Chapter Thirteen: Surprise
“Thanks, Trix, I
know. I’m glad it’s over, too.” Honey found the door to the apartment foyer was
open, but at least this no longer seemed sinister. “Promise me you’ll leave
this to Dan now,” she added as headed up the stairs. “Yes, I will call you when
Brian gets here, but that won’t be for hours. Night. I love you, Trixie.” She
dropped her cell phone back into her purse and gave a sigh of relief as she
crossed the landing and inserted her key into the front door.
Once inside, she
kicked off her shoes and dropped her purse on the floor next to the sofa. She
removed her firearm from its holster and safely stored it in the bedroom
lockbox. With Evan Chambers in custody she would not need easy access to the
gun. The thought was decidedly cheering. Honey carried a gun because it was a
part of her job. She was well trained and careful and she understood why she
had one, but she didn’t really like it. Never had.
Showering and changing into comfortable clothes helped to ease some of the tension in her body. She made a pot of tea in one of her grandmother’s china pots, and once brewed, she carefully poured it into a matching cup and saucer. It was a civilized ritual. One that reminded her of soft, warm spring afternoons, sitting on her grandmother’s porch and being served tea, decidedly weaker than the brew she had just prepared, and eating sandwiches. Her father’s family had been well off, but not wealthy in the same way as the Harts, and she had felt more at ease with them. Her memories of those days before her grandmother passed away were among the happier of her childhood.
When she turned sixteen her parents had presented her with a number of pieces of jewelry and china sets and now she used the latter whenever she wanted to truly relax and savor a moment. Even as she engaged in the comforting ritual, it was still hard for her to accept that the man who had been behind all of their recent misfortune was a man she had willingly invited into their lives. She couldn’t help but feel guilty about that. Had she led him on? Given him cause to resent her the way he seemed to? But he’d resented the agency, too—the fact that they had not been able to twist the investigation to suit his purpose. He was used to winning. Used to being in control. So, why did she find the idea of him lurking around her building, spooking her, messing with her sleep patterns and sense of well-being, so hard to believe? Trixie had been right—his ego did not suffer failure or rejection well.
She pushed her golden hair back behind her ear, playing with the small silver and topaz teardrop that was part of the set Brian had given her for her last birthday. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she wished that he were here with her rather than still in transit. Still, she would have another cup of tea and look through the Country Living magazine she’d bought the day before. What could be more relaxing than tea and page upon page of casual, country rooms and treasures?
*
“So, Mr. Chambers, it looks like you have some explaining to do.” Detective Dan Mangan, propped himself on the edge of the desk, knowing that this man would not handle being looked down on—literally—well at all.
Predictably, Evan Chambers shifted in his seat and started to push it back. Dan placed a firm hand on his shoulder and shook his head. “Stay where you are.”
“I’d like an explanation for you dragging me in here,” Chambers demanded. “What exactly am I supposed to have done?”
Dan raised a dark brow. “Let’s start with harassment, vandalism and illegal disposal of vermin.” He’d made that last one up, but figured Chambers wouldn’t know that. “And we do have witnesses.”
“Look, I’m co-operating, aren’t I?” The dark-haired man asked sulkily. “And I don’t see what the big deal is anyway. ” He’d had a feeling someone had been watching when he dropped the package on the doorstep.
“Don’t you? Well, I have to say I see things differently.”
“Sure you do. You’re all pals, have been for years. I’m guessing that’s why I’m stuck in here with a detective, rather than being given a caution by some pimply faced junior policeman.”
Dan could almost feel the one-way glass at the other end of the room shake, and he forced himself to concentrate on the man in front of him and not on the enraged PI, who also happened to be one of his best friends, standing and watching the interview.
“You and I really are having a difference of opinion this evening,” Dan said laconically. He had learned over the years that most officers had a style of their own. His, it seemed, was to play it cool and laid back and then unleash. It gave the appearance of a loose cannon and for him, produced better results than going in hard right the start.
“Fine,” the other man said derisively. “I’ve put the pretty little noses of your girlfriend detectives out of joint—you got me. Now, let’s get this over with. We both know that once you get through laying whatever charges you can conjure up, I’ll be walking out of here and at the most end up with a slap on the wrist or some community service.” He’d phoned a lawyer friend, a fraternity buddy, on his way in, and after some prodding confessed his sins. He knew he wasn’t in any real trouble.
