“Oh, I love you so much,” Grady said, resting his forehead against Sophie’s briefly. He wanted to kiss her, but he fought the urge.
The sound of a woman clearing her throat jerked Grady’s attention to his left. He had an apology ready for blocking the coffee cart, but he recognized the blond woman standing in front of him before he could utter it. “Marge, right?”
Marge beamed at the recognition. “Right. You’re handsome and smart.”
“He’s not smart,” Sophie said, making a face.
“Excuse me? I think I should be insulted,” Grady said.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” Sophie said. “I just meant that remembering who she was means you have a good memory, not that you’re smart. Wait … that came out wrong.”
“You’re lucky you bought that candy,” Grady sniffed. “As it is, I’m going to be making my own list.”
Sophie rolled her eyes and focused on Marge. “Do you need something? I already told Conrad I was going to spend the morning down here. He’s not expecting me at the office.”
“Yes, well, if you would check your phone once in a while you wouldn’t have to see me at all,” Marge said.
“My phone?” Sophie dug in her purse while Grady chatted with Marge.
“It’s good to see you again, Marge,” Grady said. “How are things?”
“Pitiful,” Marge replied. “I’m on a new diet so I’m always hungry and all the good men are taken … usually by someone who doesn’t deserve them.” Marge shot a pointed look in Sophie’s direction as Grady fought the mad urge to laugh.
“I see,” Grady said, struggling to keep a straight face. “Your diet seems to be working well. You look great.”
“Thank you.” Marge preened under the compliment. “I’ve lost three pounds.”
“Well, it really shows,” Grady said. “I … .” He broke off when a hand landed on his shoulder and found James standing behind him when he turned. “What’s up? Did you get Mandy upstairs okay?”
“She’s fine,” James said. “I’m going to kick the crap out of that Humphrey guy, though. I know she doesn’t want me going to jail, but that guy needs a good beating.”
“James,” Marge cooed, excited to see her first Hardy crush. “How are you?”
James vaguely recognized the woman, although it was a struggle to place where. “Fine. I’m sorry. Do I know you?”
Marge’s smile tipped down. “Yes.”
“She’s the secretary at the newspaper office,” Sophie supplied, studying her phone screen. She had three voice mail messages. “I must not have heard the phone ring over the crowd. Do you know why Conrad wanted to get in touch with me so badly, Marge?”
“I do,” Marge replied primly. “You would know, too, if you answered the phone.”
“I don’t have time for this,” Sophie said. “Either tell me or go. At this point, I don’t care which.”
Marge let loose with an exasperated sigh. “Conrad got an anonymous tip that Sheriff Morgan is buckling and he wants you to go over and feel him out.”
“Really?” Sophie was surprised. “That’s great news.” She risked a glance at Grady. “I should probably go over there.”
“Go ahead, sugar,” Grady said. “I’ll watch things from here. If I see anything you shouldn’t miss, I’ll text you.”
“You’re the best,” Sophie said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Now you’ve really earned your dirty candy.”
Grady rolled his neck when James shot him an incredulous look. “What? You and Mandy had fun with the candy. Why can’t we?”
“Pervert,” James said, snickering.
Sophie waved goodbye to James and Grady and hurried toward the sidewalk. She parked close to the side street so she could have easy access should she need to leave. She was glad now, because otherwise she might be trapped by the growing horde.
Sophie was lost in thought as she walked to her car, her mind busy with questions to hammer Morgan with. She was so distracted she didn’t see the man heading her way on the sidewalk until she crashed into him.
“I’m so sorry,” Sophie gasped, clutching her purse so the contents didn’t spill out. “I didn’t see you.”
The man’s smile was friendly, although his eyes were dark. “That’s okay,” he said. “It was just an accident.”
There was something familiar about the man, but Sophie couldn’t put her finger on it. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Are you okay?”
“I am,” Sophie said. “Thank you. I’ll pay better attention next time.”
