The Misadventures of the Laundry Hag 00 - Swept Under the Rug

out the door. “I won’t, I promise.”
    Neil already had his cell phone to his ear as he watched me escorted to and loaded in the back of a black and white cruiser.
    “Maggie!” The slamming car door didn’t cut off her strangled cry as Sylvia skidded on her icy driveway, running for all she was worth. I watched sadly as one of the police officers shooed her away.
    Josh and Kenny stood at the window, their faces heart-wrenchingly desolate. Sure, I’d been arrested before, but never in front of my family, never for something so serious.
    Capri turned to say something else to Neil before she stomped over the crusty snow.
    “How could you do this?” I asked her, keeping my voice quiet.
    She didn’t turn to face me. “It’s my job.”
    “You know I didn’t have anything to do with Candie’s disappearance. You know that!”
    She ignored me as the vehicle backed out of my driveway. I slunk down in the seat, not wanting any of my neighbors to catch sight of me in total disgrace.
    My brain was still absorbing what Valentino’s phony claim which had justified the warrant when the cruiser stopped. Capri helped me from the backseat. “Take her straight through booking then stick her in the tank until her council arrives.” She walked off, leaving me burning holes in the back of her retreating skull.
    Booking involved a great deal more paperwork then I’d ever imagined. Not that I’d imagined it often. I almost felt sorry for the paper pushers who dealt with this every workday. There was also fingerprinting, both digital and hard copy on paper, and the infamous mug shot photos. I was offered a phone call, which I refused for the time being. Then I had to cool my heels until my council showed up.
    Thank God Laura wasn’t around. The fur was really gonna fly when she caught wind of this kafuffle.
    I sat on the concrete floor, doubly glad I put on insulated jeans that morning, and watched people come and go. Mostly police officers, who were easy to spot, not just from their uniforms, but their purposeful stride. Business was slow, but then, this was Hudson on a Sunday, so there really wasn’t a huge, nasty element for these law enforcement officials to contend with. I watched Special Agents Salazar and Feist come in, striding past my cage with a self-important air the local cops lacked. No doubt, they had been to see Valentino first thing that morning and were gearing up to interrogate me.
    Taking Neil’s advice, I remained quiet, pulling facts together in my head. Confident that Neil and Ralph would find me the best lawyer money could buy, I wanted to be ready to give him everything I knew. Sadly, it really wasn’t much.

Seventeen

    “ I told you, I don’t understand why he gave me so much money, other than to bribe me to back off from investigating him.” Frustration oozed from my pours and I glanced at Darryl Brentwood, the lawyer Neil’s father had recommended as “a real son-of-a-bitch.” Coming from the original, it was high praise indeed. Brentwood shrugged his massive shoulders, indicating I should suck it up for now.
    Special Agent Feist rested his steepled fingers on the table in front of him and quirked an eyebrow. “Civilians don’t investigate Mrs. Phillips. They both observe and assist the police. Or they stalk.”
    I didn’t like his implication and the second-grade name calling chaffed my already itchy skin. No need to wonder who was playing bad cop. I blew out in exasperation. “I didn’t find anything to report to Detective…er…to you.”
    “Why didn’t you simply inform us about Valentino’s payoff when he gave it to you?” Salazar’s reasonable tone didn’t fool me for a second. There were no good cops in this room.
    “Honestly, I was too stunned at first, then since I planned to return it to him—”
    Feist cut me off. “You wait until well after dark on a Saturday night and then proceed to the man’s place of residence to return so-called free money? I’m having a hard time swallowing your story, Mrs. Phillips.”
    Part of me wanted to tell him to choke on it, but common sense reigned. “Look, I know it was weird timing, but I know myself and I wouldn’t have been able to sleep if I let it go until morning.”
    Brentwood patted one of his gigantic mitts on my tightly clenched fist. I jumped, having forgotten he was there. “Other than Mr. Valentino’s claim that Mrs. Phillips was extorting money for information, do you have any proof that she was involved