Dan jumped off the desk and swung his hand, just missing Chambers smug face. “You are really starting to piss me off,” he snarled.
There was a flicker of fear in the man’s eyes now as he drew back.
“If you think you are going to skate on this, you have another thing coming,” Dan continued, leaning in close. “I am going to nail your sleazy ass to the floor.”
“I want my lawyer,” Chambers stammered. He had declined counsel initially, saying he hadn’t done anything worth paying three hundred dollars an hour for.
“I can arrange that,” Dan said. “But like I told you when we brought you in, this is your one and only chance to work something out here. It’s up to you. I will book you in full view of the White Plains and Sleepyside media. I have them on speed dial.”
“Look...” Chambers had lost most of his bravado by now. The success of his business depended largely on his continuing ability to charm those around him. A public display of his true nature was the last thing he wanted. “I pulled a few pranks, probably a bad idea. But someone reminded me recently that your two friends could be taught a lesson or two.”
“Maybe you’re the one who needs a lesson,” Dan said grimly.
“I paid them good money to get a result and I got nothing,” Chambers whined. “And as for that frigid little Wheeler bitch—” He broke off as his chair was pushed with some force and he collided with the table.
“Sorry,” Dan said. “Wasn’t looking where I was going.” There was no doubt that Dan Mangan had a temper when pushed, but he knew exactly how far he could take things during an interrogation. He had never hit a suspect and didn’t intend starting now, as much as he wanted to. Now, a little furniture rearrangement—that was a whole other story.
“You go ahead and charge me,” Evan Chambers said finally. “A bit of vandalism is no big deal.”
“There’s a little more to it than that.” Dan said.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Can you believe this guy?” Jim Frayne paced back and forth in the viewing room, a place he technically had no right to be, but Dan wasn’t above pulling a few strings when it came to his friends.
Trixie crossed her arms and studied the scene playing out before them. “This doesn’t feel right,” she said.
“Well, no,” Jim said. “This guy has been targeting you and Honey. He’s put you both in danger and he still seems to think he can just talk or buy his way out of trouble. I hate guys like that.”
“Not too fond myself,” Trixie agreed, narrowing her blue eyes. “But he’s really not worried and though I hate to admit it, the man is not a total idiot. Running me off the road, attacking Honey…that’s not stuff he’s going to walk away from.”
“Then why did he confess?”
“That’s a very good question, and the more I think about it the more I don’t like the answer.” Trixie turned and headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” Jim asked.
“I’m going to see if our friend Brett is still here having his statement taken. I think there might be a couple of pieces of the puzzle missing.”
“I’m coming with you.”
Trixie opened her mouth to argue and then caught sight of the set of her husband’s jaw.
“I’m coming with you or I’m calling Honey and getting her to come down,” Jim said, playing his ace card.
The last thing Trixie wanted to do was stop her friend from getting much needed rest. “Okay,” she said. “You’re deputized.”
“This might not be the time to mention this,” he said as he took her arm. “But you’re not actually a sheriff, you know.”
Trixie managed a smile in response but he could see that look in her eyes and knew that the night was far from over.
*
“Look, everything’s under control. Jim said they’d call once they’d finished at the station. But Trixie and Honey are both now safe and sound, and this whole thing can be put behind them.” Mart dropped down onto the sofa beside his wife and slid an arm around her shoulders.
“I guess you’re right. I just feel kind of jumpy,” Diana said. “This whole thing has felt off, right from the start.”
“Are you still thinking about ‘creepy Brett’?” Mart smiled at her. “Jim said he’d been pretty helpful.”
“I don’t know. I mean I found him creepy, but maybe Honey was right. He’s more odd than scary. I don’t know that I thought he was behind what was going on. He didn’t really seem that bright.”
“Well, he’s been filling in some blanks from what I can gather. Something about not realizing what was really going on and how the teenager thing was a mistake, but now he knows who it really was.”
“Evan Chambers?” Diana repeated the name her husband had given her a little earlier.
“He does fit. He’s arrogant and egotistical. He was pissed at Trixie and Honey for not giving him ammunition against his former partner, and especially unhappy that Honey repudiated his advances.” He caught the look on her face. “Sorry, it just seems the right word.”
