Deadly Dealings (Hardy Brothers Security Book 13) (5 page)

“I’m so excited to see Peter,” Ally enthused the next afternoon, leaning forward in Sophie’s car as the other woman zipped down the freeway in the direction of Grosse Pointe.

“Did you tell Jake you were coming with me?”

Ally made a face. “Jake is my boyfriend. He’s not my keeper.”

“I’m taking that as a no,” Sophie said, shaking her head. She loved Ally’s enthusiasm, but the woman was an endless source of trouble when she wanted to be. “If Jake comes after me because he finds out about this, I’m going to be ticked off.”

“Why would Jake go after you?”

“James had a fit when he found out I brought Mandy here one day,” Sophie said. “He almost melted down in righteous fashion.”

“James likes to melt down,” Ally said. “He can’t help himself. I don’t really blame him right now. I don’t understand why everything bad always happens to Mandy.”

“She has had some terrible luck.”

“Jake will be fine with it,” Ally said. “He trusts me.”

“Are you saying James doesn’t trust Mandy?” Sophie arched a questioning eyebrow.

“I’m saying James can’t stop himself from freaking out whenever he thinks there’s even a possibility of him losing Mandy,” Ally said. “Did you see him at the hospital the other night?”

“He about broke my heart.”

“Mine, too,” Ally said. “I think he honestly was trying to brace himself for the fact that he was going to lose her.”

“I think he was worse the other night than he was when she was hurt in the explosion,” Sophie said.

“I forgot you were there that night,” Ally said. “You were the one who found them first, weren’t you?”

“I’ll never forget it,” Sophie said. “Mandy was a broken and bloody mess, and James was confused from the explosion and yet he still crawled through broken glass to get to her. He was holding her and trying to keep himself on task even though he needed to pass out himself. It was sheer will that kept him conscious.”

“They’re going to be okay,” Ally said. “Mandy is tough, and even though it’s obvious James is going to have an absolute freakout in the next couple of days, I have faith things will be fine.”

“Do you think they’re going to fight?” Sophie asked, turning onto Peter’s driveway and parking in front of his massive Grosse Pointe mansion.

“They’re going to fight,” Ally replied. “Then they’re going to make up and be stronger than ever.”

“I hope you’re right,” Sophie said. “James looked as if he was about to crumble yesterday. How was he this morning when you saw them?”

“Not well,” Ally said. “Mandy didn’t keep down any of the soup and she was up half the night throwing up the fluids they’ve been pouring into her. The other half of the night James watched her like a hawk because the doctor said night terrors were a real possibility.”

“He didn’t sleep at all?”

“I don’t think so,” Ally said. “When we’re done here, I’m going back over there. I’m hoping if he knows I’ll sit with Mandy while she’s sick that he can take a nap. He needs rest or he’s going to kill himself trying to take care of her.”

“He’s not going to rest until she can eat,” Sophie said. “We both know that.”

“I know,” Ally said, frustrated. “They’re both pigheaded.”

“They both love each other, too. Everything will be okay once we get some leads for James to focus his attention on.”

“I hope Peter can help.”

“Me, too.”

PETER
met Sophie and Ally at the front door, a mixture of happiness and confusion warring for supremacy on his handsome face.

“Hello, my dear,” Peter said, giving Sophie a warm hug. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you.” He leaned over to give Ally a less exuberant and yet still warm embrace. “You, too, little firecracker.”

Ally winked at him. “I think you’re flirting with me.”

“I know better than that,” Peter said, ushering the two women into his house and leading them in the direction of the arboretum. “To what do I owe this surprise visit?”

“We have a little … situation,” Sophie said, choosing her words carefully as she settled on the couch next to Ally.

“I’m almost afraid to ask,” Peter said. “Does this have something to do with your work?”

Sophie was a reporter for The Daily Tribune, Macomb County’s biggest daily newspaper. Peter was used to Sophie getting obsessed with stories and needing help to track down details occasionally. She usually didn’t bring Ally along for the ride when that happened, though.

“No,” Sophie said, shaking her head. “Something happened to Mandy the night before last.”

Peter leaned forward. “What? I swear that girl is a magnet for trouble. How could she possibly find herself in another situation?”

“She didn’t do anything wrong,” Ally protested.

