Deadly Rivalry (Hardy Brothers Security Book 17)

by Lily Harper Hart

  “Something tells me she’ll survive.”

  “Tell me where we’re at,” James instructed. “Did Jake finish the invoice for Madeline?”

  “He did,” Grady said, nodding. “We emailed it, sent it through the general post, and we have a courier going out tomorrow to officially serve her with the bill. We wanted it all on record, because I think she’s going to fight payment.”

  “That wouldn’t surprise me,” James said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m almost tempted to waive payment to get rid of her.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Grady argued. “We need to keep it normal. She’s the type of woman who will make stuff up, and if we don’t treat her like all of our other clients we could end up looking bad.”

  “You have a point,” James said.

  “With that in mind, I want to do a background check on her,” Grady said.

  “What? Why?”

  “Because I’m not convinced this is over and you’re really happy,” Grady answered. “I want all of our ducks in a row if she decides to make trouble. I want Mandy to stay happy. I think you do, too.”

  “I shouldn’t have taken this job,” James groaned, tilting his head back so he could stare at the ceiling. “It was a mistake.”

  “It was a mistake,” Grady agreed. “We can’t go back in time and undo it, though. We have to move forward, and we have to do it in the smartest way possible.”

  “What do you think you’re going to find in a background check?”

  Grady held his hands palms up and shrugged. “I don’t know,” he answered. “I have to think you’re not the only guy she stalked. She’s been doing something over the past three years. Even if you were the first guy, I’m sure you weren’t the last guy.”

  “Okay,” James said, resigned. “Can we try to keep this between us for the time being? I don’t want it to get back to Mandy and upset her. She’s really happy right now.”

  “I think you two are really happy as a couple and I don’t want anything to ruin that,” Grady said. “We’ll keep it quiet. I promise.”

  “THAT was the longest day of nonsense I can remember in a long time,” Heidi said a little after five that afternoon, walking into the parking garage with Mandy. “Can you believe how the prosecutor and defense attorney went after each other for every single choice?”

  “I think the defense attorney is an ass, so I can believe almost anything about him,” Mandy said. “I hope the prosecutor kicks him in his special place and causes him to bite his tongue off so I never have to hear his annoying voice ever again.”

  Heidi snorted. “Are you still angry he outed your sex romp with James?”

  “It was none of his business.”

  “Everyone is going to forget about it by tomorrow, so let it go,” Heidi chided. “I can guarantee everyone will have something new to talk about then. They always do. Gossip is finite in this building.”

  “I can’t wait,” Mandy muttered, rounding the corner and pulling up short when she saw a myriad of police lights and a multitude of uniformed sheriff’s deputies standing in the middle of the garage. “What the … ?”

  “Ladies, is either one of you Amanda Hardy?” A sheriff’s deputy approached Mandy and Heidi with keen eyes. He looked poised and ready for action, and for some reason Mandy found her stomach filling with dread.

  “I am,” Mandy said, stepping forward. “Has something happened? Is my husband okay?”

  “This isn’t about your husband, ma’am,” the deputy said. “Are you armed?”

  Mandy made a face. “Armed? No, I’m not armed. I was just in court all day.”

  “Ma’am, I need you to raise your hands.”

  Mandy was baffled. “Why?”

  “Raise your hands,” the deputy repeated.

  Mandy did as instructed, her heart rolling when the deputy leaned forward and grabbed her wrist so he could pull it behind her.

  “Amanda Hardy, you’re under arrest.”

  “On what charge?” Heidi asked, meeting Mandy’s bewildered eyes.

  “First-degree murder.”

  “I don’t understand,” Mandy gasped, whimpering when the deputy tightened the cuffs to the point of discomfort. “Who did I supposedly murder?”

  The deputy pointed toward Mandy’s car, and as two uniformed individuals parted, Mandy saw the hank of brunette hair hanging out of her open trunk and she thought she was going to throw up.

  “Who is that?” Heidi asked.

  Mandy knew before the deputy could deliver an answer.

