“Lucy!” I called out to her. She turned and took her glasses off to look me in the eyes. “I guess things didn't work out exactly as you planned.” “Things always work out the way I plan.” she whispered in a mean tone. “You think you can stop me?” she laughed. “Think again Ms. PI.” she said putting her glasses back on. I knew this lady was capable of some ugly things and I didn't want to push her over the edge. Lance came out just as her car was pulling away. “Was that...” “Yes, Lucy.” I answered before he could ask. “Was she inside?” “Yes. She just told me that things always work out the way she plans.” “I wonder what the hell that means.” I don't know but I don't put anything past her. When will John be released?” “They will have to process him and he'll have to fill out some papers. Should be in a few hours.” “I saw his wife in the hall back there. I know she'll be happy to have him home.” Reporters gathered around when Steve came out to ask him questions. I smiled at him and he smiled back.
I could go home and feel good that I had finished the job. Steve was free and Lucy would have to explain who was actually stealing her money. “Verene!” “Hello stranger. It's been forever since I've talked to you.” “There's been allot going on these last few weeks.” “I know, your Lance called me and asked when was the last time I talked to you. I figured you'd gone and done something.” I laughed. “You wouldn't believe me if I told you.” “Oohhh girl tell me!” Verene could always make me laugh. I told her the whole story from beginning to end. “Wow. I just thought you were chasing after a lead or something. This detective work is really something else isn't it?” she asked. “Yes it is actually. I never expected any of this either.” “Is this still something you want to do?” I thought about it again. Was this something I wanted to continue doing? What I had been through was scary and I was lucky to be standing here. “Yes.” I finally said. “This is something that I would, and will, continue to do.” “Well if you can be brave enough to keep doing it, I am more than proud to be your partner.” she said. “Good. Over the next couple weeks I'd like you to help me find an office space. I mean find an office space for us.” “We will need a more professional setting to work.” “Sure thing.”
“Get dressed.” Lance said. “Put on something sexy.” “Where are we going?” “You'll see.” I didn't have everything here. I only packed the important stuff when I was hurried out of my place. But luckily my dress from Lucy's party was still hanging in the closet. Since I didn't want any memories of Lucy or her party, I took some scissors and cut the dress into a mini dress. I washed and blow dried my hair and put it in big curls. Put on some make-up and my black high heels and I was ready to go. “Baby, you look beautiful.” Lance said kissing my forehead. “You don't look so bad yourself.” I told him. He took my hand and we got in the car. At first it seemed like we were just riding. “Surprise!” Lance said. We were laughing and talking and I didn't even notice that he had driven to Five Squares. We met at Five Squares for our fourth date. That was the date when he asked if I would be his girl. He told me he wanted to take it slow with me but that he really liked me allot and wanted to get to know me. Look at us now, engaged. “Aw Lance!” I said tears coming to my eyes. “I just wanted to show you how much I love you. There's nobody else like you Maxine Skye.”
Lance and I enjoyed dinner and dancing. On the drive home we sang our favorite songs together. He was always my hero. When we got home we showered together and made love. I missed him and glad to be back home with him. Life was good. The next morning we slept late. Lance took a few personal days to stay with me. He said he still didn't feel right leaving me by myself yet. “Hello?” I sleepily answered the phone. “What!?” I jumped up to turn the television on. The news reporter was in the middle of her comments. “Not sure exactly what the circumstances were surrounding the stabbing. The Hadley police department has launched an investigation into exactly how this happened. But once again, for those of you just tuning in, John Hall of The JH Experience, has died.” I sank down into the chair near the bed. “I can't believe this...I just can't believe this.” I said trying to hold back the tears. “Max, what's wrong?” Lance rolled over rubbing his eyes. “John...Hall...is...dead.” I managed to stamp out the words. “What? How? What happened?” “I don't know. That was Steve calling to tell me.” “Rewind it.” I picked up the remote and rewound the t.v. back to where she had started. She repeated 'not sure exactly what the circumstances were surrounding the stabbing. The Hadley police department has launched an investigation into exactly how this happened. But once again, for those of you just tuning in, John Hall of The JH Experience, has died.'
