his office, shutting the door before making his calls. I checked my email first and found one from Austen with the information I asked for along with a copy of his pre-nup. There was also one from Charlie Sampson with the employee information I requested. Before I read through them, I picked up the phone and called Maddox. It might not have been very long since the bank heist but my call seemed way overdue. Also, why didn't he check in on me? That was so unlike him.
I dialed his cellphone and was pleased when he picked up. I initially had a small, unwelcome, feeling that he might avoid me, given my suspicion about his unexpected appearance at the bank. "Hi, Lexi," he said, his voice instantly warming.
"Adam, long time!"
"No, it isn't. We had coffee last week."
"Feels like forever. Doing anything interesting lately? Got any good cases?" I waited expectantly, then prompted, "Perhaps something local?"
Maddox sighed. "Nope."
"I heard a rumor you were looking into the bank heist."
"Not me!"
"I saw you there!"
"Oh that bank heist. I was just in the neighborhood."
"Really? You were just in the neighborhood? And you thought you'd drop by and take a look around? Read the responding officers’ notebooks? Speak to the bank manager?"
"Yep," said Maddox.
"I'm okay by the way. The blood you saw all over me probably didn't give that impression but I'm fine."
"I know."
"So you're not taking the case?"
"You would know if I were. Jord would have told you."
"Hah!" I pounced on those words. "You know Jord is on the case."
"I do."
"C'mon, Maddox. This is like trying to pull teeth. Why were you there? Why were you so interested in the bank boxes? I thought you only worked on high profile cases these days."
"Who said I was interested?" Maddox replied, his tone far too casual.
"Oh, please. Like I don't already know the answer."
"If you do, why are you calling me?" Maddox countered.
"Thanks for confirming you do have an interest."
"I never said I... are we going around in circles, Lexi? You trying to trip me up? Me trying to evade you? Like I would!"
A smile twitched on my lips. The scenario wasn't an unfamiliar one. "Please tell me everything," I said, directly pleading. "Who's involved? Whom do you suspect? Are they ex-military?"
"I can't say right now but we can talk soon. How about drinks after work?"
"Tonight?"
"That's often when my work ends."
"Okay. Lily's bar?"
"Sure. See you at seven." Maddox hung up before I could ask anything else. I stuck my tongue out at the phone. When he called back, I sucked it in, somewhat alarmed. "Are you okay?" he asked, a trace of concern this time.
"Yes, thank you."
"Good." Maddox hung up again.
"Huh," I huffed as I tossed the phone on my desk. The conversation was unusually mysterious even for Maddox. Since resigning as a detective with the Montgomery Police Department, he made the move to the FBI and became a lot more tight-lipped about his cases. I wasn't entirely sure what he did for the Feds but I knew it involved a lot of potentially high-profile cases that they actively tried to keep low-profile. Maddox's skills were put to good use, doing things like solving art theft rings and elaborate crimes that often landed him abroad. From what little information I gleaned from him, his new career seemed both exciting and tiresome.
Reassured that plenty of other people were already looking into the bank heist, I turned my attention to the Takahashi case. Knowing I hadn't given it as much thought as I should have since Charlie Sampson brought the bank case to the agency, I concentrated solely on it now. With Sophie safe in the hospital, only Austen and his foreman, Manny Ortega, were aware of my investigation so far. That was a small relief; if the prospective murderer were somewhere in the vicinity, that person wasn't aware anyone was on to them yet. Sophie's survival, however, was another concern and the danger she might have been in was far from over. I needed to learn more about the couple and their lives, and fast.
I spent an interesting half hour reading up about Austen. Like Solomon said, he was a largely self-made man although his parents were reasonably well off until they met with financial disaster. The many advantages available to him until then provided him with a headstart in life. As a rich person who temporarily became poor, he was still leagues ahead in opportunity than a person born into poverty.