed dinner it must be after 6:00. Lance would be home by now, and looking for me. I kept my fingers crossed and was grateful for his policeman skills. I wanted to feel sorry myself but I knew I was better than that and there was something I could do that was better than crossing my fingers and hoping. I got down on my knees. “Dear Lord, I'm scared. I know you are with me, now and always. I know that you would never give me more than I can bare. This is a test. My test to see if this is really what I should be doing. Despite my fear, I feel strong knowing you're with me. I know you have already worked something out in my favor and all I have to do is have faith and wait for you. In your time this will be done. I trust you Lord. My life is in your hands. Amen

  The sense of dread and finality was gone just as suddenly as it had come. The Lord had moved in me in such a way that I knew I would be okay. I took a shower, brushed my teeth and put on the flannel pajamas. I looked on the book shelf and finally decided on a book called 'How The Game is Played'. I took a few bites of the apple and sipped the water. I would not be afraid of this situation anymore. The book turned out to be a good one. I couldn't believe I finished all 189 pages in one sitting. I laid down and pulled the covers over my head. I tried to sleep but I couldn't get my mind to rest. All my mind's eye could see was Lance's face. I just wanted to be with him right now, in his arms. I wanted to feel his strength and protection wrapped around me, keeping me warm. Even though I had claimed victory over this already, I still felt a longing for him. The tears came so fast I didn't even realize I was crying. I woke up just in time to see the door open and the mystery man bring in the food. “Good morning.” he said. “Glad to see you'll have breakfast today.” I nodded as he sat the food down on a tray. “What's your name?” I asked already knowing the answer. “I could tell you.” he said smiling. “But then I'd have to kill you.” “You wouldn't kill me.” I said. “You don't know me, Ms. Skye.” “You're an intelligent man, that much I know. Whoever has you doing this doesn't want me dead. At least not yet.” “You're right...not yet. I plan to carry out my mission as contracted, so don't make this harder than it has to be.” he said closing the door behind him.

  I uncovered the food. It was pancakes, bacon, eggs, coffee, orange juice and fruit. I wondered if he cooked all this himself. I ate breakfast and sipped the coffee. I decided to choose another book to pass the time. This time I chose 'The Chocolate Diaries'. This one was about a woman who opens a chocolate candy shop after graduating culinary school. She uses her chocolate candy recipes to teach women how to seduce their man. I was on page 33 when there was a knock on the door. “Yes?” “I have clothes for you.” he said. “Come in.” he came in and handed me a pink sweat shirt and matching pants, an undershirt, panties and socks. “Are you cold in here?” “A little.” He took the food tray and came back with a blanket. “Here, this should help.” he said laying it on the bed. “Did you cook the food?” I asked him. “Yes.” “Well it was very good.” “Thank you.” he stood in the doorway for a few seconds watching me and then he left. I wrapped myself up in the blanket and sat in the chair to continue reading. This wasn't my idea of a vacation, but the room was clean, the food was good and I had books to pass the time. What more could a girl ask for? I smiled to myself.

  “I need to put an APB out on Maxine Skye.” Lance said into his walkie talkie. “She's been missing for almost 24 hours. She's a black female, age 27. Black medium length hair, brown eyes, medium build, height 5'5”. She drives a 2012 Ford Escape, red, license plate number SKY1373. I'm not sure what she was last seen wearing but she is a private investigator. She's not answering her phone and it's out of her character not to call me-over.” Lance said. “Who is this officer Whitfield?” a woman's voice came back. “It's my fiance.” he answered. “Well she's a grown woman, right?” the woman said. “Yeah, so?” “You said she's been missing almost 24 hours correct?” “Yes.” “Well Lance, you know, technically we're not supposed to issue a missing persons report until it has been 24 hours for adults.” “I don't know how long she's been missing...technically.” “How is that?” “She wasn't home when I got there and I don't know what time she left, and why am I having such a hard time with this? Just do it Gina! She's my fiance!” Lance yelled. “I'll do it Lance, but you better not get me into any shit with this.” “Fine.” he said and hung up. “Hello?” “Hey, Lance, it's Eddie. What's going on?” “Man, Max is missing.” Lance said in a disgusted voice. “What happened?” “I don't know. When I got in from work last night she wasn't here. I waited all night and finally decided to put out a missing persons on her.” “Where could she have gone?” “She was working on a case...her first PI case for this woman...turns out the bitch is crazy The one who sent the letter. She wants to pay Max off not to help her brother any more but you know Max. She won't back off. I know she went to talk to this dude's brother, but he claims she never made it to the meeting.”

