The Deception (15 page)

"I see. Did your husband make a purchase that night?"

"Yes sir, he did. He bought two black and white photographs, and yes, they were limited edition prints."

"What were they of?"

"A female nude," said Maggie. "We hung them upstairs, in the master bedroom, away from the kids. What's this about? Is there anything wrong with the photos?"

"No ma'am, not the photos themselves. May I see them?"

"I'm sorry, but I won't be able to show them to you. They're no longer in my possession."

"What happened to them?"

"My soon-to-be ex-husband took them with him to Kansas City. As I just told you, we're separated and in the process of getting a divorce."

"I sorry to hear that, Mrs. Andrews." O'Dell glanced around at the other art on the walls. "Did he take any other artwork with him?"

"No sir, just those two prints. Our attorneys are still hashing out who'll get which pieces in the final settlement. Is there something wrong with the photos? Were they counterfeit or something?"

"No ma'am, they're not counterfeit, however we are investigating a criminal case, but I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to discuss the details with you."

Maggie's blood turned to ice. She'd counted on Louise Dickenson going after Carrie for copyright infringement. That had been her plan from the beginning. It should have been a civil matter, but now the
authorities
were involved and that was something she hadn't anticipated. She'd have to very careful with her answers.

"Really? So what does this have to do with Scott? Has he done something illegal?"

"I'm afraid I can't discuss the details at this time, ma'am. However, would you mind telling me what the two prints looked like?"

"Well, I guess I could. Are you with the vice squad or something? These are fine-art photos. Are we in some sort of trouble for having them in our home because we have minor children?"

"No ma'am. Again, could you please describe the photos? We need to know which two of the prints that your husband purchased."

Maggie described the two photos as best she could. As she was talking she glanced around and noticed her copy of
Gentry Magazine
laying on the end table. There were other magazines on the table as well, and she'd set her drink, and the remote control, on top of it. She prayed he wouldn't notice it.

"So I'd still like to know what kind of proof you have that we've done anything wrong. I'm sure we're not the only people who purchased those two prints. I know both of the ones we had were sold in limited editions of fifty."

"I'm aware of that, ma'am. Now, I have one last question for you. Do you, or your husband, happen to know anyone by the name of Carrie Daniels?"

Once again, Maggie's heart skipped a beat.

"Carrie Daniels?" She paused for a moment, pretending to be in deep thought. "I'm sorry, sir, but I'm afraid that name doesn't ring a bell for me. Who is she? Is there some reason why I should know her?"

"No ma'am, I guess there isn't. Thank you for your time. Is there anyway that we can contact your husband?"

"Yes, sir. He kept his old cell phone number, so it would be a local call."

As Maggie gave him Scott's phone number, she realized she'd just been given a golden opportunity.

"You know, sir, I don't know if this would mean anything to you or not, but now that I think about it, Scott was acting kind of strange just before he left town. I mean he just wasn't himself. He was short-tempered and nervous. A few days later I came home and discovered he'd left. His clothes and personal items were gone, along with those two prints. We have many other pieces in our collection that are worth a lot more money. Funny how they were the only two that he took with him."

O'Dell thanked her again and she walked him to the door. She stood by and waited for him to leave. Once his car was out of sight she closed the door, snatched up the magazine and tossed it into the fireplace.

"Holy shit," she said in disgust as she lit a match and ignited one of the corners. "So, you just couldn't leave well enough alone, could you, Carrie? You had to go running to the authorities and now they're trying to figure out who really sent those photos to the magazine. You stupid little whore. You should have just kept your mouth shut and hung on to the prize money. You're nothing but a spoiled crybaby. Well, I can tell you one thing, Ms. Carrie Daniels, no one will ever find out it was me, especially since I just made that
FBI
agent think that Scott did it. So what do you think of me now? Hmm?"

She smiled once again as she watched the magazine burst into flames. Apparently O'Dell hadn't noticed it. Even if he had, it was gone for good now.

C
arrie walked into her apartment and immediately set her camera on the dining table. She'd spent most of the afternoon working on a shoot in the hot August sun and she was anxious to jump into shower. She and Alex had plans for dinner that night and she looked forward to spending some time him. As she headed toward the bathroom, she heard a knock at the door. She checked her watch. Alex wasn't due for at least another hour. She looked through the peephole and smiled when she saw the tall, nicely dressed African-American woman standing outside. She opened the door.

"Hey, Billie, come on in. Anything new to report?"

Billie Hughes was a former model and one of the
FBI
agents assigned to her case. Her specialty was white-collar crimes, including identity theft and forgery. She greeted Carrie with a warm smile as she accepted the invitation and took her seat at the dining table. She reached into her purse for her notepad as Carrie sat down to join her.

"It turns out that there were two customers who purchased both of the prints that appeared in
Gentry Magazine
," she explained. "One is a retired art teacher who's only a part-year Arizona resident. She took hers back to her other home in Minnesota, and she was driving back there the day the photos were uploaded. Her alibi checks out."

"Someone with her background would certainly know better too. So who was the other customer?"

"Your old friend, Scott Andrews."

"Damn. I was afraid of that. Billie, when I met the man I had no idea he was married. Later on I thought he had another girlfriend, but by then I was ready to move on. It was George McCormick, Alex's private investigator, who finally confirmed that Scott has a wife. Now I feel like a home wrecker."

"Well, you shouldn't," replied Billie, reassuringly. "Trust me, I see this kind of thing all the time in my line of work. There are a lot of good women out there who unknowingly get involved with married men, so don't go beating yourself up. These guys lie by omission and you're not a mind reader. Anyway, would you like to know what we've found out?"

