Going East (A Lacy Calvin Mystery)

Prologue: The darkest shade of Blackmail

I was generally a reformed woman, but every now and then, I could revert to my bad girl ways to survive. Which is why I only weighed my options for about ten minutes before committing my first breaking and entering charge. I had a lot to lose and not a lot of inhibitions, so I found myself in the predicament of facing felony charges.

I jiggled the doorknob with the double pronged bobby pin, waiting for the click. I sincerely hoped that Alex's advice on how to break in was correct. The door clicked and I popped it open, swinging into through the entrance like Catwoman. Ok, so I was more of a drunken maniac than I was like Catwoman, but I needed some liquid courage to get the job done. I listened for sounds or signs of human activity, but I heard none. I walked in, heading for the area I intended to find straight away. The closet was right where he said it was, and my blood pumped as I walked over with a fury in my footsteps. A million thoughts went through my head, what if I get caught, or arrested? Or even worse, what if that I didn't recover that tape? I didn't have time for my misgivings, since I'd already broken in. I opened the closet door, finding nothing but stacks and stacks of shoes. I exhaled deeply, wondering where the trap door was hiding behind the wide array of beautiful leather. I started carefully removing them until I found a small handle in the middle, behind a worn pair of boots no one would actually want to wear anymore.

I moved the other shoes and pulled on the handle, finding a hidden compartment behind the actual closet space. It opened up easily, and there was a big chest inside. I hope my tape is in there. I grabbed it and set it down beside me. Logically, I should have taken the whole chest with me and busted out of the apartment, but I wasn't always logical. I was curious, deathly curious, and I couldn't wait to see what inside. I slowly opened the chest, seeing a bundle of manila envelopes with names. One of the thicker files had the name Lacy Calvin on the front, and when I picked it up, I could definitely feel the distinctive markings of a DVD case inside. There were some other papers, and I stashed the files in my giant purse, feeling relieved. My secrets were mine to keep again. I couldn't help but wonder who else was in the chest. Who else was being blackmailed, and what had they done? I grabbed a file at random, noticing how the name sounded familiar but I couldn't place it.

"Reed McIntire," I said to myself. "Oh my god, he's a Senator."

I opened up his file unable to resist looking inside. I saw some pictures, grainy but definitely recognizable, of the senator in bed with another man. There was also a note in his file, a list of dates followed by numbers. July twentieth, paid $10,000. So all of the people in this chest had been blackmailed, except for me.

I decided that risking the break in charges was worth it. This chest had almost twenty envelopes, which meant over twenty people were being harassed and bullied by this creep. I closed the chest and picked it up, turning around to head for the door. One quick trip to the precinct, and this whole mess would be over. Everyone would know the truth, and the accusations against me would be cleared. The sound of the front door slamming startled me out of my thoughts as I stared into the eyes of the blackmailer.

"Lacy Calvin," they said slowly. "Why am I not surprised? You never did know how to stay out of trouble."

"You won't get away with this," I said. "I'm going to the police, and you can't stop me."

"That's where you're wrong, sweetheart," they said, pulling out a gun and aiming it directly at my forehead. "I always get my mark. And that tape of yours will be worth twice as much when you're dead."