Maxine's New Life Ch. 12

I laughed out loud.‭ "‬Let me give you my number sweetie.‭ ‬You should write it down somewhere,‭ ‬I think Brother Davenport will change his mind in the near future.‭"

I called the Aster police department with Mike listening.‭ ‬He had arrived while I was on hold for Davenport.‭ "‬Hello,‭" ‬I said to the receptionist.‭ "‬Is detective Blevins back on duty yet‭?"

"Let me check,‎" ‏she said putting me on hold.‭ ‬The city switchboard had music,‭ ‬but it was awful.‭ "‬Ma'am Detective Blevins is out of the office,‭ ‬but should return in‭ ‬an hour or so.‭ ‬Would you like to leave a‭ ‬message‭?‬"

"No thanks,‎" ‏I said it because I knew his personal cell phone number.‭ ‬As a matter of fact,‭ ‬I had it on speed dial.‭ ‬I hadn't called him,‭ ‬while he was‭ ‬playing Russian Roulette.‭ ‬It did seem like time to make a call.

‎"Blevins pick up your damn phone. I need some help."

"My first day back and you are on the phone looking for favors,‎" ‏Blevins said.‭ ‬I could see the smile through the phone.

‎"Blevins, I'm just calling in one of the many favors you owe me."

"Bullshit,‎ ‏but what do you need‭? ‬I'm feeling generous today.‭"

"Every heard of the Family Mission in Tryon‎?"

"Yeah they run some nasty halfway houses for ex cons.‎ ‏Nobody has much trouble from them,‭ ‬but some of the cons say that stir was better than that halfway house.‭"

"The Family Mission does a lot more than that.‎ ‏I don't give a crap what they do for the most part,‭ ‬but they have Helen and Jack's girl Julie.‭ ‬I want her out of there.‭"

"Is she the one who was in the Hazelwood sting with you‎?"

"One and the same and the court ordered her to a special school or juvie.‎ ‏She ran away and the Family Mission wound up with her.‭ ‬Now the guy who runs it is named Davenport.‭ ‬I tried to call him to discuss returning Julie to the custody of her family.‭ ‬What they do with her is none of my business.‭ ‬He had his secretary tell me that he had no time for me.‭" ‬ I laughed out loud.

‎"The nerve of him, I'll give this Davenport a call. See if I can't convince him to have a powwow with you."

"I want a little more than just to have him cut her loose.‎ ‏I want him to explain that he is a fraud.‭ ‬Otherwise she will just run back and that ass will keep her there.‭"

"I can maybe get you in to see him,‎ ‏but the rest is up to you.‭ ‬Now if she stole something and you wanted to press charges,‭ ‬I could go jerk her ass up.‭"

"I can get an arrest warrant,‎ ‏if Davenport wants to play rough.‭ ‬For right now just give him a call for me please.‭ ‬I really want to talk to him.‭"

"Okay Max,‎ ‏I'll take care of it.‭"

"By the way Blevins,‎ ‏how was working with the FBI‭? ‬Or should I ask how was it working with Anya‭?"

"Boring as shit,‎ ‏I missed you and the other guys from the Cop Out.‭ ‬I'm looking into a string of B&Es.‭ ‬You want to come help me out here.‭"

"You get the Julie thing settled for me,‎ ‏and I'll bring them in for you,‭" ‬I said with a laugh.

‎"You know Max. I believe you could at that. I'll call Davenport and suggest he see you."

Thanks Blevins,‭" ‬I said.

My next call was to Jennifer.‭ ‬Once her receptionist put me through to her I said,‭ "‬Did you know you have the best hold music I have found today.‭"

"How nice is that‎? ‏All you have to do today is check out hold music‭?" ‬she asked.

‎"Oh, I'm rattling Davenport's cage. Could you have the inspectors start surprise inspections for me?"

"Oh,‎ ‏I have them on stand bye.‭ ‬We were just waiting for your call.‭"

"How did you know I would call‎?" ‏I asked.

‎"Because nobody pays any attention to you the first time you ask for something. Eventually they do, but not at first."

"Then start rattling his cage.‎"‏ I hung up the phone then said to myself,‎ "‏I wish Lucas were here.‭" ‬ He was obviously playing hooky or his decision was made.

Edited By Barney R

Lucas hadn't made an appearance by 10AM, so I left with the days work. I made three deliveries, in Aster and four in Tryon, before the phone rang with the call I had been expecting.

