Lance called a tow truck driver to have his car towed. Lance dropped me off at home so I wouldn't have to go back to the station. He took Mitch in to be booked. I felt sorry for him. I believed him when he said he wanted to give up the life of crime he'd created for himself. I took off my clothes and studied myself in the mirror. My stomach felt like butterflies were floating in it. I felt fatter than usual. My head was spinning and I felt tired. I thought I might be sick. I said prayer for Mitch, for Lance, for me even for Lucy. She needed it the most with her evil ways. When Lance got home he told me Mitch was interviewed. He didn't know much more about Lucy's plans that we didn't already know. In exchange for letting me go and not hurting me, Lance was willing to help him get a reduced sentence for witness tampering. Lucy had now successfully been able to put three people behind bars and slither her way out. I was determined to get her no matter what it takes. I took my job seriously and I wasn't about to let this woman get away with any of this.
“Hi Mariah.” “Where have you been girl?” she asked frantically. “I've been around...why what's going on?” “Momma is in the hospital!” “Why?” I asked calmly. “She had a heart attack Max. You have to come with me to see her. I'll pick you up in twenty minutes.” “I'm not going to see her Mar.” “What! Why?” “You already know why. I'm mentally and physically tired. I can't take her right now.” “You can't take her right now? She needs both of us right now Max! You have to put your differences aside and be there for her...please.” After I thought about it I decided to go. “I'll be ready when you get here.” “My mother had a heart attack.” I told Lance. “Mariah is picking me up in twenty minutes.” “Are you alright?” “Yes I'm fine.” I told him. Just like I said when Mariah got there I was ready. We drove to St. John's Medical Center in silence. I didn't have much to say. Once we parked Mariah turned to face me. “Listen Max. I know you and momma have your issues. But she could really use our support right now. Both of us need to be there for her. We're all she has.” “I'm here aren't I?” “You're here but I need you to be here.” I looked at her sideways. “You know what I mean Max.” I shrugged my shoulders and got out of the car. Mariah grabbed the flowers she bought for mom and shoved the card in my hands. “Sign this please.” she said. “I shuffled through my purse and found a pen. I simply signed 'Maxine.'
Mariah knew exactly where mom was and how to get there. Seventh floor, room 1117. Her eyes were closed when we got there. She looked peaceful. More peaceful than I'd ever remembered seeing her. “Mom?” Mariah whispered. She opened her eyes slowly. “Hi baby.” she said softly. Mariah bent down to give her a kiss. “Hello mother.” I said. “Hi Max, thank you for coming.” I nodded. “How are you doing ma?” Mariah asked her. “The doctor was just in here a few minutes ago. He told me I'm looking better.” “That's good momma.” she said. “Come on over here Max.” Mariah waved to me. I was comfortable standing by the door. But I decided to try and be cordial. “You're glowing Max.” mom said to me. “Thank you.” “How's your wedding coming along?” “It's fine thanks.” “You don't have to be so standoffish Maxine.” “I'm not being standoffish mother.” “Are you sure? I'm laying here helpless and you have to be asked to come over and wish me well?” “The last time I saw you, you were acting like a crazy woman. Doing and saying everything you could to ruin my party. You made me feel horrible. You embarrassed me.” She stared at me like I was from another planet. “I'm sorry.” I didn't know if she really meant it. “I'm so sorry.” she said again. A tear rolled down her face. I wanted to grab her and hug her as she lay there looking sad and pitiful. But I couldn't move. My legs felt like I was standing in cement. My arms felt heavy. Mariah looked at me like she wanted to choke me. When I continued not to move she bent down and wrapped her arms around our mother. And I felt awful.
