“You would do that for me?” Suddenly, Laurie felt awful. She didn’t have words for everything that had passed between them up to date. She had been pretty sure he was irreparably angry with her for some reason. The way he had left the Landing two days ago suggested he was angry. But perhaps she had it all wrong. “I really appreciate that. Or rather, I will once I get my legal situation straightened out.”
“Yes. The legal situation,” Younger murmured. “Let me go talk with Titus. My boss should have some more information about that by now. I can’t imagine they’re really going to charge you with anything. But we will try to make sure they can’t.”
Laurie was aghast. Even her own team had given up on her. It was Josh who had probably called the police to begin with. She had not heard a word from him since she’d been here. At least not to her knowledge. According to the clock on the wall opposite her bed, it was a long time past the time when the Landing was supposed to close up. At some point, they should have been done and going home and there would have been plenty of time for Josh to come check on her. He should have been there. She would’ve been if their situations had been reversed.
“Why are you being so kind?” Laurie whispered suddenly.
He looked confused. And then for a moment she thought she saw embarrassment touch his handsome features. “I don’t know. You seem like you need the help though. And maybe it’s my turn to do a good turn for someone else. You know?”
“I bet you do a good turn for just about anyone,” Laurie murmured.
He didn’t respond, but maybe that was just as well. Instead, he gave her one more nod and then headed out into the hallway.
Chapter Fifteen
“I must be out of my damned mind,” Younger muttered to himself as he walked toward the duty station at the intersection of the third floor hallways.
“Not that I’m arguing with you,” Titus Holbrook told him as he turned around and leaned back to rest his elbows atop the countertop. “But you might want to stop saying that out loud for just anyone to hear. People will get the wrong idea and then they’ll start thinking badly about my business. You don’t want your insanity to ruin my business now do you?”
It was too late and Younger had too much beer in his body to even begin to match wits with Titus, which was odd since Titus wasn’t generally all that witty. So, Younger settled for a snide laugh. “Ha. Ha. I suppose you could just say I’m trying to get into the criminal minds.”
“So, what’s your insanity look like today?”
“It looks like I just offered to help Laurie Talcott learn some self-defense.”
Titus didn’t respond right away. He looked thoughtful first. “I think that’s a great idea. You can help her learn some self-defense and at the same time you can start poking around a little more into why that Josh guy seemed so eager to throw her under the bus.”
“I think it was more that he was eager to prove to her that hiring me was a bad idea and that he’s the only one who can tell her the best way to handle this problem she has going on with the skateboarding gang,” Younger explained to Titus.
Titus was just about to say something back when they both heard someone hoofing it down the hallway. Whoever it was moved with a purpose. And Younger wanted to groan out loud when he saw who was headed their way. Slim to the point of boyishness with fire engine red hair and more freckles than a woman needed, Hilary Allenwood was everyone’s worst nightmare. At least when it came to what she wrote in the Branson Register. She was notoriously mean, especially when she thought she smelled blood in the water. And right now, it looked as though Hilary was pretty sure she’d found fresh meat.
“Oh, look at that,” Hilary said snidely as she stood in the middle of the hallway with her hands jammed on her narrow hips. “There’s trouble and who do we have here? The Rock Wolf Investigations gang. It’s just like they’re sitting at the bottom of a big dung heap just like I’ve always known.”
“Thanks, Hilary,” Titus said coolly. He did not even change his casual stance against the counter. “I appreciate your acknowledgement that my company and my agents are consistently right on top of anything exciting that happens in this town, the county, or the communities surrounding Tablerock Lake.”
She didn’t like that. No doubt about it. Younger didn’t think it was possible for Hilary’s face to get pointier. But it most definitely did. Her lips drew together in a little moue that made them all but disappear. She was not a handsome woman. Younger wasn’t entirely sure it was due to her looks either. Hilary just had a way about her. She was an unhappy individual and it showed.
“That’s not what I meant and you know it, Titus Holbrook,” Hilary snarled. She tossed her head a little bit. Her crackly red hair seemed about ready to shoot sparks. The woman looked first at Titus and then at Younger. “And what are you doing here, Adair? Did they run out of fish at the lake?”
Younger frowned. Yes, he liked to fish, but he could safely say there was absolutely no reason for Hilary Allenwood to know about that. He didn’t respond to her ridiculous insult. That was going to have to be something that he pulled out to think over some more later on.
Hilary held up her hand. “No. You know what? It is too late and I’m too crabby to even play these games with the two of you. I’ll tell you why you’re both here.”
“You’re going to tell us, huh?” Titus glanced at Younger. Younger could not read his expression except to suggest that his boss was silently remarking on the fact that Hilary was absolutely crazy. “Please. Show me your investigative skills. What do you have?”
“The security manager of Branson Landing just went ballistic tonight and started wailing on a bunch of tourists using a skateboard for a weapon.” Hilary actually had the brass to look proud of herself after tossing that out there.
Younger didn’t know what to say. He was flabbergasted. Was that actually the story making the rounds right now? No wonder Laurie was worried. If that was what people were saying about her, she had a right to be afraid for her reputation and her job.