“I know he’s not a ‘nice guy’,” Diana said. “Even Daddy made a comment when he found out that Honey had dated him. But by that time she’d already worked out he wasn’t right for her, so when I pressed him, he just said he wouldn’t trust the man.”
“Well, that fits, doesn’t it?”
“Does it?” Di countered. “According to Daddy, his practices were, are, suspect but he was way too clever to do anything too outside of the law if you know what I mean.”
“I’m not sure I do.” Mart frowned.
“Oh, ignore me. Trixie and Honey are the detectives and if they’re satisfied…”
Mart did not tell her what Jim said about Honey still being in denial. It wasn’t relevant, was it? “Let’s go through the photos from your party like we planned,” he suggested. “We can work out which ones we want to get reprinted and framed for your parents and mine and the aunts and uncles and the honorary aunts and uncles.”
Diana smiled. “I’m guessing you’re referring to those that include our handsome son?”
“He will be in high demand,” Mart conceded. “But it’s been a while since we had an all Bob-White photo, so that might be nice for our records.”
She nodded and picked up the display album from the side table. She opened it and the two began to go through the proofs, smiling and making notes as they went.
“That’s a great one of the Bob-Whites,” Di said tapping one with her manicured nail. “And that one of Trixie and Jim and Brian, this one of you and Dan cooking, and this one of Honey by herself…” Diana’s voice trailed off. “Mart…” she said softly. “I think they’ve made a mistake.” Her finger hovered over the shot and she and Mart exchanged looks. “I’ll phone the station,” Mart said.
“Hurry.”
*
Honey must have drifted off to sleep. Her eyes opened at the sound of a tapping on her door. She blinked a couple of times, wondering if she’d been asleep so long that Brian had arrived, but then surely he would use his key? She scrambled off the sofa, waiting for the pounding in her heart to stop, reminding herself that the man who had been harassing her and Trixie was safely down at the station with Dan and Trixie. Habit made her check the peephole, and when she saw who was on the other side of her door, she frowned, but was not unduly perturbed. She undid the bolts and opened the door.
“Hello, I’m surprised to see you.”
“I hope it’s okay for me to drop by. I heard what had happened and just wanted to check on you.”
“That was sweet, thank you.”
“Can I come in or am I disturbing you?”
“No, of course not. I could use a cup of tea actually. Would you like one?”
“I’d love it. If it’s not too much trouble and if your boyfriend won’t mind.”
“Oh, Brian isn’t here at the moment. He should be in late tonight but his original flight from Chicago was cancelled, so he had to delay his departure.”
“What a pity.”
He followed Honey into the apartment, closing the door behind them.
Honey crossed to the small kitchen, flicked the kettle on and reached into the overhead cupboard for china mugs, noting as she glanced at the kitchen clock that she’d only been asleep for a short time.
“This is such a nice, simple place,” he observed. “Very different to what you grew up with.”
“That’s certainly true,” Honey agreed.
“I suppose once Brian is here permanently that you’ll move to something bigger.”
“Not right away. We’re happy to stay here for a while.” Honey poured the tea and, setting the mugs and a small jug of milk on a tray, carried it through and placed it on the coffee table.
She took a seat on the sofa and after a moment he sat in the chair opposite. “You still look tired,” he said.
“I know,” Honey admitted. “I’ve had way too many disrupted nights lately.”
“I’m sorry about that.”
Honey laughed. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for.”
He sighed and set his mug of tea down on the small end table. “If only you’d realized. Seen the way things were meant to be. I mean even now, where is your boyfriend? Here, looking after you? No. You’ll never come first with him.”
“What?” Honey wasn’t sure if it was the effects of her brief nap scrambling her brain, but his words seemed off kilter.
“You really do look tired,” he repeated. “I wonder if you know how many sleepless, restless nights I endured because of you. I had to return the favor.”
This time she understood him. “You had to…” she repeated, trying to fit the pieces together.
“Yes, I’m afraid just like your troublesome teen, Evan Chambers is a…what’s the technical term? Patsy?”
“Then you…” Honey knew she was stammering but couldn’t seem to help herself. “All along…it’s been you.”
Steve Paton nodded his fair head and drew a small pistol, waving it at her and smiling. “That’s right, Honey. All along it’s been me.”