“What's wrong with you?” she asked me on the ride home. “I'm so tired of you making me out to be the bad guy!” I screamed at her. “I'm not the bad guy! Just because she apologizes and a tear rolls down her face suddenly she's a fucking angel! No she's not. I'll never forget the the way she treated me and the things she's done. Never.” “Nobody is asking you to forget Max. I'm asking you to forgive. She might not be here much longer. Do you really want to end things with her like this?” I'm stubborn. I know that about myself and I've come to terms with it. I have to be in order to protect me. If I don't protect myself nobody else will. “Well?” she asked as if she expected to get an answer. “Well what?” “Is this how you want to leave things with your mother?” “No I don't.” “Then you better look in the mirror and do some soul searching little sister.” I guess she was right. I hadn't thought about truly forgiving my mother in a long time. I just wanted to see her at family functions and that was all. I didn't even want her at my wedding and obviously I was right about how I knew she would behave. But she was my mother. And I had to search somewhere deep inside to find a way to forgive her. “See you later Max. Good luck with the case.” Thanks Mar, I appreciate that.”
“How'd it go?” Lance asked. “Not so great.” I admitted. “Aw Max, what did you do?” “What did I do? Why does it always have to be me?” “Okay, you're right. I'm sorry. What happened?” “Nothing really. My mother said I was being standoffish. I told her I wasn't. I didn't really want to be all lovey huggy with her like Mar was and she scolded me like I was a child. She asked me if I wanted to leave things with her the way they are.” “Well how is your mom?” “She looks okay. She said the doctor told her she looks good. I guess everything will be fine.” “That all sounds good. I pray she will be alright soon.” “I'm going to bed. I don't feel well.” I told him. I felt disgusted with the whole situation and I didn't know how to feel right now, so I prayed: 'Dear Lord, I pray for you to help me sort through these feelings. I do love my mother but sometimes I don't like her very much. But you know my heart and you know I try always to be a good person. I know you love me and you have my best interest at heart. Please show me how to be more forgiving Lord. I want to love my mother. Thank you. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.'
That night I slept hard. I was dreaming my mother was dead and I was at her funeral. I cried and cried and wished that she was still here – or that she would come back. But it doesn't work like that. Once someone is called home they're gone. No do-overs. So if I wanted to have a relationship with my mother I would have to do it now while I still had time. I didn't want to regret losing the opportunity. I showered and dressed early. I left a note for Lance and I went to visit my mother. It was only 7:20 by the time I got to the hospital. Visiting hours didn't start until 8:00 but the nurse said I was the only one there so she let me go in. Momma was sleeping. She looked so peaceful. What if this was it? What if this me having to day goodbye to her for the last time? I shuddered at the thought. I pulled up a chair and sat next to her. I watched her chest go up and down with each breath she took. Her eyelids fluttered a little and I wondered what she was dreaming about. I took her hand and held it in mine. “I love you momma.” I whispered.
Right at 8:00 the doctor came in to do his rounds. “How's she doing?” he asked me. “Funny I was going to ask you the same thing.” He gave a big smile. “She's doing wonderfully.” he told me. “She's responding well to the medication and should be able to go home in a few more days. Right now we're just monitoring her.” “That's great.” I smiled. “That's great news.” The doctor took out his stethoscope and gently placed it on mom's chest. “Sounds good.” he said. “Her breathing is normal and not forced.” I nodded. “Now she will have to take some medication when she's released. I'm prescribing her coumadin which will help keep the blood clots clear. She'll also have to take Bayer. I'll give her a bottle to take home but they're just the over the counter drug you can get at any drug store. She'll also need to watch her diet. I'm going to have her speak with our in-house dietitian within the next couple days for meal plans. I'll need to see her back here in one month after release. Got it?” he smiled. “Yes I got. Thank you Dr. Karsen.” “You're more than we
lcome.” he said. He wrote some notes in his pad and then he was gone. When he left momma squeezed my hand. “Momma?” I whispered. “What are you doing here?” she asked. “I thought you hated me.” “I don't hate you mom. I came to check on you. The doctor says you're doing great.” “Yes I heard him. I heard everything he said.” “Why didn't you let him know you were awake?” I asked her. “You were handling it. Thank you.” “You're welcome.”
