Deadly Questions (Hardy Brothers Security Book 8) (16 page)

Friday afternoons were the best part of Mandy’s workweek. Judge MacIntosh purposely scheduled things so the afternoon docket was clear – except for unexpected emergencies – and once his staff was done with their work, they were free to go.

This Friday was no different, and Mandy had worked hard to clear her desk by 3 p.m. She was ready to go home and spend some time with James – now that he was off his punishment, that is.

She locked the door to her office and shuffled down the hallway, digging for her keys in her purse as she went. Fridays were eerily silent on the upper floors of the courthouse, so the sound of raised voices caught Mandy’s attention.

“I don’t know why you have to be so difficult.”

Mandy grimaced, recognizing the voice even before she saw the face it belonged to. Chad Cooper was a local prosecutor who had made a name for himself as a ladies’ man – even though James insisted he was gay. Mandy still wasn’t convinced.

Chad was overtly sexual – in a creepy way. It wasn’t that he exuded sex appeal as much as he wanted people to believe he was screwing the entire county and leaving a trail of broken hearts in his wake. It was odd.

He’d shown interest in Mandy from time to time – something that hadn’t escaped James’ attention when they’d first started dating. After searching his house, James decided that Chad wasn’t a threat – to anyone but himself – and wiped him off his suspect list.

Mandy still disliked him.

“I’m not being difficult,” a voice responded. “I’m being pragmatic. We’re going to be in a lot of trouble here if people find out about us.”

Mandy tilted her head to the side. She recognized the other voice, too. She just couldn’t figure out from where.

“Listen, Heather,” Chad said. “You’re the one who got me into this whole mess. Now, because of you, I can’t get out.”

Heather? Not Heather Harrington?
Now Mandy was intrigued. She pressed herself against the wall and continued to eavesdrop.

“I got you into this? You greedy little bastard,” Heather grumbled. “You’re the one who came to me.”

“That’ a complete lie, and you know it,” Chad said. “You came to me, and you practically blackmailed me into doing this with you.”

“Blackmailed? That’s rich.”

“Are you sitting there and denying that you made me do this?” Chad asked. “Seriously?”

“I came to you with an option,” Heather said. “It was an option we both needed.”

“I don’t need it.”

“You don’t need it? You’re so full of it,” Heather said. “You were floundering when I found you here. I gave you a future. I gave you a way to move forward politically. It’s not my fault you’re all … squeamish now.”

“I am not squeamish.”

“You’re definitely squeamish,” Heather said. “I don’t need this. I did you a favor. Now you’re treating me like I’m some horrible wench that’s ruined your life.”

“You are.”

“Either grow up or shut up,” Heather said. “I’m done coddling you.”

Mandy straightened as Heather strode out into the hallway. The prosecutor’s eyes flashed when they landed on her.

“What are you doing out here?” Heather asked.

“I work here.”

“Were you … were you eavesdropping on us?”

“I’m leaving the building,” Mandy replied. “It’s quitting time.”

“Isn’t it a little early for you to be leaving?” Heather asked, glancing at her watch. “I’m fairly certain you’re paid by the hour.”

“Really? That’s funny,” Mandy said. “Your pimp told me the same thing about you.”

Heather made a face. “Do you think that’s funny?”

“I think I don’t like you,” Mandy said. “I don’t really care what you think.”

“I find it funny that a woman who works as a clerk, a woman who has no hope of ever being more than a clerk, has such high self-esteem,” Heather said.

“Well, we all can’t make a name for ourselves off of our parents.”

“I worked hard to get this job,” Heather snapped. “I’m a diligent soldier for those who need help. Don’t you dare talk down to me.”

“Well, the good news is, I don’t want to talk to you at all,” Mandy said, taking a step away from Heather and pointing herself in the direction of the exit. “You’re not a concern of mine.”

“What’s going on out here?” Chad asked, stepping out from the conference room and glancing between the furious looks on Heather and Mandy’s faces. “Oh, cat fight.”

“And here’s the dog to make things worse,” Mandy grumbled.

“Oh, now don’t be like that, sweet thing,” Chad said. “You’re always so grouchy. I’m beginning to think that husband of yours doesn’t work hard enough to put a smile on your face.”

