Maxy Brown-Bell did not go down easy and resisted arrest by trying to deck the officer. It took three of them to restrain her, and even so, she screamed vile accusations at her 'spineless, sorry excuse of a husband.'
"I was planning on poisoning you!" she screamed. "I was going to put rat poison in your bottle of cheap whiskey and be rid of you. You made me do this. You're not a man, and I should have killed you a long time ago."
"I'm sorry, Max." Frank stood by, wringing his hands in acute misery. "I just could not let you hurt those innocent people."
"Innocent!" She struggled when the handcuffs were placed on her wrists. "Those people are what's wrong with the world today. They have too much money and not enough sense to serve God. I wanted to right the wrongs of the world."
"Maxy Brown-Bell, you have the right to remain silent..." Louise read the Miranda rights while the woman continued to scream.
"Anything you say might be held against you in a court of law."
"Go to hell, you lesbian bitch." Louise was not quick enough to avoid the full-on spittle as the woman spat right in her face.
"Aw hell, take her out." Shaking her head, she accepted the handkerchief the amused Angelo handed her.
"I am so sorry." Frank looked positively pale and was even shaking. "I've never seen her like this before. She's right, you know."
"About what?"
"I caused all of this."
"No, you didn't," Angelo told him firmly. "And even if you were the root cause, you stepped up and did the right thing."
"And lost my wife."
"You lost your wife some time ago, Frank."
*****
"I want to see her."
"Like hell!"
Eliza turned to face her husband, her expression pleading.
"I want to confront her and force her to see that I'm a living, breathing human being whose life she was willing to destroy."
"You're not facing that woman."
"Angelo?" She turned to face the detective who had stopped by to personally give them the news.
"I have to agree with your husband, Eliza. It would serve no purpose to see her. Maxy Brown-Bell is a writhing mass of pure insanity. The doctor had to be called in to give her a shot."
"So what? She will be going for an insanity plea? Not a bloody chance. I want that woman in jail where she belongs."
"She's sick, Samuel," Angelo told him soberly.
"That's no excuse..."
"It's a reason." Both men turned to stare at her. Eliza lowered herself in the rocker and felt decidedly weary. "I'm not excusing her actions, but in her mind, she felt like she was doing the right thing."
"You'll have to excuse my wife, Angelo. She's tired," Samuel said grimly.
"I just might be." She smiled at Angelo. "Thank you very much."
"My pleasure."
"I'll see you out." Samuel rose and accompanied him from the living room.