“He is a very handsome man though don't you think?” she winked at me. “Yes he's good looking ma, but you know I'm already spoken for.” “I know, I know. How's your wedding planning coming along?” “Thanks to Mar, it's pretty much all done. She's a pro at it so she moves fast.” Momma stared at me for a few minutes and she didn't move. “Momma!” I said shaking her. “What is it child?” she asked. “I thought...” “You thought I was gone didn't you?” she asked cutting me off. “I..uh...” “I ain't gone yet. I was just looking at how beautiful you are. What a smart, graceful, strong and independent woman you've become.” “Thanks momma. I never knew you felt like that about me.” “Of course I feel like that about you. You're my baby Maxine Skye. You always have been and you always will be.” “But then why...?” “Am I so mean to you?” she said in a whiny voice. “Look at who you are! Look at what you've become! Your father left when you were very young. I didn't want you to ever feel like a sad lost little girl. I wanted to make you strong because this world is mean. I was young myself and I didn't know how to be a good mother. So I did the best I could with what I knew. But then a rift grew between us and it turned into an ocean that neither one of us wanted to cross. Your sister understood...or so I thought. But she kept trying. You and I...didn't.” “I'm sorry momma.” I said tears filling my eyes. “Don't cry baby. It's never too late to start over. As long as we're both still breathing, it's never too late.” She pulled me down to her and hugged me tight.
I sat with momma until she had lunch and was ready for her nap. I promised her I'd be back. When I got home Lance was at work. He left a note asking me to call him when I made it back in. “Hey baby what's up?” “Just thought you'd want to know we are releasing Ashley today.” “That's good but why?” “We interviewed the inmate that killed John. He finally admitted to us that the woman he spoke to told him if anyone asked he was to say he was hired by a woman named Ashley Smith.” “Wow, she's always one step ahead.” “Yeah. He told us she never gave her real name but that he would recognize her voice again because she had a voice he'd remember.” “Well how are you going to get her to talk to him again?” “I don't know we'll think of something.” I sat around thinking up ways to get Lucy to have to talk to that inmate. She wouldn't fall for something that didn't make sense so it had to be good. I did my usual glass of wine to calm my nerves. I wanted to get this lady with no chance of her getting off on some technicality. She was good at dodging bullets.
Chapter Nineteen-We got the Bitch! After a couple glasses of the red it hit me like a ton of bricks. This could be Mitch's chance to be a team player. He could really help himself allot if he was willing to cooperate. “Lance I've got it!” “Got what?” “How we can get Lucy back to the jail. Mitch.” “Mitch? What can he do?” “He can call Lucy up and tell her he wants her to get him an appeal. Of course she won't want to do it. But he can counter her by saying he's done allot of things for her that he didn't want to do. So now it's her turn to pay back. If she doesn't go for that he can tell her he has people in places who are willing to help him do some things too. That will get her attention. She believes he's a hard core criminal anyway.” “I don't know Max.” “It's worth a try Lance.” “Okay I'll give it a shot. It can't hurt. Mitch is her boy. I'll keep you posted.” A couple hours passed before Lance called me. “It took a little convincing but she went for it. She's supposed to be sending Elizabeth Kinley in the morning.” I planned on being there when Ms. Kinley showed up. I wanted to see Lucy's face when it all went down.
“You ready?” Lance asked. “Yes give me a couple minutes.” I wanted to get myself perfect. Just the way I was when we originally met. I wanted to be professionally coiffed. “There.” I said. “Ready!” I called to Lance. “Are you sure you're gonna be okay seeing this woman again face to face?” “Of course. I'm actually looking forward to it.” He smiled. “Okay good. Well, what I'd like to do is bring you in after the interview has started. I want you to just watch and observe. Mitch has been getting prepped all morning. He knows what to say and what to do. If he pulls this off he could get a significant amount of time reduced from his sentence.” “What is he being prepped to say?” “Max it's better if you didn't know what's happening ahead of time. Your reactions need to be genuine and believable. If you already know what's going on it could appear rehearsed. We don't want that, okay? It'll work you'll see.” he said patting my hand. When we got to the station Mitch was already in the interrogation room waiting for his attorney. “Can I get you some coffee or water?” Gina asked. “No thank you.” I said. “You're sure?” “I think I'd know if I wanted a drink.” She held her hands up in the air and walked away. “Why can't you extend your professionalism to her?” “Why should I?” “She's just trying to be nice to you Max. You sink your teeth into someone and never let go. You're like a pit bull.” “What!” I exclaimed. “I just mean once you set your mind on hating someone, it's set.” “You're right so you should be careful.” I warned.
