Chapter Ten: "A Second Chance"

Instead of Lucas Solowsky being unable to sleep, my own curse had turned its ugly head on me. I had a night full of worries, ideas, and regrets and went to the agency the next morning in a rather grumpy mood. I considered myself a fairly upbeat person, but the difficulties of this case were really starting to get me down.

"Whoa. Who pissed in your Corn Flakes this morning?"

I really wasn't in the mood for Iris' wit and got right to the subject of one of the causes for my sleepless night.

"Has Mr. Quinn gotten back with us yet?"

If I'd understood him correctly, this was only supposed to be a one-day fishing outing. It was now day number three with no word from him.

"Actually, he did," Iris answered, reaching for her notepad. "This is the number he left for you in case you needed him."

I looked at the note before gazing at Iris with a puzzled expression. "Did he say when he'd be back?"

"Not really. He just said something about the fish biting and he'd come back when that was no longer the case."

That didn't sound like Mr. Quinn at all. This detective agency was his pride and joy. I'd never known him to neglect his business for pleasure. Unless…

"Did he sound extraordinarily cheerful when he called?"

Iris looked at me skeptically. She knew me well enough to figure out what I was getting at.

"No. Really? You think he met someone during his fishing trip? Perhaps it was a mermaid, Ben! He jumped overboard and swam off with a fish-woman! That's it! We need to call the Coast Guard!"

Iris was obviously angry with me because of her disappearing lunch. Perhaps I should pick something up for her later.

"You worry too much," she told me before returning her attention to her bookkeeping matters. "By the way, Ami wants to see you." Iris jabbed her pencil in the direction of Quinn's office. "And you owe me lunch by the way."

Her comment had come after I'd already left her desk. I chose to ignore it for the time being. I headed straight to Quinn's office, bypassing the hot pot of coffee along the way.

"Good morning," I told Ami before kissing her.

"Good morning to you. Looks like you've got the grumpies."

Was it really that obvious? I'd showered and shaved this morning and even remembered to brush my teeth.

"Here," she said, presenting me with a cup of black coffee, just the way I liked it.

"Thank you," I said before sipping a few mouthfuls. Already, I was beginning to feel better. Whether it was the hot, caffeinated beverage or Ami's company, I wasn't sure. Maybe it was a mixture of both. "What brings you in here so early?"

She smiled at me before motioning to the sofa. If she was suggesting a make-out session, it was a little early in the day for that, but I was agreeable. One would definitely improve my mood. However, when she sat down next to me, turned toward me, and grasped my hand, I figured I wasn't going to be that lucky.

"I have some bad news."

Great. That's all this week had offered me! I silently motioned for her to continue.

"There was another murder last night, in the apartment where Hank Solowsky, Jr. lived."

Seriously? But what did that have to do with us? Unless it was something pertaining to the case. Oh no…

"Don't tell me. Josephine Newman?"

"How did you know?" Ami squeezed my hand in support. "I'm so sorry, Ben. She was the only witness we had, and now she's gone."

I deal with death all the time. It was a big part of my job. However, I didn't expect to have to deal with this one in addition to the other. It was too much!

"I just spoke with her yesterday!" I blurted out before jumping up from the couch to pace. I could no longer sit still and simply allow things like this to happen!

"She was a little nuts, to be sure, but she was healthy! At least she appeared to be! Who phoned it in?"

"Chief Dunn," Ami answered. "Apparently, the police had discovered she may be an important witness for the state, but when they went to interview her, they found her dead in her apartment."

Holy… "She was an eyewitness."

"Yes, that's what you already told me."

My sudden stillness was most likely worrying Ami, but I'd just had a disturbing realization.

I turned round to look at her concerned face. "What's the matter?"

"Everything! I spoke with Lucas at the art gallery last night. I told him I had an eyewitness who saw him leave Hank Jr.'s apartment, and that he needed to turn himself into the police. I practically put a welcome mat outside Mrs. Newman's door! This is all my fault!"

Ami was immediately on her feet and put her hands on either side of my face. "Look at me. No, it isn't. Just as the death of Hank Jr. isn't either. You can't control someone else's actions, Ben. You can't influence a normal person to commit murder. If Lucas Solowsky is indeed guilty of both these crimes, we have to assume he isn't normal. There's something really wrong with him. Ben, you have no choice now but to stop him by proving what he's done. You're the only one who can."

Her confidence in me was astounding. Even with all the mistakes I make and my other numerous faults, she still loved me. Sister Margaret, one of the nuns at the orphanage would be shocked to hear about it. I hate to disappoint you, Sister, but somebody loves me. Somebody who is beautiful and intelligent loves me. That's all that matters, really.

I removed Ami's hands from my face and wrapped my arms around her to hold her tight.

"I don't know what I said, but I'm glad I said it," she quietly spoke while her head rested against my chest.

I held onto her for several minutes, simply allowing powerful emotions to wash over me, carrying away all my fear, guilt, and doubt. When I finally released her, the world seemed a little bit brighter and my mood had improved substantially. No matter what happened with this case, I could hold my head up, knowing that I had done my best. And that's all anyone could ask for.

"I love you," I told her earnestly. "I'm so glad you're a part of my life."

Again, I drew her close and planted a kiss on top of her head. I could feel her body shaking and realized she was laughing. She lifted her head and wore a tearful grin.

"If this is the result of delivering bad news, I'll be sure to do it more often."

"Please don't. My heart can't take much more. I've got to get to Mrs. Newman's apartment."

Ami tiptoed up and kissed me soundly on the mouth. "I love you too," she whispered afterward. "Check in with me later. I want to know what happened."

"I will," I promised, although I already knew what had happened. The trouble was, I now had something else to prove."