“Don’t worry about it. No real damage was done. Have a nice day.”
19
Nineteen
“This guy is all over the place,” James said several hours later, studying his computer screen as he leaned back in his office chair to stretch. “He’s got some dubious connections, and yet I can’t quite pin him down.”
“You’ve only been trying for twenty-four hours,” Grady said, settling in the chair across from James. “Humphrey is a snake. I’m sure we’ll find what you’re looking for if you exert a little patience.”
“Do you think I’m being unreasonable?” James asked. “Mandy seems to think I am. She says she’s heard worse than what Humphrey said, which makes me want her out of that courthouse right now. I don’t want to wait until September.”
Jake sat on the couch flipping through a folder, one ear on the conversation. “You want Mandy out of the courthouse regardless,” he said. “The Humphrey situation is just exacerbating things.”
“I do want her out of that courthouse,” James muttered. “I know she promised me she would leave in September if I stopped pressuring her, but I feel the need to pressure her.”
“Fight the urge, man,” Grady said. “I gave in to my bad urges and it almost blew up in my face. Sophie was so upset that night I thought … well, I thought she might end things between us.”
“I know you don’t want to hear this, but that wasn’t going to happen,” James said. “When you’re in the middle of an emotional battle, it always seems as if the worst is going to happen. Sophie was never going to leave you.”
“How do you know that?”
“The same way I know now looking back on the fight Mandy and I had right before the wedding – you remember the day I found her engagement ring on the table and thought she left me – and know there was no way she was ending things,” James answered. “We were always destined to be together. So are you and Sophie.”
“Still, it’s upsetting,” Grady said. “She was so broken-hearted. I felt like an ass. Don’t do that to Mandy. You’ve only got a few months and then it will be over. She’ll be a full-time artist and you’ll have one less worry.”
“I know you’re right,” James said, rubbing the back of his neck. “It bothers me that what Humphrey said seems like a normal day to her, though. She shouldn’t have to put up with that. She’s too … good … for that place.”
“She’s too good for you, too,” Grady teased. “That doesn’t stop you from rolling on top of her every chance you get.”
“Point taken,” James said, turning his attention back to the screen. “Here’s what I have so far: Eric Humphrey was an assistant prosecutor in Oakland County for ten years before he went into private practice. He represented some real scumbags when he was a defense lawyer – and none of them are good people – but none of them seem to suggest a smoking gun either.”
“Have you gone through his financials?” Jake asked. “The county keeps a website of all the political donors for each candidate. It’s kind of a pain because of a lot of the checks are scanned in manually, but you can dig some good dirt up in there.”
“That’s a good idea,” James said, clicking on a search window. “I know Humphrey is hiding something. The fact that Foley could so easily manipulate him on such a high-profile case makes me think both of them are up to their necks in dirty dealings.”
“I’ll go through Foley’s financial
s while you’re doing Humphrey’s,” Jake said, reaching for the spare laptop on the edge of the desk. “We’re bound to find something.”
“Have you heard from Sophie?” James asked Grady. “Did she get anywhere with Morgan?”
“I haven’t heard from her yet and I don’t want to text in case she’s in a meeting with him,” Grady replied. “She’ll call when she has something. I hope.”
“Oh, you’re such a lovesick puppy,” James crooned. “First roses, then perverted chocolates, and now mooning over your lady love. And you say I’m whipped.”
“You are whipped,” Grady said. “I’m not ashamed to admit I love Sophie. I’m not ashamed to say I want to spend the rest of my life with her.”
“So stop whining and wait it out,” James suggested. “Help us do our searches.”
“Fine,” Grady said, exhaling heavily. “Anything is better than listening to you whine about Mandy.”
“I don’t whine about Mandy nearly as much as you whine about Sophie,” James shot back.
“I never whine about Ally,” Jake interjected. “She’s my perfect angel.”
“Oh, gag me,” Grady said. “Let’s face it. We’re all whiners. That’s what the women in our lives have turned us into. We’re complete and total whiners.”
