The Lawyer's Secret Baby

by Polly Carter

  Harley put the binoculars up to her eyes. “Aha. That’s good. I’ve got a perfect view of his new mule.”

  “Get some pics if you can,” Jessamy said shutting the doors. “I’m going in to see what he’s doing in there. Some photos of her in the car would be good, and our evolutionary dead-end when he comes out.”

  Harley zoomed in and took photos of the car and the unsuspecting woman driver, and then waited in anticipation.

  “There he is,” she said at last with satisfaction, snapping away as he opened the back door and put a bag of groceries on the back seat before getting into the front and handing a card to the driver.

  As Harley kept snapping pictures, Jessamy came puffing back to the car and jumped in.

  “Oh man, I hope these work out,” Harley moaned. “They absolutely back my story up. What did you see?”

  “Plenty, as it turns out. I saw that necrotic visitor from the Hellmouth come through the check-out and then go into the men’s toilets. I followed him in and ducked into a cubicle. He’d gone into a cubicle, but I think he was on extractory rather than excretory business.”

  “Huh?”

  “I think he was picking up the packet from inside the toilet. He probably stashed it there earlier. That way he’s got the drugs actually on his person for the shortest amount of time. And no cameras allowed in the dunnies. How’d you go?”

  “I got some good pics, I hope, of the girl driving and of him putting the bag in the back and–hopefully–handing the card back to his driver.”

  While they were talking, Jessamy had started the van and followed the Hyundai back out onto the street.

  “Next stop will be to drop off our piece of maggot-infested carrion, and then I guess poor unsuspecting little goody two-shoes will do his dirty work for him. Not being seen in these back blocks is going to be harder, though,” she said as the houses got fewer and further between.

  With Jessamy forced to keep the van well back, Harley kept the car in front in view through the binoculars.

  “Oh, they’ve pulled up outside that old house up there,” she said suddenly. “Look out or they’ll see us drive past.”

  “And thank you gods of the universe again,” Jessamy said triumphantly turning into a side street which had fortuitously appeared just when they needed it. “Clearly they are so on our side and want justice as much as we do.”

  She swung the van into a driveway, reversed out and edged toward the intersection staying far enough behind the house on the corner to not be readily visible but able to see what was happening ahead.

  “Okay,” Harley said watching the action through her binoculars. “He’s out, tapping the roof of her car. He always does that. Now she’s driving off and he’s just standing there. I bet his car is parked around here somewhere. Are we going to keep following the mule? We’ll have to drive past him.”

  “Yeah, we’ve got no choice,” Jessamy said grimly “if we’re not going to lose the driver. Oh, he’s crossed the road now and is heading this way anyway. That’s him, isn’t it? We’ll have to chance it. Okay, hang onto your hat then, duck down and think invisible.”

  “Look, there she goes,” Harley said a short while later. “Into that house with the black panel van out front. That’s the very same car that was parked at the house I dropped off at.”

  “I reckon it’s a marker. Whoever is coming to collect the packet from here won’t go to the wrong house because this is a sign. They maybe leave the money in it when they’ve got the bag off the front porch too.”

  “Are we going to grab the shopping bag now or wait and see who does the pick-up?” Harley asked.

  “Neither,” Jessamy replied with a grin. “I’ve got a better idea. If we mess around with this deal, they’ll know we’re onto them and we’ll be back to square one. I don’t want to spook anyone at the moment. And we’re not so interested in who the buyer is. It’s the seller we want, and we need to catch him red-handed. And, for that, we need our bait.”

  “What bait?”

  “How about that sweet blonde fishy so innocently dropping off a bag of groceries for the non-existent Mrs. Mellors and knocking on the door of an empty house?”

  Chapter 13

  “Hi, sugar.” Arian caught Lyddia as she flew towards him and, picking her up off the ground, swung her around in a circle.

  “Hi, Daddy,” the little girl replied, laughing excitedly.

