Page 40 of Fighting for Mallory

“What do you think we’ll find?” Faith asked.

“Proof that Lapeno and his family were murdered because of something he knew about Hayes and Senator Keane.”

“And if we find it?”

“We can rule out the snake cult being involved. Whatever we find may ruin Senator Keane’s chance at becoming our next governor.”

“So, you plan to confront him with it?” Faith lifted a sofa cushion off the floor and used a pocketknife to slice it open. She pulled out the stuffing and examined it for a small flash drive as well as inside the material of the cushion. When she didn’t find anything, she moved on to the next cushion.

“Yes, no matter the cost. Do you always carry a pocketknife?” he asked in an amused tone of voice.

“A girl has to be prepared for any contingency, especially after what happened to me three years ago when Axel Anderson kidnapped me. I’ve taken martial arts classes since then.” She demonstrated some of her karate moves.

Judd laughed. “I’d definitely think twice about kidnapping you. Unless it’s to take you to dinner.”

“Are you asking me on a date?” She emptied the last sofa cushion. Nothing.

“May I cook dinner for you tonight at my place?”

“Funny, Judd, you don’t seem like the homemaker type.”

Judd turned over an end table and unscrewed one of the legs. He aimed a mini flashlight inside it. “I like to cook. It’s a distraction for me.”

“So, what’s your favorite dish to cook?” Faith picked up a broken lamp that lay on the floor. She checked the ceramic base, but it was empty. She hated to break the other lamp, but it was necessary to be thorough. Still nothing.

“Nothing too fancy. I make fabulous stuffed green peppers.”

“Stuffed green peppers?”

“Yeah. The secret is to choose short and round green bell peppers so they sit better in the baking dish.”

As they continued to search the main living area, Judd shared his favorite recipes with Faith. He knew by the light in her eyes and the smile playing about her lips that he intrigued her. The light back and forth banter between them occupied their fruitless search of the kitchen and dining area, and their attraction blossomed.

“I think we’re wasting our time,” Judd complained. He wiped his sweaty forehead with his forearm.

“Maybe not. CSU took Lapeno’s laptop, and the tech guys are combing through it, right?”

“Right. But so far, they haven’t had any luck.”

“Put yourself in Lapeno’s shoes. You drive an arrogant, rich guy like Bentley Hayes around all day, and he pays you barely enough to earn a living wage. Let’s say Hayes keeps the barrier down between him and Lapeno. He’s wheeling and dealing, and you’re listening to every conversation he has. Remember the movie Sabrina, the Harrison Ford version? How her father was the limo driver and made a fortune listening to the family talking business?”

Judd nodded. “Go on.”

“Well, what if Lapeno overheard something he wasn’t supposed to? Something about a land development deal between Senator Keane and Hayes? What if he’d been recording Hayes’ conversations all this time? If he’d been making money hand over fist listening to Hayes, wouldn’t you have found it by now? Even offshore, there would be a money trail.”

“Then where are these recordings? Or bank numbers to accounts offshore?”

Faith smiled and beckoned him toward the sons’ bedroom. “Every kid has some sort of electronic device nowadays. What if Lapeno put sensitive information on one of his sons’ iPads and told him it was broken?”

“And if there was only one with nothing but kids’ stuff on it, CSU wouldn’t bother with it.”

“Lapeno wouldn’t hide it where it could be easily found. But a kid’s bedroom is a treasure trove of secret hiding places.”

Only a few of the kids’ belongings had been disturbed by CSU. Some of their toys and games lay scattered on the bedroom floor. Judd offered to tackle the bedroom itself while Faith checked the closet. She rummaged through the boys’ clothes and opened shoe boxes. Sleeping bags lay rolled up on the closet floor. She unrolled them and slit the seams. Nothing. Faith pulled everything out from the bottom of the closet and continued her search.

She could hear Judd voicing his frustration that matched her own. Her theory had been a good one, but it looked like it was a bust. Faith sighed with disappointment and began to put everything back in its place. As she rolled up one of the sleeping bags, she noticed an old teddy bear she’d overlooked. Her heart pumped with excitement. Faith cut it open, and a flash drive fell into her lap. Voila!

“Judd!” she called. “I found something!”

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