“I’ll tell him about your concerns,” Mandy said.

“Oh, what, is he going to come and beat me up?”

“He might.”

“He is very … alpha, isn’t he?”

“He’s a good man,” Mandy countered. “Something you would know nothing about.”

“I have to wonder why he married so far beneath him,” Heather mused.

“You’ll have to ask him,” Mandy said.

“Oh, I think I’d rather keep his brother from making the same mistake with a bottom-feeder reporter.”

Mandy frowned. “Grady Hardy wouldn’t touch you with a ten-foot pole – not even if it was to push you over the ledge of a cliff.”

“You seem pretty sure about that.”

“Listen, I don’t know what your problem is with Sophie – well, actually I do, and you’re the pathetic one in that scenario – but you aren’t fit to shine her shoes,” Mandy said.

“Sophie Lane is a blight on this county,” Heather shot back.

“Oh, let it go,” Chad said. “You’re not going to win this fight. You can’t get to her, no matter how hard you try. She’s got her happy little circle of freaks to surround herself with.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Heather sniffed, smoothing the front of her jacket down. “Talking to someone like her seems like a waste of time.”

“Speaking of wastes of time,” Chad said, tapping his watch. “We have to get going.”

“I thought you weren’t going?”

“I changed my mind,” Chad said. “Let’s just get it over with.”

“Good,” Heather said. “I knew you would come around.”

Mandy watched the two of them walk down the hallway. She told herself she should ignore them. She told herself she should go home early and surprise her husband. She didn’t. Curiosity got the better of her – like it always did – and she opted to follow them instead.

JAMES
frowned when he saw Mandy’s car still parked in the lot on the south side of the courthouse. He’d expected her home two hours before. She usually came home early on Fridays, and he’d gotten into the habit of finishing his own work early so they could start their weekends in style.

After texting her twice, and then calling her three times, James gave up and drove to the courthouse. He didn’t like to worry. He knew hovering drove her crazy. He also didn’t like the idea of her not answering her phone.

It was shortly before five, and the building was still open to the public. James jogged up the steps, nodding at the security guard by the front door. “Hey, Clint, how are things?”

“Great,” Clint said, smiling widely. “I’m ready for the weekend.”

James had an odd relationship with the security guard. When he’d first started dating Mandy, he was convinced Clint was interested in her – and not in a healthy way. The man seemed amiable, but he’d followed Mandy around like a lost puppy dog.

Over the past year, though, James had developed a grudging respect for the man. Now that Clint was involved with Mandy’s friend Heidi, James was over his suspicions.

“Do you and Heidi have any special plans?”

“Yeah, we’re going to go to the art festival up in Romeo,” Clint said. “Heidi loves that stuff.”

“What about you?”

Clint shrugged. “I love what she loves.”

James grinned. “Good man.”

“Don’t you do the same for Mandy?”

“I’m certainly not going to the theater to watch shark movies because I enjoy them,” James joked.

“What are you and Mandy doing this weekend?”

“Hopefully nothing,” James said. “Speaking of Mandy, have you seen my lovely wife? She’s not returning my calls. I figured she had some last-minute case pop up. I thought I would surprise her and take her out to dinner. She keeps talking about going to that seafood place over on Groesbeck.”

Clint furrowed his brow. “She’s not here.”

“She has to be,” James said. “Her car is in the parking lot.”

“They’re done for the day,” Clint said. “Heidi left almost two hours ago. She’s waiting for me at home.”

“Maybe Mandy is up in her office,” James suggested. “Maybe she had stuff to catch up on.” That wouldn’t explain why she wasn’t answering her phone, but James kept those concerns to himself.

“I don’t think so,” Clint said. “I was told the sixth floor was clear, and I’m sure I saw Mandy leave before Heidi.”

“She didn’t say where she was going, did she?”

“No,” Clint said. “She seemed really distracted.”

“Distracted how?”

“Well, I don’t like to gossip … .”

James clenched his jaw. “Gossip Clint.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve sworn she was following two of the prosecutors,” Clint said. “She was acting all stealthy, but she was obviously following them.”

“Which prosecutors?”

MANDY
kept her distance as she trailed behind Chad and Heather. She’d turned her phone off so it wouldn’t betray her presence, and she’d purposely stayed as far behind them as she could without losing sight.

