When the Bough Breaks (Rose Gardner Investigations #6) - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,82

guy would kill him if he found out he was talking to the cops.”

“I’ll send a deputy out to search for him.”

“There’s more, Joe. Stewart said the guy who went to see him was askin’ questions about Hardshaw, but Stewart claims he’d never heard of them.”

“Chief Deputy, we need you,” I heard someone say in the background.

“You said he took off?” Joe asked. “You’re safe? Are you with Neely Kate?”

“I’m safe, and Neely Kate’s at the nursery.”

“I don’t want you bein’ alone, Rose,” he said. Someone else called his name, and his voice was muffled when he called out, “I’m comin’.”

“I’ll head over to the nursery, okay?” I said. “Don’t worry about me. It sounds like you have your hands full.”

He lowered his voice until it was little more than a whisper. “We found a big lead. I can’t tell you anything more.”

“Oh,” I said, my stomach in knots. It was on the edge of my tongue to say that’s great, but something about his tone told me something was wrong. Was this even about Ashley and Mikey? I wanted to ask, but I knew better than to poke him, especially since he wasn’t alone. “Go take care of whatever it is you’re workin’ on, and don’t worry about me. I’ll go to the nursery.”

“I’ll call you later,” he said. “I suspect I’ll be workin’ late.” Before he hung up, I could hear him calling out orders to his deputies.

I hadn’t had a chance to tell him that the mystery man (probably Denny) had inquired about Mike and me, or about seeing the station wagon, or Calista’s boyfriend Pat, or mentioned anything at all about James’s conditions for signing the paternity papers. If he had a big lead, he might not need the other information I had.

Unsure what to do next and not ready to go to the nursery yet, I headed to the office to think things through. I needed to call James, but I also wanted to share what I’d learned with Dermot, and Neely Kate and Jed.

I booted up my computer. It always took a while, so I flipped open my work bag and started going through it, organizing and restocking pencils and business cards as I let my mind sort through its current overload of information. Who should I contact first, James or Dermot? Because once I went to Neely Kate, I doubted she’d leave me alone for long enough to pee.

A contraction grabbed hold of me, but it was milder than my usual Braxton Hicks, and I continued organizing through it, realizing I was nesting again. Since there was no point in fighting the inevitable, especially when it was so useful, I sat down to work on my desk drawer—which was when someone rapped on the front door. The teenage boy who stood behind the glass was tall and lanky, and it was obvious he was still in his socially awkward stage.

“We’re closed,” I called out to him, realizing I hadn’t put the closed sign in the window. The baby hiccupped in my stomach, and I placed my hand over my belly out of a protective instinct.

“I’ve been told to give you a message,” he said, his voice muffled by the glass. He held up a pale yellow envelope, the kind used for greeting cards.

A message? Or had my mail been delivered to the wrong place? The likelihood that it was the former suggested I shouldn’t let him in. He seemed harmless enough with his neatly trimmed hair and bright, eager face, but looks could definitely be deceiving.

I walked closer to the door and pointed to the mail slot embedded in it. “Just slip it in through the slot.”

Then I held my hand underneath to take it.

He slid the envelope in through the rectangular flap, passing it to me.

“Thanks,” I said, looking over the smudged, dirty envelope. It hadn’t been addressed to anyone.

My gaze jerked up, but he was already walking away.

Crappy doodles.

I quickly unlocked the door and rushed through the opening, holding the door open with one hand. “Excuse me!”

The kid turned to face me with a questioning look.

“This envelope.” I held it up. “Where did you get it?”

He walked closer. “A woman down the street asked me to give it to you. I asked her why she didn’t want to give it to you herself, but she said it would be more of a fun surprise this way.”

Propping the door open with my back, I broke the seal, pulling out a birthday card