by Ciana Stone
“Seventy-two hours?” Nikki was starting to think Simon’s mind was less clear than she had originally thought. “You’re telling me that Max slept for three days without waking up?”
“Yes. And has not spoken one word since the moment he woke.”
Nikki was thunderstruck. “You mean…my god, what happened?”
“That we do not know. Over the years I’ve questioned Maxwell many times, but his memories begin with waking after that long sleep, unable to speak.”
“So he doesn’t remember anything that happened that night?”
“There is a gap in his memory.”
For a long time no one spoke. Nikki’s mind swirled with the new knowledge she had been handed. The problem was she didn’t know if the tales of Lucien’s death and Max’s loss of speech were really connected. According to Simon’s facts, Maxwell was in his room during the murder. So what did the two events have in common? What was missing?
“The artifact!”
Gaspar jerked slightly at her abrupt exclamation. Simon merely regarded her with a somewhat curious expression.
“You said Lucien came here to bring you the artifact. Do you think that maybe Richard found it?”
Simon shook his head. “No. Initially I suspected that might be the case, but later I knew that could not be, for you see, Richard still seeks it.”
“Well, maybe Lucien didn’t bring it with him.”
“No, he told me quite specifically that he had it with him.”
“Then it has to be here, somewhere.”
“So it would seem. But the estate has been searched thoroughly, both by myself, Osgood, Richard and his associate Mark Robinson, and has not been found.”
“Well, it couldn’t have just vanished. Did anyone come to see Lucien here before he died? Did he strike up a friendship with one of the staff maybe?”
“I considered that but the answer is no. According to what I was told, aside from the dinner that Helen invited him to join her in, Lucien had contact with only one other person.”
Nikki waited for him to continue. After a few moments she looked to Gaspar. He regarded her without expression. Confused, she turned again to Simon who was watching her like a teacher who is waiting for a reply from a student.
She considered the facts as she knew them and came to the only possible answer that existed based on the evidence.
“Max?”
Simon nodded.
“That’s it!!” All at once it made sense. “Richard knew that Lucien was a member of your group. Apparently Lucien thought Richard was on to him because you said something happened that he narrowly escaped from before he came here. That’s why Richard returned unexpectedly—to beat you home and get whatever it was Lucien had. Only when he arrived…”
She trailed off, closing her eyes and trying to connect the pieces together to make sense.
“Was Helen actually raped? I mean was there evidence of intercourse?”
“Yes.”
“And it was Lucien?”
Simon nodded.
“Okay.” She thought about it. “So Helen was cheating on Richard with Mark, but had a fight with Mark. Then Lucien shows up and she has this dinner with him and—” She looked up excitedly at Simon. “And maybe she tried to seduce Lucien, or at least was flirting with him. After all, she was on the outs with her lover, and probably all keyed up and wanting to make Mark pay, so how better than to get another man interested? Only Richard showed up unexpectedly and caught them and…no, that’s crazy. If he had caught them, he’d just have divorced Helen and gotten rid of her.”
“Not necessarily,” Simon said. “Remember who and what you’re dealing with. When vast sums of money are involved, it is inevitable that mountains of legal papers accumulate, spelling out each and every detail of every relationship. That holds true for personal relationships as well as business. If Richard had tried to divorce Helen at the time, he would have lost half of everything he owned. Probably more because she would have made it her life’s mission to destroy him.”
Nikki shook her head. “Sorry, but I don’t know much about that world and it just doesn’t make sense to me. Besides, even if they did fake the rape and all that, it still doesn’t explain what happened to the artifact and why Maxwell lost the ability to speak. Even if Lucien hid the artifact in Max’s room or something like that, it would have turned up. There’s something missing, some piece of the puzzle that makes it all add up.”
“Exactly.” Simon held up his glass in a toast to her. “And precisely why you’re here.”
She looked at him in astonishment. “Why I’m here? Well, excuse me, but I think you’re barking up the wrong tree. If all of you haven’t figured it out in all these years, what do you think I’m going to be able to do?”
“Discover the missing truth.”
“And just how do you propose I do that? You said yourself that you’ve been over every inch of this place and can’t find it. And you said that you know Richard doesn’t have it. And even if Lucien did for some mysterious reason tell Max about it—which is, by the way, preposterous—Max’s memories begin after Lucien’s death, so that’s no help. I mean, excuse me, but where exactly do you think I’m going to find anything that’ll lead me to the missing element in this convoluted mess?”
Simon arched one eyebrow at her. “From chaos comes order. From the void comes all things.”
“Oh great, get Taoist on me. That’s a big help.”
Placing his empty glass on a table beside him, Simon reached for Nikki’s hand. “My dear, you’ve already chosen the path. Now what remains to be seen is whether the clues that are to be had will be recognized.”
Nikki thought about his words. She’d chosen no path of discovery. Well, at least not in terms of this artifact he and Gaspar were seeking. Somehow, along the way, that quest had seemed to diminish in importance, to be replaced by another more important pursuit. Unraveling the mystery of Max.