  Chapter Fourteen-Finding Max “I don't believe him.” “So what do you want to do?” “I want to find her man, I have to find her. I'm barely holding on.” Lance said trying not to cry. “Okay, alright. Where does this guy live?” “He lives in Garfield Hts, but his studio where they were supposed to meet, is in Lakeville.” “I am good friends with Judge Baxter. I can get a search warrant for his house and place of business. We can rough him up a little to see if he'll talk.” “Good. Thanks man.” Lance said taking a breath. The search warrant was issued in less than an hour. “Let's go!” Lance commanded. Lance, Eddie and three other squads banged on John's door. “POLICE! OPEN UP” “What is this all about?” John's wife asked. “We're here to execute a search warrant.” Lance said showing her the paperwork. “Go ahead fellas.” The other officers moved throughout the house turning things over, opening drawers and cabinets. “What is this all about?” Tracy asked again. “You're John Hall's wife I'm guessing?” “Yes.” “Well he was supposed to have a meeting yesterday with Maxine Skye. He says she never showed for it, but he's lying.” Lance said matter of factly. “Mommy?” one of her boys tugged on her shirt. “How do you know he's lying?” Tracy asked picking up her son. “Because Max always shows up for everything she's supposed to that's how.” “Well I can tell you one thing, she wasn't here yesterday. You people are tearing my house apart!” she screamed. “We didn't find any sign of her here man.” Eddie said. “Let's roll!” Lance yelled.

  “We're headed to The JH Experience in Lakeville.” Lance told Eddie and the others. “We have a search warrant.” Lance said shoving the paperwork in the security guards face. “Open the gates.” he said. The guard picked up the phone in the booth. “Put the phone down man, and open the fuckin' gates!” Lance yelled. The guard did as he was told. “Look everywhere!” he yelled again at the other officers. They all spread out and began searching. “What is all this?” the receptionist asked. “Please just stay out of the way ma'am.” one of the officers said. “John, there are policeman everywhere!” she cried into the phone. John came running down the hall. “What's this all about? Why are you here?” John asked. “Glad you asked Mr. Record Producer.” Lance said. We're here to find Maxine Shaw.” “Like I already told you, she never made it to the meeting.” Well I obviously don't believe you. Let's take a walk.” Lance said. “I better come along with you, you know, so you don't do anything silly.” Eddie said. “So when was the last time you saw Max?” “A few weeks ago. She came here to talk to me about my brother's case. She said she wanted to ask me a few more questions and she was supposed to come back yesterday, but she never showed.” “You didn't think to give her a call, find out where she was?” “No. I figured something else came up.”

  “How much do you know about what's going on with your brother?” Eddie asked. “I know some of
it, not much. I stayed out of all the family business.” “Cut it out man!” Lance yelled. “I'm losing my patience. I know she was here, Max lived and breathed to finish this case. If she said she was coming to meet you, she'd come.” “I'm telling you she didn't.” John said. Lance grabbed John by the front of his t-shirt and slammed him against the wall. “Tell me what happened to her man, or I swear...” “Let him go, Lance...come on, man.” Eddie said. Lance let him go and he sunk down slowly. “This is police brutality.” John said. “Oh you ain't seen nothing yet!” Lance said. “Lance! We found something!” Lance turned to run down the hall but Eddie stayed with John. “This is harassment!” John bellowed. “Shut up!” Eddie said. “What do you have?” Lance asked. “We found this on the ground in the parking lot.” the officer said handing Lance a can of pepper spray. It was a pink bottle of pepper spray with the initials MS engraved on it. “She bedazzles everything.” Lance said tears coming to his eyes. “How often is your parking lot cleaned?” Lance asked John. “Every night. Why?” “And last night?” “My staff was off last night so no it wasn't swept.” “Then how do you explain this being on your lot?” “What is that?” John asked reaching for it. “Oh no.” Lance said moving his hand away. “This is pepper spray. I gave this to Max a long time ago when she first started her business...for safety. See?” Lance showed John the initials.