Peter shot her a wry look. “Do you think I’m blaming her?”

“No. It’s just … you made it sound like she asks for it.”

“The only thing Mandy asks for is shark movies,” Peter said, chuckling. “I was not insinuating that she asked for anything. I’m merely having trouble understanding how one woman could find trouble so soon after her last bout.”

“She has a gift,” Sophie said.

“Tell me what happened.”

Sophie related the events from Mandy’s harrowing night and when she was done Peter was furious. He was on his feet, pacing, as he absorbed the story. “I knew Twilight was going to wreak havoc before it was all said and done.”

“Are you familiar with it?” Sophie asked.

“Everyone has their eye on it,” Peter replied. “It’s cause for great concern in this area because people are dying.”

“People are going missing, too,” Sophie said. “The sheriff’s deputies told James and Grady that three women have gone missing from area haunted houses this season. That’s not a coincidence. That’s a pattern.”

“I agree,” Peter said. “Do the police believe these women are dead?”

Sophie shrugged. “I have no idea. If the mortality rate really is seventy-five percent, odds are at least two of them are.”

“I can’t argue with your math,” Peter said, rubbing the back of his neck as his busy mind jumped around to various scenarios. “How is Mandy?”

“Weak,” Sophie said. “The drug has made her sick to her stomach and she can’t keep any food down. James is hovering and falling apart. They’re going to have a big blowup in the next few days. Things are just … bad.”

“How did James take it when Mandy collapsed in his arms?”

“Pretty much how you would expect him to take it,” Sophie said. “It wasn’t good.”

“I’m glad she’s okay,” Peter said. “James’ reaction has to be what saved her.”

“She still could’ve died,” Sophie said. “To keep the doctors from tying her down because she was having fits, James climbed into bed with her and held her for twelve straight hours while they flushed her system.”

“He’s a man in love,” Peter said, shaking his head as he marveled at the thought. “I’ve seen men in love before, but James Hardy puts them all to shame. No offense, ladies.”

“I think I’m a little offended,” Sophie admitted.

“I don’t mean it in a bad way,” Peter said. “James is just … his world is his wife. You and Grady love each other beyond reason, but you can live in your individual worlds without losing yourselves in each other. James does not appear to be capable of that.”

“I don’t think that’s it,” Ally said, her expression thoughtful. “Mandy has been hurt and almost killed so many times that James lives in fear that one day something is going to make it past him and he’ll lose her. He blames himself for letting her wander away at the haunted house. I know he does.”

“You can’t watch someone twenty-four hours a day,” Peter countered.

“You can love them forever, though,” Ally said. “James loves Mandy so much it hurts to watch him look at her sometimes. The other night Grady said that James wouldn’t survive losing Mandy. I tried to argue with him, but I think he’s right. If something ever happens to Mandy … .”

“Are you saying you think James would kill himself?” Sophie asked, horrified.

“No,” Ally said, shaking her head. “He wouldn’t purposely do that to my parents or the rest of us. I do think James would take every dangerous job he could find until someone else killed him, though. Mandy is his reason for living.”

“I’m not sure that’s a healthy attitude to have,” Sophie said.

“It’s too late,” Ally replied. “He won’t change. She’s his everything.”

“Then we have to make sure that nothing happens to her,” Peter said. “What do you want me to do about Twilight?”

“We need to know who is manufacturing it,” Sophie said. “There has to be a local connection.”

“If I knew that they’d already be dead.”

Ally was surprised by Peter’s vehemence. While she knew that Peter’s empire was built from illegal deeds, she’d never seen him so vocal about taking down his enemies. “I’m glad you’re on our side,” she muttered.

Peter smiled and patted her arm fondly. “I’m sorry that upset you. Dead girls upset me. Those who survived are probably wishing they were dead right now.”

Ally was confused. “What do you mean?”

Peter and Sophie exchanged worried looks.

“Twilight is a date rape drug, Ally,” Sophie said finally. “People dose women with it so they can … do things to them.”

“Or steal them outright,” Peter added. “Where do you think these missing women are?”

“Maybe no one has discovered their bodies yet,” Ally suggested.

“Or maybe they’ve been sold into sexual slavery,” Peter countered. “You said Grady and James saw a man in a mask next to Mandy when she fell. What happened to him?”