MPD:MAIN NEXT
Word Count: 2718
Author's Notes: Thanks to Dana's awesome editing skills this makes more sense than it did when I sent it to her. Hugs. All remaining confusion and errors are mine alone. Additionally, I have again taken liberties here with law enforcement and other things, too, in all probability. Apologies. Trixie Belden et al belong to Random House and not to me. Not that they ever did much with Brian, so I should get a little piece of him for myself. No profit is being made from these scribblings.
Showering and changing into comfortable clothes helped to ease some of the tension in her body. She made a pot of tea in one of her grandmother’s china pots, and once brewed, she carefully poured it into a matching cup and saucer. It was a civilized ritual. One that reminded her of soft, warm spring afternoons, sitting on her grandmother’s porch and being served tea, decidedly weaker than the brew she had just prepared, and eating sandwiches. Her father’s family had been well off, but not wealthy in the same way as the Harts, and she had felt more at ease with them. Her memories of those days before her grandmother passed away were among the happier of her childhood.
When she turned sixteen her parents had presented her with a number of pieces of jewelry and china sets and now she used the latter whenever she wanted to truly relax and savor a moment. Even as she engaged in the comforting ritual, it was still hard for her to accept that the man who had been behind all of their recent misfortune was a man she had willingly invited into their lives. She couldn’t help but feel guilty about that. Had she led him on? Given him cause to resent her the way he seemed to? But he’d resented the agency, too—the fact that they had not been able to twist the investigation to suit his purpose. He was used to winning. Used to being in control. So, why did she find the idea of him lurking around her building, spooking her, messing with her sleep patterns and sense of well-being, so hard to believe? Trixie had been right—his ego did not suffer failure or rejection well.
She pushed her golden hair back behind her ear, playing with the small silver and topaz teardrop that was part of the set Brian had given her for her last birthday. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she wished that he were here with her rather than still in transit. Still, she would have another cup of tea and look through the Country Living magazine she’d bought the day before. What could be more relaxing than tea and page upon page of casual, country rooms and treasures?
*
“So, Mr. Chambers, it looks like you have some explaining to do.” Detective Dan Mangan, propped himself on the edge of the desk, knowing that this man would not handle being looked down on—literally—well at all.
Predictably, Evan Chambers shifted in his seat and started to push it back. Dan placed a firm hand on his shoulder and shook his head. “Stay where you are.”
“I’d like an explanation for you dragging me in here,” Chambers demanded. “What exactly am I supposed to have done?”
Dan raised a dark brow. “Let’s start with harassment, vandalism and illegal disposal of vermin.” He’d made that last one up, but figured Chambers wouldn’t know that. “And we do have witnesses.”
“Look, I’m co-operating, aren’t I?” The dark-haired man asked sulkily. “And I don’t see what the big deal is anyway. ” He’d had a feeling someone had been watching when he dropped the package on the doorstep.
“Don’t you? Well, I have to say I see things differently.”
“Sure you do. You’re all pals, have been for years. I’m guessing that’s why I’m stuck in here with a detective, rather than being given a caution by some pimply faced junior policeman.”
Dan could almost feel the one-way glass at the other end of the room shake, and he forced himself to concentrate on the man in front of him and not on the enraged PI, who also happened to be one of his best friends, standing and watching the interview.
“You and I really are having a difference of opinion this evening,” Dan said laconically. He had learned over the years that most officers had a style of their own. His, it seemed, was to play it cool and laid back and then unleash. It gave the appearance of a loose cannon and for him, produced better results than going in hard right the start.
“Fine,” the other man said derisively. “I’ve put the pretty little noses of your girlfriend detectives out of joint—you got me. Now, let’s get this over with. We both know that once you get through laying whatever charges you can conjure up, I’ll be walking out of here and at the most end up with a slap on the wrist or some community service.” He’d phoned a lawyer friend, a fraternity buddy, on his way in, and after some prodding confessed his sins. He knew he wasn’t in any real trouble.
Dan jumped off the desk and swung his hand, just missing Chambers smug face. “You are really starting to piss me off,” he snarled.
There was a flicker of fear in the man’s eyes now as he drew back.
“If you think you are going to skate on this, you have another thing coming,” Dan continued, leaning in close. “I am going to nail your sleazy ass to the floor.”
