“How did she come through?”
Sophie recited Lily’s story back to Mandy.
“That is awful,” Mandy said. “I … there are no words.”
“I know,” Sophie said. “I just keep thinking … .”
“That it could’ve happened to you,” Mandy finished.
“If it weren’t for Peter, yeah, it could have happened to me,” Sophie admitted. “And it could have happened to Emma.”
“I think about that sometimes,” Mandy said.
“About Emma?”
“She was abandoned and left on her own when she was only eighteen,” Mandy said. “I remember the first time I saw her in the courthouse. She was so vulnerable. I just wanted to … take her home with me.”
Sophie giggled. “You collect people. That’s your thing.”
“I what?”
“You find people you want to help and you want to collect them,” Sophie said. “You like to take care of people. If you liked animals, you’d be a cat hoarder.”
“I do not,” Mandy protested.
“You do,” Sophie said. “You collected me. You were the first one to take in Emma, even when Finn wasn’t sure what was going on. The Hardys may be the pieces, but you’re the glue that holds everyone together.”
“Have you ever considered being a poet?” Mandy asked, arching an eyebrow. “You have a way with words.”
“That’s what Grady says.”
“Grady is a wise man,” Mandy said.
“With great hair,” Sophie added.
Mandy smirked. “His hair is nice. Don’t ever tell him I said that.”
“Your secret is safe with me.”
The women dissolved into giggles.
“It sounds like you’re having a good time in here,” Judge MacIntosh said, stepping into Mandy’s office.
“Judge,” Sophie said, straightening. “If you have a problem with me being here, I can go.”
“Why would I have a problem with you being here?” MacIntosh asked.
“I … .”
“She wants me to run a name,” Mandy replied truthfully. MacIntosh may be her boss, but he was also a friend. Mandy had no inclination to lie.
“I see,” MacIntosh said. “May I ask why?”
Sophie glanced at Mandy for direction.
“Go ahead,” Mandy instructed.
Judge MacIntosh listened as Sophie related Peter’s story, furrowing his brow as it progressed. When she was done, he rubbed his jaw thoughtfully as he considered what he’d just been told. “That is … unbelievable.” He shifted his eyes to Mandy. “What do you think?”
“I think that it can’t hurt to run this guy’s name through the system,” Mandy replied. “He’s obviously a danger. Even if he doesn’t have anything to do with this specific case, we should turn his name over to the proper authorities.”
MacIntosh nodded. “Run it. I’m mildly curious to see what comes up.”
“What did you say his last name was?” Mandy asked.
“Faulkner.”
Mandy typed in the name, her eyes widening as information started filling her screen. “Well, I don’t think we have to worry about alerting the authorities. I think they know who he is – and what he does.”
“What does it say?”
“He’s got a rap sheet like you wouldn’t believe,” Mandy said.
“Give me the highlights,” MacIntosh said.
“Well, he’s been arrested three times for rape,” Mandy said. “Each time it was pled down to a misdemeanor.”
“Who did that?” MacIntosh asked, his cheeks flushed with discontent. He was particularly harsh with sexual offenders, and he had no tolerance for those who didn’t.
“Judge Hendrickson,” Mandy replied.
“Figures,” MacIntosh grumbled.
“Who is Hendrickson?” Sophie asked. “I’ve never been in court with him.”
“That’s because he’s mostly just a figurehead now,” MacIntosh replied. “His decisions were called into a question a number of times, and the rest of us banded together and took him to task. He’s been relegated to visiting status.”
“He’s elected, though,” Sophie prodded.
“Isn’t it funny how that worked out,” MacIntosh said, his lips pursed.
“I’m guessing you don’t want me to do a story on that, right?” Sophie asked.
“I’d rather you didn’t,” MacIntosh said. “It’s not like it’s a secret, but it would be bad if it blew up. He’s officially retiring at the end of the year. We convinced him not to run again, so he’s going to retire and his seat will be filled in the general election.”
“I’ll hold off,” Sophie said. “I got this information while working on something else. I’m not promising not to try and get the information by other means, though.”
“You have to do what you think is right,” MacIntosh said.
“This is the priority for me right now,” Sophie said. “I’m … this story bugs me.”
“I can see why it would,” MacIntosh said. “Whenever people prey on the weak, it gets me going, too. What else does the file say?”
“He’s got five counts of pandering on his record,” Mandy said.
“Were those pled down, too?”
“Yes,” Mandy said. “He’s never been convicted of a felony.”
“Well, that’s just ridiculous,” MacIntosh said. “Who is his attorney?”
Mandy scanned the screen, grimacing. “Steven Patterson.”
“Of course,” MacIntosh said. “Did he represent Faulkner on every charge?”
“Yes.”
“So, how does a lowlife pimp afford someone of Patterson’s pedigree?” MacIntosh asked.
“That’s a very good question,” Mandy said.
“Who is this Patterson?” Sophie asked.
“He’s a slick piece of work,” MacIntosh said. “He’s made a name for himself representing sexual predators. I believe that’s all he does now.”
Sophie made a face. “Well, that’s nice.”