Lance picked up his phone. “Hey Eddie...you heard anything about John Hall?” “Yeah we just saw it on the news. There's supposed to be an investigation.” “Yeah man, okay. Thanks.” “What did he say?” “He said he just heard about it too. He's gonna see what he can dig up on what happened and keep me posted. I sat on pins and needles waiting on Eddie to call. Finally he had news. He said John was stabbed by another inmate while he was waiting to be processed. The other inmate was Harry Coleman. He didn't sound familiar to me but I knew that he was somehow connected to Lucy Knight. “They're questioning him now but he's not talking.” “And John is definitely dead?” “Yes, there aren't any degrees of dead Max. He's gone.” I didn't know how to feel. He was afraid for a reason and now he's dead. My phone started ringing. It said John Hall. For a second I was creeped out. How was he calling me if he was dead? “Hello?” “This is all your fault!” a woman started screaming. “Tracy?” “This is all your fault!” She screamed again. “You might as well have killed him yourself!” she continued. “Tracy, listen, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry.” “You're sorry? Sorry! Well thanks Maxine. Thanks for being sorry. Unfortunately sorry won't bring my husband back. Sorry won't take care of my kids or come home to us. But thanks for your sorry. You should have left him alone. He stayed away from them for a reason and you drug him right back to it. You let her kill him.”
“What does that mean?” I asked her. “You figure it out, you're the detective.” she said hanging up on me. Her words haunted me. I knew what she meant and who she was talking about. I did feel like it was my fault that he was dead. He had worked so hard to build his own brand and stay away from his brother and sister. All I really did was tear a man away from his family and help him get killed. “Max, don't cry.” Lance said. “It's my fault!” I cried. “No, it's not your fault.” “Yes it is! I should have never asked him to testify. He's dead because of me!” “He's dead because he got stabbed while he was in jail. It happens all the time.” But that doesn't make me feel any better.” “It's not supposed to baby. It's just the truth. I'm sorry you're going through this. This case is going to drive you crazy.” “Or kill me.” I sobbed. “Well I won't let either happen.” he said drying my tears. “Eddie said that he would keep me posted on what they find out. For now you just have to be patient and let the process play itself out. He might be hard now but he'll soften up once he's put to the test. He'll talk and we'll know what happened.” “You sound so sure. I am sure. This is what I do.”
Lance did everything he could do to make me happy. But nothing was working. I didn't want to be upset but I just couldn't shake the guilty feeling that hung over me. I kept hearing Tracy's voice over and over again. I couldn't believe I let this woman drag me into her life and into her games. My phone rung again but I didn't want to answer it. I didn't feel like talking to anyone. I just wanted to fall into a dark hole and stay there until I felt strong enough to come back out. But there was no where to hide. I would have to face my demons head on. The rest of the day was slow and painful. I could only imagine what Tracy was going through. What Steve was going through. And how did Lucy feel right now? Was she somewhere laughing? Happy with what she'd done? I felt sick. Really sick. I ran to the bathroom. “Are you alright?” Lance asked when I came out. “Yes I'm fine. My stomach is just a little upset.” “You should calm down honey.” he told me. I tried to sit and relax. I cl
osed my eyes and tried to pretend I was on an island sipping mai tais and watching the ocean waves splash my feet. Lance handed me a cup of hot tea. “Drink this, it'll help you feel better. And relax.” he said. I took sips of the tea and let it slowly warm me inside. I did start to feel better and calm down.
Hours passed and I fell asleep. At 12:10 Lance woke me up. He said that Eddie called. He said Harry Coleman finally said he was paid to kill John. At first he said he didn't know who it was but they promised him a reduced sentence, which, he fell for. Finally he said he was paid by someone named Ashley Smith. “Ashley Smith?” I repeated confused. “Yeah, you know her?” “Yes. She's one of the attorneys at Knight, Hall and Hall.” I wondered why she would pay someone to kill John Hall. “Well they're picking her up now for questioning.” “Can I talk to her?” “No Max. I'd like it if you stayed away from this now for good. Let the police do their job.” I want to Lance, I really do. I feel tired. Drained even. But I have to see this through to the end.” “You're a stubborn woman.” he said shaking his head. Lance set it up for me to talk to Ashley. I didn't know exactly what I wanted to say to her but I needed to clear my head.