"Yes, I would."

"The night before last, another agent went to the Andrews residence to talk to Scott. As soon as he arrived Maggie told him Scott was no longer living there."

"Like I didn't know that."

"I know, but we still have to check everything out. Here's the thing. Ken O'Dell, the other agent on your case, is convinced Maggie Andrews knows a whole lot more than she's letting on, especially since he noticed a copy of the current issue of
Gentry Magazine
sitting out on a table. So yesterday he returned to her home with a search warrant."

"I see. So then what happened?"

"At first she wasn't too happy, but then, in the blink of an eye, she suddenly decides to cooperate. In fact, O'Dell says she was being too helpful. She led them upstairs to the master bedroom and pointed out the spot on the wall where the photos had been hanging. He and some other agents searched the house, top to bottom, but the neither the photos, nor the magazine, were there. However, he noticed something else that was rather odd."

"Really? And what was that?"

"Ashes in the fireplace," said Billie. "It's the middle of August. No one uses their fireplace this time of year. It appeared as if someone had been burning a lot of paper, so they bagged it. Maggie acted nervous, but she maintained that the ashes had mysteriously appeared the same day Scott left town, and that she just hadn't gotten around to cleaning out the fireplace. They've taken the ashes to the lab to run some tests, however it will be some time before we get the results. Meantime, we're arranging to have someone in Kansas City talk to Scott. That's about all I can tell you at this point. The investigation is still ongoing. Oh, there is one other thing I keep forgetting to mention."

"What's that?"

"Hanson Sisters dropped Louise Dickenson," explained Billie. "Apparently, Louise called them the same day she called you. She also accused them of somehow being responsible for the photos ending up in Gentry Magazine, and she threatened to sue them as well. According to Cynthia Lindsey, the gallery owner, Louise was extremely belligerent and verbally abusive to her on the phone. She said Louise called her back a few days later and tried to apologize, but by then it was too late. Mrs. Lindsey had already contacted her attorney and told him to terminate Louise's contract. I've spoken to her on the phone a few times. She's a very nice woman who's been both professional and cooperative while we've been conducting this investigation. I just thought you might find it interesting."

"That's a shame. In spite of everything that's happened, Louise is still a brilliant photographer. Word of this is bound to leak out. If she keeps it up, I doubt another gallery will work with her."

Billie wrapped up her business. As soon as she left, Carrie headed to the shower. She'd just put on a fresh sundress when she heard a knock on her door. She looked through the peephole, expecting to see Alex, but it wasn't him. Instead, it was a man she'd never seen before.

"Who is it?"

"I'm looking for Carrie Daniels."

She cautiously opened the door and instantly heard Alex's approaching voice.

"Hey, Bruce, what's up?"

"The usual, Alex," he replied, turning his attention away from her.

"Have you got something for Ms. Daniels?"

"Yep."

"I can take it. I'm her attorney."

"Suit yourself."

He handed the piece of paper off to Alex and stepped away. Carrie closed the door as he came in.

"So what's this all about?"

"I have a hunch it's a love letter from Louise." He removed his sunglasses and dropped them into his pocket. "I've been keeping her attorney up-to-date with everything George is finding out, but she just won't listen to reason." He unfolded the paper and began reading it. "Criminy."

"What's wrong?"

"She's naming you, and Scott Andrews, as co-defendants in a copyright infringement claim."

"You're joking."

"I wish I were. Look, Carrie-Anne, I'm representing you and you alone. Scott will have to find his own council."

"Thanks, Alex. You know, I really thought I'd put that chapter of my life behind me. If I hadn't been such a whore none of this--"

Alex dropped the paper on the table and grabbed her by the shoulders. His eyes bore into hers. In all the years Carrie had known him, she'd never seen such a look of intense anger from him before.

"What did you just say?"

"Well, it's true, Alex."

Alex took a deep breath and chose his next words very carefully. "Caroline Lee Daniels, you listen to me, and you listen good. I don't ever want to hear you say that about yourself again. Do you hear me?"

"Well, I'm hardly the Virgin Mary, Alex."

"No one ever said you were, but you're hardly Hester Prynne either. Through no fault of your own, you ended up in a bad place, and while you were there a couple of predators came along and took advantage of your vulnerability. You are not, nor have you ever been, a whore."

"But Alex--"

"No buts." He pulled her in close and wrapped his arms around her. "You're my best friend, and friends don't let friends call themselves things like that, especially when it's not true. So you've made some bad choices. Big deal. Who among us hasn't made a mistake or two?" He held her for a moment to let it sink in. He began stroking the back of her head. "Carrie, I don't want you worrying about this, okay? I'm an attorney. It's my job to worry about this. Hell, I live for this stuff. It's like a game. Louise's lawyer and I will spend the next few months taking depositions, writing letters back and forth, and filing motions with the court. Eventually, they'll figure out they've got nothing and they'll try to disappear quietly into the night. That's when I let loose and kick their butts. I've rarely lost a case, Carrie-Anne, and I'm certainly not going to lose this one." He held her for a few moments longer. Deep down, he knew he was starting to become too emotionally attached. "Meantime, it's Friday night. Let's go grab a bite somewhere and try to enjoy the weekend, okay?"

Alex took her to a nearby steakhouse. It was noisy and crowded, but they were in no rush. They took a seat in the bar and had a drink while they waited for a table. Over dinner, Carrie brought him up to date on her mother.

"I saw her the day before yesterday. She's had a bad cold, but now she's finally doing better."