#1 Love

by T Gephart

  “Let me know if I can get you anything to go with that.” She tipped up her coffee pot, adjusted her glasses and then moved to the next customer.

  I had no idea how long to wait, or how long the note had been sitting on the car. It was feasible the person had already been and gone or they weren’t coming until later.

  Ten minutes passed, and then twenty, my phone kept buzzing from messages from Stefan, which I chose to ignore. I could see him in my periphery, getting impatient in the car, but he had me in plain sight and no one had even sneezed in my direction.

  It had been half an hour when I’d decided I was going to leave. Stefan had probably been right, and some asshole teenagers had written the note hoping to scare me. I was just about to wave the waitress and pay for my single, unconsumed coffee when a woman slipped into the booth.

  She looked to be about forty, her blonde hair greying at the roots that curled erratically in different directions. Her face was free from makeup, showing deep lines around her hazel eyes that scattered around the room before focusing on me. She was nervous, her hands playing with the buttons of the coat she wore, odd considering it was over seventy.

  “Maya.”

  It lacked a question mark, which made me curious considering I’d never seen the woman in my life.

  “Yes, how can I help you?”

  You’re trained in law school not to get emotional. Not give anything away and ask questions rather than give answers. Never volunteer information and only tell someone as much as they need to know. Act calm, even if you weren’t, and always maintain control. So, even though I was dying to demand who she was, how she knew me and what information she had, I remained cool and tried to be impassive.

  “I have something for you.” She lowered her hand, reaching into her pocket.

  “Hold it.” I reached across the table—dumb, but I was acting on instinct—and grabbed her arm. “Don’t give me anything until you tell me what it is.”

  While I hope the lady didn’t have a hard-on for Tarantino movies, I wasn’t going to risk her pulling out a gun. Who knew if my questions earlier in the day hadn’t pissed someone off, and this was their “Tony Soprano” way of scaring me off.

  “It’s just a phone. I promise.” She moved her hand out slowly, revealing a black Nokia that you could probably buy at any Wal-Mart or Best Buy.

  I knew the type, cheap, disposable, and easy to get without giving too much information. The kind that tourists got when they flew in or what criminals used when they didn’t want to leave a trail. And apart from the coat, she didn’t look like much of a tourist.

  “Who are you?” I asked, my eyes glued to her hands as she placed the phone in front of us. “What’s your name?”

  “I’m . . .” She paused a second too long for me to believe whatever she said next would be the truth. “Lane.”

  “Well Lane, you still haven’t told me who you are and what I can do for you? I’m assuming you have something to tell me?” Again I remained composed, committing to memory everything I could about her while we spoke.

  “I am just here to give it to you.” She pushed the phone closer just as it started to ring.

  I’d watched enough movies to know how it worked. The decoy was sent to meet someone, a phone call directed the wait-ee—in this case me—to another location and then they killed them. That wouldn’t be happening, my hands remaining in my lap as the phone continued to ring.

  “You need to answer it.” She looked at me with desperation. “Please, Maya. It’s your dad.”

  There were a lot of things I was expecting sitting in a coffee shop in Burbank, hearing someone mentioning my father wasn’t one of them. And considering being possibly shot was on the list, it proved how unlikely I thought the possibility.

  The phone silenced as I raised my stare to her. “You’re her, the woman he had the affair with.”

  I’d never met her or seen a photo, my mother shielding us from all of that before we left. After, I didn’t care, preferring to not know who she was or what she looked like because she wasn’t the one who’d ruined our family. Oh, she wasn’t completely without blame, but the lion’s share belonged to someone else. Apparently the man on the other end of that phone.

  “Please, Maya, just answer the phone. I have a little girl too. You have a half sister. And this is my one chance to get her back.” In an effort to try to gain sympathy, she’d confirmed her identity.

  Dina—not Lane—was the woman my father impregnated, and who accompanied him when he went on the lam.

  Of course I’d known she was pregnant but must have missed the birth announcement when she delivered. Guess taking out an ad in the paper or sending out cute cards with the details might have hindered their plight. You know, the one where they defrauded thousands of people out of their money and devastated the lives of his existing wife and children.

  I wanted to walk out, to tell her I didn’t want to hear from either of them and to go back to whatever rock they crawled out of. But as the phone started ringing a second time, my need for justice overrode every other emotion.

  If there was even a chance I could find out something that could help locate him and convict him, I needed to do it. My fingers snatched the Nokia as I answered it, bringing it to my ear and spoke. “Hello.”

  “Maya.” His voice hadn’t changed, sickly sweet like you’d expect from Santa Claus, which was probably how he’d duped us all. “How’s my baby girl?”

  I wanted to throw up, forcing down the bile rising up my esophagus as my skin crawled. “What do you want?” I kept my voice measured, my emotions, a vault as I denied him the reaction he probably wanted.

  “Now, is that any way to talk to your father? I saw something on the internet the other day, was very interesting to me.”

  Dina slid across the table a print out of the Instagram picture of Alex and I along with the stupid hashtags, some of the comments from posters visible underneath.