Ashley looked just as confused as I did. She was in a room wearing an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs. “Maxine?” she asked me when I walked in with an officer. “Yes, hi Ashley.” “What are you doing here?” “I'm here because I need to ask you some questions.” “Questions? About what?” “I'm a private investigator.” I told her. “A private investigator? You were sweeping and mopping the last time I saw you.” “Yes but I was undercover.” I explained. I told her the whole story of how I was involved with this whole thing. From Lucy hiring me, to Steve hiring me, to talking with John. I even told her about the kidnapping. When I was finished her eyes were as big as saucers. “So...I have some questions.” “Okay.” she said. “I'll get right to it. Why would someone think you hired someone to kill John Hall?” “I don't know. I didn't even know John Hall. I never even met him. Not once. I just knew he was Steve and Lucy's brother. That's all.” “How well do you know Lucy?” “Lucy hired me a few months after she took charge of the firm. She told me she was taking rank over the whole operation and she needed good people to step in and help her lead. You know, people to have her back. She told me she saw fire in me. She struck me as a hard woman. So I did as she asked whenever she needed anything.” “What about the Frank Swanson situation?” “What about it?” “In my investigation I found that you were hired to represent him in his divorce. But then you two got involved and it went bad. He sounds dangerous and you were scared of him.”
“Yes it did go bad. He is an unstable man. I didn't know that in the beginning. He seemed normal. I liked spending time with him in the beginning. But then he started getting upset because his wife was constantly cheating on him and there was nothing he could do about it. He wanted me to move faster. So I did find out who she was sleeping with but these things take time. His time table was not the same as mine. He said he would kill her and it would all be over with anyway. He said he was tired of playing games with me. I tried to explain how it works but he didn't want to hear it. So I told him I would help him kill her. I went to Lucy about it. She said she wanted us to win at all cost. Losing Frank as a client would have been unacceptable to her. So I told her about it, she said she would do what she could to help too. But Frank suddenly stopped calling me. I don't know if he went through with it on his own or not. Honestly I'm glad he stopped calling me. I was afraid.” “I haven't seen anything on the news about her missing or otherwise.” “He wouldn't make it known. He knows how to do things quietly. He used to tell me he could make people disappear without a trace and no one would know it.” “Frank sounds like a scary dude.” I said. “He is...so how do you think Frank's case ties into this one?” “I don't know yet. But I plan on figuring it out.”
After I left Ashley I had to wonder how she fit into Lucy's puzzle. Everything about it said that she was behind this and I had to figure out how. “No!” Lance yelled. “No?” I repeated. “No, you are not going to figure it out. If she's involved let the police deal with it. Ashley and Lucy and Steve and even John are all not your problem any more. Okay?” “But they are my problem. I'm not done with this yet.” “When will you be done? When they find you in a body bag?” “Nobody's gonna find me in a body bag Lance. Stop being so dramatic.” “You stop being so naive. This woman will stop at nothing to stop you. Her brother has already been cleared of the charges she tried to put on him because of your help. So she kills the other brother for helping you after the kidnapping didn't work. She's not gonna stop Max...until she stops you.” “How can I help without her knowing?” “You can conduct your investigation and tell me what you find. I can relay it to the station. That's the good thing about dating a cop in your position.” he smiled. I had to find find out what she was up to and how Ashley was involved.”
Chapter Sixteen-Figure it Out I knew Lance wanted me to stay low key while I continued to work on this case. I knew I needed to stay as far out of Lucy's sights as possible. So I would have to be discreet. I decided to pull Verene in on this one. They wouldn't see her coming. She was my secret weapon. “Verene!” I said as cheerfully as possible. “What's up Max?” “I need your assistance.” “Anything. What can I do?” “I need you to gain access to Ashley's office.” “Ashley? Ashley Smith?” “Yes.” “Why?” “She was arrested today.” “Why?” “For the murder of John Hall.” “What?” “I need you to try and snoop around in her office and see if you can dig up anything new on her case with Frank Swanson.” “Okay. Let me know what you come up with as soon as you can.” I had to sit and wait patiently and it was killing me. I wanted to know what, if anything, she was finding. I knew Lucy had set her up but I had to prove it. “What's going on?” Lance asked. “You look like you're up to something.” “I'm just thinking.” I told him. “About what?” “Just wondering how a woman like Lucy operates. She is always one step ahead of everyone else. “That's how she operates. When I was in training at the academy, we were told to look for the obvious. Most people don't go to great lengths to hide things. They believe they're smarter than the rest of us.” I knew she believed that and she proved it with every action she took.