“I want my lawyer,” Chambers stammered. He had declined counsel initially, saying he hadn’t done anything worth paying three hundred dollars an hour for.
“I can arrange that,” Dan said. “But like I told you when we brought you in, this is your one and only chance to work something out here. It’s up to you. I will book you in full view of the White Plains and Sleepyside media. I have them on speed dial.”
“Look...” Chambers had lost most of his bravado by now. The success of his business depended largely on his continuing ability to charm those around him. A public display of his true nature was the last thing he wanted. “I pulled a few pranks, probably a bad idea. But someone reminded me recently that your two friends could be taught a lesson or two.”
“Maybe you’re the one who needs a lesson,” Dan said grimly.
“I paid them good money to get a result and I got nothing,” Chambers whined. “And as for that frigid little Wheeler bitch—” He broke off as his chair was pushed with some force and he collided with the table.
“Sorry,” Dan said. “Wasn’t looking where I was going.” There was no doubt that Dan Mangan had a temper when pushed, but he knew exactly how far he could take things during an interrogation. He had never hit a suspect and didn’t intend starting now, as much as he wanted to. Now, a little furniture rearrangement—that was a whole other story.
“You go ahead and charge me,” Evan Chambers said finally. “A bit of vandalism is no big deal.”
“There’s a little more to it than that.” Dan said.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Can you believe this guy?” Jim Frayne paced back and forth in the viewing room, a place he technically had no right to be, but Dan wasn’t above pulling a few strings when it came to his friends.
Trixie crossed her arms and studied the scene playing out before them. “This doesn’t feel right,” she said.
“Well, no,” Jim said. “This guy has been targeting you and Honey. He’s put you both in danger and he still seems to think he can just talk or buy his way out of trouble. I hate guys like that.”
“Not too fond myself,” Trixie agreed, narrowing her blue eyes. “But he’s really not worried and though I hate to admit it, the man is not a total idiot. Running me off the road, attacking Honey…that’s not stuff he’s going to walk away from.”
“Then why did he confess?”
“That’s a very good question, and the more I think about it the more I don’t like the answer.” Trixie turned and headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” Jim asked.
“I’m going to see if our friend Brett is still here having his statement taken. I think there might be a couple of pieces of the puzzle missing.”
“I’m coming with you.”
Trixie opened her mouth to argue and then caught sight of the set of her husband’s jaw.
“I’m coming with you or I’m calling Honey and getting her to come down,” Jim said, playing his ace card.
The last thing Trixie wanted to do was stop her friend from getting much needed rest. “Okay,” she said. “You’re deputized.”
“This might not be the time to mention this,” he said as he took her arm. “But you’re not actually a sheriff, you know.”
Trixie managed a smile in response but he could see that look in her eyes and knew that the night was far from over.
*
“Look, everything’s under control. Jim said they’d call once they’d finished at the station. But Trixie and Honey are both now safe and sound, and this whole thing can be put behind them.” Mart dropped down onto the sofa beside his wife and slid an arm around her shoulders.
“I guess you’re right. I just feel kind of jumpy,” Diana said. “This whole thing has felt off, right from the start.”
“Are you still thinking about ‘creepy Brett’?” Mart smiled at her. “Jim said he’d been pretty helpful.”
“I don’t know. I mean I found him creepy, but maybe Honey was right. He’s more odd than scary. I don’t know that I thought he was behind what was going on. He didn’t really seem that bright.”
“Well, he’s been filling in some blanks from what I can gather. Something about not realizing what was really going on and how the teenager thing was a mistake, but now he knows who it really was.”
“Evan Chambers?” Diana repeated the name her husband had given her a little earlier.
“He does fit. He’s arrogant and egotistical. He was pissed at Trixie and Honey for not giving him ammunition against his former partner, and especially unhappy that Honey repudiated his advances.” He caught the look on her face. “Sorry, it just seems the right word.”
“I know he’s not a ‘nice guy’,” Diana said. “Even Daddy made a comment when he found out that Honey had dated him. But by that time she’d already worked out he wasn’t right for her, so when I pressed him, he just said he wouldn’t trust the man.”
“Well, that fits, doesn’t it?”
“Does it?” Di countered. “According to Daddy, his practices were, are, suspect but he was way too clever to do anything too outside of the law if you know what I mean.”