She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but they were obviously in the middle of a heated discussion.

By the time they’d walked to the far end of the downtown area, Mandy was growing more and more suspicious. Something was definitely going on here. She just couldn’t figure out what.

Mandy scanned the area, wracking her brain for a reason why Heather and Chad would be hanging out together. James was insistent that Chad was gay, and Heather was a sexual predator – and heinous bitch – so there was no way they were dating. Sharks didn’t date other sharks.

The duo stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, and Heather was gesturing wildly as Chad placed his hands on his hips and said something back to her. Heather shook her head, and then turned down the sidewalk and stalked into the … First United Church of Christ. Chad followed.

“What the hell?”

Mandy waited a few minutes and then followed them inside, skirting around the front vestibule and trying to keep herself small as she looked around. There was a table by the front door, and a variety of drinks and cookies were spread across it.

Mandy jumped when a woman appeared at her side.

“Hi.”

“Hi,” Mandy said, fighting to keep her heartbeat in check.

“I’m Claire.”

“I’m … Carol.”

“Hi, Carol,” Claire said, bobbing her blonde head up and down enthusiastically. “It’s so nice to meet you.”

“You, too.”

“Is this your first time?”

Mandy looked around, nervous. She had no idea what was going on here. “How can you tell?”

“You’ve got that look,” Claire said. “Don’t worry. We were all you at one time or another. Don’t be scared. We’re a really good group. We’re here to help you with your problem.”

“Oh, I’m not worried,” Mandy said. “I just … how would you describe your group?”

“Well … we’re givers.”

“Right,” Mandy said. “But, in the spirit of giving, what would you say your greatest asset to the community is?”

Claire’s eyes sparkled. “Why don’t you come in and find out? You’re going to be very popular here.”

“Sorry I’m bothering you here,” Jake said. “I just wanted to give you an update. I want to be able to spend the weekend with Ally without anything hanging over my head.”

“No, I get it,” James said. He was pacing in front of the living room window, having returned to the house empty handed after searching high and low for his missing wife. He was worried – and he was pissed.
What was she thinking following Heather Harrington and Chad Cooper? What reason could she possibly have for doing it?

“So, Wayne said that the job is still in the works,” Jake said. “He’s not giving me any specifics, but he asked if I had a clean driving record, and he wanted to make sure that my passport wouldn’t ding at the border.”

“What did you tell him?”

“I told him it was clean,” Jake said.

“Good.”

“I’m not transporting anyone across the border,” Jake warned. “I draw the line at that.”

“Of course you’re not,” James said, scowling. “You’re going to call us when it’s going down, and we’re going to stop it. No one is going across the border. I don’t care what happens.”

“What are we going to do if they’re not transporting women?”

“What do you mean?”

“What if they’re just transporting stolen goods or something?” Jake asked.

“Then we’ll make a call to the cops,” James said. “Is that all?”

“No,” Jake said. “Is something wrong?”

“No,” James replied. “What else?”

Jake was dubious, but he continued. “I overheard Wayne on the phone this afternoon,” he said. “I don’t know what number he called, and I tried to get a look at the phone later, but I couldn’t. He asked to talk to Christian.”

James lifted his head, finally focusing on Jake for the first time since the man had entered his house. “Christian Faulkner?”

“I can’t be sure.”

“Well, things are coming full circle,” James said. “Christian Faulkner is tied to Lily. Lily has gone missing. Now Wayne has a job for you, and it’s with a guy named Christian. That can’t be a coincidence.”

“Do you think Lily is trying to hunt Christian down to hurt him or make a deal?”

“I haven’t met her,” James said. “From what I’ve heard, though, she seems like the pragmatic sort. I’m guessing she wants to make a deal.”

“And what if Christian doesn’t want to make a deal?”

“Then he’ll either kill her or sell her,” James said.

“We need to find her,” Jake said.

“I don’t know where to look,” James admitted. “Peter has men on it. If he can’t find her down there, we definitely won’t be able to find her.”

“I guess,” Jake said. “I wish we could do more.”

“We’re doing all we can right now,” James said.

“Why are you pacing and staring out the window?”

“What?”

Jake tilted his head. “You seem … unnerved.”

