The Deception (34 page)

At least he was finally free of Maggie. His divorce was final in December. In the end, Maggie got the house as well as half his pension and other assets, including their art collection. She'd also won custody of Sarah and Ben. He knew she was guilty of the forgery, but ever since he'd had an alibi for the day the letter was mailed to Carrie, she'd laid low. The
FBI
had kept the case open, but it was growing cold and would remain so until new evidence surfaced.

He'd just returned to his room after a typical workday, when he heard a loud knock at the door. Ever since his arrest, any loud, unexpected knocks at his door made he jump. He looked through the peephole to see a young man in a brown uniform.

"Who is it?"

"UPS."

He remembered Nancy mentioning something about sending more of his belongings back. He cautiously opened the door, and indeed a large parcel was being delivered. He thanked the driver as he signed for it and brought the box inside. He picked up a box cutter, carefully opening the carton. Inside was another piece of his luggage, and inside the luggage was more of his winter clothing. He unpacked the items and put them away. He was about to zip the empty bag shut when he noticed something odd. Sticking out from one of the pockets was the corner of a piece of paper. He pulled it out and looked it over. He couldn't believe his eyes. It was no ordinary piece of paper. It was the receipt for the luggage. It included the name and address of the store as well as date and time that the luggage was purchased, along with an itemized list and his original signature at the bottom
, agreeing to take the items as is
. He heard himself laughing and crying at the same time. At long last, he had his alibi. The receipt would prove, conclusively, that he was miles away from his home at the time the files were uploaded. His hands were trembling as he grabbed his phone and placed a call to his lawyer. As usual, Freddie was unavailable, but his secretary instructed him to fax a copy as soon as possible. He stopped to dab his eyes with a tissue before picking it up and dashing to the motel office.

"Afternoon, Scott," greeted the heavy-set woman seated behind the desk.

"Afternoon, Jane."

"You seem pretty happy today."

"That's because I am. I just struck oil, Jane. I've got my ticket to freedom. I just need to use the fax machine."

"In the back." She motioned to the room behind her.

"Just charge it to my room," he said as he raced past her. "Oh, by the way, I need to make a few photocopies."

"Help yourself, and it's on the house, Scott. You really saved my rear end the other day when the computers crashed."

"All in a day's work, my sweet."

"Shameless flirt."

He emerged a few minutes later, photocopies in hand, stopping to give her a quick kiss on the cheek before flying out the door.

"Story of my life," she said, shaking her head. "I always end up with the love 'em and leave 'em types."

As soon as Scott returned to his room he grabbed his phone, this time placing a call to Ken O'Dell. He quickly introduced himself as soon as O'Dell answered.

"Of course I remember you, Scott."

"I've got it, O'Dell. I just found the receipt."

"What receipt?"

"The receipt from the luggage store. The one that proves, definitively, that I wasn't anywhere near my home at the time the files were uploaded to
Gentry Magazine
, which means there was only one person who could have done the deed."

"I see." O'Dell was grinning from ear to ear. "I'll need to take it into evidence, as soon as possible."

"Of course. I'll fax a copy to you as soon as we're done, but I'd like to deliver the original to you in person, if you don't mind."

"I understand. My shift was just about up, but this one's worth putting in a few hours of overtime. You understand that once I have that receipt, I'll be placing your wife under arrest."

"I understand, and make that my ex-wife." There was a triumphant tone in Scott's voice. "We also need to make arrangements for my children. The kids are supposed to be with me this weekend and I want Child Protective Services kept out. They have a father, and an aunt, to take care of them until my attorney can do whatever has to be done in order for me get full custody. In the meantime, they're not to be placed in a foster home."

"I see no reason why that can't be arranged, although they may need to stay with your sister until all the charges against you are dropped and you're officially cleared."

"I understand, however, I need for you to understand something as well." Scott's voice now sounded firm. "I'll be delivering the receipt to you in about two hours. As soon as I'm done, I'm going straight to my ex-wife's house to pick up my kids. Please, do not arrest her until after I've left. I don't want Ben and Sarah to see their mother being taken away in handcuffs."

"I understand, Scott. I'm a dad myself. I'll be waiting for your fax so I can get a warrant sworn out. It'll all be ready by the time you get here. Don't worry, I'll be there when she's arrested."

Scott ended the call and grabbed his things. After a quick stop to send the fax to O'Dell, he hopped into his car and headed to Phoenix. He was a free man once again.

* * *

Maggie kissed her children goodbye and told them to have a good weekend with their father. Before closing the door, she gave Scott a civil goodbye as well, but it was only for the kids' sake. With all that had happened, her love for Scott was dead. In its place was a burning hatred that seemed to grow stronger with each passing day.

"Rot in hell, you worthless son of a bitch," she said out loud as she closed the front door, "and enjoy your freedom while you still can. It won't last much longer."

Her plans had all fallen neatly into place. All she was waiting for was the next opportunity to make Carrie Daniels' even life more miserab
le. She'd have to quiz the kids
when they returned home Sunday night. With any luck, they'd reveal the next time Scott would be in the Phoenix area. She went to the kitchen to fix herself something to drink, and when she returned to the living room she picked up the remote and settled into her easy chair. She looked forward to a nice quiet weekend. She'd just made herself comfortable, when she heard a knock at the front door.

"Great," she muttered as she went to answer it. She paused for a moment to put on her best happy face, again for the kids' sakes. She took a deep breath and swung the door open.  "Okay you guys, what'd you forget this time?" Her smile instantly faded as soon as she recognized who was standing there.

