“The kids we’re about to talk to are probably going to give us an earful regarding entitlement and what happened to Darcy,” he continued. “They’re going to be wrong. We have to find a way to communicate with them without killing them.”
“That’s not what we were talking about,” Jake scoffed. “That’s not even remotely what we were talking about. You just wanted to talk about Mandy because she’s your favorite subject.”
James shrugged. “So? Ally is your favorite subject.”
“Point taken,” Jake conceded. “Seriously, though, this was one meandering conversation.”
“Welcome to married life,” James said, clapping Jake on the shoulder. “All of your conversations are going to turn into meandering ones from here on out. Not only that, but you’ll find you like it. You’ll like sharing conversations you thought only women could hold.”
“I think you’re exaggerating.”
“I guess we’ll see,” James said, reaching for the door and sobering. “As for this, well, I have no idea what we’re going to find here. Be on the lookout and keep your ear to the ground. We might find nothing … and we might find that one little gem that will lead us to a motive for what amounts to multiple counts of public suicide.”
“Is that what you think the siege on the mall was?” Jake asked, legitimately curious. “Do you think they knew they were going to die?”
“Either they were deluded or desperate,” James replied. “I’m not sure which is it, but I’m bound and determined to find out. I need to do it for Mandy’s sake … as well as my own.”
“Mandy? Is she upset by what happened?”
“She’s more upset by what happened to Darcy,” James explained. “She wants answers because she’s convinced the two things have something to do with each other.”
“What do you think?”
“I think my wife is a genius and it’s never a good idea to bet against her.”
“Then let’s do it,” Jake said. “Let’s see what we can find out.”
“HI!”
James was taken aback when the bouncy blonde stopped in front of him. She tilted her head to the side as her blue eyes looked him up and down. For some reason – and it made him feel guilty thinking it – but the girl reminded him of Mandy.
“Hi,” James said, being careful to keep his distance. “Are you a student here?”
“I guess that depends,” the girl answered. “Do you want to take me to prom?”
James pursed his lips as he regarded the girl. She was cute and full of herself, but he had no intention of leading along a teenager for information. When he entered the school, he didn’t know what to expect. The girl approached them two minutes later – the hallways almost completely empty of other students – so it wasn’t exactly as if James had a lot of options.
“I already have a prom date,” James said after a beat.
The girl looked disappointed. “You could dump her for me.”
“I wouldn’t dump my prom date for anything,” James countered. “Besides, it’s summer. Prom is almost a year away. I’m sure you’ll find someone better when the time comes.”
“I didn’t get to go to prom this year,” the girl explained. “I was supposed to graduate – so it would’ve been my senior prom – but I failed chemistry. If you fail, you can’t go to prom. That’s why I’m here. They’re holding a special prom for those in summer school at the end of the term.”
“Oh,” James intoned, things clicking into place. “I never considered that. I guess it makes sense to do things that way.”
“So do you want to be my prom date?” The girl was unbelievably cute and bubbly. The more James looked at her, though, the more he was reminded that Mandy had been neither when he knew her as a teenager.
“I can’t,” James answered. “My wife wouldn’t like it.” He held up his ring finger for emphasis. “If you’re really looking for a date, though, I happen to know a computer genius who is going to be rich one day.”
The girl looked intrigued. “Is he hot?”
James shrugged. “He’s going to be rich and he has that hipster vibe everyone seems to love these days.”
“I’ll pass,” the girl said dryly. “I’m Serafina, by the way. If you’re not here to take me to prom, why are you here?”
“My name is James Hardy. This is my associate Jake Harrison.”
Serafina shifted her eyes to Jake. “Do you want to take me to prom?”
“I’m getting married this weekend,” Jake supplied. He didn’t have a ring to prove his point, but he didn’t need one. He had his heart, after all, and that was filled with Ally’s smile and laughter. “I suggest you take up James on his offer of the computer genius. The kid needs a lot of work, but he’s going to own the entire area before it’s all said and done.”
“I would rather have you guys,” Serafina said, jutting out her lower lip and crossing her arms over her chest. “So what are you doing here, James Hardy?”
“I’m here to ask questions about several of your classmates.”
“Which ones?”
“Dakota Landers, Matthew Moore, Nate Graham, and Chad Barlow.”
Serafina made a face. “They’re all dead. They got shot in the mall the other day.”
“I know that,” James said, feigning patience. “We were at the mall when it happened.”
It was as if a light bulb went off over Serafina’s head. “I knew your name sounded familiar. You’re the one who shot Nate, aren’t you?”
James’ shoulders stiffened. “He had a gun on my wife.”
“I’m not blaming you,” Serafina soothed. “I’m honestly surprised no one shot him sooner. He was a total tool.”
James raised his eyebrows. Like most other teenagers, Serafina had absolutely no filter. That was bound to work in their favor. “How was he a tool?”
“Well, if you believe the rumors, he was selling drugs and raping people.” Serafina’s tone was blasé.
“Do you believe the rumors?”
Serafina shrugged. “I don’t know what to believe,” she said. “When the rumors about the drugs started, no one thought much of it. Everyone has pot these days because of medical marijuana.”