“I’m fine.”

Jake looked over his shoulder, scanning the house. It was quiet. Too quiet. If Mandy was here, she’d either be fighting with or fawning all over her husband. It was Friday. They had a routine.

“Where’s Mandy?”

“How should I know?” James asked, grimacing.

“Last time I checked, you were married to the woman.”

“Oh, really? Because I think if I was married to someone, they wouldn’t stupidly follow people and disappear from the face of the Earth.”

Jake took an involuntary step back. “So, wait, Mandy is missing?”

“I can’t seem to find her,” James said. “She’s not answering her phone. I went to the courthouse, and Clint said she left at three. It’s seven now. Do you know where my wife is? I certainly don’t.”

Jake pursed his lips. “She’s an adult. I’m sure she knows what she’s doing.”

“Clint said she was acting strange,” James railed. “He said he thought she was following Heather Harrington and Chad Cooper.”

“And who are they?”

“Heather is a sex-crimes prosecutor who Mandy can’t stand,” James said. “Chad is another sex-crimes prosecutor who I can’t stand. He used to hit on Mandy all the time.”

“Do you think she’s cheating on you with him?”

“Of course not,” James scoffed. “He’s gay.”

“Then why would he hit on Mandy?”

“I don’t know,” James said. “He’s closeted. He puts on a big show. I almost beat his ass down at a festival in Mount Clemens when he was hitting on Mandy one day.”

“When you were married?”

“No.”

“Dating?”

“I … we’d been together a day,” James admitted sheepishly.

“And you got in a fight with this guy on the street?”

“I … she’s mine,” James muttered.

“Even then?”

“She’s always been mine,” James said.

Jake rolled his eyes. “You and she should be studied for some psychology journal,” he said. “People would line up to see you two perform.”

Headlights flashed on the driveway, and James strode to the front window. He exhaled heavily when he saw her getting out of her car. “You’re going to want to go now.”

Jake was already heading toward the door. “Try to keep your temper in check,” he warned. “You always regret it when you fly off the handle. You just got ungrounded. Just listen to her before you freak.”

“I don’t freak.”

“You’ve been doing a really good impression of a guy who does for the past half hour,” Jake said. “Just … it’s the weekend, man. Don’t ruin it before it starts.”

“I’ll call you tomorrow.”

MANDY
found James reading the newspaper in the living room. From outward appearances, he looked calm. Since she’d heard his increasingly frantic messages on her phone when she left the church, she knew that was improbable.

“Hi.”

“Hello, wife,” James said, refusing to look up from the newspaper. “How was your day?”

“Fine,” Mandy said, dropping her purse on the coffee table and regarding him worriedly. “How was your day?”

“Oh, fine,” James said, his tone cool and distant. “I worked really hard and finished up early so I could come home and spend some quality time with my wife. I planned on surprising her with dinner at that seafood restaurant she’s been clamoring for me to take her to, but I couldn’t find her.”

“James … .”

“Then I texted her twice, and called her three times,” James continued. “By then I was considering ordering pizza for her. I was worried. Women are disappearing from the streets, after all.”

“You knew I wasn’t in Detroit,” Mandy said.

“So, I went up to the courthouse and found out she’d left two hours before,” James said. “I was also informed she was following two prosecutors, and when I searched the entire town for her, I couldn’t find her. So I came back home, and I’ve been waiting here ever since.”

Mandy shuffled uncomfortably.

“It’s good to know you’re not dead.” James folded the newspaper and dropped it on the floor. “Yet.”

“I’m sorry,” Mandy said. “I had no idea I would be out of contact for so long. Things kind of snowballed.”

“I see,” James said, gripping the arms of the chair and leaning forward. “Let’s start from the beginning, shall we? Why were you following Harrington and Cooper?”

“I heard them arguing in one of the conference rooms,” Mandy said. “They were acting all … covert and creepy. I thought they were up to something. I got in a fight with Heather, and then, well … I just couldn’t help myself.”

James raised his eyebrows. “What did you fight with Harrington about?”

“What do I always fight with her about? She said I’m a loser, and she can’t figure out why you married me, and then she threatened to go after Grady because she hates Sophie,” Mandy replied.

“I married you because I love you,” James said. “Don’t ever think otherwise.”

