Page 8 of Trusting Laurence
Tahlia couldn’t hold back a soft gasp. She’d hoped Maddie would be willing to let her be a part of her big day, but she’d never imagined she’d go so far. Her heart was full to bursting with love and happiness.
“Maddie, I would love that!” She could do nothing elsebutagree.
Giggling like two little girls, they hugged.
“Maddie, sugar, I hate to ruin your reunion with your mama, but we need to get going. We have to be at the caterer’s in thirty minutes.”
“Oh damn. I forgot all about the caterers.” Clapping her hands, she grinned at her mother. “Why don’t you come with us? I’m not ready to say goodbye, Mama. Please say you will?” She turned to Darryl. “It’s okay if Mama comes with, isn’t it, Darryl?”
“Yes, of course. You’re most welcome to join us, Ms. O’Connor.”
Maddie’s excitement was contagious, and Tahlia couldn’t, didn’t want to, say no.
“I’d love to, princess.”
“It’s settled then. Come on, let’s get going.”
She watched as Maddie bounced off the couch and headed for the door. Rising from the couch at a slower pace, she fetched her purse. Her heart singing with joy, she joined her daughter and soon-to-be son-in-law.
Larry had spentdays combing through the accounting records Tahlia had given him. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so excited about something, anything. It reminded him of how he’d felt as a young boy on Christmas morning, dying to see what Santa had left him.
For years, he’d looked for ways to take Marcus Forrester down. Before Larry’d joined the FBI, Marcus had hired the private company he’d worked for as security detail for his family. As Tahlia’s personal bodyguard, he’d seen firsthand how the bastard had beaten his young wife. In fact, Larry had almost lost his job because he’d intervened on one occasion. His boss had to do some fancy talking to save his job. Back then, he’d been stupid enough to believe he could save Tahlia from her husband.
He’d finally wised up when she’d refused to leave Forrester, despite the fact that she’d just come out of the hospital because of the last beating Marcus had given her.
Now, the key to incriminating Forrester had been handed to Larry, and the man was going to be his own downfall. Larry couldn’t have planned it better if he’d tried.
A knock on his open door had him looking up from the document he was going over again. Mary-Beth stood with another sheaf of papers in her hand.
“What can I do for you, Mary-Beth?”
“It’s more like what I can do for you, sir. I’ve got more on Senator Forrester.”
“Excellent. Thank you,” he said, holding out a hand.
Once she’d returned to her desk, Larry scanned the new information. Nothing jumped out at him on his first pass, so he laid them on his desk, going back to the financial records he’d been reading.
A sudden thought had him reaching for his desk phone and hitting the speakerphone button.
“Mary-Beth, do me a favor and get Jim Wilder, the warden of Colombia Penitentiary, on the line for me?”
“Yes, sir. Right away.”
While he waited for the call to be put through, he swung back and forth in his chair, formulating a plan in his head.
He picked up the handset on the first ring.
“Warden Wilder on the line for you, sir.”
“Thanks. Please give Finn a call and ask him to come see me as soon as he’s able?”
“Yes, sir. Patching the call through now.”
“Yeah. Thanks.” He heard the transfer taking place, and when the line connected, he said, “Jim, how’s it going?”
“Hey, Larry, my man. I’m good. How about you?”
“Yeah, I’m hanging in there.”