  “If she wasn't here then why was this lying in your parking lot?” Eddie asked. “She must have dropped it before.” John stammered. “How could it have been lying there before if you said you sweep the lot nightly?” Lance asked. “But not last night, which is, coincidentally, the same day Max goes missing.” Eddie added. “I need to speak with my lawyer.” John said. “Why, we're just having a friendly conversation.” Lance said. “He called it man, conversation is over.” Eddie said. “But you'll need your attorney Mr. Hall. You're under arrest.” “For what?” “Obstruction of justice.” Eddie said putting him in handcuffs. “Virginia, call my wife please!” John said to the receptionist. She nodded picking up the phone. “And then lock this place up after you send everyone home.” “Call Tracy now! She'll know what to do.” “Let's go Mr. Hall.” Eddie said carting him out of the front door. “You're not helping yourself Mr. Hall.” Lance said on the ride to the station. “I have nothing to hide. But I will not be questioned like a suspect.” he answered. “If you have nothing to hide then tell me where Max is? This can all be over with as soon as you tell me.” “Like I said, I don't know.” “I'll tell you this: if anything, and I mean anything, happens to her, I'll see to it that something happens to you.” Lance said. “Is that a threat officer?” “No, no, of course not. It's a promise.”

  “Dinner time!” the man called outside the door. “Come in.” I said. “He opened the door and this time he wheeled the food in on a tray. “Hungry?” he asked me. “Famished.” I answered. “Good. You've got grilled chicken breast on a bed of spinach and mixed greens, a dinner roll and iced tea with lemon. For dessert, you have raspberry cheesecake covered in white chocolate curls.” “Wow, sounds delicious.” I said standing up to stretch. “I hope you like it.” he said trying to close the door. “Do you like to cook?” I asked trying to be friendly. He thought for a minute. “Yes, I love to cook.” “So what do you do, kidnap women in your spare time?” “No. I'm not a kidnapper. I am an independent contractor. I do odd jobs for my employer and sometimes the jobs are unpleasant.” “I agree. This is definitely unpleasant. But your cooking is amazing.” I said taking a bite of the grilled chicken. “I'm glad you like it. My wife used to love my cooking too. She never had to cook...when she was alive.” “What happened to her?” He thought again for a minute. “She died last year, from breast cancer.” “I'm sorry.” I said really meaning it. “Enjoy your dinner.” he said slamming the door.

  Well this is day two I thought. If all goes well, I'll only have to be here one more day, two at the most. Dinner was just as delicious as it smelled. I felt like I was at a restaurant. After dinner I ran a hot bath. The man was nice enough to stock the bathroom with scented bath salts and candles. I ran a tub of hot water and lit the candles. I settled in to finish the rest of 'The Chocolate Diaries.' The words jumped off the page. These women made their own concoctions of chocolate candies with liquor. They learned sexy dances and ways to be seductive. It made me think of Lance. All I wanted was him. All I could think of was him. He made me feel safe and secure. He was what I needed right now in this tub of hot water and candles. I closed my eyes and thought about the last time we were together. I remembered his hands all over me. I remembered how he moved inside me. His soft kiss and gentle touch. I knew he was missing me the same way I was missing him. I got out of the tub before I turned into a prune. Book number two was finished. I didn't feel much like reading again, so I laid down and tried to remember what the night sky looked like. The stars twinkling, the moon shining in my bedroom window. I tried to remember feeling the warm sun on my face. It had only been a day and a half but still it felt like an eternity.