  “The deceased is Madeline Stokes,” the deputy answered. “Mrs. Hardy is being taken into custody and will be transported to the sheriff’s department for questioning.”

  “What should I do?” Heidi asked, helpless as the deputy led Mandy toward a cruiser.

  “Call James. Tell him what’s happening. Tell him to hurry. I … need him.”

  14

  Fourteen

  “Where is she?”

  James stormed onto the second floor of the parking garage and swept the expansive concrete area with furious eyes as he looked for his wife.

  “She’s in the police cruiser,” Heidi said, pointing. The sheriff’s deputy questioning her scowled when she interrupted his flow. “I’m sorry, but you’re bugging me. My friend did not murder someone and I don’t like the way you’re treating her or me. I can’t be nice when you’re being a douche.”

  “You tell him, Heidi,” James said, striding toward the car. Mandy sat in the back, her hands cuffed behind her, and her blue eyes widened when they landed on James. “I want my wife out of this car right now.”

  The cruiser door was shut and Mandy opened her mouth to say something before snapping it closed and fighting to hold back tears. She looked lost. James rested his palm against the window. “I’ll have you out in a few minutes, baby. It’s going to be okay.”

  Mandy pressed her lips together and wordlessly nodded.

  “I love you,” James said.

  “I love you, too.” James couldn’t hear the words as Mandy mouthed them, but his heart rolled as he studied her face. She was on the brink of breaking down. He had to get her out of there. “Who is in charge here?”

  James swiveled away from Mandy and fixed the closest deputy with a challenging look. “I want my wife out of that car.”

  “Your wife has been taken into custody for the murder of Madeline Stokes,” the deputy replied. “If you don’t like it, you can take it up with the murderer you married.”

  “Don’t push me,” James hissed, reaching for his phone. “This is unbelievable.”

  Grady picked up on the first ring. “Do you have her?”

  “She’s locked in the back of a patrol cruiser and then won’t let me near her,” James raged. “Get me the best lawyer money can buy in this parking garage in twenty minutes. I don’t care how much it costs.”

  When James got the call from a panicked Heidi that Mandy had been arrested he was dumbfounded. Initially he thought it was a prank. When Heidi burst into uncontrollable sobs, though, James took her fear seriously and raced to the courthouse. Now that he was in the middle of things and could see the body in Mandy’s trunk his disbelief had turned to frustration.

  How could this have possibly happened?

  “I’ve been on it since you left,” Grady said. “Peter got us John Givens. He’s the best defense attorney in the state.”

  “He’s also the go-to guy for every legitimate criminal in the area,” James pointed out.

  “Does it matter if he gets Mandy released?” Grady challenged. “We both know she’s not guilty. We also know she’s going to crumble if she spends a night in jail and you’re going to break if you’re separated from her. What do you want?”

  “I want Givens here,” James said. “I want my wife.”

  “I’m on my way, too,” Grady said. “I’ve already put a call in to Sheriff Morgan. He didn’t pick up, but I left a message. If I have to go to the sheriff’s depar
tment and stalk him, I will. What else do you want me to do?”

  “Find out who killed Madeline.”

  Grady sighed. “I started the search like we talked about,” he said. “Jake is focusing on it right now and he and Finn are going to go through every ounce of information we get. We pulled Maverick in to help because we need answers fast. We’re working on it.”

  “I know,” James said, his voice cracking. “I don’t know how this happened, though. Madeline is dead and Mandy is on the hot seat. I … why can’t Mandy catch one single break? Why is this always happening to her?”

  “I don’t know,” Grady said. “We’ll fix it. We’ll clear her name.”

  “Hurry up and get down here,” James instructed. “I want my wife, and if they don’t give her to me in exactly five minutes, you’re going to be bailing me out, too.”

  “I’M SORRY it took me so long, but Peter briefed me on what was happening over the phone on my way over here and I am ready to reunite you with your wife.”

  John Givens was tall and well dressed, his tailored suit perfectly pressed. He carried himself with an air of authority and entitled charm, although James wasn’t in the mood to bow down to Givens until he started working for his retainer.