  “Daddy now is it?” Arian pulled Lyddia into a hug and looked over her head at Harley who was waiting by the front door, her heart full of happiness watching Arian and Lyddia together. There was no doubt they adored one another.

  “She told me last night she was going to call you Daddy from now on. She knows that’s who you are, and she seems very happy about it.”

  “As am I,” Arian said, nuzzling his daughter’s neck and making her giggle as he carried her to the house. “And I like the ring it has to it, and I love you, don’t I, Princess Lyddia?”

  “I love you too, Daddy,” Lyddia answered, hugging him around the neck. “When are you and Mummy getting married? Can it be today? Pleath?”

  “No, honey,” Arian replied ruefully. “I wish it could but we still have to wait a bit longer.”

  “Well, then, can I get my puppy today?” Lyddia asked matter-of-factly as she wriggled from his arms and slid to the ground.

  “Puppy?” Harley looked at Arian in surprise.

  “Daddy thed I can have a puppy. I’m going to call her Printheth Anna.”

  “Oh, he did, did he?” Harley looked at Arian and furrowed her brow. “I don’t get a say?”

  “Sorry, Hal, but where this little pixie is concerned, I don’t seem to have any self-control at all. She can just twist me around her little finger, can’t you?” He ruffled Lyddia’s hair. “But, no, no puppy today either. Soon, though. After Mummy and Daddy are married. Okay?”

  “Oh, okay,” Lyddia looked deflated but not completely desolate.

  “And now,” Arian said, still speaking directly to Lyddia, “Mummy and I are going out to do something really really boring and we want you to come with us.”

  “Boring?” Lyddia looked aghast, then scornful. “I don’t want to do anything boring. I want to thtay with Grandma. Can I, Grandma? Can I thtay with you?”

  Hearing the commotion, Harriet had appeared from the kitchen and Lyddia pounced on her, clutching at her leg.

  “Oh, hi, Arian,” she said with a smile when she saw Arian at the door. “What’s going on? What’s Lyddia on about?”

  “I told her Hal and I want to go and do something boring and she apparently doesn’t want to come with us. Says she’d rather stay with you.”

  Harriet laughed and winked at him. “I see. Well, it just so happens I need a hand with some cooking. But I don’t know if you can do that, can you?” she said in a serious voice to Lyddia.

  “Yeth, I can. I can, Grandma. Come on, I’ll thow you,” she proclaimed, and taking Harriet’s hand in hers, she led her grandmother back to the kitchen, Daddy and Princess Anna apparently forgotten for the moment.

  Harley laughed. “She might have you twisted around her little finger, but you’re pretty good at knowing exactly how to handle her to get your own way without her even being aware of it. She’s putty in your hands.”

  “Unfortunately, I don’t seem to have had the same knack with her mother.”

  “Perhaps not,” Harley agreed with a saucy grin, “but I think you might be learning.”

  “Cheeky,” he admonished her, squeezing her bottom. “Come on. I have something to show you.”

  “Where are we going?” Harley asked, moments later as Arian pulled out of the drive and headed down the hill.

  “You’ll see,” he answered mysteriously. “Oh, and I spoke to Zain yesterday.”

  “Oh?” Harley replied as nonchalantly as possible. “And?”

  “Well, he didn’t have much to report, unfortunately. He said he’s been too busy to do much this week, but he’s got a few feeler
s out looking for Gary Mellors. He hasn’t located him yet, but he’s catching up with some guy this weekend who he reckons might know something. Mellors might be a low-life grub but he’s been very clever at virtually making himself invisible.”

  “Oh,” Harley’s palms were starting to feel damp. This was dangerous territory if she wanted to avoid Arian finding out about her previous day’s escapade with Jessamy. “And what about the stuff you were looking at, the ‘technicalities’?”

  “I don’t think there’s any doubt there are sufficient breaches of process to seek a discontinuance. I can’t absolutely guarantee the judge would agree to it, but Zain did get a chance to verify that there was no search warrant, so the prosecution would have to convince the judge that the police had reasonable grounds to think you were committing a crime to be able to search you without one. And I would have to make a convincing case they didn’t. And there’s lots of holes in the prosecution case. Like where did you get the drugs if not how you said?”