Abruptly she looked at Simon. “I won’t use Max to further your quest. If that’s your idea then forget it.”
“I would not ask such a thing, my dear. In fact, that is the very reason you’re the first person I’ve ever confided in regarding any of this. You see, I don’t want my grandson to be exploited in any manner that might be detrimental to him. On the contrary, what I seek is your assistance in helping Maxwell discover the truth within himself and thereby gaining what he wants so desperately.”
Nikki could not help but hear the ring of sincerity in Simon’s voice. “And what might that be?”
“Two things, actually. One, his voice. A chance to communicate his thoughts and feelings with others. To escape this prison he has been captive in for all these years. You see only the surface of his prison, my dear. The bars run far beneath the surface. Have you not wondered why his parents, among the wealthiest people in the world, would not move heaven and earth to help him function in the world, live a productive life?”
“Well, yes. I just assumed that everything had been tried.”
“Hardly. Consider the brilliant minds in this world today who are bound within bodies that do not function as normal. And yet these people make marvelous contributions to the worlds of science and medicine.”
“Well then, why didn’t Max get help from them? Or from you?”
“Every tutor and specialist I’ve hired over the years has been summarily dismissed.”
“Are you saying that his parents don’t want him to be able to communicate? That’s…that’s unbelievable, Simon. Who could be that cruel?”
“Man is capable of great cruelty, my dear, when there is great wealth at stake.”
She shook her head, unable to comprehend treating someone that way, then looked at him with raised eyebrows. “That’s only one. You said two.”
“Indeed I did. The second is something you also seek, my dear, which is why you were chosen.”
“Oh, and you know what I seek?”
“Oh yes.” Simon’s expression soften
ed. “You and my grandson are kindred spirits in that respect. You both seek something or someone in which you can trust completely, something you can believe in without reservation or doubt. In short, you both seek love.”
Astonishment could not begin to describe Nikki’s feelings. How was it possible that Simon Weston could know her most intimate hopes and dreams? And how was she supposed to reply to such a statement?
“Mr. Weston, I…I really don’t know what to say. I’ll sure think about all the things you’ve said, and I promise you I won’t discuss them with anyone else without your permission. But I do want to tell Max. Everything you’ve told me involves him and I think he has the right to know. Now I realize that all of you think Max is some mentally challenged individual, but I disagree and I’m going to prove it if I can, because like you, I don’t want to see Max spend the rest of his life incarcerated here in this lovely prison.”
Simon smiled and reached for her hand. “Thank you, my dear. And know that you have my full support. Anything you need, at any time, come to me or to Gaspar.”
Nikki wondered if his offer of help was motivated by a genuine desire for Max’s well-being and happiness or his own selfish search for the missing artifact.
She told herself that the artifact had taken a backseat. What she wanted most of all was to discover just how advanced or impeded Max was mentally, and find a way to help him communicate with others.
At least, that’s what she could admit to herself. That she might just be falling in love with Max was something she still couldn’t face.
—
Nikki made sure no one was around before she ran up the stairs to Max’s room. As far as the staff were concerned, Max was taking his afternoon nap and she was sequestered in her room working on her thesis.
She tapped softly. “Max? It’s me.”
Max opened the door and she quickly entered. She had a stack of papers and a thick book with her.
“I went to the university library last night and got online,” she said as she sat down on the bed and started sifting through the printed pages. “I found a couple of things I think will really be helpful. First, I found an IQ test. I had to modify it a little to eliminate questions that require spelling, but I think it’ll work okay.”
She looked up at Max, who was watching her with a less-than-happy expression.
“What?”
He went to his desk, pulled out a photo of his parents and pointed to his father.
“Your father? What about him?”
He pointed to her. She looked at him in bewilderment, not having the slightest idea what he was getting at. He pointed to her again, then stabbed his finger at his father’s image.
“Me and your father?”
He nodded with a dark frown.
“Me and your father?” She repeated more to herself than to him. “What about us?”
Max didn’t know how to go about asking what he wanted to know. He put his hand over his heart.
“I don’t know what you’re getting at, Max. Give me another clue.”
Max hugged himself, pointed to his heart then to her and the picture.
Nikki stared at him for a long time. “Okay, let’s go slow. This is about your father and me. Is that right?”
He nodded.
“And your heart?”
He shook his head and stepped over to point to her heart.
“My heart?”
He nodded.
The point suddenly crystallized in her mind. “Are you asking me if I love your father?”
He nodded.
“No!”
He raised his eyebrows and turned his head slightly, as if saying, “Are you sure?”
“No,” she repeated. “I don’t love your father. If you want the truth, I don’t even like him. But what made you even ask that question?”
Max studied her face and eyes. She seemed sincere.
“Max, come on. I promise to you on my honor that I’m not in any way attracted to your father, or involved with your father, and if it’s all the same to you, it’d suit me just fine if I never had to be around him again.”