  “Get my wife out of that car!”

  Givens didn’t appear worried about James’ tone or manic appearance. “Who is in charge here, please?”

  A deputy moved away from Mandy’s Ford Focus and closed the distance between Givens and himself. “I’m Detective Mark Mason. This is my case.”

  “Well, great,” Givens said. “You’re going to be the first person we sue if you don’t release Mrs. Hardy from that vehicle in the next thirty seconds.”

  “Excuse me?” Mason arched a challenging eyebrow. “Amanda Hardy is a suspect in a murder investigation. Who do you think you are to dictate her release?”

  “And what evidence do you have?” Givens asked, not missing a beat. “Oh, and for the record, I am her attorney. I thought you understood that. I can speak slower if it helps.”

  James fought the mad urge to laugh. He liked Givens’ style given the circumstances.

  “You mean other than the woman in question being found dead in the back of her car?” Mason asked, his tone droll.

  “Yes,” Givens said. “Amanda Hardy was in the county courthouse for the entire day. She sat through jury selection in a case, and she was with that woman at The Pantry for lunch.” Givens pointed toward Heidi for emphasis. “When did she have time to kill someone?”

  “We won’t have a time of death until the medical examiner does an autopsy,” Mason said. “It looks like she died during the night. Was she in court then, too?”

  “No, but she was with me the entire night,” James argued.

  “You can account for your wife’s whereabouts for every minute between five yesterday afternoon and nine this morning?” Mason didn’t look convinced.

  “As a matter of fact, I can,” James seethed. “You see, I spent the afternoon at work with her because my co-worker took my Explorer home from a Mount Clemens restaurant after lunch. Yesterday was a busy day for us. We had sex in my wife’s office during the lunch hour. It was the talk of the courthouse. You can ask anyone.

  “I sat in the courtroom for the entire afternoon and then walked back to her office with her when court was over,” he continued. “Then we picked up Thai food and drove home, where we proceeded to eat the Thai food.”

  “Uh-huh.” Mason looked annoyed. “And then you watched her every second after that?”

  “Pretty much,” James confirmed. “We got naked and crawled into our hot tub with a bottle of wine, where we proceeded to talk and have sex for the next three hours. Then we went into our guesthouse because we were too lazy to walk to the house and had sex again.

  “There’s a bedroom on the second floor, so that’s where we went to sleep around eleven,” he continued. “She sleeps on top of me every night. That’s right, on top of me. She didn’t move until this morning. Neither of us did.”

  Mason’s mouth dropped open. “Are you seriously using sex as an alibi?”

  “I’m using the truth as an alibi,” James countered.

  “Nice,” Grady said, moving to take the spot next to his brother as his expressionless eyes scanned the scene. “I see you’ve taken your bragging to a whole other level.”

  “I don’t care what he thinks,” James muttered. “I want my wife.”

  “Sir, your wife is the only suspect in a brutal murder,” Mason said. “I think you’re going to have a long wait.”

  “What’s going on here?” Sheriff Aaron Morgan strode into the parking garage, his gaze bouncing between Mason, James, and Givens before settling back on Mason. “I understand you found a body?”

  “Yes, sir,” Mason replied, straightening. “Shortly before three this afternoon we received an anonymous tip about a body in the trunk of a car. We came to the location, found the vehicle in question, and opened the trunk. At that point we found one Madeline Stokes, age thirty, deceased. She’s been strangled, although we’re still trying to ascertain if a tourniquet was used.

  “We tracked down the owner of the car, one Amanda Avery-Hardy, and when she entered the parking garage shortly after five we took her into custody,” Mason said.

  Morgan glanced at James. “Do you know Madeline Stokes?”

  “We’ve been working a job for her,” James replied. “That job ended yesterday.”

  “Sir, the anonymous caller said that Mr. Hardy was having an affair with Ms. Stokes and that’s why Mrs. Hardy killed her and hid the body in her trunk,” Mason volunteered.

  James scowled. “I am not having an affair,” he snapped. “I don’t cheat on my wife. I just told you she was with me all last night.”