Mandy took a step toward him.

“We’re not done yet,” James said. “What happened then?”

“Then Chad came out and offered to put a smile on my face … .”

“He’s gay.”

“Well, he seems to think he isn’t,” Mandy said.

“So, you decided to follow them?”

“I just wanted to see where they were going,” Mandy said.

“Why didn’t you answer your phone?”

“I turned it off so they wouldn’t hear it ring and see me.”

“And what if there had been an emergency?”

“I … I said I was sorry.”

James ran his tongue over his teeth. The pitiable look on her face was almost comical, but he wasn’t in the mood to laugh. “Where did they go?”

“The First United Church of Christ over on Cass.”

James furrowed his brow. “They went to church?”

“Yes.”

“Did you follow them in?”

“Yes.”

James arched an eyebrow. “And?”

“I don’t really want to talk about it,” Mandy said. “Suffice it to say, I was never in any danger.”

James waited.

“This story makes me look really stupid,” Mandy admitted.

“Better stupid than dead.”

Mandy sighed, her face contorting with misery and embarrassment. “Fine. I’ll tell you, but if you laugh even once, I’m never having sex with you again.”

“No promises,” James said. “And you’re having sex with me tonight. I bought a special bottle of wine and some candles to light around the hot tub.”

Mandy’s face brightened. “Let’s just do that.” She reached up and started unbuttoning her shirt.

James wasn’t going to let her distract him. “Tell me.”

“It seems that, every Friday night, there’s a group of … special individuals … who meet at the church,” Mandy said, stripping her shirt off her shoulders.

James’ eyes zeroed in on the black bra. It was one of his favorites. It was lace, and it hefted her assets up to gravity-defying heights. He pushed the thought out of his mind. “Like a support group?”

Mandy nodded, her hands travelling to the back of her skirt. “Exactly like a support group.”

“What kind of support group?”

Mandy slipped the skirt off, revealing a pair of black garters and thigh-high stockings. The whole ensemble was black, and James was having trouble concentrating.

“Let’s go out to the hot tub.”

“Not until you tell me,” James said.

Mandy made an exasperated sound in the back of her throat. “It’s for gay individuals who are trying to live a straight life.”

James frowned. “What?”

“It’s for gay individuals who are trying to keep themselves from sinning,” Mandy said.

“Like … gay correction?”

“I guess,” Mandy said. “Everyone there identifies themselves as gay, but recovering.”

The last vestiges of anger fled, and James’ shoulders drooped as he started laughing.

“You said you wouldn’t laugh!”

“I said no such thing,” James said. “Leave your shoes on. I like the garters with the shoes.”

Mandy glared at him. “It was mortifying,” Mandy said. “Some girl named Claire took me under her wing.”

“They thought you were there for the group?”

“I lied and said I was,” Mandy admitted. “I didn’t know what else to do.”

“And what did they do?”

“Well, Heather offered me a great big apology,” Mandy said. “She said she shouldn’t have been so mean to me, given all I was going through and all.”

James barked out a laugh.

“She said that our marriage made so much more sense now,” Mandy said. “She thinks we’re beards for each other.”

James sobered. “What?”

“Yeah,” Mandy said. “Oh, and Chad wants to know if you’re openly dating. He’s not as high on the group as Heather is.”

“What did you tell him?”

“I told him I’d see what your schedule looks like,” Mandy replied. “What do you think I told them? I told them I was looking for another group and I just got my wires crossed, and then I snuck away.”

“And they let you?”

“Well, Claire patted my ass first,” Mandy said. “She said she slipped, but I don’t believe here.”

James broke into a wide grin.  “Come here.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to pat your ass.”

Mandy kept the scowl in place as she settled on James’ lap. He ran his hands up and down her legs, snapping the garters as he began to play.

“Don’t put yourself in danger, baby,” James said. “Even if you think it’s simple. This turned out to be … funny.”

“I don’t think it’s very funny.”

“Just … please … don’t do it again.”

“Trust me. I have no intention of doing it again,” Mandy said. “I feel like I’ve been violated. Another woman touched my ass.”

James squeezed her rear appreciatively, lifting her as he stood. “Come on. I’ll wash the filth off of you in the hot tub.”