The Marriage of Nathan West

The Witness

No matter what she said, Maxie couldn't dissuade Nathan from leaving her to wait at the hotel. It wasn't that she necessarily wanted to confront his ex-girlfriend, but it was better than sitting around waiting for a cop to show up and question her. Eric was nice enough but she wanted the comfort of Nathan's presence.

After Nathan left for Chelsea's apartment, Eric started up a conversation with her about Port Charles. She wasn't interested in small talk but anything was better than stewing in her own thoughts. She turned her attention to his chatter, catching a reference to Port Charles.

"I've got family there," he said digging around in the mini bar. He came up with a small bottle of vodka and a bottle of orange juice. He poured the juice into a tumbler and then added a generous pour of the vodka. Taking a drink, he turned back to her, leaning against the wall. "My dad used to live there back in the Eighties. Before he met my mom. My grandfather owned like half of that town. I guess he died a couple of years ago. Broke my dad to pieces but he wouldn't go to the funeral."

"That's too bad," Maxie murmured. She thought Eric was probably making most of it up anyway. There were no Holts in Port Charles that she knew of anyway.

"Jay must really like it there. After he left, no one here heard from him for months," Eric continued getting Maxie's full attention. "Not surprising though. Chelsea and Scott demolished him back then."

Maxie mentally added gossip to her thoughts on Eric. Not that she minded. There was a time and a place for gossip. Like now, when she really needed to know everything she could about Chelsea.

"Nathan told me a little bit about that," Maxie said carefully. "He doesn't like to talk about it."

"I wouldn't either." Eric took a big drink of his juice, looking at her thoughtfully. "Chelsea and Scott...you could say those two were cut from the same cloth. I always wondered why they didn't end up together but Alicia says they were too much alike to last. Makes sense doesn't it? Opposites attract and all that. I guess you need someone to balance you out instead of someone who mirrors you." He fell silent for a minute, lost in thought.

"I know that Chelsea cheated on Nathan with Scott," Maxie said trying to prod Eric out of his thoughts. "Sounds like it was pretty awful."

"Awful doesn't begin to cover it. I don't know all the details," he said leaning forward conspiratorially. "But as I understand it, the two of them had been sleeping together the entire time Jay and Chelsea were together. Not only that, but she slept with a couple of his other friends too. She pretty much made a play for anyone who would look at her just to irritate him or get his attention."

No wonder Nathan never talked about her. "What about you? Did you fall for Chelsea's charm?"

"Me? No way. Alicia would have killed me." Maxie titled her head and gave him an annoyed look. He had the decency to look ashamed of himself for his choice of words. "Sorry. I just can't believe Scott is dead. He was a piece of work sometimes but no one hated him. Not even Jay and he had all the reason in the world to."

"Well someone must have," Maxie shot back tired of Eric's annoying chatter. "He's dead after all."

"True. Sorry. It's crazy to think you might have been the last person to see him alive." He looked at her evenly but Maxie read his meaning well enough. He might have been pals with Nathan once upon a time but that didn't change the fact that he knew nothing about her. And that, to him, it was very possible that she had killed Scott Chambers.

She was saved from replying by a sharp knock on the door. She opened the door to a tall man framed in the doorway flashing a badge at her. He was older than Nathan by at least ten years and had the look of an athlete gone to fat. Behind him was another man with small eyes who looked up and down the hall as if expecting someone to jump out at him.