Titus was not afflicted with the same amount of shock as Younger. He began to clap. His hands made a big booming noise in the close confines of the hospital hallway and the duty nurse looked up from her work to frown at him. Titus didn’t care.
“You’re brilliant, Hilary!” Titus crowed. “I have never known anyone who could simultaneously get so much right and so much wrong at the same time!”
Hilary gave him a droll stare. “Don’t be stupid. You know I’m right.”
“Do I?” Titus teased. His eyes were alight and he actually looked as though he was enjoying this standoff. Did he actually like this verbal sparring with Hilary? “Do I really? Because let me tell you, I had absolutely no idea the security guards down at the Landing had started riding skateboards!”
The smug expression froze on Hilary’s face. “Wait. What do you mean?”
“Well, you just said the security manager attacked a bunch of tourists with a skateboard,” Titus reminded Hilary. “So, if the security manager wasn’t riding the skateboard, then where did it come from?”
“One of the tourists,” Hilary said quickly. “They were probably riding it.”
Titus smirked. “I don’t know if you’ve been to the Landing lately, but I recall seeing so many no skateboarding signs down there that I would be shocked to see any tourists at all tooling around on skateboards in the dark while the place was crowded because of the fire and water show going on. But then, I admit I just don’t know as much about the local gossip as you do, Hil.”
“Don’t call me that!” Hilary fumed. She waved her hand and nearly looked as though she were going to have a fit right there. “Do not call me that. Ever!”
“As you say, Hil.” Titus smirked and gave her a look of disdain that made Younger cringe. “But until you can get your facts straight, I wouldn’t go writing any stories. And if you think you’re going to sneak into any hospital rooms and interrogate any subjects tonight, you’re plumb out of
luck.”
“Plumb out of luck?” Hilary’s entire demeanor stiffened like a dog on point. “Who says that? Who are you, really, Titus Holbrook? You just show up out of the blue. You’re full of secrets. You even run a security company. It’s like you’re trying to stay in the shadows. What are you hiding?”
“Hiding? My life is a freaking open book,” Titus shot back. “You even know when I’m due for my next dental visit since we apparently go to the same dental office. So, how about you just toddle back to whatever hole you crawled out of this evening and leave us all alone?”
Younger set aside the nonsense about the dental office. That was a deflection. Something Titus was using to push the conversation back at Hilary. Why was she so convinced that Titus was hiding something? What on earth would he be hiding? Sure. They all had things in their past that they just didn’t talk about. But hiding? That made it sound like Hilary thought Titus had a police record or was running away from something.
“I’m not talking about your oral hygiene, Titus.” Hilary took a few steps closer. Her expression was lit with a strange fervor that gave Younger the creeps. “Why can’t I find any record of you back in Montana where you claim to be from? Why did you just suddenly appear on the grid five years ago when you moved here?”
“Why are you holding me responsible for your lack of investigative skills?” Titus shot back. “Look, I don’t know what your problem is. You’ve been hounding me now for months. But you don’t seem to have a clue why. You’re rude. You’re pushy. And if you weren’t both of those things, I might actually decide to give you some answers. But you are, so I won’t. End of story. And I’m sorry, but I don’t care that you can’t find out enough about my past to satisfy your curiosity. Just because you’re used to getting your way here in Branson doesn’t mean that’s how it will always be.”
Yeah, what he said! Younger felt like a fist pump or a “take that” was appropriate here. But the only thing Titus handed Hilary Allenwood was a glare so Younger followed suit.
“Yes, that’s right.” Hilary’s voice oozed sarcasm. “Just call Titus Holbrook and Rock Wolf Investigations when you’ve got legal trouble. He will make it all go away with a wave of his magic wand.”
“Maybe I wouldn’t have to make it all go away if you weren’t so damned determined to blow it out of proportion,” Titus retorted.
Younger could see his boss getting irritated. That wasn’t good. Or perhaps it was. Maybe it was time to push back at Hilary. “Titus is right, Hilary,” Younger growled. “Why does the Branson PD call you before they decide whether or not to investigate a crime? Why are you always the first one on scene? What makes you think that you can print whatever you like even when the facts are wobbly and you’re doing nothing but stirring up trouble? How come you’re only interested in sensationalism instead of the truth?”
“What are you talking about?” Hilary stood ramrod straight and managed to glare down her nose at Younger even though he was taller than she was. “Just because you can’t handle my writing style doesn’t make it wrong. I sell more papers for the Register than any other reporter out there past, present, and probably even future.”
Younger snorted. “Sure. Don’t tabloids always have a pretty high circulation rate?”
“The Branson Register is a respected local newspaper with a long history of getting the truth for the citizens of the Branson area!” Hilary’s indignation seemed sudden and rather out of place.
Younger pounced. “Right. It was a respected newspaper. Now the entire community cringes with horror when someone mentions your name. Well done, Hilary.”
She was gearing up to have a tantrum but the duty nurse was glaring at them again for being too loud. Titus put his hands up and gave Hilary a long, dark look. “Enough. All right? The long and short of it is that you’re not getting an interview with anyone tonight. Period. You want to talk to someone? You’ll have to go elsewhere. Try the bars, Hilary. They’re still pretty populated this time of night.”