“I can live with that,” James said.
Ironically, Grady found he could live with it, too.
“I’M SO depressed,” Sophie grumbled later that night, staring at her empty martini glass as she sat at a bar table between Mandy and Ally. “I thought for sure Morgan was going to give me a story. I waited at the sheriff’s department for four hours. Do you know what I got? Nothing.”
“Have another drink,” Ally said, signaling the waitress to bring a second round. “Don’t stop until the pain is gone.”
Mandy made a face. “Don’t tell her that, Ally,” she chided. “Getting drunk isn’t going to fix anything.”
“So you don’t want another round?” Ally challenged.
“I didn’t say that.”
“That’s what I thought,” Ally said, wrinkling her nose at her best friend before turning her attention back to Sophie. “I’m sure that Sheriff Morgan will change his mind eventually. He’s not going to have a choice. The people won’t let him get away with this.”
“I believe that in theory,” Sophie said. “There’s something off, though. There’s something I can’t quite wrap my head around. I’m just not sure what it is. It’s going to drive me crazy if I don’t figure it out.”
“I have a theory,” Mandy said, smiling as the waitress took her empty glass and replaced it with a full one. “Does anyone want to hear it?”
“Not really,” Ally said. “Let’s talk about something other than Eric Humphrey and Chuck Foley. No one needs to waste a good girls’ night on those douchebags. It was hard enough to get the guys to agree to let us go out as it is.”
“They were a little whiny,” Mandy acknowledged. “James and I have spent every night together this week and he made it sound as if I was going to run off and join the circus when I told him I was going out with you guys.”
“That’s because you two are perverts and everyone knows that when perverts comingle they become introverts.” Ally sounded as if she was spouting psychiatric nonsense on a morning television show. “You guys need to spend more time apart so you don’t cross the line to deviancy.”
“Have you been watching Dr. Phil again?” Mandy asked dryly.
“He’s very smart,” Ally said primly, causing Sophie to snicker.
“James and I don’t spend any more time together than you and Jake do,” Mandy argued.
“Yes, but we’re not perverts.”
“You guys are a trip,” Sophie said, shaking her head. “I’m actually glad Mandy suggested a girls’ night when I ran into her at the courthouse. I love Grady dearly, but he’s been really intense lately.”
Mandy bit her lip and lowered her eyes as she played with the condensation ring left by her glass.
“I saw that,” Ally said, leaning forward. “You know something.”
“I do not,” Mandy protested shrilly. “I was just … thinking.”
“No, you know something,” Ally said. “I can always tell when you’re hiding something … and you’re definitely hiding something.”
Mandy offered Sophie an apologetic smile. “I don’t know anything.”
“You do,” Sophie argued. “You just don’t want to volunteer what you know in front of Ally. It’s okay. Everyone is going to find out eventually. She might as well know now.”
“Know what?” Ally asked, petulant. “How come Mandy knows something I don’t?”
Mandy was relieved Sophie misread her expression. In truth, she didn’t want Sophie to know Grady was going to propose. The couple’s big fight hadn’t even crossed her mind. “I was there when James and Grady did a bad thing,” Mandy supplied. “I’m the one who helped them do a bad thing.”
“Well, now I have to know,” Ally said. “What is it? I’m dying here.”
“It’s nothing big,” Sophie said. “It’s just … Grady managed to track down a storage locker where my old social worker stashed some of my childhood things. Mandy and James actually did the legwork, but when they found it Grady and James went to the locker and searched through it.”
“That’s horrible,” Ally said, outraged. “That was your stuff. Grady should’ve respected your privacy.”
“He was trying to do a good thing for me,” Sophie countered. “I’m not happy he hid it, but he honestly thought there would be two boxes inside and he would be able to transport them home and surprise me with them.”
“Oh, well, that’s not so bad,” Ally conceded.
