Southern Belle by Stuart Jaffe Page B

hallucinations of a damaged brain.
    But then he saw a ghost.
    He learned such things were real.
    Guilt plagued him.
    The book went on to discuss how these events shaped "Daisy's" life, and as far as Max could tell, Dr. Clarkson was criminally incompetent. After only two months with "Daisy", he concluded that the patient would be served best by a heavy drug regiment and surgery on the brain. Thankfully for Drummond, Dr. Clarkson's consistently draconian prescriptions led to his dismissal from the asylum. Not surprising since Drummond had picked this particular institution for its forward-thinking attitudes towards its patients, an attitude Dr. Clarkson clearly did not share.
    Max's cell phone vibrated on the table. He looked at the phone's face to see that somehow it had become seven in the morning and that his unwelcome friend, FBI Agent Stevenson, wanted to talk. "Hello?" he said, his voice scratchy and low.
    "Open your front door," Stevenson said.
    "Huh?"
    "And bring a cup of coffee with you."
    Max walked toward the front door. He saw the silhouette of a man standing outside. "For crying out loud," he muttered as he opened the door.
    "No coffee?" Stevenson said.
    Squinting at the morning light, Max leaned on the door frame. "What do you want?"
    "Somebody broke into Matthew Ernest's home."
    "Really?"
    "Yup. Broke in, walked around, and left. Doesn't look like the person took anything. Guess they only wanted to have a look."
    "You came here at seven in the morning to tell me this?"
    "Thought you might be interested. Oh, and Joshua Leed was murdered last night." Stevenson paused, and Max could feel the man's eyes probing around, observing Max's reaction, comparing it to the reactions of guilty people. "You don't seem too surprised."
    "Leed hired me because Ernest had been killed. He was convinced somebody wanted him dead, too. I've barely started looking into any of this and now he's dead. Looks like he was right."
    "That's one possibility. But I don't find that possibility matches my facts too well. Of course, there's the other possibility."
    Though Max really didn't want to hear the answer, he had to ask. "What's the other?"
    "The other possibility is that you killed Joshua Leed, much like you killed Matthew Ernest."
    Max hung his head. "I told you I never met Ernest. And Leed only just hired me."
    "But you're the only one who can confirm that story. I'm telling you, Max, it's looking worse and worse. Especially because I don't like being lied to. People do it all the time to me. They lie about their alibis, lie about their involvement in crimes, lie about their guilt and their remorse. It's disheartening after a while. I'm going to tell you something that's not a lie, though. Federal prison — it ain't for you. I've seen plenty of guys go off to do time, and believe me, you won't be able to handle it."
    "I won't have to, since I didn't do anything."
    "Can I tell you a little secret? Some of us in the FBI, guys like me, we actually prefer the serial killers. Those guys, once their caught, they want to tell you everything. Much more pleasant way to do the job. Guys like you, with all the denials and the lies, it makes my day drag on and on."
    "I did not kill anybody."
    Stevenson clicked his tongue. "If you say so. I sure hope you're telling me the truth, though. Because when I find out I've been chasing my tail due to your lies, that will piss me off. That's when you'll find out how tough an FBI Agent can be." He lifted his head to see past Max's shoulder and smiled. "Good morning, Mrs. Porter. I hope I didn't wake you. Just having a friendly chat with your husband about federal prison. You have a nice day, now." With that, he walked back to his car and drove off.
    Sandra waited until the car had gone. Her face had paled as she put together the bits of information she had. At length, she asked, "Is he serious?"
    "The FBI thinks I killed both Dr. Ernest and Leed."
    "The FBI? The real FBI?" She closed her eyes and covered her