When the Bough Breaks (Rose Gardner Investigations #6) - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,77

keep in mind that my client insists that it’s an all-or-nothin’ deal.”

I took the paper, knowing it couldn’t contain anything good. “Is there a deadline?”

A grim smile spread across his face. “Read the list.”

Then he got up and walked out the door.

“He didn’t place or pick up an order,” Neely Kate mused. “He only came in here to talk to you. He was watchin’ for us.”

I didn’t argue with her, mostly because I suspected she was right. Dread in my gut, I slowly opened the paper and saw it contained two requests, both written in James’s handwriting.

Give up the hunt for the item stolen from Gilliam’s office

Spend forty-eight hours with me before the baby is born, no questions asked, no contact with anyone while you’re with me

“Well,” she demanded. “What does it say?”

I hesitated, then handed it over to her, still trying to sort out what it meant.

She quickly scanned it and looked up, outraged. “You’re not giving this serious consideration, are you?”

“I don’t know, Neely Kate,” I said, my voice rising in panic. Was I? There was no way I could give up finding what had been stolen, especially if it contained information that would help Ashley and Mikey. And the second request… there was no way I’d do that one either. Not this close to delivery. Shoot, not at all. After my house call the night before, I was more certain he wouldn’t hurt me, but I couldn’t imagine why he’d request such a thing. What did he hope to gain? He’d made it very clear he wanted nothing to do with me.

Whatever he was up to, it wasn’t for good, that was for certain.

Neely Kate glanced around to see if anyone was watching, and when she was satisfied the patrons around us were more interested in their meals than our conversation, she said, “You have to tell Joe about this.”

“Joe will never agree.”

“Of course he won’t! Only a crazy person would.” She leaned closer, her gaze holding mine with a blazing intensity as though trying to convince me.

“Of course it’s crazy.” Only a fool would agree to let James get away with stealing information that might save my niece and nephew. Only a fool would agree to forty-eight hours with him. “But you have to promise me that you won’t tell Joe. I need to be the one to do it.”

“Rose. Just promise me that you will.”

“I will.” And I would. I just needed to figure out the best time and place.

The waitress brought out our food, and we ate in silence for a minute or so. I’d lost my appetite, but I took several bites of the chicken club and chips. Neely Kate polished off her French toast but gave me a worried look when she saw how much food was still on my plate. “I thought you were hungry.”

“I was, but I can’t eat much these days. If I eat more than half a plate, I end up with heartburn.” I checked the time on my phone, realizing it was after one, several minutes past my deadline to call Joe. “I’m gonna go to the restroom and then take you back to the nursery.” I stood. “The fact I’ve made it almost two hours without peein’ is a miracle.”

“Okay,” she said, pulling out her own phone and starting to tap on the screen. She hadn’t told Jed about our chat with Carter, and I was surprised she’d waited this long.

As I did my business, I thought about James’s conditions.

Maybe I was a crazy person, because I was considering going to see him again.

I’d take Neely Kate to the nursery and go see Carter in his office. Surely he had some idea of what James was up to, and he’d be able to talk more freely in his office.

Just as I was about to walk out of the bathroom, another false labor pain hit and I stopped, leaning into the bathroom counter as I breathed through it.

Someone knocked on the door, and I called out, “Just a moment.”

It was nearly a minute before I walked out, and an older woman who had been waiting in the short hallway shot me a glare… until her gaze lowered to my stomach. “Oh. Sorry for bein’ so impatient. I had the worst hemorrhoids.”

“Thanks,” I said, deciding I was going to start keeping a tally of how many women volunteered their personal horror stories about pregnancy and childbirth. When I got back to the table, the bill had already arrived