CHAPTER 40: I WANT THE DRIVE BACK
VENUS:
That night, I didn't sleep as I thought about what Ray told me. I now know his name because his wife called him Ray.
He had threatened to kill me if I didn't return the wallet with the stuff inside. I thought about going to Maxine but the way I hated him now, I didn't even want to see his face.
But seeing Maxine was inevitable because I clean his mansion everyday and Maxine's room was included.
This morning, Maxine's room was too quiet. The heavy velvet curtains kept the sun from spilling in, and the faint scent of cedarwood and leather filled the air.
That was his scent.
I tried to remain focused as I knelt beside his bookshelf, dusting the lower compartments. My hands moved in a rhythm I'd perfected after a decade of servitude. I had on
