Page 79 of The Aura Answer
“Santa Claus is very real, if you believe in giving gifts to make others happy,” Gracie assured her, wishing it were true.
Aster wrinkled her nose at that philosophy but nodded. “Can we go play with Aunt Evie’th puppy now?”
To Gracie’s amazement, Nick lifted her tired daughter to his shoulders and offered his free arm to Gracie. “I think, after all the excitement, we all need a time out.”
From her new height, Aster hugged his neck and waved at everyone she saw.
Warily, Gracie took his offered arm. “Are your ears still ringing? That was an enormously brave thing you did. Rhodes could have shot you!” His act had terrified her cautious nature on so many levels... She’d done her best to shut out the scene. But he was safe and whole and... she still shook in her shoes. She squeezed his arm tighter to reassure herself that he’d survived.
He shook his head. “I’m fine, and it wasn’t as if I gave what I did any thought. Diving into bar fights was part of my youth. I now know it’s stupid, but sometimes, instinct wins.”
“Instinct. Is that what one calls it when one does something stupidly dangerous?” she asked, thinking of her levitation.
He slanted her a knowing look. “I may not have known you for very long, but I’m fairly certain you’ve never done anything stupid in your life. You are cautious to the Nth degree. Want to talk about that?”
“I have to be cautious,” she said stiffly. Yes, yes, she wanted to talk but not yet. “I’m a single mother and have a child to consider. Have you found an apartment in the city yet?”
“I may have to live in a roach motel until I find something. First, I’m waiting to be charged with assault on an officer of the court. With my luck, Rhodes will be out on bail tomorrow and suing everyone involved.”
She squeezed his arm again as she grasped the extent of his fears. Men weren’t supposed to be afraid. They did stupid things like diving at judges and knocking them out. But then, she’dflung a frame at onewith her mind. In front of everyone. “If they take you down, they’ll have to take me.” She didn’t know if she was being stupid or brave by saying that.
“Right. Flying frames and all that,” he said loftily. “I’ll take the blame, if it comes to that. They may as well conclude I’m barmy.”
Gracie laughed, relieved that he accepted what she’d done and wasn’t questioning. “Too true. If they can’t believe that Bertie saw Rhodes in the attic with a gun, how can they possibly believe in flying frames?”
But it was a sobering realization that a killer could be back on the street again for lack of evidence.
Thirty
“Evangeline,puppies need rest just like children!” Gracie scolded.
Evie was rolling around on the Antique Barn’s floor playing with her new companion.
Jax knew as little about raising children and puppies as Evie. He wondered if listening to her more experienced sister would make good practice. Unlikely, he decided, watching his fiancée with her over-excited schnauzer.
He didn’t think either suffered from the play. It kept them occupied while everyone settled in and Roark put Jax’s sister, Ariel, on FaceTime.
“Iddy claims the puppy’s name is Morrigan,” Evie said, holding the pup up. “But she’s too small to be a goddess yet.”
Iddy, as usual, wasn’t here. She had to take care of her animals. But the rest of the team and then some gathered at Sammy’s Antique Barn in hopes of uncovering evidence before Judge Rhodes bailed out. The DA would never believe Bertie’s ghost, even if he could testify, which he obviously couldn’t.
“Call her Morrie,” Jax said, studying the dog dubiously. “Confuse people. Don’t let them know we have a goddess on our hands.”
Evie laughed, which eased the group’s silent tension a little.
“The reward requires that we provide evidence to put ex-Mayor Block’s killer behind bars, right?” Reuben asked, working through his laptop. “Looks like the reward fund has met the goal and then some. That’s over a hundred grand of inspiration.”
Block’s son, Toby, who was sponsoring the reward, and Verity, from the art gallery, had joined them but were spending their time looking through old frames and artwork.
Toby looked up at Reuben’s assessment. “Money stopped coming in after they locked up Rhodes, but there’s enough there to pay what was promised.”
“Even with ballistics, a good lawyer will raise questionable doubt without more evidence. A judge with no record can claim he accidentally shot Layman while defending himself and get away with it. We need solid proof and motivation to prove he killed Block and Sammy,” Jax reminded them, lest they start dreaming dreams and forget the task at hand.
“It makes no sense for a respected judge to shoot an antique dealer and a former mayor. It does sound as if someone stole his guns.” Gracie had all of Sammy’s account books stacked in order. She was systematically rifling through each book for papers stashed between the pages, leaving the invoices in place and setting everything else out for examination.
“Exhibit A,” Evie said, holding up on one finger. “Sammy’s ghost tells me he’s blackmailing his killer and the proof is in his books.” She pointed at the ledgers Gracie was working through. “And B, Rhodes seemed to be calling Sammy and Larraine blackmailing pigs. There cannot be blackmail without proof.”
Jax was amazed she’d focused so well. They’d left the children in the care of Mavis and the aunts—which apparently even made Evie nervous. He needed to keep them organized and be quick about it.
