Page 50 of Bad Seed

“There is no innocence left in this world,” Brendan muttered. “Popes don’t run from trouble, and we take care of our own. Have you eaten anything?”

“No, I don’t think I can’t face—”

“Give me a sec,” he said, took out his phone and sent a text. “Now, last night I gave you a Cliffs Notes version of the origin of my people. It’s your turn. Tell me about your family.”

“You don’t want—”

He put a finger over her lips. “Oh, but I do.”

She scooted back to the corner of the sofa and, like last night, turned to face him, curled her legs up under her, and started talking.

“I am an only child and a huge disappointment to my parents. I was born with this face, which pleased my mother, and born with my father’s intelligence, which pleased him to no end. But when I began to follow my own path instead of what they wanted of me, they let me know how I was wasting my life, and their continued dismay exists to this day.”

“Who are they? Where do they live?” Brendan asked.

“Jason Banks, NASA scientist. At present in Houston, working on another ‘secret’ something or other. Judith Henry Banks, well-known American playwright and screenwriter. They live in New York City,also in an apartment in Houston, sometimes in a villa in the south of France, and at the vineyard they own in Calabria, Italy. At the present, Mother is at the villa. She belittles my work because it’s so ugly and constantly reminds me how the work demeans me, because I’m basically digging criminals out of their hiding places.”

“At the risk of criticizing people I don’t know, I’d say your parents are very shortsighted. My mother, Shirley, on the other hand, was, and still is, our biggest cheerleader. Actually, it’s our mother who is the Pope. My father’s name is Clyde Wallace. He was a drug user and a drunk who beat the hell out of all of us from the day we could walk and nearly killed our mother. He’s doing life for murdering two people while he was high. We changed our last name to Mom’s maiden name to get away from the shame of him. Mom inherited her family home after her mother passed away. We came home to the mountain. It saved us all.”

He paused, suddenly lost in the past.

Harley had been watching the expressions changing on his face and hearing the tone of his voice shift in and out of anger. They were barely past the total-stranger stage, but every time she saw him, he pulled her deeper into a world she barely understood. Then all of a sudden, he looked up, as if remembering where he was, and turned to face her.

“We all have shit to deal with in life. The lucky ones are people like us, who have found our calling. Your job is an invaluable tool. All I do is fill people’s bellies, butat the same time, I’m giving them a piece of me. I share my skills with the world, just as you do. But the last few months with Ray gone have been hell here, and I was thinking of quitting to get away from the chaos. I’m really glad now that I did not.”

Harley sighed.He did it! He told me. It couldn’t have been easy for him to admit all that, but he never blinked, never wavered, never apologized, because he had nothing to apologize for. God, please don’t let me get killed. I want to know this man.

“I’m glad you didn’t quit, too,” she said, but before she could say more, there was a knock at the door.

“I’ll get that. It should be supper,” he said, and unfolded himself from the sofa and headed for the door, checked the peephole, and then opened the door.

Aaron walked in carrying two bags from Granny’s Country Kitchen.

Harley saw the man, then the face, and was on her feet in seconds. There was no mistaking who it was.Another brother!

Brendan escorted him in, talking as they walked. “Aaron, come meet Harley. Harley, this is my oldest brother, Aaron Pope. Aaron, this is Harley Banks. Ray hired her to audit the hotel. He’s thinking of selling.”

Aaron was all smiles as he handed Brendan the bags and went straight to Harley with his hand outstretched. “It’s a pleasure.”

Brendan put the bags on the table. “I also told him you have a problem you need to discuss with the police.”

“We’re always happy to assist in any way we can. What would be the nature of your problem?” Aaron asked.

“I’m pretty sure someone from the last case I just worked has sent a hit man to take me out. I got a warning today from the last man I worked for. Two people related to the crime I uncovered are dead. One was an informant, the other a federal agent who worked the case of criminal activities I uncovered in my job, and the warehouse where the crimes took place burned down today.”

Aaron’s eyebrows rose slightly, but that was the only indication he gave of the surprise. “You must be some kind of special CPA.”

“I also have a PI license and specialize in rooting out corporate crime, but that’s for us to know and no one else to find out. Okay?”

“Understood. Okay…so I’m going to leave you two to your dinner. BJ, I’ll talk to the chief tomorrow morning first thing and fill Wiley in as well, because…family.”

Brendan pulled a pair of twenties from his wallet and handed them to Aaron. “Thanks for the delivery.”

“Keep your money,” Aaron said. “This is on me.”

“Nope. I might want you to do this again sometime,” Brendan said.

Aaron grinned. “When they were passing out subtlety, you thought they said soup and were waiting in line for seconds,” he said, but he took the money, then gave Brendan a quick hug. “You be careful. Andyou take good care of Miss Harley. She reminds me of Mama when she was young. All spit and fire and stood her ground regardless. You wouldn’t remember her that way.”

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