"Hello," I said into the phone.

"Ms Stone, this is Earnest Davenport, you wanted to meet with me.?"

"That was earlier this morning. I'm already scheduled for today, and probably tomorrow as well. I might could fit you in on Wednesday. Of course by then you might find your empire crumbling a bit."

"Alright I get the point. I did some checking, since your call this morning. You are a pragmatist, so if you are teaching me a lesson, I have learned it. If you come by now, we can end this nonsense. If not, I warn you, I plan to defend myself."

"Then Earnest, bring it on. You might want to tell your thugs to lay in a supply of body bags, before they come to dance with me," I said before I clicked the phone off. I knew his type. Do a little song, do a little dance, and nothing changes. When I started, I hadn't wanted him to change anything. I just wanted Julie out of there and for her to see the truth. It hadn't worked out the way I wanted. So at that moment, I wanted more. Exactly what I wasn't sure, but it was definitely more.

Before Lucas disappeared he had gotten me the names of Davenport's resident thugs. The problem was that Davenport had access to lot more thugs. Hell, he was running two branches of 'Thugs is Us.'

I needed a shower big time. That wash off in the sink at the office just hadn't done it. Before I returned to the office to call it a day, I wanted to drive home for a shower. I checked the online surveillance system, yet again. I had been checking it off and on all day.

If it didn't look as though I would have power, I might check into a motel. The opening and closing of that gate was just more than I wanted to face again. Once a day was more than enough for that bit of torture. Oh yeah, that was part of my generally fucked up Monday morning. I had forced the gate open and closed it by hand before leaving for work. I didn't think I could face that again.

I was thrilled to find the cameras working. From the rewind it appeared that the cameras had been up and running no more than twenty minutes. I checked the cameras very carefully, before I opened the gate. There was nothing like a threat, from a man with lots of criminal connections, to make me careful.

The Cat was sitting on the concrete pad when I arrived. She or he hadn't been there, when I checked the yard out with the camera. I had a strangely warm feeling, when I realized the cat had come to the stoop at the sound of my car driving into the yard. If the cat ever let me get close, I would try to determine if it was male or female, so that I would know what to call it.

"Let's make a deal, you and me. I will feed you once a day, and in exchange you will stay out of my trash can. So what do you say? I paused and waited but the cat said nothing in reply. I forgot you are a cat of few words. Okay, then tell me if the deal is not satisfactory." The cat didn't answer, so I assumed that we had a deal.

From the cabin I removed the cereal bowl from which I fed the cat corned beef hash. I opened one of the cans of cheap cat food. Those I had bought the night before from Wal-mart. It didn't have feeding directions for a half starved cat, so I gave it the full can. Screw it, 60 cents a day I can manage, I thought. I even put fresh water in the small bucket beside the bowl.

"Get this straight buster, you don't own me." I almost burst into song, but I didn't think the cat would appreciate old bubble gum music.

After the cat was fed, I took my longest shower, since I moved into the cabin. I felt a lot better, when I got into clean clothes as well. I didn't want to return to the office, but I knew that I should not leave the delivery records in my car overnight. I planned to go to the Cop Out and hope to meet Blevins there. Yeah and to look for signs of Mosby and Jerry as well.

When I arrive back at the office, the door was locked. Ed was out posting bail for one of his mooches. It was clear that Lucas hadn't come to work. In the rushing around that morning I hadn't asked Mike about it. Mike had followed me around all morning, but in a separate car. He ahd backed off when I told him that I was headed home. I was forced to wait for him to catch up, before I could ask about Lucas.

Just as soon as Mike walked in I asked, "Okay what is the deal with Lucas? Is he with Gwen?"

"He spent the night at our tourist cabin. He was going to do some thinking about his future. To be honest Maxine, Gwen wants him to come to Boston with her."

"So that is what this is all about. He is looking for someone to make his decision for him." I said.

"What do you mean by that?" Mike asked for the camera.

"When someone can't decide an issue, they look for a sign. In Luke's case it was to see where he stood with me. Then he could make a better decision. Lucas is not a partner, he is an employee. He needed me to tell him that, so that he could make an informed decision. That's what Sunday was really about."

"That makes a lot of sense."

"Sure it's what presidents do all the time. Most of them, when they need to make a decision, they float a trial balloon instead. What will the media say, if I do this? It isn't the public opinion any more it's about the media, because they make public opinion these days." I said truly believing it, when I said it.