“I thought you had to be eighteen for that,” Jake interjected.
“You do if you’re buying it yourself,” Serafina replied. “If your mother or father has a prescription, though, that changes things.”
“Ah.”
James rubbed the back of his neck as he considered Serafina’s statement. “You said you didn’t care about the drugs – and I get that – but what about the rape?”
“When we first heard about it no one believed the rumors.”
“Why not?”
“Because Darcy Sweetin is a book nerd who was trying to be popular,” Serafina explained. “Why would Dakota rape her when he had any number of girls lining up to give it away? Everyone wanted to bag Dakota.”
“But why would she lie?” James asked, grinding his molars to keep from snapping at Serafina. Her airy attitude was beginning to grate.
“Because she wanted sympathy,” Serafina answered. She either didn’t notice James’ change in demeanor or didn’t care. “She wanted Dakota to pay for turning her down.”
“Except she was dumped in her own front yard after being drugged,” Jake argued. “She was bruised and battered. She didn’t do that to herself.”
“No one saw her that morning,” Serafina pointed out. “She probably made it up.”
James bit the inside of his cheek to keep from lashing out. “You said you didn’t believe the rumors at first. Do you now?”
Serafina shrugged. “I don’t know what to believe,” she said. “I never thought any of those guys were capable of taking guns into a mall and doing what they did. Now I can’t help but wonder if Darcy was telling the truth about the rape.”
“I’m going to guess she was,” James said. “I’m also going to guess those boys had something else going on. Do you have an
y idea what that would be?”
Serafina made a face and shook her head. “I have no idea. All I know is that they were supposed to be here in summer school with us.”
James leaned forward, his interest piqued. “They were supposed to be here with you?”
Serafina nodded. “I … .” She broke off when a male silhouette stepped into the hallway and headed in their direction. James watched, amazed, as her demeanor shifted from flirty to worried in the blink of an eye. “Oh, no.”
“What’s wrong?” Jake asked.
Serafina didn’t answer, instead stepping closer to the wall as the man approached.
“What are you doing out here, Serafina?” the man asked, his eyes keen as they bounced between Jake and James.
“I was just going to the bathroom, Mr. Kaspar,” Serafina answered, avoiding eye contact. “These guys stopped me to ask questions. I swear I wasn’t doing anything bad.”
James marveled at the change in the girl’s demeanor. She obviously didn’t like the new arrival. Even more than that, she was terrified of him.
“I’m Lee Kaspar.” The man extended his hand for James to shake. “Can you tell me what you’re doing here?”
James opened his mouth, the truth on the tip of his tongue, and then he changed course almost immediately. There was something about the guidance counselor’s demeanor that bothered him. “We’ve been hired to look into the deaths of four students.”
“It was the boys at the mall,” Serafina interjected.
“Thank you, Serafina,” Kaspar said, his eyes narrowing. “I figured that out myself. This is private property, gentleman. You can’t just let yourself into a high school.”
“It’s a public building, though,” Jake argued.
“Not really,” Kaspar shot back. “It’s not like City Hall. You can’t just wander around the school. If you have questions about the boys, the only person cleared to answer them is the superintendent.”
“Okay,” James said, feigning amiable courtesy. “Where would we find him?”
“On whatever golf course is closest,” Kaspar answered, grabbing Serafina’s elbow and shoving her toward the hallway. “Until you have a proper appointment, though, I’m sure you can find your way out.”
“I’m sure we can,” James agreed. “We’ll definitely be on the lookout for the superintendent.”
“You do that,” Kaspar said. “Until then, though, this is a closed campus. If you don’t show yourselves to the door, I’ll be forced to call the police and have them do it for you.”
“That won’t be necessary,” James said, his tone icy. “We’re leaving.”
“Good.”
With those words, Kaspar disappeared down the hallway. Serafina, who wouldn’t shut up when she first met James and Jake, was oddly silent.
James waited until he was sure Kaspar was out of earshot before turning to Jake. “What do you make of that?”
Jake rubbed his thumb over his lip. “That was weird, right?”
“Oh, yeah, that was weird,” James said. “Come on. I want to run that guidance counselor through our search system. Something is definitely not right here.”
“There’s something off about this entire school,” Jake pointed out. “It has a weird vibe. It’s nothing like the high school I attended.”
“One step at a time,” James said. “I want to check on the guidance counselor first. He’s definitely off … and Serafina was terrified of him.”
“Okay. Let’s do it.”
13
Thirteen
James widened his eyes when he saw the bustling activity in his office upon returning to Hardy Brothers Security. Mandy, Emma, and Ally stood next to his desk – all of them fussing over Darcy as they played with her hair and makeup – and none of them so much as looked in his direction as he entered.
Maverick sat behind the desk working on a computer. James figured he was supposed to be figuring out who tried to hack their system. His eyes never left the women, though, and even when James cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention, he remained the most ignored man in the room.
Only Grady appeared to notice his arrival.
