Page 99 of The Me I Left Behind

“Ah,” Julia said. “Generational wealth and the southern good ol’ boy network can get you everywhere.”

“Exactly. And since the accident happened here, in North Carolina, with North Carolina judges presiding, and all that, well… The Olivers definitely had the upper hand. The McDowell charges were dropped after a few years, right before they were headed into trial. That was 2005, about the time Max and I got married—also the same time Max and his father had a major falling out.”

Julia stared. It was almost like Maggie could see the cogs clicking in her head. “So, family upheaval, a lawsuit settlement, plus a marriage with a baby on the way—all at once. Triple threat, some might say.”

“Yes. Seems so.”

“The plot thickens.”

Julia moved across the room to grab her purse and keys. “Let’s talk more on the way to the storage facility.”

“Right.”

They hashed and rehashed what they knew for the twenty-minute drive back to Two Gals Storage. Julia drove straight to the unit. They both jumped out of her SUV and Maggie unlocked the door, flinging it open.

It rolled back with a bang and then rocked back to settle into place. The thud it made echoed loudly in the storage unit.

Empty.

Both women stood there, staring into the void.

“Son-of-a-bitch,” Maggie murmured. “He has eyes everywhere.”

They didn’t discussthe empty storage unit until much later in the evening.

After picking the kids up from school, they ordered Chinese takeout, compliments of Julia, and then started moving things out of the office while Chloe finished her selfie art project.

Every time Maggie looked at Carol, she thought about the woman Max had married. He was the one who had mentioned the name Caroline when they’d discussed baby names. He’d told her then that it reminded him of “the Carolinas,” meaning thestate where they lived—and subsequently, a Carolina state of mind, easy and laid back.

Now, she knew differently.

And fuck him, their daughter possessed nothing close to an easygoing, laid back, state of mind.That backfired, didn’t it, Max?

While Max’s previous marriage was a bit of a shocker, she was more concerned about what came after—and wondered how all that had affected Max over the years. Could the death of this woman have been the reason for his detachment? His desire for control? His anger? His inability to care about people? To love?

Or was he simply built that way?

She might never know.

She was glad for the pause in the action, so to speak, and to spend a little time with the kids. While they were doing mindless tasks, filling boxes with books and dragging items to the garage, her mind wandered aimlessly over all she’d learned the past few hours.

“You know, earlier,” Maggie said to Julia, “when we found the death certificate and marriage license, I had a strange feeling about the date of Caroline’s death. There’s something familiar about it, but I can’t put my finger on it.”

“Oh? Tell me more.” Julia moved a box of books to a corner of the room.

Maggie shrugged. “Not sure. It’s no one’s birthday I know of, or any other significant day, but June 18 is something… I just need to think about it longer, probably.”

“Well, if you remember, let me know. Okay?”

“Sure.”

Julia reached for something behind the desk. “So, now that the kids are all upstairs, and hopefully down for the count until morning, how about if we open this bottle of wine I found in your kitchen and ponder some next steps?”

“I’ll get the glasses.”

When Maggie returned from the kitchen, she found Julia sitting cross-legged on the desk, opening the Bordeaux. She approached and set the glasses on the desktop, then joined Julia, facing her. “Max’s favorite. Let’s drink to the slimy sucker.”

Julia laughed. “You drink. I have this diet pop over here. Remember? I’m the alcoholic in the room.”