When the Bough Breaks (Rose Gardner Investigations #6) - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,39

tied to Hardshaw after all?

His brow lifted slightly. “So he did mention it?”

“No,” I said, rubbing my forehead. “I did a big landscaping job for them. I’m not sure how they got my name, but they contacted us for a bid after they moved to town.”

He nodded slightly, but I noticed he wasn’t writing anything down.

“But you knew that already,” I said, fear prickling my nerves. “You’re questioning me about my own involvement.”

“No,” he said carefully. “I know you’re not involved with Hardshaw. In fact, as I’ve mentioned before, I’m certain that you’re trying to stop them.” He paused. “But don’t you think it’s strange your brother-in-law got a contracting job with a company that has links to Hardshaw, and then they asked you to make a pitch for the landscaping? Don’t contractors recommend subcontractors like landscapers?”

At first, I thought he was insinuating I’d worked with Mike, and then it hit me what he was insinuating. “Mike was workin’ for them.”

Doing what? Watching me?

James had confirmed that he himself was working with Hardshaw, and I knew his arrangement with them had begun before our falling-out. Last August, James had backed away from me, saying it wasn’t safe for him to see or talk to me. Had they slipped in Mike to keep an eye on me, or rather on the Lady in Black, in his place? But if so, they’d chosen poorly—Mike refused to have anything to do with me anymore.

“I didn’t say that,” Mason said, but he made a face that suggested I was onto something. “You’re a smart woman, and we both know you’re good at finding out things law enforcement often can’t. So if you were to put things together, well, that wouldn’t be outside of what you usually do in these situations.”

I stared at him for a long moment. “You want my help.”

“Let’s just say we could potentially help each other.” He drew in a breath and shifted in his seat. “I can’t share what I know with local law enforcement. I’m not happy about it, but it’s not my call. It’s coming from the state.”

“But if I figure things out, I can share my suspicions with Joe.”

He gave me a tight smile. “We’re just two friends having a chat. If you deduce things that I’m investigating, I can’t help it or even stop you.” Then he added, “But I can’t confirm it either.”

I glanced out the window. Mike was involved with Hardshaw? I wasn’t sure why it hadn’t occurred to me before Bruce Wayne had mentioned it, but it made perfect sense. It explained why the county criminals didn’t know anything about him, and why a certain someone might have stolen those papers from Violet’s lawyer’s office.

What was currently messing with my head was that I’d ruled out any Hardshaw involvement with Sonder Tech. My instincts were usually spot on, but this mistake made me question everything.

The kettle flicked off, and I started to stand to make the tea, but Mason got to his feet more quickly than I could. “I’ll make it. Is everything still in the same place?” His voice sounded a little strained.

“Uh… no. I felt a nesting urge, so Neely Kate and I moved everything around last night. The cups are on the right of the sink and the tea bags are above them.”

He headed to the cabinet and pulled out two cups. “We know for a fact that Mike bribed a building inspector,” he said, dropping a tea bag into both mugs. “He admitted that to me last year after J.R. Simmons threatened you. But it’s a big jump to go from bribing inspectors to working with a crime syndicate from Dallas.”

I shook my head. “I’m just as baffled as you are. How did he even get hooked up with them?”

“That is a very good question,” Mason said, turning back to face me. “He bribed the inspector because he was struggling to provide for his family. What would he need money for now? Did he help pay for Violet’s medical bills?”

“She was covered by the insurance we got through the nursery, but the bone marrow transplant wasn’t completely paid for by her insurance, and when I asked the attorney about it, he said there weren’t any leftover medical bills from Houston. Only what she owed for her hospice care.”

“How did the Texas bills get covered?” he asked.

“I didn’t ask,” I admitted, feeling foolish. “In hindsight, I should have.”

“You were grief-stricken,” Mason said, scooping sugar into my tea, preparing it just