"Since I can't compete with love or sex, I guess I need to start thinking about a replacement." I suggested.

"I really have no comment on that," Mike said.

"Yeah, I know Mike the rules of engagement don't allow you to comment, just state obvious facts. So why did you tell me about Gwen trying to lure Lucas away. Is there a little jealousy there?"

"Maybe," he replied. Then added. "You do know that it is infuriating to be continually searching for motives in everything we do as people. You tend to make everyone look a little too deeply into their soul." He was grinning when he said it.

"Hell Mike that's what us women do. Listen and listen, then make a statement so insightful and brilliant that it makes men kneel before out superior intellect."

"I have seen some of your notes on the computer. No offense Maxine, but you are no intellectual."

"None taken I assure you," I replied.'

Mike was my designated chaperon, so when I left the office at 6:30, he followed me out the door. "I'm going to dinner at Kaplin's Barbecue house." I informed him.

"Thanks for the warning, I'll stop for a roll of Tums," Mike informed me.

"Wimp," I said with a smile. I knew Mike was no wimp, and he knew that I did. So he smiled back at me. I am pretty sure that he mumbled "Bitch," under his breath.

The one thing everyone noticed about Kaplin's was that when you finished eating, they wanted you gone. It was a policy that applied even when there were hardly any other customers in the place. They still dropped the check off with the food. It was to speed your exit. I didn't mind, but some folks did I'm sure.

Kaplin's had great hush puppies, but I never ate them. It's the 'woman constantly on a diet' thing. I usually leave them in the plastic basket. That night I asked for a paper bag. I figured the cat would be happy to have them as a snack the next morning.

7:15 was too early to head for the Cop Out, but I had to leave Kaplin's. I thought I might take a look around Wal-mart for an hour. Somehow I had lost the thermal outfit I had slept in over the winter. It was time to be thinking about cold weather. That train of thought pulled into the 'I needed to think about the cabin' station. I had two options buy it or move out. Moving out might be the better option, since the only person who knew where I lived might well be on the loose. It would be a definite breach in security.

The two men with jailhouse tattoos met me in the parking lot. "You Maxine Stone?" the smallest one asked.

"Yeah, Davenport must have sent you?" I replied.

"That's right. He has a message for you. Call off the cops and the inspectors or your life and the lives of your family will not be long."

"I see, now you can take my answer back to Davenport when you go. My family is all gone. It's just me all alone in the world. The cops will be visiting him a lot more often from now on. He might want to reserve a parking spot for them. And the inspectors are just doing their job. They will continue being zealous in the performance of their duty. By the way there will be reviews of all his grants and contracts with the government as well."

"Lady, you got a death wish?" The big one asked.

"You aren't the first one to ask me that, but the others are all dead. Now you just bring your bad ass self on over here, or get in your car and go home to daddy." He had to know that I had my right hand on the .38, he probably didn't know that I had my left on the stun gun.

The big one rushed me. he obviously wanted to intimidate my by wrapping me up in his arms. Since I was able to keep my cool, I stepped to the side and when he tried to adjust his charge, I zapped him with the stun gun. I got him in the neck even though I would have preferred to get him in the eyes.

The little one reached for something in his pocket. It didn't come out clean but my .38 did. It looked as though the little one had brought a big ole knite to the gun fight. I shot him just as he launched himself at me in a kamikaze attack.

I felt a blinding pain. Then a warm sensation. Then I wondered who would feed the cat, as the parking lot light faded then went out.

The End

chapter 74 Resurrection

My eyes hurt, so I didn't want to open them. My mouth was so dry that I could not hold out any longer. The light hurt my eyes, even though there was only a night light burning somewhere in the corner of the unfamiliar room. I really didn't know where I was or how I got there. I wondered if I had been tortured. Whatever happened to me was bad enough, so that I blocked it out.

It took me only a few minutes to recognize my surroundings as a hospital room. If it was a hospital room, there should be a call button, I reasoned. It made me feel better that I could remember even that much. After I fumbled around and found the button, I pressed it and then fell asleep again exhausted.

The next time I rejoined the world, I was still dying of thirst. I found that button and pushed it again. I managed to stay awake until a nurse came. She didn't stay in the room long enough to even ask why I called, let lone long enough to give me a drink of water. Instead she rushed out as if her scrubs were on fire.

