So the goon's out of the loop and Lemkin's behind bars. Serves him right. Now I just gotta get to whoever's holding Logan across town. Probably some new flunky this guy didn't even know about whose strings Lemkin's pulling from prison. What's Lemkin's beef, anyway? Eyes Only hasn't exposed him yet. At least not as far as I know.

The disturbing thought that Lemkin knew something about Eyes Only that Max didn't was interrupted by the sound of a car phone ringing beside her. She hit the speakerphone button but didn't say a word. It was best to let whoever was calling think she was the goon and start talking. The caller might give her some information she could use.

"Hey. I'm staying later. Go ahead and lock up the warehouse, and I'll see you in the morning." The click came and the call ended before Max's dumbfounded brain even formed the thought.

Logan!

That was his voice. Apparently he was fine. Max's immense relief was soon followed by confusion. How was that possible? Logan contacting Lemkin's goon, and sounding friendly? Wait a minute. The goon's words bounced in Max's head--"I'm reduced to jacking cars for cash"--and she realized Logan hadn't been calling the goon. He had been calling the owner of the car. Max pulled to a stop and checked the registration in the glove box.

Marianne Cale.

Max had to sit by the side of the road and swallow the enormity of what had just happened. What were the chances Max would just happen to see Lemkin's former right-hand man steal what just happened to be Marianne's car from a warehouse Max had just happened to be checking out at the time? Apparently those chances were better than she would have thought. Why was Marianne's car at the warehouse? She must have been inside.

Well, if Logan's fine...thank God...then maybe Marianne can tell me where the hell he is.

After a quick U-turn, Max headed back the way she came.

*******************************

As she approached the warehouse, Max could see Marianne pacing around outside, cell phone to her ear and visibly angry. When she spotted the car, though, Marianne's face flooded with relief. She spoke a few quick words into the phone and hung up as Max pulled up next to her.

She must've seen the goon take the car, Max thought as she opened the door, or else she'd be accusing me of taking it.

"Max Guevara! Right?" Marianne exclaimed when Max was out of the car. Max nodded and Logan's new cousin went on. "Maybe you don't remember me. I'm Marianne. We met at Bennett's and my wedding."

"Of course I remember you. You were the bride," Max replied, surprised that Marianne remembered her. There had been a million people at the wedding and they had spoken to each other for all of five minutes. "I'm impressed you know who I am. Pretty good to recognize almost a total stranger months later."

"Well, Logan said you'd show up eventually," Marianne grinned. "I just didn't expect you to do it in my car! Thank God you got it back. That jerkwad took off with it just as I was getting outside. How did you do it?"

Max had to smile at the way Marianne was stroking the car, checking for damage and looking rather affectionate. Reminded her of the way she treated her own baby. "Just dumb luck, I guess."

"Well, however you did it..." Marianne said gratefully, looking straight at Max, "...thank you."

Max smiled. "You're welcome."

"Is there anything I can do for you? I want to repay you somehow."

From any other member of Logan's snobby family, that might've been a condescending offer to a social inferior. From Marianne, however, somehow it felt sincere. "Yeah...I guess there is. You could tell me where Logan's been hiding himself lately. He left you a message on your car phone and it was the first time I've heard his voice all week."

"You're kidding. He managed to stay away from you all this time?" Marianne grinned, and Max started to recognize the look on her face as one she had seen quite often Original Cindy's. This one didn't have the smirk, though, and for that she was glad. "He must've realized that's the only way he could keep from giving away the secret."

"There's a secret?"

"Not anymore. Logan said you'd find out eventually, and here you are."

The look of frustration must have been showing on Max's face, because the next thing she knew, Marianne was gesturing her inside.

******************************

A rec center. They were planning a rec center.

"For sector two," Marianne said. "Full of decent kids, but broke. There's not too much for poor kids to do in that area, and what was there two years ago burned down. They need someplace to go, hang out, be normal kids."

Max knew that feeling.

"I've been wanting to do this for a long time, but never had the money to do anything about it. As soon as we were married Bennett offered to help me put this plan in motion."

Marianne excitedly pointed at some drawings on a table in the corner Max had peered at earlier. If the guards hadn't gotten in her face so quickly, she probably would have seen Marianne among the little crowd. Figures it wouldn't have been that easy.

Those same guards were courteous to her now, albeit a little wary. Marianne had told her that she and her peeps had hired the guards to keep them safe while they made their plans from the warehouse. Max understood that part now. But how was Logan involved?

Marianne took one glance at Max's face and grinned knowingly. Was she that transparent? "We asked Logan to help out with the computer networking and the press releases...when we're ready for them. Nobody's supposed to know about this just yet. We figured it'd be better if we could present it to the community all at once. Like a giant Christmas present."

"In June."

Marianne nodded. "I'm sorry to leave you in the dark like this. Bennett and I swore Logan to secrecy." She put a hand on Max's arm and somehow Max knew she meant every word she said. "He knows you too well, though. He tried to tell us you'd find out. Says you go after what you want. Is he right?"

Well, I guess I wouldn't be standing here if I didn't. "Yeah...I guess he is." Suddenly she grew uncomfortable under the knowing gaze with which Marianne regarded her. "Look, do you know where he is right now?"

"Probably over at the rec center. He's been spending a lot of time there. Now that the building is finished and the grand opening is coming up, we spend more time there than we do here. Bennett's leaving there right now, in fact. Look, Max..."

Max, who had already turned for the door, spun on her heel to look back at Marianne. She was rolling up the drawings and pulling out some keys, presumably to lock up the warehouse. "Can I trust you not to tell anyone about this?"

Once again, Max couldn't help but smile. "I don't tell secrets."