  I woke up the next morning to a knock on the door. “Breakfast!” “Come in.” I sat up as he rolled the tray in. “What's good on the menu?” “Scrambled eggs, sausage, hash browns, grits, strawberries, cantaloupes, grapes and watermelon.” he smiled. “And toast from homemade bread.” I lifted the top off the plate. He didn't mention how he put parsley flakes on the eggs, or how he'd made homemade hash browns. “This looks wonderful...man.” I said not knowing what else to call him. “Thanks...woman.” he said. “You know my name. I still don't know yours.” “Mitch.” he said. “You can call me Mitch.” “Is that your real name?” “It's as real as you need it to be.” he said closing the door. This was the Mitch Steve was scared of. Even with the funky eyes and the cold misdemeanor, he seemed like he wouldn't hurt a fly. He clearly loved his wife and took good care of her. I think he used his appearance to scare people, especially women, into doing what he wanted them to do. But I wouldn't test that theory.

  Breakfast was great. He was a wonderful cook. It seemed like my plan was working. At least now I had a name, real or fake. He seemed to be warming up to me which is what I wanted. I chose another book, this time it was called 'The Light in Darkness'. It was about a couple who had lost a child and didn't know how to deal with it. Their marriage began to fall apart and they began to go in different directions. But then they found God. There was another knock on the door. “Yes?” I answered. “Can I come in?” “Yes.” He opened the door, came in and sat down on the bed. “What are you reading?” he asked. “This one is 'The Light in Darkness'. I said holding it up. “My wife loved that book. She loved all those books. This was some of her collection.” “She had good taste in books.” I said. “She had good taste in allot of things.” “Including you?” I asked. “Yes, of course including me.” he said with a sly smile. “I know you'd rather not be here...with me in this situation. I know that. But this is what I do now...after...” his voice trailed off. “After?” I asked. “After she was gone. I met Lucy at a party for a friend of mine. Lucy hangs in places you wouldn't imagine. Anyway, she seemed nice enough. She said she was looking for private security. After my wife died, I was really lost. We never had a chance to have children. I was alone. So it sounded like the perfect thing for me to do. The pay was good...really good. She even bought me that truck.”

  “So it was too good to be true?” I asked. “Yes it was but she meant it. I accepted the job and the next day my bank account was fat. I had a black Escalade in the driveway with a big red bow on it. All I had to was basically watch her back and run some errands for her. “And stalk people?” I asked sarcastically. “I had a couple other unpleasant jobs that I had to do, but this is the first really big thing...you know...like this.” I sighed and he continued. “This thing between her and her brothers, I don't know, it's weird.” “What do you know about the thing between her and her brothers?” my PI instincts kicking in. “Not much. All she told me was he betrayed her and she needed him to be handled. But it wasn't as
easy as she thought it would be...when you got involved.” “What did she tell you about me?” “She just said she hired you to help her and not her brother. She said you did your job but couldn't leave it alone. She asked me to pick you up and hold you here until after Steve's trial. She asked me to put a little scare into John and his wife.” “Why are you telling me all this now?” “Because I didn't expect to like you. I thought you'd be a chick I could stash in a room and feed you oatmeal and hamburgers for three days. But you're a nice lady. You remind me of my wife. You're strong, fiery, independent and determined.” “How do you know all that?” “I've been watching you...and your car was bugged so I could listen to you.” I felt violated and it must have shown on my face.

  “I'm sorry Maxine. It was my job. But I learned allot about you. I learned that you love your job and helping people, I learned that you love your fiance, and I learned that you are a good person. That's all the qualities my wife had and I just wanted you to be happy while you were in captivity. So I got these books and thought up recipes for you like I used to do for Sheila.” “This is all nice Mitch, I appreciate all of this, and I know it's not personal for you. It's a job.” “Yeah it's a job.” “I know my fiance is looking for me though.” “He is...and they arrested John today.” “Really?” “Yes. They think he knows where you are.” “Does he?” “No.” I didn't say anything. If he really didn't know where I was then he couldn't help them find me. “I guess it was your hope that he could lead them to you?” I still didn't respond. “Well I didn't tell him purposely. John's not like Lucy. Lucy is a monster. John is soft and he would have cracked if he knew.” I still didn't say anything but I felt the need to shift in my seat. “I'm not going to hurt you. I was never going to hurt you anyway...as long as you cooperated. When you asked me about my love for cooking, I realized that you paid attention. It made me think, you know, about what I was doing here. About my choices. I decided to go back to culinary school...and take you back to civilization.”