“He represented Emma’s father,” Mandy said quietly.
Sophie stilled. “Oh.”
“How is Ms. Pritchard?” MacIntosh asked. “I always worried about her when I saw her in court. She seemed so … sad.”
“She’s good,” Mandy said. “She’s taken care of.”
“Finn dotes on her,” Sophie said. “He’s very good to her.”
“That’s good,” MacIntosh said. “She needs someone patient. She needs someone aware of her situation, someone who can be both sympathetic and push her when the time is right. Mr. Hardy is patient, isn’t he?”
“He’s the most patient one,” Mandy said. “James flies off the handle and then regrets it every time.”
“Grady is slow to anger, but then he pouts on stuff for what seems like forever,” Sophie said.
“And Ally, well, I think the Hardy genes were out of patience by the time Ally came around,” Mandy said, grinning.
“I think you’re right,” Sophie agreed.
“Well, as long as Ms. Pritchard is around the two of you, I’m sure she’s fine.”
“She won’t be if this case overlaps with the case against her father,” Sophie replied. “It’s going to stir up old memories and wounds.”
“We don’t know that Patterson is involved,” Mandy cautioned. “We just know he’s a dirtbag.”
“Mandy is right,” MacIntosh said. “Just because he defends these … animals … that doesn’t mean he’s involved in anything else.”
“It doesn’t mean he isn’t,” Sophie said, her face pinched.
Judge MacIntosh exchanged a worried glanced with Mandy. “I think you should give this information to the Hardys. Go ahead and print it out. Let them decide how things are going to go.”
“I agree,” Mandy said.
Sophie was on her feet. “Yeah. Great. Can you email me a copy of that? I have some more things to check on before I go home.”
“Sophie … ?�
�
Sophie moved through the door. “I’m fine. I’ll see you later.”
“HEY, baby.” James greeted Mandy with a warm kiss and an affectionate pat on the rear when he saw her move into the kitchen. He was standing in front of the stove cooking dinner, music blaring from the small speaker on the counter.
“Hi,” Mandy said, glancing at the pan on the stove as she bent down to remove her pumps. “What are you cooking?”
“Hamburgers and fries.”
“You made fries?”
“I bought the frozen bag and put them in the oven,” James countered, a cheeky grin moving across his face. “Only the best for my wife.”
Mandy smiled, although the expression didn’t make it all the way up to her eyes.
“What’s wrong?” James asked.
“Sophie came to see me today,” Mandy said.
“About the case?”
“Yeah.”
“What did she want?”
Mandy told James about Sophie’s visit. He didn’t look half as worried as she felt when she was done.
“Sophie is just driven,” James said. “She fixates on things. That’s what makes her good at her job.”
“She gets obsessed,” Mandy mumbled. “That’s what you’re saying.”
James swiveled, fixing Mandy with a curious look. “Okay, I think I’m missing something. What’s wrong?”
“Sophie seems unnerved,” Mandy said. “She was fine until she found out that the attorney who represented this Christian Faulkner on all of his charges was the same man who represented Lance Pritchard.”
James frowned. “That could just be a coincidence. Attorneys make a name for themselves in certain areas. This Faulkner probably just focuses on sex crimes.”
“I agree,” Mandy said. “Sophie just … she just bolted right after. I can’t figure out why she’s so upset.”
“I think Sophie has very strong feelings about justice,” James said.
“We all do,” Mandy said. “I think Sophie is so worked up because she thinks this could have happened to her.”
“How?”
“Sophie was in some horrible foster homes when she was a kid,” Mandy said. “She doesn’t really talk about it, but I know it scarred her. If Peter hadn’t taken her in, Sophie would have been the kind of kid to run away as a teenager. Then what would have happened to her?”
“I … I don’t know,” James said.
“And what about Emma? I mean, the fact that Emma survived and managed to thrive on her own, well, that’s just a miracle,” Mandy pressed.
“I’m starting to realize that Sophie isn’t the only one who is worked up about this,” James said, reaching over and pushing a strand of Mandy’s flyaway hair out of her face.
“You have to find out who is doing this,” Mandy said. “It’s not right. We have no idea what’s happening to these girls once they’re taken.”
“Baby, we have no proof that anyone is actually being taken,” James said.
“Oh, come on,” she said. “You have that Lily woman’s story. You have this pervert Christian Faulkner. Do you know he’s gotten off on rape charges three times? Less than ten percent of rapes are even reported. Do you have any idea how many women he’s probably violated?”
“Mandy,” James said, grabbing her hand and bringing it up to the spot over his heart to center her. “We’re going to find out what’s going on.”
“You have to.”
James pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her and pressing a kiss to her forehead. “We will. I promise.”
Seven
“How was Sophie last night?” James asked, glancing into the passenger seat of his Explorer and regarding Grady with a contemplative look.
The three brothers were on their way down to Detroit to canvas. They didn’t have a lot of options, and information was the one thing they desperately needed. With no other place to look, they’d all agreed that questioning individuals in the area was their only choice.
“She was … distant,” Grady said.