I didn't have to push the button again because she returned in seconds with two more nurses tagging along behind. They seemed to gawk at me for a moment, before anyone spoke. "How do you feel?" the oldest one asked.

I could only croak like a frog, "Water."

"I know your mouth is dry honey, but your stomach has a tube in it. I can't give you water." She took a washcloth from the stand by my bed. She took it to the sink and wet it. She returned to press it to my lips."

I sucked on the washcloth and decided that it was better than Ice Cream. I looked over at what could easily have been a coat rack. Actually there was one on either side of me. The racks had plastic bottles and tubes which were connected to me. I was pretty sure there were more plastic bags at the fool of my bed. Those would be collecting all kinds of things not mentioned in polite society.

"What happened to me?"

"The doctor will be here any minute. We paged her just as soon as we knew that you were awake."

"So you aren't going to tell me?" I asked. I paused a moment to catch my breath, then went on. "I need a phone,"

"No you don't," the stern voice came from the doorway. The only slightly overweight woman in the long white lab coat said, as she entered the room.

"The hell I don't." I replied weakly.

"Don't worry some cop named Blevins has been notified that you are awake. When he gets here, he can relay your messages. You are not going to lift a finger." She paused for a long minute or so, then added, "At least not till I check you out."

"Are you flirting with me?" I asked with what could only be called a sick smile. Hell I had the right to a sick smile, after all I was in a hospital.

"You wish," she said grinning. "I have heard all about you Maxine. Now shut up and let me listen to your heart."

She listened to my heart and lungs, then she looked at things I didn't even want to see. Finally she said, "Well you are doing pretty good for a corpse."

"Oh have they been exaggerating my demise?" I asked trying to make a joke.

"I'm not at all sure that you weren't dead. The EMT thought you were. You almost went to the back of the line. Some patrolman, who followed the Ambulance, insisted that the ER doctor check you regardless."

"And they found that I was alive?" I asked too tried to smile again.

"No, you were dead, then all of a sudden you blinked. The ER staff almost fainted. Looks like the devil sent you back," the doctor suggested.

"Probably afraid of the competition," Blevins said from the door.

"You can't be in here just yet," The doctor said.

"Blevins find Lucas tell him to get to my place and feed that stray cat. Just leave the food on the stoop," I said just as I fell asleep again."

I felt a little stronger when I awoke the next time. It might have been a day or an hour, there was no way to know in the ICU. I didn't want food, but I would have gladly killed a nurse for a glass of water over ice. I was pretty sure the tube in my stomach was draining it for some reason. I couldn't, for the life of me, remember why it would be doing that.

I rang for a nurse again. When she came, unlike the last time, there was no commotion. "Yes Ms Stone?" she asked.

"Any chance I can get a glass of water with ice?"

"No Ma'am, you still have the tube in. I can get you some small ice cubes you can suck on."

"Ice without being mixed with something stronger will be a first, but sure. Any chance you have any shaped like a nipple?" I asked.

She blushed, then left without a word. She was back with the plastic cup of ice within a couple of minutes. She held a cube to my mouth. I took the ice without a word. I knew then that I was really sick. Even if she was married, I would have sucked her fingers any other time, just for the shock value of it. Okay maybe not really done it, but I would have at least tried. That day, all I wanted was the water. I knew then that the no liquid or solids meant my gut was damaged. I'm no doctor, but it was strikingly similar to the surgery to remove the chunk of steel from an Afghan IED.

I remembered that hospitalization perfectly, but couldn't remember why I was in the hospital at that moment. I went back to sleep remembering the hospital at the airbase in Germany. I am sure that I felt a lot better there. At least they let me eat after a couple days. Then I remembered that I had no idea how long I had been in the hospital in Aster. It could have been only a day. Even in my present condition I knew that one day was wishful thinking.

"I hear you have been awake most of the day," the female doctor suggested.

"Most, I don't think so. More than yesterday probably." I paused took a deep breath then asked, "So when do I get a real glass of water?"

"They are taking you back into surgery to remove the tubes in a few minutes. I would give it one more day. I would guess that tomorrow, when you wake up, water and chicken soup will be on the menu."

"First water, then coffee, and you can keep the soup," I suggested.

"We will see about that," the doctor informed me. Now, I have patients who really are sick to see."

"Doc, my memory is a blank. Should I be worried?"

"No, you had a pretty sever trauma. It might take a day or two to remember it. Just let it happen, don't obsess over it."