  “It’s not like they didn’t keep asking me that,” Harley said bitterly, remembering the frightening grilling she’d had at the police station.

  “That’s right, and they’ve drawn a blank. They also didn’t catch anyone coming to pick them up. Whoever that was must have known what happened and not gone back. So, they have no evidence of where you could have got the drugs from, no leads as to who you were selling them to, plus there’s nothing in your bank accounts they can show as unaccounted expenditure or income from drug sales. Yes, you could have done it all using cash…”

  “I didn’t do it using anything,” Harley interrupted hotly.

  “I know. I know,” Arian said quickly, patting her knee. “I’m just talking about what the prosecution might say, but without any cash anywhere as evidence, it’s still all speculation. So, although they caught you with the drugs on you, the rest of the case is flimsy to say the least. I reckon even as it is, it could go either way. Unfortunately, without video evidence, the sexual harassment during the search is your word against theirs. If it goes to court, I’ll make sure Jimson has to own up or perjure himself, but he’s crooked so he probably has no issue with lying, especially knowing there’s no proof he manhandled you. You should definitely lodge a complaint, though, if you haven’t already done so.”

  “My lawyer told me it might be better not to antagonise the police by lodging a complaint until after the case.”

  “That guy is an incompetent ass. Thank goodness I got back when I did. Anyway, enough of that for the moment,” Arian said, turning off Guildford Road and pulling into the drive of their dream house. The ‘For Sale’ sign was still out the front.

  “What are we doing here?” gasped Harley.

  “We’ve come for a look,” Arian said carelessly, getting out and heading for the front door. “Come on,” he called back over his shoulder as Harley sat as if glued to her seat. Jolted into action, she jumped out and ran to catch up.

  “Is there a home open or is the agent coming to show us around?”

  “Nah, I got the key so we can have a look around by ourselves. You said you wanted to see what it was like inside,” Arian said, taking a key from his pocket and inserting it in the front door. “Ready?

  “Oh, yes!” Harley said, her eyes shining. “How exciting. I have always longed to see the inside of this house; I wonder if it will be anything like I imagined.”

  Arian turned the key and pushed the door slowly open. As the polished jarrah floorboards of the entrance hall leading to the curved wooden staircase came into view, Arian scooped her up and carried her in as he might carry a bride over the threshold.

  “Arian, what are you doing?” she said with a laugh. “We’re not married yet.”

  “I know,” he said, putting her down inside, slipping his arms around her and kissing her long and sweet. “But I couldn’t resist. I just thought I should get in some practise. Come on. Let’s look around. The famous mystery house is about to be revealed.”

  Harley looked around, scarcely believing she was actually in her dream house, even if it was just to look around. She’d loved it for so long from the outside, its wonderful upstairs balcony with the wrought iron balustrade, and its rose garden and sloping lawn down to the river that she could catch glimpses of. Everything on the outside was perfect. Now she could finally see the inside as well.

  “Oh, Arian, it was so clever of you to think to get the key so we could look around. I actually came by here a couple of weeks ago and saw the ‘For Sale’ sign out the front and the work being done on the house, but it never occurred to me that I could pretend to be a potential buyer and ask to see inside. This is wonderful.”

  As they wandered around, Harley was captivated. Whoever had been doing the renovations had done an immaculate job: the jarrah floorboards that ran from the entrance hall through the dining and lounge rooms, both with original open fireplaces, were polished to perfection as was the curved wooden staircase. The kitchen had been completely redone but its modernity had been carefully designed to not clash with the rest of the house. Whoever had been living here had not entirely vacated the house because it was still fully furnished.