“Distant with you, or just focused on the case?”
“I don’t know,” Grady admitted, staring out the window. “She gets this way sometimes, although this seems particularly … hard for her.”
“Mandy says it’s because Sophie thinks it could have happened to her,” James said. “And Emma.”
Finn perked up in the backseat. “Why does she say that?”
“Because Sophie and Emma were at-risk teenagers,” James replied. “Peter saved Sophie, and Emma … well … she just saved herself.”
“I never really thought about it that way,” Grady said. “I was so busy looking down at what Peter did for a living, I never really looked at what he did right.”
“Sophie is an amazing woman,” James said. “She’s strong. I think she did a lot of that herself. I also think Peter was smart enough to take care of her and let her grow into what she was always supposed to be. We need to give him credit for that.”
“We do,” Grady agreed. “I just don’t know what to do sometimes. Sophie takes everything in on herself and just mulls it over so hard it’s like she’s compacting trash in there or something.”
James barked out a laugh. “She gets intense.”
“I don’t know what to do,” Grady admitted. “She’s not really talking. She’s just poring through files and pacing. It’s driving me crazy.”
“Distract her,” Finn said.
“How?”
“You know.”
Grady made a face. “Yes, we’ll just start having sex twenty-four hours a day. That will fix everything.”
James pressed his lips together, fighting off the urge to laugh. “Have you tried talking to her?”
“Of course,” Grady said. “I just … she says everything is fine and that’s she’s just concentrating.”
“Maybe that’s the truth?”
“It is the truth,” Grady said. “There’s something else going on, though.”
“I think it’s the thought of women being taken and used as … well, we know what they’re probably being used for,” Finn said. “Emma is kind of worked up, too. She blames herself for not believing Lily when she first heard the story. Now she’s going out of her way to try and be a friend to Lily.”
“And you don’t like that?” James asked.
“I’m uncomfortable with Emma going into the neighborhood where Lily lives,” Finn said. “I also don’t like the memories it’s stirring up for Emma. She never wants to talk about … that … but I can tell she’s been thinking about it. She looks haunted. I just don’t think hanging out with Lily is going to help her.”
“Tell her.”
“Yeah, I’ll just tell her I forbid her to go into bad areas,” Finn deadpanned. “I’m sure she’ll take it well.”
“Don’t forbid her,” Grady said. “Just explain. Emma is rational.”
“Sophie is rational, too,” Finn said. “How well did she take it when you tracked her down on the street the other day?”
Grady scowled. “Not well.”
“Yeah, women don’t like it when we get bossy and territorial,” James said. “I have no idea why. I love it when Mandy bosses me around.”
Finn snorted. “I think you’re talking about something entirely different than we are,” he said. “Women just think differently than men. It’s like their brains are broken or something.”
“Oh, please let me be there when you tell that theory to Emma,” Grady said.
Finn made a face. “You know what I mean.”
“Well, Emma and Sophie aren’t the only ones worked up about this,” James said. “Mandy was in a mood last night, too.”
“Because of this? She wasn’t an at-risk teenager,” Grady said. “She was as far from at-risk as it comes.”
“I think it’s the idea of women being sold,” James said. “I’m not particularly thrilled with it either. It’s just harder for us to imagine the realities involved. People aren’t grabbing
men off the street and selling them into sexual slavery.”
“We don’t know that’s happening here,” Finn said. “We have rumors and questions, but we have no answers.”
“That’s what we’re doing down here,” James said, parking his Explorer on the street. “We’re looking for answers.”
“Should we do it together or split up?” Grady asked.
“Split up,” James said. “Just … don’t go too far. I think people will be more willing to talk to us one-on-one. If something goes south, I want everyone in shouting distance. Keep your phones on you, too.”
“This is a horrible area,” Finn said.
“Yeah, as if having to live down here isn’t bad enough,” Grady mused. “These women also have to worry about being grabbed and abused. This is just … .”
“We’re working on it,” James said. “We can only do so much.”
“I know.”
“So, let’s do what we do,” James said. “Let’s find some answers.”
“I’M really not interested in … that,” Grady said, fighting to keep his features even as he questioned the two prostitutes loitering on the corner. They were chain smoking, blowing a steady haze into his face, but they appeared open to conversation. “I have a girlfriend.”
“And where is she?” Pansy asked.
The woman had introduced herself as Pansy – and her friend as Violet – but Grady had serious doubts those were their real names. He couldn’t fault them for lying about their identities, or trying to pretty up a harsh situation.
“She’s at work,” Grady said.
“You should tell her that letting a man as fine as you wander around in an area like this isn’t in her best interests,” Violet said, shaking her brown hair for emphasis. “You’re prime for the picking.”
“I’ve already been … picked,” Grady said.
“Then what are you doing down here?” Pansy asked.
“I’m looking for information.”
The women exchanged a worried look. “What kind of information?”
“We’ve heard some rumors about women disappearing,” Grady explained. “Do you know anything about that?”
“That’s none of our business,” Pansy said.
Deadly Questions (Hardy Brothers Security Book 8) Page 5
