Page 56 of Bad Seed

“And that’s the federal agent who was murdered,” Sonny said.

“Yes, sir.”

“My guess is that’s what got him killed,” Sonny said. “I know when one of our own goes down, we comb heaven and earth to get justice, and sometimes things get lost in the shuffle. That case will wind up on someone else’s desk, and they may or may not view it as a priority since the gang was arrested, the hostages freed, and the warehouse torched. They’ll be focusing on finding the shooter. I’ll make some calls to see where they stand with it, but if I do, and if there’s a mole in their unit who’s been looking the other way, my call could send a signal to the hit man as to where you are.”

Harley’s eyes welled, but she was furious. “Don’t anybody freak. I’m not about to go all weepy here. I cry when I’m mad,” she muttered.

Aaron smiled. “That’s way better than what Wiley does when he’s mad.”

“That’s not fair. I don’t hurt people,” Wiley said.

“No, but you can yank a knot in someone’s attitude faster than any other officer on my force,” Sonny said, and then they all laughed, including Harley.

“I understand the reference. I recently had theprivilege of witnessing one of Wiley’s most impressive arrests,” she said.

Wiley sat up a little straighter. “You did?”

“I did, to the chagrin of a pickpocket named Virginia, who demanded your name and badge number.” Then she rattled it off in the same clipped tone that he’d used. “‘Officer Wiley Pope…spelled like the one in Rome…related to half the population of Jubilee. Badge number ten, as in the number after nine, but the one before eleven.’”

Both Aaron and the chief burst out laughing.

Wiley grinned, completely unashamed.

The laughter shifted Harley’s tears. “Okay, my mad is dissipating. And I’m not one to run or hide. I asked for your help and I’m not about to start telling you how to do it. Make the call. I’m not leaving this room until I finish the job I came to do, and then when I do leave, I will shout to the rooftops where I go next. At least that will eliminate the danger afterward to anyone here.”

“Do you want a guard?” Sonny asked.

She shook her head. “Putting a guard on the door outside this room will advertise my location. I’ll just work fast and hope for the best.”

“You have Brendan,” Aaron said. “He’s already on your side and as faithful as the day is long. Trust him. We all know he’s the best of us.”

“Just don’t tell him we said so,” Wiley added.

“I wish I had a family like yours,” Harley said.

“There’s always room for one more,” Aaron said.

Harley saw them out and locked herself back in, but Aaron’s words were still ringing in her ears.

She went back to work, only to be disturbed a short while later by the maid who came to clean, and then a member of the staff refilling the snack bar and mini-fridge. At that point, she stopped work and retreated to the sofa until they were finished.

But before she could get back to work, the house phone rang again. It was the manager, Larry Beaumont.

“Good afternoon, Harley, this is Larry. I just wanted to make sure you have everything you need, and that if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call me.”

“All is well, and work is proceeding. The room is very comfortable, and the food and room service are superb,” she said.

“Good to know, and remember, I’m available any time.”

“Thank you,” Harley said, and hung up.

His jovial tone and continued reminders that he expected her to need his input to do her job both aggravated her, as well as raised an inner alarm. In her experience, the ones who were too helpful were always trying to throw suspicion on someone else.

And now that he’d interrupted her workflow, she was curious enough to log onto the website of the wholesale vendor furnishing toiletries to the hotel. After locating the same products that Beaumont had been ordering, she clicked on the Chat With option. As soon as someone responded, she pretended to be the owner ofseveral B and Bs and wanted to know in what quantities the toiletry products were sold and what the prices were.

A minute or so later, the answer popped up along with the question,If the prices are suitable, are you ready to order? If so, I can send you a link.

She was already stunned by the difference in costs and responded with anI’m still checking other sources. Thank you for your information, then left the website.

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