  As they wandered from room to room, Harley wordlessly took in the beauty of the house. She had always known she would love it, but its class and ageless elegance surpassed even her wildest dreams. Upstairs the three large bedrooms had been newly carpeted, and the curtains looked new as well. When they entered the huge master bedroom, she sucked in her breath in wonderment. Obviously decorated and furnished with loving care and an eye for detail, it was painted in the very softest of peach, almost white but with just a touch of warmth. Against the north-facing wall stood an immense four-poster bed. A matching wardrobe, dressing table and chair, and tall boy were close by. In front of the fireplace in the opposite wall was a couch and chair, allowing for romantic winter evenings snuggled up in front of an old-fashioned log fire.

  “So, what do you think? Is it what you expected?” Arian asked as Harley still hadn’t spoken.

  “Not really. It’s even more beautiful than I thought possible. It is the loveliest house I’ve ever seen in my life.”

  “Do you think I should buy it then? We could live here after we’re married. Perhaps I should go back and see if I can beat the agent down to a price we can afford.”

  “A price you can afford, you mean,” Harley said bitterly. “I haven’t been able to work while I’ve been on bail. If it wasn’t for Mum… And, anyway, what would be the point if I’m going to be living in prison? I’m sure that will be nearly as good as this.”

  “I’ve told you to stop worrying about that,” Arian said firmly.

  “I know you have, but how can I? What’s your magic solution?” Harley’s voice was rising in frustration. “You have nothing, do you? And what about that guy Zain? He has nothing either. Really, I’m better off with Jessamy helping.” The words were out before she realised. She stopped, her mouth wide as she sucked in her breath.

  Arian’s eyes narrowed. “Jessamy helping how precisely?”

  “Oh, no way in particular,” Harley said quickly, trying to backtrack as fast as possible.

  “Harley Elizabeth Brand.” Harley’s heart sank. Arian only ever used her full name when he was really, really cross.

  “It was nothing really, Arian,” Harley blurted out figuring it was better to own up to something and keep the rest of her secret than to say nothing and be interrogated until he wormed it all out of her. “Jess just got me to drive her over to the house I got arrested at to see if they missed any clues.” It wasn’t an actual lie because they had, in fact, done that.

  “After I expressly forbade it.”

  “No, oh no, Arian. We did that before.” Harley quickly dropped her eyes so he wouldn’t see the gleam of triumph in them, but Arian moved close enough so he could tilt her chin up and force her to look at him.

  “What?” she asked trying to turn her head away.

  “I’m not sure, but I have a fe
eling you haven’t taken my threat seriously.”

  “Oh no, I did. I promise. I took it very seriously.”

  “All right, then let me rephrase that: I’m not sure you took my threat as a sufficient deterrent. I think it is so long since I gave you a proper session over my knee that you have become somewhat blasé about it. I think that needs remedying right now.”

  “Now?” Harley was aghast. “Here? In somebody else’s house? What if someone comes?”

  Arian took her hand and led her to the couch. “Really, Harley I think you have more things to worry about right now than whether someone will come and witness you getting your bottom spanked. Now take your shorts down.”

  “What? No. What if someone comes?” Harley repeated, glancing at the door as though expecting someone to walk through at any moment.

  “As I have the key, I don’t think that’s very likely. Now take your shorts down this minute, or I will take them down for you and that will make me crosser than I am already.”

  “But, Arian,” Harley tried again. One part of her was undeniably turned on by his display of dominance. She’d forgotten how incredibly sexy he was when he got serious and started ordering her about. And even though they’d been back together for a little while now, they’d had very little opportunity for any sexy fun: one spanking with after delight, and one night of glorious naked passion but, truth be told, Harley was aching for more, much more of both. But here? In someone else’s house? With an agent likely to walk in at any moment?

  “But nothing. Just do as you are told.” He sat on the couch and patted his knees. “And hurry up. My patience is about all used up.”

  Harley sighed a deep sigh. Every second delayed was a second more likely someone would come, she decided. Probably best to get it over with quickly. She moved close to his knees, undid the button and zip on her denim shorts, pulled them down and lay over his knee.

  Arian pushed her shorts further down and then pulled her knickers down as well, pushing them both well out of the way.