The Evil Inside

6. Not A Damn Clue

     When Max left Hugh's place a few hours later, it was just about the usual time he would take off from work to pick Janet up. He drove over to the school where his wife worked, and students had left about a half hour prior to his arrival. He could tell from the look on her face that Janet had a long day, which only convinced him further that going out for dinner was the right decision because neither of them were in the mood to cook anything. After she slipped into the front passenger seat, Max leaned over and gave her a quick kiss, to make her feel better.

     "Hey you," Janet said.

     "Hey yourself," Max said, as he watched her close the door. "Looks like you had a long day."

     "It was pretty much the same old, same old." Janet answered, sighing as she put her seat belt on. "How about you?"

     "It was a fucking shit show." Max said, not really wanting to talk about it for various reasons.

     "Define shit show, Max." Janey inquired.

     "I was given a new case," Max said, sighing deeply. "And it has the potential to be huge. It could end tomorrow or last a few years."

     "What?!" Janet said, as she sat up now that he had her attention. "Did you remind Dave about our pending vacation?"

     "I sure did," Max said, as he pulled back onto the road. "He didn't seem to care, and when I got the courthouse I could tell why."

     "What kind of case are we talking about?" Janet asked.

     "I'm not allowed to tell you." Max answered.

     "What?" Janet said, rather surprised. "Are you telling me that there's already a gag order in place?"

     "Affirmative," Max answered. "Only myself and select team members are allowed to even discuss it. I spoke with Hugh about it this afternoon after I got our new client to sign off on him."

     "Well, I'll say this much," Janet started, "If there's anyone who knows how to handle a shit storm, it would be Hugh."

     "I know, right?" Max said, as she knew what he was thinking.

     "What did he say?" Janet asked. She was well aware of how rarely he turned to the old man for help, which told her how serious this case probably was.

     "There's a deal on the table," Max answered, "Hugh thinks we should take it and run before anyone changes their minds."

     "So, that's why it could end tomorrow." Janet said, as it all started to make sense to her.

     "I can't tell you anymore than that." Max said as he suddenly became tight lipped.

     Neither of them said a word to one another until Max pulled the car into the parking lot in front of Wally's Diner. It wasn't a very classy place, but it was where Max and Janet had their first date, so the place was nostalgic for them.

     "You still okay coming here tonight?" Max asked.

     "Yes, I think we both need it." Janet said as she gave her husband a big hug. "Are you alright?"

     "Yeah, I'll be okay," Max said as he stepped out of the car. He walked over and opened Janet's door for her.

     While the food was fantastic, but the conversation was disturbingly quiet. Both of them had a rough day, to the point where neither wanted to discuss it that much and just enjoy a little peace and quiet at the table with some decent grub. Yet Janet could tell by how Max ate his meal that he was very distracted, which caused her to break the silence.