Maggie. Even though you guys found him the best lawyer around, Richard was going to go down for a murder he didn’t commit, and I kept asking myself, is Dan even dead? I knew I had to do something because it seemed as if it had become a witch hunt. Remember, even Child Services stepped in with that Mickey Mouse show, trying to prove that Maggie was an unfit mother? I had to do something.” She stopped and shook her head. When she looked Diane in the eye, Diane felt as if someone had slammed a fist in her gut.
“You know, Marcie, I always thought it was awfully convenient how Sam and I found Jane so easily and she confessed just like that, after she’d gone to ground and all but disappeared,” Diane said hesitantly. “Then the case against Maggie in family court was dismissed. Even the court-appointed guardian never finished her investigation—that report on Maggie and her relationship with Ryley. The way it was going with everything, Ryley was going to be removed from Maggie’s care, and Richard was going to prison. Every brick wall Sam and I came up against suddenly dissolved as if someone had stepped in and made everything go away.” She watched her friend, who couldn’t lie if her life depended on it. Marcie flinched as if she had been caught doing something she shouldn’t. “What did you do?” Diane asked, and she waited while Marcie appeared to be thinking of what to say.
“I called Lance Silver and went to see him,” she finally said. “I asked him to make it go away for Richard and Maggie, to help my friends and find the 911 caller, find out what really happened to Dan.”
“What?” Diane barked. She stared at Marcie in disbelief, her mouth open. “You didn’t tell Sam? Why wouldn’t you tell him? Why would you go to that snake? Silver is a dangerous man; he runs the west coast drug trail, and we’ve been trying to put him away for how long?”
“Diane, I did what I felt was right. And I couldn’t tell Sam. Take a look at how you’re reacting now. With Sam, it would be worse, so I made a decision not to tell him. But I also couldn’t allow Richard and Maggie to suffer as they were, to have their lives ripped away from them and their family torn apart even more. Sam wouldn’t forgive me if he knew. After all this time, telling him now, how do you think he’d react?”
“Honestly, he’d have the same reaction as me, but you’re right that it would be worse. He’d be mighty pissed, but at least he wouldn’t be wondering whether you still have feelings for Dan. Because I can tell you, watching Sam and hearing him wonder about it…no, it couldn’t be worse. You have to come clean.” She couldn’t believe Marcie had done what she had, but a lot was beginning to make sense. “Wait. How did you know to go to Lance Silver?”
Marcie didn’t say anything for the longest time. She blinked before slowly turning to her. “Lance Silver, as powerful as he is, wouldn’t be as safe and untouched if he didn’t have friends in high places: politicians, cops. Don’t forget that since he runs the underground here on the west coast, no one crosses him. Of course he knows who’s doing what, because no one would be stupid enough to get in his way. Do you know, the few hours I sat at his house…”
“You went to his house?” Diane gritted her teeth and fought the urge to yell. She glanced at the door, hoping no one had heard her.
“Yeah, I sure did. I called him, and he asked me to come over, and I did. I sat with him in his den, drank coffee. His housekeeper took care of Kyla. He was kind and thoughtful, a gentleman, and he listened and made some calls. He had direct numbers to whoever he spoke to. You and I both know what happened next. As I sat there in Lance Silver’s den, the phone would ring, and he’d listen and say ‘Well done’ to whoever called, and then, ever so calmly, after the last call came in, he said that Jane had been found, the case against Richard had been
“You know, Marcie, I always thought it was awfully convenient how Sam and I found Jane so easily and she confessed just like that, after she’d gone to ground and all but disappeared,” Diane said hesitantly. “Then the case against Maggie in family court was dismissed. Even the court-appointed guardian never finished her investigation—that report on Maggie and her relationship with Ryley. The way it was going with everything, Ryley was going to be removed from Maggie’s care, and Richard was going to prison. Every brick wall Sam and I came up against suddenly dissolved as if someone had stepped in and made everything go away.” She watched her friend, who couldn’t lie if her life depended on it. Marcie flinched as if she had been caught doing something she shouldn’t. “What did you do?” Diane asked, and she waited while Marcie appeared to be thinking of what to say.
“I called Lance Silver and went to see him,” she finally said. “I asked him to make it go away for Richard and Maggie, to help my friends and find the 911 caller, find out what really happened to Dan.”
“What?” Diane barked. She stared at Marcie in disbelief, her mouth open. “You didn’t tell Sam? Why wouldn’t you tell him? Why would you go to that snake? Silver is a dangerous man; he runs the west coast drug trail, and we’ve been trying to put him away for how long?”
“Diane, I did what I felt was right. And I couldn’t tell Sam. Take a look at how you’re reacting now. With Sam, it would be worse, so I made a decision not to tell him. But I also couldn’t allow Richard and Maggie to suffer as they were, to have their lives ripped away from them and their family torn apart even more. Sam wouldn’t forgive me if he knew. After all this time, telling him now, how do you think he’d react?”
“Honestly, he’d have the same reaction as me, but you’re right that it would be worse. He’d be mighty pissed, but at least he wouldn’t be wondering whether you still have feelings for Dan. Because I can tell you, watching Sam and hearing him wonder about it…no, it couldn’t be worse. You have to come clean.” She couldn’t believe Marcie had done what she had, but a lot was beginning to make sense. “Wait. How did you know to go to Lance Silver?”
Marcie didn’t say anything for the longest time. She blinked before slowly turning to her. “Lance Silver, as powerful as he is, wouldn’t be as safe and untouched if he didn’t have friends in high places: politicians, cops. Don’t forget that since he runs the underground here on the west coast, no one crosses him. Of course he knows who’s doing what, because no one would be stupid enough to get in his way. Do you know, the few hours I sat at his house…”
“You went to his house?” Diane gritted her teeth and fought the urge to yell. She glanced at the door, hoping no one had heard her.
“Yeah, I sure did. I called him, and he asked me to come over, and I did. I sat with him in his den, drank coffee. His housekeeper took care of Kyla. He was kind and thoughtful, a gentleman, and he listened and made some calls. He had direct numbers to whoever he spoke to. You and I both know what happened next. As I sat there in Lance Silver’s den, the phone would ring, and he’d listen and say ‘Well done’ to whoever called, and then, ever so calmly, after the last call came in, he said that Jane had been found, the case against Richard had been
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