  “And she was with me all day today except for lunch,” Judge MacIntosh said, joining the fray with a concerned look on his face. “As for lunch, I happen to know she walked across the street and had breakfast items with Heidi during that time. They talked about what they ate upon their return. I believe it was eggs, hash browns, and bacon. She hasn’t had time to kill someone. Besides that, she’s not the type of person who would kill someone.”

  “Didn’t Amanda Hardy kill Lance Pritchard four weeks ago?” Mason pressed.

  “I will … .” James reached for Mason, but Grady grabbed him before he could touch the belligerent peacekeeper.

  “Don’t make things worse,” Grady hissed. “He’s trying to bait you.”

  “It’s working,” James muttered.

  “I can vouch for Mrs. Hardy in the Pritchard situation,” Morgan said, taking everyone by surprise. It wasn’t like him to insert himself into an investigation. “Pritchard broke into the Hardy home and planned on stealing his grandchild once the baby was born and killing his daughter and Mrs. Hardy. Mrs. Hardy could do nothing but what she did if she didn’t want to die.”

  “With all due respect, sir, that seems like a convenient excuse,” Mason said.

  “Listen, you little maggot! My wife had to deliver a baby under threat of a knife from a prolific rapist and killer,” James seethed. “She delivered her nephew and then protected him and his mother from an animal. Don’t you dare say anything about her!”

  “Mr. Hardy, please calm down,” Givens said. “You’re not helping matters and the sheriff’s department has no right to take your wife into custody. If they continue down this road, you’ll own every single one of them before the year is out.”

  “That doesn’t help me now,” James spat.

  “You can’t sue me,” Mason scoffed. “I’m doing my job. I have a dead body in the trunk of a car. It doesn’t get more clear cut than that.”

  “Except for the anonymous caller who happened to know where the body was who also conveniently managed to point you toward Mrs. Hardy because of an affair that absolutely no one can corroborate,” Givens pointed out. “Mrs. Hardy has multiple alibis and you don’t have a time of death.”

  “So?”
Mason challenged.

  “So, how is it that you took Mrs. Hardy into custody – and that’s what you did because she’s in cuffs and locked in the back of a cruiser – without evidence pointing toward her guilt?”

  “Who else would it be?” Mason asked.

  “I’m not here to do your job for you,” Givens said. “Either release my client or charge her. If you charge her, be forewarned that I will be going in front of a judge first thing tomorrow morning for a directed verdict that allows us to sue the Macomb County Sheriff’s Department for negligence and emotional distress. You will not be able to bring charges a second time. I can guarantee that.”

  Mason shifted so he was facing Morgan. “Sir, she has to be guilty. The body was found in her trunk.”

  “After an anonymous caller conveniently pointed you in her direction,” Morgan countered. “I hate to agree with Mr. Givens – actually, you have no idea how much I hate to agree with him – but you don’t have enough evidence to hold Mrs. Hardy. I want her released.”

  “What if she murders again?” Mason asked. “Killing Pritchard probably gave her a taste for it.”

  “I will … .” James reached for Mason again, but Grady managed to stop him, if only barely.

  “Release her,” Morgan repeated. “It’s an ongoing investigation. Mrs. Hardy has ties to the community. She is expected to stay in Macomb County until this matter is resolved, and if she doesn’t, we will immediately take her into custody.”

  Morgan’s warning wasn’t lost on James. “Great,” James said. “Give me my wife right now.”

  Mason dragged his feet as he walked toward the cruiser, taking as long as humanly possible. He forcefully yanked Mandy out of the car to unlock her cuffs, causing Mandy to whimper and James to growl. Once free, Mandy rubbed her raw wrists and scurried toward James.

  “I want to go home,” Mandy said as James pulled her in for a hug. “Take me home.”

  “Okay,” James said, rubbing the back of her head. “It’s going to be okay, baby. You’re innocent. This will work itself out.”

  Mandy forced a smile for James’ benefit as she pulled away. “I know it will.”