"You again? And I see you brought reinforcements." She motioned to Billie Hughes and the two men in
FBI
jackets standing with him. "So what the hell do you want this time, O'Dell?"

Billie stepped forward. Maggie noticed she had a pair of handcuffs.

"Maggie Andrews, I'm placing you under arrest for identity theft, forgery, and mailing a threatening communication."

"You've got to be kidding me. This is laughable. You've all ready got the right person under arrest--my ex-husband, Scott."

"Nice try lady, but it won't wash this time, said O'Dell. "Scott now has concrete proof that he was nowhere near your home at the time the files were uploaded. The jig is up Maggie, and now you're going to jail."

"I want my attorney." Her voice was defiant. "He'll have me out before you know it and then I'm going after you for false arrest."

"Whatever, Maggie."

Billie read her Miranda rights and placed the cuffs on her as the two other agents secured the house. Maggie was quickly loaded into the back of their
SUV
and taken to the field office. As soon as they arrived, she was taken back into the interrogation room. Just as before, she vehemently denied any wrongdoing, once again pointing the finger of blame at Scott.

"We now have proof that Scott was in Phoenix at the time the files were uploaded
," said O'Dell
.
"
So tell me, Maggie, exactly how is it that he could have been in two places at once?"

"What do you mean, you have the proof? I'm not saying another word without my attorney. Can I make a phone call?"

"Help yourself,"

One of the agents escorted her to a phone. She called the only attorney she knew; her divorce attorney. It was after five o'clock and she wasn't in, so Maggie left her a voice mail. As soon as she finished, she was handed over to Diane Hall, and two female Deputy U.S. Marshals.

"Where are we going?"

"To booking," she replied.

"I see. So you want to fingerprint me and take my photo. Can I go home after that?"

"Not until you see a judge."

"And when will that be?"

"Not for awhile. We have some procedures we need to follow first."

She was taken to a room for fingerprinting and to have her mug shot taken. Afterwards she was taken into another room and was ordered to remove each item of her clothing. Once she was stripped naked, she was told to bend over and spread her legs apart. Maggie started crying.

"Sorry, lady, but we have to do this for everyone. We have to make sure you're not smuggling a weapon or contraband."

"You don't understand. My husband was having an affair. I never had any intentions of actually harming her. I just wanted to teach her a lesson, that's all. Besides, what the hell kind of weapon would I have up there anyway?"

"You'd be surprised."

Once the strip search was over, she was taken to a shower, given an orange jail suit, and taken to a holding cell. As she curled up on her bunk, something deep within her psyche snapped, and she recalled the vow she once made to herself. If she went down, Carrie Daniels would go down with her, only now she no longer feared any repercussions or consequences. All that mattered was how she would make Carrie pay. After spending the weekend in jail, Maggie had a bond hearing early Monday morning. Once she made bail she took a cab home and when she arrived she immediately called Scott.

"You'll pay dearly for this," she coldly announced as soon as he answered.

"I don't think so. You tried to frame me for a crime I didn't commit. You're the one who'll end up paying."

"So where are the kids?"

"At school. I dropped them off this morning and I'm on the way to meet with my attorney. We have to start the process of getting all the charges against me dismissed, and then I want to talk to him about suing the
FBI
wrongful arrest."

"Whatever, Scott. You got everything you had coming to you, and then some. You're a liar and a cheater. You deserved all of it, and so did your little whore. My only regret is that I wasn't able to go after Nancy, but I sure as hell got the goods on Carrie. So, how do you like me now?"

"I don't like you at all," he replied. "I'll admit I was a real ass, and that I was wrong to cheat on you, but you had no right to drag Carrie through the mud like you did. I've told you this before. I lied to her, Maggie. I intentionally mislead her into thinking I was single and available. She's not a mind reader and none of this is her fault."

"Yeah right. Pity poor Carrie--not! The little trollop had it coming."

"When are you going to let it go, Maggie? I don't think you hate her because she had an affair with me. I think you hate her because she's everything you're not. She's beautiful, she's talented, she's successful and she even used to be a child star. On top of that, she has a good heart and she sure as hell didn't deserve to be used the way that I used her. Compared to her, you're just a frumpy, mean-spirited little housewife. That's what this vendetta is really about, isn't it?"

Maggie didn't respond. There was nothing for her to say.

"You know, in hindsight I should have divorced you years ago," continued Scott, "but I thought I was doing the right thing by staying with you until the kids were grown. This past weekend I had a long talk with Ben and Sarah. They know you've been arrested and they know you tried to frame me. Right now they're understandably angry with both of us, and they'll probably need some family counseling, but at least they now understand what kind of a person you really are and why I had to get away from you. They're staying with me tonight and then tomorrow afternoon, after the hearing, I'm taking them back to Payson with me. All three of us have agreed it would be best if they stayed with Aunt Lorraine for now."

"I didn't agree to this. So what time is this hearing and why wasn't I informed?"

"The hearing tomorrow isn't about the kids. It's about the copyright infringement case. Our attorneys have filed some sort of a motion to have it dismissed. Carrie can prove her identity was stolen and her signature was forged. And now I have proof that I was somewhere else at the time the files were uploaded to the magazine. I expect the entire case will be thrown out. But don't worry, Maggie, now that we can prove you're the one who uploaded the files, I'm sure Mrs. Dickenson will be more than happy to file a claim against you."

"Rot in Hell, Scott."

Maggie fumed as she disconnected the call. She had to think fast. She'd worked too hard for too long and she couldn't allow Carrie to walk away now. There was only one thing left for her to do, and if she played her cards right, she wouldn't get caught, at least not for this.