“I’m not sure I do.” Mart frowned.
“Oh, ignore me. Trixie and Honey are the detectives and if they’re satisfied…”
Mart did not tell her what Jim said about Honey still being in denial. It wasn’t relevant, was it? “Let’s go through the photos from your party like we planned,” he suggested. “We can work out which ones we want to get reprinted and framed for your parents and mine and the aunts and uncles and the honorary aunts and uncles.”
Diana smiled. “I’m guessing you’re referring to those that include our handsome son?”
“He will be in high demand,” Mart conceded. “But it’s been a while since we had an all Bob-White photo, so that might be nice for our records.”
She nodded and picked up the display album from the side table. She opened it and the two began to go through the proofs, smiling and making notes as they went.
“That’s a great one of the Bob-Whites,” Di said tapping one with her manicured nail. “And that one of Trixie and Jim and Brian, this one of you and Dan cooking, and this one of Honey by herself…” Diana’s voice trailed off. “Mart…” she said softly. “I think they’ve made a mistake.” Her finger hovered over the shot and she and Mart exchanged looks. “I’ll phone the station,” Mart said.
“Hurry.”
*
Honey must have drifted off to sleep. Her eyes opened at the sound of a tapping on her door. She blinked a couple of times, wondering if she’d been asleep so long that Brian had arrived, but then surely he would use his key? She scrambled off the sofa, waiting for the pounding in her heart to stop, reminding herself that the man who had been harassing her and Trixie was safely down at the station with Dan and Trixie. Habit made her check the peephole, and when she saw who was on the other side of her door, she frowned, but was not unduly perturbed. She undid the bolts and opened the door.
“Hello, I’m surprised to see you.”
“I hope it’s okay for me to drop by. I heard what had happened and just wanted to check on you.”
“That was sweet, thank you.”
“Can I come in or am I disturbing you?”
“No, of course not. I could use a cup of tea actually. Would you like one?”
“I’d love it. If it’s not too much trouble and if your boyfriend won’t mind.”
“Oh, Brian isn’t here at the moment. He should be in late tonight but his original flight from Chicago was cancelled, so he had to delay his departure.”
“What a pity.”
He followed Honey into the apartment, closing the door behind them.
Honey crossed to the small kitchen, flicked the kettle on and reached into the overhead cupboard for china mugs, noting as she glanced at the kitchen clock that she’d only been asleep for a short time.
“This is such a nice, simple place,” he observed. “Very different to what you grew up with.”
“That’s certainly true,” Honey agreed.
“I suppose once Brian is here permanently that you’ll move to something bigger.”
“Not right away. We’re happy to stay here for a while.” Honey poured the tea and, setting the mugs and a small jug of milk on a tray, carried it through and placed it on the coffee table.
She took a seat on the sofa and after a moment he sat in the chair opposite. “You still look tired,” he said.
“I know,” Honey admitted. “I’ve had way too many disrupted nights lately.”
“I’m sorry about that.”
Honey laughed. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for.”
He sighed and set his mug of tea down on the small end table. “If only you’d realized. Seen the way things were meant to be. I mean even now, where is your boyfriend? Here, looking after you? No. You’ll never come first with him.”
“What?” Honey wasn’t sure if it was the effects of her brief nap scrambling her brain, but his words seemed off kilter.
“You really do look tired,” he repeated. “I wonder if you know how many sleepless, restless nights I endured because of you. I had to return the favor.”
This time she understood him. “You had to…” she repeated, trying to fit the pieces together.
“Yes, I’m afraid just like your troublesome teen, Evan Chambers is a…what’s the technical term? Patsy?”
“Then you…” Honey knew she was stammering but couldn’t seem to help herself. “All along…it’s been you.”
Steve Paton nodded his fair head and drew a small pistol, waving it at her and smiling. “That’s right, Honey. All along it’s been me.”
MPD:MAIN NEXT
Word Count: 2718
Author's Notes: Thanks to Dana's awesome editing skills this makes more sense than it did when I sent it to her. Hugs. All remaining confusion and errors are mine alone. Additionally, I have again taken liberties here with law enforcement and other things, too, in all probability. Apologies. Trixie Belden et al belong to Random House and not to me. Not that they ever did much with Brian, so I should get a little piece of him for myself. No profit is being made from these scribblings.
