A Good Day for Chardonnay (Sunshine Vicram #2) - Darynda Jones Page 0,78
to your mother’s.”
She released a breath she’d been holding. “No. We’re fine. Matthew is just …working through some things.”
“And it would be safer for you at your mother’s,” Sun said, finishing the thought for her.
“Something like that.”
She handed her a card. “Please call me if you hear anything.”
“Anything?” she asked, the wariness back in her voice.
“Anything you feel is important.” Sun gave her a reassuring nod then left her standing in the entryway.
They climbed back into Levi’s truck, but they didn’t talk until he pulled onto St. Francis, heading toward I-25.
“That was interesting,” he said.
“Yes, it was.”
“What are you thinking?”
“I think this entire thing revolves around Elliot’s father, Matthew Kent, and the money they never found.”
“How much?”
“Fifty million, give or take, and that’s the lower end of what the investigators speculated.”
He whistled. “Even I would kill for that much.”
“Really?”
“Depends on how much I like the person.”
“Matthew swore he was simply the fall guy for the whole operation. Said the higher-ups took the money and ran, leaving him holding the empty bag, so to speak. And the FBI scoured the man’s records. If he did hide it, he’s a stone genius.”
“You think now that he’s out someone is coming after it?”
“It’s a possibility.”
“But how does Elliot play into all of this?”
“I don’t know.”
“She has to know he’s alive. Clearly she knows Seabright.”
“I’m shocked you would think that, after that stellar performance she gave in denying she knew him.”
“That was painful to watch.”
Sun laughed. “Poor thing. It all makes so much sense now. The Kents never really, I don’t know, behaved appropriately? Does that sound bad?”
“Not as bad as their faking their own son’s abduction. Who better to have abduct your child than a trained mercenary?”
She nodded. “A noble one who would give his life to keep him safe.”
“My question is,” he said, turning onto the northbound on-ramp, “was she in it with Seabright alone, or was the husband involved, too?”
“He was involved,” she said, matter-of-fact.
“You sound certain.”
“Twenty-twenty hindsight. No wonder Addison stayed in the area, so close to Santa Fe. Matthew was in prison there, sure, but she would never leave Elliot. She risked jail to keep him safe.”
“But from what?”
“I think Matthew has some explaining to do.”
Her phone rang. She grabbed it and said, “Hey, Quince. We’re on our way back.”
“You might want to hurry.”
Great. “What’s going on?” she asked, dread knotting her stomach.
“We caught a bandit red-handed.”
“Like a shoplifter?”
“Something like that.”
“And you need me there because?”
“I’m pretty sure she’s related to you.”
“She?” What did her mother do now?
“You know. Five feet nada. Red hair. Enough sass to peel the tarnish off a brass elephant.”
After Sun took a long—very long—moment to let his words sink in, she said, “Auri shoplifted?”
“What?” Levi said from beside her. He reached over, grabbed the phone, put it on speakerphone, then repeated, “What?”
Quincy chuckled. “Chill. Auri didn’t shoplift. She would never do that.”
Relief flooded every cell in Sun’s body.
“Shoplifting is so last year. She’s more of a criminal mastermind now. She’s been arrested for breaking and entering.”
Sun finally knew what it felt like for the world to drop out from under her.
Sun couldn’t get out of Levi’s truck fast enough. She gritted her teeth as she went through the electronic doors and hurried to the bullpen.
Levi followed at a slower pace.
“Where is she?”
“Sun,” Quincy said, patting the air with his palms, “first make sure you’re calm.”
Quincy had explained the bare minimum over the phone. All she knew was that her genius daughter and her two cohorts broke into Mrs. Fairborn’s house, but they didn’t know why as the little shit had lawyered up.
Lawyered up!
She gaped at Quincy. “Did you really just tell me to calm down?”
“He did, boss,” Rojas said helpfully.
“I’m just saying you should probably take it down a notch.”
“And now you’re trying to de-notch me?”
“He is, boss.”
“The St. Aubins picked up Sybil and Cruz’s dad is out of town,” Quincy said, moving past his comments. “We tried to call through a relay, but he had a bad connection, so we had to text. He said he’ll be home first thing tomorrow.”
“I took him home,” Rojas said.
“The good news is,” Quincy continued, “Mrs. Fairborn is not pressing charges.”
“I took her home, too.”
“Thank you, Rojas.” She sank onto Quincy’s chair. “What the actual hell?”
“You’ll have to ask your offspring for the answer to that.”
“Wait.” She looked around. “Where is she?”
Quincy grinned. “She’s in the holding cell.”
“Good.” She looked at Rojas. “What about the men casing the town? Any movement?”