When I got to work, the entire place was a buzz about Claudia. An hour or so after I got there, we had a meeting with our new editor, Eric.

"Aright people settle down. As most of you already know, we lost our editor, Claudia Ellis, last night to senseless random violence. Today and tomorrow, we will be running a two-part introspective piece about Claudia; her life and work. It was a huge loss for all of us. Until the bosses tell who our new editor is, I'll be the acting editor-in-chief." He said that last part way too cheerfully for my taste. After that meeting, Eric Davis was my number one suspect. I was at my desk later working on my list of suspects.

• 1. Eric Davis

Motive-to become editor, prove Claudia wrong

• 2. Angelo Riaz

Motive-adultery, keep Claudia quiet?

• 3. Monica Clarke

Motive-?

"What are you doing?" Chris asked as he glanced over my shoulder. "Really Maxie, a suspect list? You weren't kidding?"

"Absolutely not. I should call Detective O'Connell and tell him my ideas."

"You won't have to." I looked at him as he pointed to Claudia's office. "Him and Detective Green are already here."

The duo headed toward Chris and I. Of course, Detective O'Connell spoke first.

"Miss Baker, I didn't expect you to be at work today, but you do look good, er better this morning." He nodded at Chris. "We came over to make sure you were okay."

Yeah, maybe O'Connell did, but the menacing look his partner was giving me told me something different.

"Detectives, I know you have your investigation started, but I may have an idea about suspects."

"Such as yourself? Are you giving us some names to take the heat off of you?"

Did Green really just say that? "I'm a suspect? Like I told you yesterday, Detective Green, I found her but I did not kill her!" I said as I shot out of my seat toward him. Chris gently grabbed my arm as O'Connell tried to diffuse the situation.

"No one is considering you as a suspect. I checked the restaurant and we have Miss Ellis' phone records which prove you were not here at the estimated time of death."

Ignoring his partner, I reached out to grab the list I started to give to O'Connell, but he held up his hand.

"It's okay Miss Baker. We have an idea on the suspect list, but thank you anyway."

Damn, he shot me down.  "Alright."

"If we hear anything, we'll give you a call okay?" O'Connell patted my hand again and gave Chris (who I forgot was standing there) the head nod as him and Green began to walk off. I don't know what made me do the next thing I did.

"Oh and Detective O'Connell? It's Maxine."

"I'm sorry?"

"You keep calling me Miss Baker, but you can call me Maxine or Max." He smiled at that revelation.

"I'll keep that in mind. Have a good day." I turned to a not happy Chris. "What?"

"'You can call me Max.' What was that?"

"Dude, I was trying to get in good so I can keep up with the case. Why are you jealous or something?" I said with a smirk.

"Whatever. I got work to finish."  He walked off before I could apologize. Before I could send him an email, Monica walked over to my desk and sat. She looked completely desolate.

"Monica are you alright?" As soon as I asked that, she started bawling.

"I can't believe she's dead! She was my best friend and now she's dead Max!"

Your best friend? "Monica, I thought you and Claudia didn't get along?" Actually I thought the woman hated Monica's guts. But I didn't want her to get more upset.

She blew her nose, loudly. "No, we may have had our differences but she was a really good friend." She pulled a picture out of her pocket. It was of her and Claudia, at a bar, smiling and looking normal. Claudia even looked happy, which was shocking. Who knew? Monica continued weeping.

"I have to plan her funeral. She didn't have any family that I knew of. Will you come Max? Claudia completely respected you."

Now that I really found shocking. "Sure I will; whatever you need."

"Will you deliver her eulogy?" What? Was she serious? I may not have totally hated the woman but I can't lie to people.

"Monica, being that you were her closest", and possibly only "friend, I think that you should be the one to give it. She would appreciate it coming from you."

She nodded, blew her honker loudly scaring Darren Cross in the desk next to me and went back to her planning. Okay, so maybe she's not a suspect. Back to the list.

• 1. Eric Davis

Motive-to become editor, prove Claudia wrong

• 2. Angelo Riaz

Motive-adultery, keep Claudia quiet?'

•3.      Monica Clarke

Motive-? (well not her I guess)

• 3. Betty Morgan

Motive-revenge

I wonder who else could be considered a suspect. Hell, who am I kidding? Everybody here is one, but I need to find out whom.

At about 6, I finished up my notes for tomorrow's column when a message popped up on my screen.

‘Mind your business.'

"What the hell?" I read it and quickly responded, ‘Why are you playing? This is not the time to joke around Chris.'

Immediate response, ‘Not Chris, but you should keep your pretty little nose out of my business. Before something happens to it.'

Was this a threat? ‘Who is this?'

‘Somebody you shouldn't worry about if you don't want the same to happen to you. ////'

Okay, that was not cool. I printed it out and headed to find Chris. When I got to his desk, Chris was entertaining some of our young female interns. They were laughing at something he said and I coughed to get his attention. All the interns looked over at me and scattered like roaches.

"You didn't have to scare them off like that." Chris said as I sat down. "I mean, what would Detective O'Connell say?"

I ignored his comment and shoved the printed text at him, albeit it with too much force. He cocked his eyebrow at me and took the paper.

"Excuse me for ruining your game, but I wanted you to see this. Before you read, answer me this; did you send me any instant messages in the last 10 minutes?"

His demeanor changed as he shook his head in the negative and he started reading the paper.  After he scanned it, Chris put it down and started looking through stuff on his desk.

"Chris, what are you doing? Didn't you read it?"

"Yeah I did and I'm calling O'Connell. This is a threat Maxie. You have to tell the police." I took the card out of his hand.

"This isn't a threat. Nobody knows I'm even looking for whoever did this. It's just me and you that know. But you wouldn't send me a message like this."

He started packing up. "You know I wouldn't. I would tell you directly to mind you own business. Stop before something happens." I began to argue, but he placed his hand on the side of my face. "Please Maxie; I don't want anything to happen to you."

The way he was caressing my face made me almost forget what I needed to do. Almost. He started to leave but I gave him an excuse that I had to get some things and that I would call him as soon I got home.  I need to start somewhere, so I figured the best place would be the scene of the crime. I grabbed some gloves from the cleaning closet and headed into Claudia's office. It was pretty clean, since the police took most of her things as evidence. I tried not to disturb anything as I looked around. I was going to the cabinet when a sliver of hot pink caught my eye from under her calendar. I pulled it out slowly and opened it up.

‘BITCH, if you continue on the path you're on, you will pay! Somebody will cut you down. Believe that.'

Everything on the letter was typed except the last line. Whose handwriting was this? And how did the police not notice this?  Luckily, Claudia hated leaving her office to do anything so she insalled a copy machine in the corner. I was about to make a copy of the note when I heard voices. Fuck! I didn't know where to go, so I had no other choice but to hide under the desk. I slid under as the voices got louder. 

"Aren't you done yet? We do have reservations, you know." That was David's voice. 

"Just a minute sweetie, I have to get something from my office. Calm down." Was that...Angelo? Did he just call David sweetie? I thought he was married and straight.

"It's just that I never get to spend quality time with you, smootchie poo."

"I know snuggly bear." Snuggly bear? Wow. "It's hard with what I'm dealing with right now."

"Oh I be it is." Eww, I would never say that to Chris. Chris? Where did I pull his name from? We're not even dating or anything. I need to stop thinking about Chris and what his naked body could be doing to me and focus on the present. I continued to listen to the pair talk all lovey-dovey and, my guess, make-out for about another 10 minutes. When they finally left, I quickly made a copy of the note, put it back and ran out of her office.