“They were too upset to even think about him at the time,” Sophie said. “I don’t think they would change how things went because getting Mandy to the hospital so fast is the reason she survived. That guy had better hope James never gets his hands on him, though.”

“I’ll personally hold him down if that’s an option,” Peter said, his tone grim. “I’m going to put some men on this and make it a primary focus right now. I don’t know what I’ll be able to unearth, but I’m not comfortable letting this situation carry on the way it has been.

“One of the things I’m most worried about is Mandy’s survival leaking out to people who might worry she could identify them,” he continued. “I’m going to have to give James a call and see if he wants me to post men at the house and the courthouse.”

“Mandy is off work for at least a few days,” Sophie said. “Judge MacIntosh told her to take as much time as she needs. Let me talk to James. He’s … touchy … right now.”

“I don’t blame him,” Peter said. “Holding the woman you love and thinking she’s going to die is something no man should go through. James has done it several times now.”

“I’ll talk to him,” Sophie said. “See what you can find out. I’ll see if I can reach out to some sources. We’ll pick a time when everyone can get together and share information.”

“That sounds like a plan for now,” Peter said. “Whatever happens, though, I’m not stopping until the Twilight peddlers in this area are … out of business.”

“Is that a euphemism for fitting them with cement boots?” Ally asked.

Peter winked at her. “What do you think?”

“How do you know this guy?” Finn asked, glancing at Jake as they parked in one of the municipal lots in downtown Mount Clemens Sunday afternoon.

“He’s a veteran,” Jake replied, his face grim as he climbed out of his truck and locked the doors. “He used to go to the tent city before I found out what he was doing there.”

Finn arched an eyebrow. “Selling drugs?”

“Mostly pot,” Jake said. “I don’t personally have anything against pot, but I didn’t want it sold down there because pot has a negative effect on people suffering from mental illness. More than half the guys in the tent town are mentally ill and most of them aren’t on the meds they’re supposed to be on. When you mix pot with prescription meds … it can get bad. I didn’t want things to get out of hand.”

“How did he take being ousted?”

“Surprisingly well,” Jake replied. “He understood what I was worried about and didn’t make a fuss. I respect him for that.”

“Speaking of the tent city, we really need to take another load of supplies down there before it gets too cold,” Finn said. “We haven’t been down there in weeks.”

“I still go twice a week and take supplies,” Jake said. “Don’t worry about it. They’re covered.”

Finn faltered, surprised. “You still go down there twice a week? Why didn’t you tell us?”

“No offense, man, but everything I do on my free time isn’t your concern,” Jake said. “I didn’t realize I had to run it past you.”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” Finn said. “We would’ve gone with you. We dropped the ball … and that’s not fair to those guys. They deserve more.”

“You’re expecting a baby,” Jake pointed out. “You moved into a new apartment with Emma, her mother tried to kill her, you’re trying to prepare a place for her brother to live when he gets out of prison in a few months, and you’re dealing with a hormonal woman. I think your hands are full.”

Finn scowled. “That’s no excuse. I feel really bad. You’ve had your hands full, too. Your ex-girlfriend came to town and tried to kill my sister. You two moved in together. I love Ally, but she’s as much work as Emma.”

Jake smiled at the mention of Ally. “My angel isn’t work.”

“You’re as lovesick as the rest of us now.”

“I do love her,” Jake agreed. “There’s Michael. Let me do the talking.”

Finn nodded wordlessly and followed Jake across the parking lot to where a man was standing with his hands in his pockets. Finn studied Michael as they got closer and found that he didn’t like the sallow tone of his skin, or the unhealthy build he was sporting. He looked malnourished.

“He’s an alcoholic,” Jake said, keeping his voice low. “He won’t last long. Don’t mention it and don’t offer help. He doesn’t care. He knows he’s not long for this world.”

“I … how did you know what I was thinking?”

“Because I thought the same thing when I first met him,” Jake said. He pasted a friendly smile on his face as he approached Michael, extending his hand in greeting. “Thanks for meeting me.”

Michael shook Jake’s hand, furtively glancing over his shoulder instead of making eye contact. “I owe you for the food you drop off every week,” he said. “I don’t mind helping but … this is a little open for me.”

“You’re not selling us anything,” Jake reminded him. “I’m giving you money for information. That’s not illegal.”