Hilary made a disgusted sound in her throat and spun around on her heel to leave the hospital. She flounced down the hallway oozing grand drama and smashed the button for the elevator. Her dramatic exit was somewhat ruined when she had to wait for the elevator to come back up to the third floor. But by the time she stepped in and disappeared from the hallway, Younger was too glad that she was gone to care.
“Well, that is a bit of trouble in the making,” Titus murmured.
Younger frowned and turned to stare at his boss. Titus actually looked worried. Well, not worried per se, but concerned. Or something. Younger wasn’t sure how to really classify what he was seeing on Titus’s face.
“You didn’t seem concerned when you were trading insults with her,” Younger reminded Titus. “What is it that you think she’s going to do?”
“Remember how I need to have that chat with Josh Bentley?”
Younger frowned. “Surely, Josh Bentley would know better than to start spouting off to someone like Hilary Allenwood.”
“You would think. I would hope,” Titus agreed. “But I think I’m going to make a phone call right now all the same.”
“Good,” Younger said with satisfaction. “I was going to ask you to make that call anyway. Laurie is worried about Josh. Actually, I’m worried about Josh. There’s something odd going on here, Titus, and I don’t have enough of the puzzle to put it together yet.”
“You think he’s just jealous?”
That was a bit obvious. “Jealous? Absolutely. But I think there’s more to it than that. I think Josh Bentley thinks he should be the one running the show. He doesn’t think Laurie Talcott is qualified to be in her position and I believe he thinks he is.”
Titus pursed his lips and nodded. “I’ve certainly gotten that impression. I’m just trying to figure out how to approach him about the topic of Hilary Allenwood without getting his back up in the process.”
“Because that might have the opposite effect?” Younger wondered out loud.
“Exactly.”
Younger’s mind was having trouble sorting through the myriad possibilities for what might happen next. There were so many variations of the way this story could go. Too many.
“Then maybe,” Younger began slowly. “We just don’t say anything else to Josh Bentley.”
“Don’t say anything?”
Younger nodded. “Yes. Let him hang himself. Let him talk to Hilary Allenwood. See if she picks through his brain and pulls out his intentions and then plasters them all over the newspaper for everyone to read. It might be one way to cut the crap.”
“You might be onto something,” Titus mused with a thoughtful expression. Then a slow smile spread across his face. “I can only imagine just how arrogant Hilary’s writing will make that man sound. He might actually be ashamed of himself.”
“I very much doubt that,” Younger grunted.
He didn’t like Josh Bentley. He didn’t have a good feeling about the man He didn’t trust him and he certainly wasn’t under any illusions they were going to like what they found when they peeled back the arrogant layers of the former Army captain’s façade.
“Do you have any contacts that are still in the armed services?” Titus suddenly asked Younger.
Younger shrugged. “Of course.”
“Can you see if they can dig up a service record?”
“I already did that.”
“Yes, but can you see if they can dig up the stuff that nobody was supposed to see?”
“Oh.” Younger frowned and then nodded. “I can try.”
“Good,” Titus said grimly. “I have a feeling we’re missing something here. I’d like to know what before it blows up in our faces. Well, your face. This is your case after all.”
“Thanks, boss,” Younger said dryly. “I’ll keep that in mind when I’m picking up the pieces.”
“So dramatic.”
Younger shook his head. Right. The entire thing was dramatic. About as far away from how Younger liked
regular life as possible.
Chapter Sixteen
Laurie was not one of those people who liked to spend time in a hospital. She went to the doctor regularly, sure, but when it came to doing the whole overnight stay or planning some surgical procedure that would somehow activate the inner workings of hospital bureaucracy, she had managed to avoid that stuff for most of her adult life, which was why she was bored out of her mind by ten o’clock in the morning and more than ready to be released.
Of course, by noon she had been notified the police were still working with the hospital to determine whether or not she was going to be charged with assault. How this decision was going to be affected by the cops was a mystery that she was still trying to figure out.
A smiling young woman arrived with the lunch tray on a cart filled with similar plates covered in hard plastic and saucers wrapped in plastic. Laurie had skipped breakfast, assuming she would be home and capable of stopping by a drive-thru on her way there. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to happen, which meant she had to eat something lest she faint from lack of food and start this stupid process all over again when they tried to say she was having spasms or something.
“Thank you,” Laurie said when the young woman put the tray down on the moveable bedside table. “You don’t happen to be delivering food to the guy that was admitted last evening because he had a concussion?”
The girl’s brow knit and her lips pursed. “I don’t know. What’s his name?”
“Dwayne something.”
“Oh, he got released this morning,” the girl said pleasantly as she deposited a bowl of plastic wrapped gelatin cubes on the table.
“What?”
The girl gave a nonchalant shrug. “I’m not really supposed to be talking about the patients. But since we’re not using last names and we only had one Dwayne overnight, he’s probably your guy.”
Rock Wolf Investigations: Boxset Page 59