  He continued, assuming his accomplice had shown me what he wanted me to see. “You’ve done well for yourself. A lawyer no less, and dating that boy you always followed around, Alex. Quite a catch, sweetheart. Those Larssons are loaded with cash. I definitely taught you well.”

  “I am nothing like you.” The rein on my emotions cracked at the mention of Alex, gripping the phone tighter as the words fought their way out of my clenched jaw. “And you keep him out of it, you’ve done enough damage to their family and to ours. So why don’t do you the first decent thing you’ve ever done in your life and turn yourself in.”

  I’d played my hand too early and I knew it the minute the words had left my mouth. If I had any hope of getting any information from him, that had left when I confirmed I wanted him in jail. Harder to convince someone you are on their side after you’ve told them you wanted them locked up. Totally my bad.

  “Dad.” The word was like acid in my mouth as I tried to salvage the situation. “Why don’t you tell me why you are calling?”

  He laughed, the jolly stomach shaking cackle I could never forget. “You know why I’m calling. It’s been a while and I’m a little light on cash, so you and your hot shot boyfriend are going to wire me a couple of million to tie me over.”

  “And why would I do that?” I resisted my first instinct, which was to laugh at him and ask which fairytale he was living in. And then tell him there’d be a cold day in hell.

  “Because you owe me. And because I never thought my own daughter would stab me in the back. It wasn’t enough you became one of them, you had to go put your nose where it didn’t belong. Besides, if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have even met Alex. You think I couldn’t have ruined either of you by now? Try me, Maya, I still have friends in low places, could make things very difficult for you and him. And of course, we wouldn’t want to upset your mother and brothers again, now would we? There are a few other people who might get hurt too.”

  Stab him in the back? I had no idea what he was talking about other than I’d become t
he very thing he resented. Honest, hard working, and vowing to bring men like him to justice.

  My blood boiled, the asshole hitting every single button I had as he systematically mentioned every person I loved. I hated him, and there wasn’t a chance he was hurting us again. But I wasn’t going to be extorted either.

  “And how am I supposed to get a couple million dollars?” I fought the urge to laugh at how ridiculous his request was. He couldn’t even give me a figure; too fucking scared he’d low-ball himself. “Let me guess, small unmarked bills in a black briefcase left at an abandoned warehouse?”

  “No, you’ll wire the money to an account number I’m giving you. And don’t even bother trying to go to the cops, they can’t touch me.”

  The phone called ended without a goodbye, which was his style. Dina took the printout of Alex and I and handed me a small card. A random sequence of numbers written across it that I assumed was attached to an offshore bank account. “Just do what he says, Maya.” Her voice strained, the look of coercion evident on her face.

  “Where is she? Your daughter?” I grabbed her arm from across the table, knowing it must have something to do with her. “Maybe I can help you get her back.”

  On the list of things I wanted to do, helping Dina was second to last. The bottom spot was reserved for helping my father. But there was an innocent child in the middle of it and whether I wanted to accept her as my half-sister or not, I wasn’t heartless either.

  She bit her lip, shaking her head like she regretted having told me.

  “You do this, and you might never see her again,” I tried to reason, relieved that at least the child was safe, away from both of them.

  “No, he promised.” Her eyes misted. “He promised we’d get the money and I’d get her back.”

  She took the phone, shoved it back in her pocket and looked around as she shuffled out of the booth.

  “How will I contact you guys? It’s going to take me a few days to get that kind of money together,” I lied, stalling with no intention of transferring anything. “And how do I know that even if I do this, he will keep his word?”

  Even though I had no intention of meeting his demands, I was curious what assurances I would be given. After all, only an idiot would hand over a couple of million dollars—it got more ridiculous every time I said it—without something in return. Especially considering he had no dirt on me other than the threat he had friends in “low places.” I was a lawyer for fuck’s sake, at least a third of the people in my profession dwelled in low places.

  “I-I don’t know,” she stammered. “I need to go.” She rushed toward the exit before I could say anything more.

  I stood, watching her leave, wondering how I was going to use any of it to my advantage when two uniformed LAPD officers entered the coffee shop, stopping her from leaving.

  Stefan must have called them. Even though the pre-typed message in my phone had remained unsent, he’d obviously decided to call anyway.

  “Something wrong, ma’am?” one of them asked her, her eyes wide with terror.

  She shook her head. “No, nothing. I just need to go.” She tried again to maneuver past them only to be stopped a second time.

  “Got any ID?” the other inquired, remaining casual.

  Dina made a show of shoving her hands into her pockets. “Sorry, I must have left it at home.”

  “Well, why don’t you take a walk outside with us.” The first officer held open the door, giving her just enough room to pass.

  “No, no, I really must go. I have a child I need to get to,” she protested, fidgeting with her coat.

  “Yeah, we’ll get to all of that in a minute,” the second officer assured. “Why don’t we get your friend to follow you out as well?” He waved in my direction, beckoning me to approach.

  I tossed my phone into my bag and strode to the doorway. “Sure, officer.” I complied, not having a reason not to. After all, Stefan would have told them about the note and I’d no doubt have to make a statement, so it was natural they’d want to talk to me.