“Oh, right,” Michael said, relaxing marginally. “It’s a hazard of the business, man.”

“I know,” Jake said, his voice even as he regarded the sickly veteran in front of him. “I need to know what you know about Twilight.”

Michael’s blond eyebrows jumped to the middle of his forehead as surprise washed over his once-handsome features. “Twilight? How did you get involved with that?”

“Someone injected my boss’ wife with it at a haunted house the other night,” Jake said. “She was separated from us while we were going through and we got lucky that James discovered her right away and got her to the hospital.”

“You’re lucky she survived at all,” Michael said, running a hand through his greasy hair. “That stuff is lethal. You know she’s going to have night terrors for weeks, right?”

“The doctor warned us,” Jake said. “So far she’s not sleeping because she’s sick to her stomach. We’ll have to tackle the night terrors when they become an issue.”

“You’re lucky the husband found her before someone could grab her,” Michael said.

“What do you mean?”

“Word on the street is that women are getting dosed and taken,” Michael replied.

“Where?”

“I have no idea. If that information was readily available I’m betting a snitch would’ve told the coppers and it wouldn’t be a problem.”

Finn made a face. “I’d never considered why someone would drug Mandy,” he said. “I was fixated on the fact that she was drugged and almost died. I … good grief. What would have happened if James waited five minutes for her to come out of the warehouse on her own?”

“We’re lucky we don’t have to think about that,” Jake said. “She’s home.”

“The only thing we have to worry about now is Mandy and James killing each because he’s hovering.”

“They’ll be fine,” Jake said. “I have faith.” He kept his attention on Michael. “You have to have an idea on who is moving this stuff. I need a name.”

“I … .” Michael tilted his head to the side. “I’m not sure, man. These are bad dudes.”

“They very well may be bad dudes,” Jake said, refusing to back down. “I’m badder, though, and the man who almost lost his wife is going to be downright terrifying. I need a name. No one will ever find out that you’re the one who told us. I promise.”

Michael sighed, resigned. “I owe you so I’m going to tell you,” he said. “There’s a guy named Jasper Gunderson. His street name is Houdini. I know he’s peddling the stuff. I have no idea who his supplier is, though.”

“Where can I find him?” Jake asked.

“He sells out of a brick house over on Dickinson in the hood,” Michael answered. The house is missing windows on the first floor and there’s garbage all over the place. The brick used to be red, but it’s a more puke orange now.”

“How far down on Dickinson?”

“Close to that funeral home.”

“Thanks for the information,” Jake said, reaching into his wallet. He was surprised to find Finn handing Michael a fifty before he could pull his own money out.

“Wow, thanks, man,” Michael said, folding the bill and shoving it in his pocket. “That’s righteous of you.”

“You earned it,” Finn said.

“In that case, here’s a freebie,” Michael said. “I don’t know how true this is, but I’ve heard that one of the reasons the most recent batch of Twilight is so lethal is because whoever brought it into town cut it with a psychedelic.”

Jake furrowed his brow. “I understand in theory why someone would do that … I think.”

“It makes the women more pliable because they don’t know what’s real and what isn’t real,” Michael said, confirming Jake’s worst fear. “Tell your friend to watch his wife when she sleeps. She’s probably going to have some humdingers for nightmares.”

“He’s watching her when she’s asleep and awake,” Jake said. “It will be okay. Thank you, Michael.”

“Thank you for everything,” Michael replied. “I’ll see you in a few days.”

“You will indeed.”

“THIS
has to be the house he was talking about,” Jake said, parking a block south of the brick house in question twenty minutes later.

“It’s a hole,” Finn said, staring at the front porch. “Wow. I mean … how has it not been condemned?”

“I’m sure the city workers know exactly what’s going on here,” Jake said. “They’re probably too scared to search it without a police escort and the police have bigger worries.”

“What do you want to do?”

“Nothing for now,” Jake said. “I want to watch for a little bit and see if we can get a feeling for the clientele and then I want to talk to James and Grady and form a plan of action. I wouldn’t mind getting Peter’s take on this either.”

“I think we’re going to need Peter on this one,” Finn said. “James is going to be … hard to contain … in a few days.”