I watched the news, cooked dinner, and checked emails. I talked to my sister and she was in shock for most of the conversation. Partly because I was still continuing with this investigation. Mostly because I was kidnapped. “Lance didn't mention that to me when he called to ask me if I had spoken to you. I was wondering where you were. I called a few times.” “He probably didn't want you to worry.” “Yeah, I guess so.” “It's fine Mariah.” I said annoyed that she wanted to assume he just didn't tell her. “Well anyway, I'm glad you're home and you're safe and everything is okay. Can you stop with this case so we can get back to planning a wedding?” “Stop with this case? You act like this is some kind of game I'm playing. This is my job.” “No, sis, it's not your job anymore. You said you were hired by Lucy. Then her brother hired you. Then you spoke to the other brother who's now dead. But in the interim of all of this the brother who hired you is free. You helped him and he's free and you should be done with this.” She was right. I should be done with it. I'd completed the job that I was hired for. But still I felt like I wanted to be the one to catch Lucy. I couldn't get that phone call out of my head. She was so smug. She just knew I was the perfect bumbling idiot to hire and quickly fire after she got what she wanted. She laid the puzzle pieces out perfectly for me to find and that's what I did. But she didn't count on me being so determined.
“Max? You there?” “Yes Mar I'm here. I was just thinking about what you said. You're right. I should leave this alone but I can't because that's what she expected me to do. I have to finish this and make her pay for what she's done. I'm the only one who can.” “Will you promise me you will be careful?” “Of course I will.” “Good. I want to see you walk down the aisle.” “You will sis. I love you.” “Love you too.” Patience proved to be a
virtue. Verene took three days to call me with any news. “What did you find out?” I asked her impatiently. “I found allot. But I'd rather bring it all by so you can look for yourself. You trained me to know some of what to look for but I need your expert eyes.” “Well come on by right now.” “Now? I have to get to work.” “This is your work Verene, remember?” “Yes I know. I'm just used to cleaning. Being a cleaner is what I know. It's what I do. This is all new to me.” “Well you have to get used to working with me Verene. I need your help.” “Alright. Let me call April and then I'll be on my way.” Verene arrived thirty minutes later. And she had hit the mother load.
“Here it is.” she said plunking all the paperwork down on the dining room table. “I did make folders and notes on all of this.” she smiled. “Thank you. So what's all of this?” “For starters, Lucy was the one who referred Frank to Ashley. I found payments from Frank were originally being sent to Lucy's account. Lucy and Frank had numerous conversations before Ashley even got involved. I found phone records that go back nine months before Ashley ever spoke to Frank. If I'm not mistaken, it looks as though Lucy and Frank may have been involved. You know...romantically. See? Here are receipts for Madison City hotel stays. Lucy was there at the same time Frank was on eleven different occasions.” “Were these in Ashley's files?” “Yes and I don't know how she missed that.” “I'm sure Lucy had some explanation for why she and Frank spent so much time at the hotel. Ashley was so bent on pleasing Lucy and sleeping with Frank she would have easily overlooked this.” “So you think he was sleeping with them both? At the same time?” Verene asked. “Yes it looks like it. But for different reasons. He was sleeping with Lucy because she was his ally. But he was sleeping with Ashley to cloud her judgment in his divorce case. Ashley was supposed to move quickly to get him divorced on grounds of infidelity. But when it was taking her longer than he expected he wanted to kill his wife. Ashley wasn't going for it-but she knew about it. When I spoke to her she told me Lucy got involved. She said she would help Frank. So he had to get rid of her. I bet that's how Lucy came up with framing her for John's murder. That would put her in jail.”
Maxine Skye, Private Eye Page 17