“Hello Mr. Russell, Elizabeth Kinley, your attorney.” she said extending her hand to Mitch. “Hello.” he said. “Mitch.” Lucy nodded in his direction. She sat down and took her sunglasses off. “How are you?” she asked in the same drawl I'd heard from her brothers. “Not so good as you can imagine. I don't want to be in here, I don't deserve to be in here.” “Why are you in here Mr. Russell?” Elizabeth asked. “I'm in here because I'm being charged with witness tampering.” “Who did you tamper with?” “Frances Swanson.” “Who exactly is Frances Swanson?” “I don't know who she is. All I know is I was hired, again, to get her to change her story about...” he cut off his sentence and looked at Lucy. Her eyes grew large. “Change her story about what?” “Why don't you ask her.” he said nodding toward Lucy. Elizabeth looked in Lucy's direction. “What could she possibly know about this?” “Ask her!” Mitch said becoming more upset. “I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about.” Lucy said. “You're lucky Mrs. Knight even agreed to this ridiculous meeting. She's nice enough to try and help you and this is how you repay her?” Elizabeth asked.
“You're up Max.” Lance said to me. “What?” “Just remember what we talked about. Don't say anything until he asks you, okay?” “Okay.” I took a deep breath and opened the door. Lucy and I were finally face to face. It had been such a long time since I last saw her. Everything she'd done flashed right before my eyes and my first instinct was to jump on her. But I had to remember that would only help her not me. So I took a seat next to Mitch. “What are you doing here?” she asked me. “I'm just here to observe. Mitch and I are old friends.” “Well this is not an old friends reunion. We're trying to interview this man. Can you give us some privacy?” Elizabeth asked. “She has every right to be here for this interview.” Lance said. “In fact so do I. I'm the investigating office on this case. The one who arrested Mitch Russell for witness tampering.” “This is still a private interview.” “If Mr. Russell doesn't mind us sitting in then I see no problem. Do you mind Mitch?” “Not at all.” “Great, can we continue?” Lance asked. Elizabeth looked at Lucy. She had turned four shades of red. “Fine, fine, go ahead, let's get this over with.” she said waving her hand. “So Mr. Russell, you said before that you didn't know who Frances Swanson is. Had you ever heard of her before you spoke to her personally?” “No.” “Who asked you to scare her?” “The same person who asked me to kidnap this woman.” he said nodding in my direction. “What?” Lucy said shifting in her seat.
Elizabeth gave a confused look. “Who?” Elizabeth asked. “Lucy Knight.” Mitch said as if a heavy weight had been lifted
off his shoulders. Elizabeth looked at Lucy in disbelief. “What is he talking about?” Lucy started violently shaking her head. “I don't have a clue what he's talking about.” she said in a raised tone. Her eyes met mine and I spoke. “You have no clue what he's talking about?” I asked her raising my own voice. She shot me a look that would have killed me if looks could kill. I continued. “I was kidnapped from your brothers office! This man held me for two days on your orders! I didn't know whether he was going to kill me or what!” I screamed at her. “Calm down Maxine.” Lance said. “You and this man are both crazy. I came here to help him but it looks like that was a mistake. Come on Elizabeth, let's go.” “Was it a lie too, that you tried to pin your brothers murder on me?” Ashley asked. I was so upset I hadn't even noticed she was in the room. “What?” Lucy gasped. “Your brother, you remember him? John Hall. I never even met the man. Yet I spent two weeks of my life in this place because you set me up. Was that because you were sleeping with Frank? Because you two are a pair of sadistic bitches who prey on people to get what you want? I trusted you Lucy. I looked up to you. I felt honored to work for you. But you are a sick puppy.” Ashley said.
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