“It’s been like this for an hour,” Grady groused, reclining on the office couch and extending his legs. “It’s like being trapped in a hair salon or something. Er, well, this is how I always imagined a hair salon sounding when all the hens get to clucking.”
“I heard that,” Ally snapped, never shifting her attention from Darcy’s hair. “If you’re not careful, I’m going to cut your hair before the wedding. Then your photos will be you and short hair for all of eternity.”
Grady made a disgusted face. “I’ll kill you if you try.”
“Don’t threaten me,” Ally warned. “Jake will kill you if don’t stop doing that, won’t you, my little love muffin?”
Jake barely acknowledged the nickname. That was another game he played with his beloved – even though he would never admit it – and he’d grown rather accustomed to Ally’s girly names. He was secretly fond of them.
“I’ll definitely kill him if he threatens you, angel,” Jake said, bobbing his head as he sat next to Grady. “Leave your sister alone. She’s being … good.” Jake said the word, but it wasn’t clear whether he believed it or not.
“Ladies, not that I’m not happy to see you, but … what are you doing?” James asked.
As if noticing he was in the room for the first time, Mandy lifted her chin and beamed in his direction. “There you are. I missed you.”
James merely shook his head. “I saw you two hours ago.”
“That doesn’t mean I didn’t miss you.”
“I missed you, too,” James said, dropping a quick kiss on her cheek before moving behind the desk. “Why are you guys here, though?”
“We’re spending time with Darcy,” Emma answered. “You said … .”
James held up his hand in a placating manner and cut her off. “I meant what I said. You guys can do whatever you want here at the office.”
“Then why did you ask?”
“Because … I was surprised to find everyone in my office,” James answered. “This is still a place of business. If you want to fuss over Darcy, why not take her upstairs to your apartment?”
“Because Avery is napping and Finn is watching him. We can’t wake a sleeping baby.”
James licked his lips. “Okay, I understand that,” he said. “Why not go into the back room then? You guys can spread out there.”
Mandy shifted, her eyes conflicted. “We’re in your way.”
James hated the expression on her beautiful face. “No, baby, I … .”
“Oh, now you stepped in it,” Grady said. “Your hen is about to cluck your head off.”
“And I’m going to tell your hen to cluck your head off if you’re not careful,” Ally challenged. “No one is talking to you.”
“This is all my fault,” Darcy said, chewing on her bottom lip as she shrank away from James. “I’m sorry. I’ll go. I just thought … .”
James’ stomach twisted when he saw the girl’s reaction. “No, don’t you dare leave,” James said, working overtime to keep his voice calm and welcoming. “I didn’t mean that. I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s fine,” Darcy said, avoiding eye contact. “I should’ve realized you were just offering out of politeness. It’s fine. I was looking for a reason to be out of the house, but … .”
“Good job,” Ally muttered, shaking her head.
When James risked a look at Mandy he was certain she was about to cry … or maybe murder him when he wasn’t looking. Her expression was hard to peg down. “Darcy, please don’t leave,” James pleaded. “I was just surprised by the number of people here. I don’t want anyone to go.”
“We just came from your school,” Jake said smoothly. “We actually have some questions for you so it’s good that you’re here. James is always grumpy when he has to go without seeing Mandy for long stretches of time.”
; “He has a funny way of showing it,” Ally pointed out. “For a guy who missed his wife so much, he couldn’t wait to get her into another room.”
“Do not add to this madness, Ally,” James warned, extending a finger in his sister’s direction. “I’m just not used to all of the office activity. I want everyone to stay exactly where they’re at and keep doing what they’re doing. I like this. It’s a nice change of pace.”
Grady pressed his lips together to keep from laughing as he flashed an enthusiastic thumbs-up in James’ direction. James ignored his brother’s reaction and focused on Mandy.
“Baby, I want you here and I want you to keep doing what you’re doing,” James said. “I swear it. I was just … surprised. That’s all.”
Mandy’s smile was enigmatic as she turned back to Darcy. “I told you it would be fine,” she soothed. “James is even going to buy us lunch to prove how fine it is, aren’t you, dear husband of mine?”
James swallowed hard at her challenging tone. “I would love to buy you lunch, wife.”
“We want Red Lobster,” Ally interjected.
James scowled. The nearest Red Lobster was at least twenty minutes away and it would be a royal mess when they got it back to the office. “Really? Why not Olive Garden?”
“We just had Olive Garden,” Mandy pointed out. “We talked about seafood before and Darcy said her parents won’t go to Red Lobster even though it’s her favorite.”
James shook his head. He’d already lost. Everyone in the office knew it. There was no sense denying it. “Red Lobster it is.”
“Yay!” Ally hopped up and down as she clapped her hands. “You’re such a good brother.”
“I am,” James agreed, locking gazes with Mandy. “I’m a good husband, too.”
Mandy didn’t immediately respond, which made James uncomfortable.
“I’m a good husband, right?”
“We’ll talk about that later when we’re alone,” Mandy said.
James made an exaggerated face and focused on Jake. “I might’ve been wrong about the games.”
Jake grinned. “Oh, you did this to yourself.”
Deadly Forever (Hardy Brothers Security Book 24) Page 11