Max played his trump card. He rubbed his thumb over the tips of his fingers. Nikki frowned in confusion. Max opened the desk drawer and pulled out a fistful of money.
Her eyes widened then narrowed sharply. “I’m not sure I understand, but I’m starting to think I don’t like it anyway. What exactly do you want to know? If I’d play up to your father for money? No, I wouldn’t. Not for all his money.”
That was not what Max wanted to know. He wanted to know if she was only there because of the money. If she had no interest in Richard, then was she only there for the money?
He pointed to her, then to himself, then thrust the money at her.
Nikki got up and walked to him. She thought she knew what he wanted to know. It wasn’t a question she wanted to answer because the truth was complicated. She decided to tackle the least complicated issues first.
“When I first took the job, it was just for the money, yes. I was getting evicted, had no job and twenty-three dollars to my name. Your parents offered me more money than I’d ever dreamed of making and I jumped at the chance. And yes, even after I met you, for a while it was just the money. You were horrible to me and made me feel unwanted and if it hadn’t been for the money I would have been tempted to leave.”
Max was shocked at the admission and also hurt. He started to turn away, but she grabbed both of his arms to stop him.
“No, wait, I haven’t finished. It was the money, at first. But then after we finally were able to communicate and I finally understood, the money stopped being important. It’s not the money now, Max. It’s you. I’m here because of you.”
He wanted to believe her but it wasn’t easy. Nikki’s fingers tightened on his arms. “I promise you that my interest in you has nothing to do with money, Max. Nothing. I don’t know how to prove it to you, but if you’ll tell me how I’ll do it.”
Max shook his head. She could be lying, but he didn’t think so. And he was tired of trying to figure everyone out. Like Mr. Robinson. Why did he show up and say the things he did?
“Max, do you want me to leave?”
He shook his head.
Impulsively, she stood up on her toes and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you.”
Max blushed from the kiss. The feel of her lips on his skin remained, tingling.
He pointed to the papers on the bed.
“Oh yeah, the IQ test.”
He shook his head. I don’t want to take a test.
Nikki frowned. “I don’t understand.”
He crossed his arms over his chest, frowning. Nikki watched him for a few seconds. Again, he pointed at the papers.
“Do you still not trust me?”
He shook his head.
“Then are you mad about me going to the library?”
He shook his head. No, I’m not mad. But I don’t want to take a test.
“Are you mad about the tests?”
He held up his hand with his thumb and index finger about a half an inch apart.
“Hey, I’m sorry.” She dumped the papers and got off the bed. “Max, I didn’t mean to insult you, I just…” She trailed off, for the moment unable to come up with an explanation that wouldn’t hurt his feelings.
He cocked his head to one side, cupping his hand around his ear. Nikki grimaced and flopped down on the bed, looking up at him. “I don’t know how to explain it without feeling like I’m stepping on your toes.”
Max took a seat beside her and lifted his feet off the floor.
“Okay, I’ll try. I know you’re not stupid but I don’t know exactly how smart you are. Understand? I need to know how much you know. I know it sounds like I’m wanting to judge you, but it’s not that. If we’re going to figure out a system to communicate we need to know where we both are in terms of—of knowledge and understanding concepts and…and…shit, this is coming out all wrong. Just forget it.”
Max narrowed his eyes slightly and she reached over to pick up the stack of papers she’d brought with her. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m not making fun or judging. I just want to know—look, will you just go along with me on this? Please?”
She made sense. Max nodded. Nikki dug the IQ test from the papers scattered across the bed. “Okay, I’ve eliminated all the questions that require you to compose words.”
She handed Max the papers and searched around for a pen. Locating one, she handed it to him as well. “You’ve got forty-five minutes. Ready?”
Max nodded.
“All right, go.”
Scanning down the first page, Max quickly checked the appropriate answers. None of them were difficult. He forgot about Nikki watching him and focused on the questions. In just under twenty minutes he marked the last question.
“You’re done?”
He nodded.
“You sure you don’t want to check over it?”
He shook his head.
“Okay.” She took the test and started comparing his answers to the correct ones.
She was happily surprised that all of the answers on the first page were correct, as well as a little surprised. As she progressed through the test, her surprise grew. By the time she finished she was stunned. He had only missed two questions. It was incredible. If the revised test had any accuracy at all, Max was not in the least stupid. Quite the opposite.
But she wasn’t going to allow herself to get too excited. After all, it was only a sample test, and a revised one at that. She needed more to go on.
Max was watching her curiously. She gave him a smile. “You did amazingly well—only missed two.”
Satisfied? He regarded her curiously.
“There’s just one other test I’d like you to try.”
Max crossed his arms over his chest. Not another one!
“Come on,” she pleaded. “I know it’s a pain but it’s important. This is the college entrance exam.”
Max accepted the pages she handed him and flipped through them. He looked up, shook his head and showed her a page.