“Instead there were apparently thirty boxes so Grady grabbed two and brought them home,” Sophie said. “He didn’t realize that not everything was from my parents and the social worker put a few things from my foster care days in there and one of the items kind of … set me off.”
“Why?” Ally loved a good story, but Mandy’s heart went out to Sophie because she knew this wasn’t the type of story Ally would really want to hear in the end.
“The foster home I had before Peter was abusive enough I landed in the hospital,” Sophie explained, choosing her words carefully. “I was hurt badly and almost died. Peter read the reports in the newspaper and became my benefactor of sorts. That’s how I ended up with him.”
Ally made a sound like an angry cat. “What happened to the people who hurt you?”
“It was actually the teenage son who hurt me, but the father lied and took the blame,” Sophie said, swallowing hard. The story was harder to tell than she initially envisioned. “The father and mother went to prison. I have no idea what happened to the son.”
“I didn’t know that part,” Mandy said quietly. “I just knew what was in the sealed file.”
“Wait … what sealed file?” Ally was confused.
“Bree, my foster mother, tried bribing me with a jewelry box to change my story to the cops,” Sophie explained. “That’s what was in one of the boxes. Grady got curious and asked Peter about it and Peter was kind of … evasive.”
“Oh, no,” Ally groaned. “My brother, being the intrepid jerkwad he is, felt the need to investigate on his own, didn’t he?”
“He did,” Sophie confirmed. “He ran my name through the search engine at the security office and found a sealed file.”
“And James and Grady suckered me into opening it,” Mandy added. “I shouldn’t have done it. Not only was it illegal, but it was immoral, too. When Grady read the file he had a bad reaction.”
“We had a big fight when he told me what he did and I told him to sleep on the couch,” Sophie said.
“I would’ve went out and bought an actual doghouse and made him sleep in the back yard,” Ally said.
Sophie offered her a wan smile. “We had a long talk when neither of us could sleep – and I couldn’t stop crying – but we’re okay now.
I told him everything, but I’m sure you can understand I don’t want to go into excruciating detail again.”
“I understand,” Ally said, patting Sophie’s hand. “If you ever want to talk, I’m here. I’m a good listener, no matter what my brothers say.”
“She is,” Mandy agreed, nodding.
“Now I think we definitely need to get drunk,” Ally said.
“You know what?” Sophie’s gaze bounced between her two friends. “Why not?”
“HELLO, drunk wife,” James said three hours later, slipping his arm around Mandy’s waist as he helped her up from her stool. “Did you have fun?”
“Yes.” Mandy’s smile was wide.
“That’s good,” James said. “You’re going to feel like hell tomorrow. I’ve got aspirin and water waiting for you at home.”
“You’re my favorite husband ever,” Mandy said.
James didn’t want to encourage his wife’s behavior, but he couldn’t stop himself from smiling. If anything, she was even cuter now than a normal night. “I am,” James agreed. “Now let your best husband take you home and put you to bed.”
“Emma is going to be so sorry she missed out on this,” Ally said, happily linking her fingers with Jake’s as they walked out of the bar. “I know she loves the baby, but girls’ night is important, too.”
“Obviously,” Jake said, grabbing Ally’s purse. “Where are your keys? James picked me up so we wouldn’t have to leave your car down here.”
“They’re in my purse.”
“Great,” Jake said, sighing as Ally tilted into him and kissed his neck.
“I love you, Jake,” Ally cooed.
“I love you, too, angel,” Jake said. “You’re going to be hating life tomorrow morning, though. Where did you park your car?”
“In the parking lot.”
Jake glanced up and down the street. There were at least three lots to choose from. “Can you narrow that down?”
“The one with the parking meters,” Ally offered helpfully.
“This will be fun,” Jake muttered, grabbing Ally around the waist and dragging her down the sidewalk. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”
“Have fun,” James said, laughing as he turned to Grady.
Deadly Memories (Hardy Brothers Security Book 18) Page 15