“I agree,” Jake said. “He’s focused on Mandy right now. Once she’s feeling well enough to fight with him about the hovering, though, everyone better duck and cover. They’re going to have a screaming match.”

“It will probably do them some good,” Finn said. “James is a ball of nerves right now. He’s consumed with ‘what ifs.’”

“What ifs?”

“What if he had stayed with Mandy instead of separating from her? What if he hadn’t turned around and went looking for her? What if he had waited for the paramedics instead of taking her to the hospital himself? What if the doctor hadn’t flushed her system in time?”

Jake nodded sagely. “I don’t blame him. I keep wondering how things might have been different – and not in a good way – if Ally had stayed with Mandy. She was too scared, though. Hell House freaked her out to no end. She was at my side the entire time.”

“I’m glad I didn’t take Emma inside,” Finn said. “She would’ve been terrified and never separated from me, but … I still don’t like to think about it. Let me guess: Mandy was excited and not bothered by the gore in the least?”

“Mandy is … the strangest woman I’ve ever met,” Jake said. “She had so much fun in that stupid haunted house that we could barely keep up with her. James was jumping right and left and she barely flinched.”

“That’s why she wasn’t scared of the guy in the mask and let him get close enough to drug her,” Finn mused. “She thought he was part of he show and never considered he was really … dangerous.”

“She’s okay,” Jake said. “We have to keep reminding ourselves of that. She could’ve died, but she didn’t. We all have a chance to continue living the lives we’ve come to love because she’s alive.”

“Ally would’ve been wrecked if Mandy died.”

“This whole family would’ve been wrecked if Mandy died,” Jake countered. “She’s Ally’s best friend, but Emma and Sophie love her, too. She’s James’ soul mate, but you and Grady love her because you all grew up together and she’s made your brother happy. Heck, I love her because Ally and James love her. She drives me crazy sometimes with her antics, but I still love her.”

“Sometimes it’s good to sit back and reflect on how lucky you are,” Finn said.

“It is,” Jake agreed. “It’s better not to dwell on it too long, though. It makes you forget that dangers are still out there and you’re not always going to be lucky.”

“You’re a real downer sometimes, man,” Finn said. “Has anyone ever told you that?”

“Most of the people I’ve ever met have told me that.”

“Has Ally told you that?”

Jake smiled mischievously. “Ally never says anything like that,” he said. “She’s an angel.”

“You’re going to make me puke,” Finn said.

“You can rest on the couch with Mandy when we get back to the house,” Jake said. “I … hmm, here comes someone.”

“Should we duck down?”

“That would be a little obvious,” Jake said. “Personally, I don’t care who sees us. If these jerkwads get nervous about the possibility of people watching them and close up shop or move it someplace else I’m not going to cry any tears.”

“That’s a woman,” Finn said, leaning closer.

“Are you sure?” Jake narrowed his eyes and focused on the figure walking up the front steps of the house. “You’re right. That hoodie is huge and she’s got it covering her face, but that’s definitely a woman.”

“That’s not Jasper Gunderson.”

“No,” Jake agreed. “She doesn’t look frightened, though, and she doesn’t look as if she’s particularly malnourished and addicted.”

“She is a little … broad in the hips,” Finn said.

Jake arched an eyebrow. “Broad?”

“When you’re living with a pregnant woman you learn pretty quickly never to say the word ‘fat.’”

Jake snorted. “Good to know. She’s not fat, though. That hoodie gives her the appearance of added weight. I think that’s on purpose. She’s not fat. I can tell from here.”

“Do you think about that?” Finn asked.

“Getting fat?”

Finn made a face. “You and Ally having kids,” he said. “You know Ally wants to be a mother, right?”

“Ally is going to be a great mother,” Jake said. “I actually think she’s going to make a beautiful pregnant woman, too.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

“When I picture my future, all I see is Ally,” Jake said. “I know there will be kids there and I’m fine with it. I love kids and I love Ally.”

“I’m glad you two found each other,” Finn said. “You’re calm enough to rein her in and she’s fun enough to knock you out of your shell. You’re perfect for each other.”

“I agree,” Jake said, guileless. “Okay, I think we’ve seen all we’re going to for now. Let’s go and report back to James. I want to see if anyone else has come up with something this afternoon.”

“I think you just miss your angel,” Finn teased.

“That, too.”