  Dina didn’t budge, staying where she was as I walked outside. I half expected to see Stefan out there, ready to read me the riot act but instead was greeted by what I assumed was more plain-clothed police officers. One was a woman who was watching me with particular interest as I approached.

  “Maya Zaveri?” she asked, pulling her badge out of her pocket.

  “Yes,” I answered, confused when I saw Stefan running toward me with a look of concern on his face.

  Why was he concerned, wasn’t he the one who called them?

  My eyes swung back to the officer, the badge she was flashing had a printed identification card with the words FBI above them.

  “Maya Zaveri, you have the right to remain silent.”

  IT HAD TO BE A bad joke, or a dream I was going to wake up from, because there was no way any of it could actually be happening.

  And yet as they continued to Mirandize me and slip on the cuffs, it became obvious it was very real.

  “Maya, what the hell?” Stefan pushed into the fray. “Why are you arresting her?”

  “Sir, please step back or you will be charged with impeding a federal investigation.” Another plain-clothed officer put his hand out, stopping him from getting any closer while the other hand went to his gun.

  “I’m a lawyer,” Stefan protested. “I’m her lawyer, and I demand to know where you are taking her and on what grounds.”

  I knew not to say anything, that the anything you say may be used against you, wasn’t just rhetoric. And despite not knowing what I was being charged with, and that there was no way I could be involved in any crime, I shut my mouth and exercised my 5th Amendment.

  They explained to Stefan that Dina and I were being taken to the FBI headquarters in Los Angeles. But other than that, they refused to answer any more questions, telling Stefan he’d have to follow us to the station.

  Dina was not exercising her right as she continued to protest, being placed in a different car. She had yet to give her name or identify herself, and what she didn’t know was they could take her in just for that. Besides, I was positive they knew exactly who she was, and her reappearance directly connected to theirs.

  We rode in silence, the female FBI agent in my car not bothering to try to get anything out of me. Because, like they knew who Dina was, they also knew I was a lawyer. So they were going to follow protocol and not do anything our side could use later.

  My thoughts turned to Alex and I was so conflicted. Part of me desperately wished he wasn’t in New York so I could call him to help, and the other part glad he wasn’t tainted by the mess. What would he even think? Even though it wasn’t my fault, having his girlfriend hauled in by the FBI wouldn’t play well to his employers. His friends. His family.

  And finally, after all those years, it made sense why my mother left, never remarried, and didn’t make many new friends. The embarrassment and the scandal weren’t the only reasons she ripped us from the only home we’d ever known, it was to protect those she loved. Us, as well as our friends. Because as much as I thought she had been clueless to everything—she hadn’t been.

  We didn’t go into hiding, instead keeping in plain sight, but at a distance. Where she’d previously stayed home and done the housewife thing, she was suddenly signing up for courses, joining community groups. She told us never to run and hide, to hold our head up high. Make noise, not to be afraid. And like the penny dropping, it made sense. If he wanted to try something, he’d have to do it with a whole lot of witnesses. Little parts of my childhood flashed through my memory, parts I’d clearly forgotten. He had always been vindictive, and shrewd in business. An evil side he kept hidden most of the time except when he got angry. And she knew it eventually would come back to haunt us. And when it did, it would show no mercy in the lives it took with it.

  Religion had never played a big part in my life. I wasn’t sure there wasn’t a higher power any more than I was sure there was one, but
in the back of that car, I prayed. Not for myself, because I knew I would be okay. But for the people I loved, and that Alex would take that job in New York and be spared what a lifetime with me might be like.

  We arrived at the location and I was helped out of the car. I didn’t see Stefan, but I assumed he would have to park elsewhere and come in the front so I hadn’t freaked out too much just yet.

  My new location was an interrogation room, which was where I would probably stay until they got what they needed. Dina wasn’t with us, taken to another room or they were still possibly trying to get her out of the car. But as the door closed behind me, I wasn’t sure I’d ever see her again.

  “Take a seat.” A tall thin man who looked like he hadn’t slept in a decade directed me to a chair opposite a table. “We can take the cuffs off, Miles, I don’t think Maya is intending to give us any trouble.”

  My cuffs were removed and I sat down, the guy who seemed to be running the show took a seat opposite me. “My name is Special Agent Francis James. Can I get you anything to drink?”

  “No thank you,” I answered, rubbing my wrists.

  “I assume you have properly been read your rights and understand them.”

  “Yes.” Only giving him the one word in affirmation.

  “Good. Now, while you have been read those rights, I want to make you aware that you are not being charged at this time. You are, however, being held for questioning.”

  All the I’s dotted and T’s crossed, making it clear that while no charges were being laid, he still had the power to question me. Hell, he could even hold me indefinitely if the mood took him. All he had to do was cite homeland security and I could sit around for days without any charges.

  “Do you understand, Maya?”

  “Yes.”

  He nodded. “Good, want to tell me about the conversation you had with Ms. Dina Stuckey?”

  “I maintain my 5th Amendment right and would like to see my attorney,” I answered, sitting up straight in my chair and maintaining eye contact.

  Stay strong, Maya. You have done nothing wrong.