Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free
Monday 12th June 17:25
"Hi guys" Steve greeted the usual trio who sat out on his fathers deck. He put down the stack of folders he'd been clutching and pulled out two seats as Cheryl entered a pace behind him and positioned herself between him and Jesse.
"Congratulations!" Amanda beamed leaning back in her chair "Your dad told us you aced the medical this morning."
Steve struggled to stifle his embarrassment "it was just a formality" he replied quietly but there were signs of relief in both his voice and his eyes as he answered.
Sensing his discomfort Cheryl changed the subject; "Mind if I take a look?" she asked, nodding towards the folders Steve had just put down.
He replied by taking the top folder and pushing it towards her. She opened the cover and began to skim the text as Jesse peered over her shoulder. For the benefit of his father and Amanda Steve explained, "the final report, chronicling the events leading up to Max's death. It's primarily based on the statements given by Matthew Green and Lexie, but obviously the details surrounding the shooting itself come from Luis' journal entries."
Cheryl nodded and summarised from the report; "the housekeeper, Alyson dropped Lexie and Luis off at school, her only duty before taking the day off. Corrine and Max both left the house not long after, she to go socialising and shopping, he to call in at one of his charity centres" she paused to read further on but Steve picked up the story which he obviously knew by heart;
"Meanwhile at SKE, Craig Emerson was busy giving Matthew Green the heave-ho in the vain hope that with him gone Max would agree to stay on board. Emerson had no way to buy half of Max's interest meaning Kent would have gained a controlling share in the company. If that happened, Emerson was sure Kent would gradually squeeze him out, something he couldn't afford. So, keeping Max at SKE seemed like Emerson's best hope, and he somehow convinced himself that Green was the problem so he sacked him"
Amanda nodded her understanding "that's when Green went to the house. He wanted Max to reason with Emerson, but the place was empty"
"So he called Lexie at school" Jesse jumped in "allegedly to check when Max would be back, but at some point the wheels started to turn and Green decided to rob the place instead."
"Lexie kindly furnished him with the code to the safe, Corrine had already given him the key and shown him how to use the alarm" Steve continued "and so he entered the house and opened the safe. He was disappointed by the lack of money but took it, along with the jewellery and business papers, and drove up the coast where he checked into a hotel and trawled through the documents hoping to find something valuable amongst them."
"But it was as he was driving away from the house" Mark wagged a finger "that Max returned home and recognised the car."
Jesse shrugged "at first the poor guy probably thought Green was over visiting Corrine again." He paused "but when he saw the empty safe it would have confused the hell out of him."
"So" Amanda questioned "at that point Max thought Corrine may have been involved in emptying the safe, and that's why he didn't call the police?"
Steve nodded "it would seem logical that he would wait to hear her side, but even if he suspected Green had worked alone Max had no desire to make his wife's infidelities public knowledge. He knew that if he called the police he'd have to explain how Green had access to the house."
"Blowing the cover of the perfect couple" Amanda sighed.
Cheryl turned a page and without looking up continued "as it was, Lexie came home from school, and not being much of an actress she couldn't hide her curiosity over what may have happened to lover boy."
"She let slip about her involvement with Green and the robbery" Jesse carried on "so from then on there was no chance of Max calling the police. Lexie stormed out after the argument and headed over to her friends place."
Mark shook his head morosely "and that's when Luis came home."
Breaking the silence that followed, Amanda prompted Mark, "Did you tell Steve about your meeting with Corrine Simmons?"
Steve's interest piqued instantly and Mark exhaled as he slowly obliged, "she caught me a little off guard," he admitted, going on to explain, "she was bordering on hostile to tell the truth."
"That's understandable Mark" Amanda assured him tenderly. "Corrine obviously still values your opinion and trusts you as a friend otherwise she wouldn't have invited you over. But she's been through so much, you've seen so much, that to a certain degree she's probably embarrassed."
"You have unearthed a few of Corrine's less commendable traits," Jesse reminded him.
"Failings" more like Steve chimed in as Cheryl closed the folder and turned her attention to the conversation at the table.
"Don't you think that's a little harsh?" Mark scolded gently. "The woman is still devastated. In case you've forgotten Corrine lost her husband and her son within a week of each other."
"A husband she cheated on at every opportunity and a son she kept a complete emotional detachment from" Steve replied angrily, shaking his head.
"But" Amanda intervened, hoping to nip this argument in the bud "she's trying to do the right thing by Lexie now"
"How so?" Steve asked sceptically.
"Corrine wanted some advice, about getting help for Lexie. The two of them still aren't getting along at all well. Lexie wants to go and live with her Uncle Alex but with his past record Corrine isn't happy about that. They both agree that them living under the same roof isn't going to improve the situation." Mark paused noticing the disgusted look that had crept across this sons face. He continued nevertheless "Corrine wanted to discuss the options available, counselling obviously, but also maybe placing Lexie with a foster family on a short term basis until they can build a better relationship."
Steve laughed downheartedly "when I first talked to Lexie I wondered how it was she hadn't ended up on the streets. The way Corrine is pushing her away I'd say she's getting a step closer every day."
"Sometimes, when there are problems with family dynamics, foster care is the best solution. It doesn't mean that the child is being rejected" Amanda argued heatedly.
Steve nodded "I know that, I just don't think Corrine and Lexie fall into that category. The way I see it Corrine is ashamed that her daughter is growing up in her image. Get rid of Lexie and she doesn't have to be reminded of her own short comings."
"Corrine has her daughters best interest at heart" Mark assured him authoritatively, "she's just confused."
Smiling, Steve reluctantly agreed, "OK, I can accept that. From day one Lexie has had me confused too. Even now I don't know if I want to arrest her or adopt her." Jesse and Cheryl chuckled. "I'm serious" Steve went on "On one hand you look at her and she's a sixteen year old child who's grown up watching her mother flaunt her lovers under her fathers nose. At least one of those men has taken advantage of her, her brother and father are dead, both in the most tragic of circumstances and now her mother is saying she can't find a way to help her that doesn't involve shipping her out of the family home."
"On the other hand?" Jesse asked expectantly
"On the other hand" Steve complied "she's a cold, calculating young woman who probably used Matthew Green as much as he used her. She played a key roll in the robbery and lied in the investigation into her fathers murder. While she really didn't believe that Matthew Green had shot her dad she remained silent about his presence and her own at the house that day, not because she was frightened of implicating herself in the murder, but because she still hoped that she and Green could get away with the money and be together."
"I say arrest her, adopt her" Mark placed his hands palm down on the table "anything, as long as she gets help somewhere along the line. The last thing any of us want to see happen is for Lexie to be left feeling guilty and abandoned like her brother did." With that sentiment echoed in everybody's minds the conversation around the table came to a close.