Falling for the Brother
“You told him Miriam’s with me at the Stand?”
“Yes. He figured you were involved, apart from my having questioned you, based on what you do for a living. But he thought you’d probably referred her to another place, considering her, uh, ban on your presence.”
He remembered how he’d worried that his brother had made a trip to Santa Raquel earlier in the week, his first to see his…to see Brianna, because he’d suspected Gram was at the Stand. Another false assumption.
“So you really want me to bring Miriam to a state park in the morning?”
“It was Bruce’s idea, but I think it’s a good one. Elmer swears he never touched her. He said he stopped over Monday night to get a cup of milk. He’d started his dinner and then realized he was out of milk. Said he was only at the house for five minutes. The flash drive says ten.”
“Did it show him leaving with a cup of milk?”
“Of course not. But his left side is hidden from view.”
“So it’s possible.”
“Technically, yes.”
“Lying about five minutes won’t convict him of a damned thing.”
“He was uncomfortable, Harper. I’m certain he was hiding something. But nothing I said or did swayed him even a little from his story. The only way we’re going to take care of this is to get Gram to tell us what happened. Bruce thinks that with the two of us together, we have a shot, and I agree with him completely. But we can’t do it at her place. Elmer’s hold on her will be stronger there. And we can’t do it at the Stand, either, since she’s there because of what happened. Obviously she doesn’t feel safe enough there to tell us the truth. She didn’t even tell Grace anything this morning. In a sense, we’re ganging up on her with this plan, but it really is our best shot. We sure as hell can’t bring her home and let it happen again. And she’s not going to stay at the Stand forever.”
Gram had given him limited time. They not only needed to know what had happened, but they needed time to get official testimony and then an arrest warrant. Which could take an hour or a few days.
“Why do you think she’ll even agree to get in a car with me?”
“Again, Bruce pointed out that you’re an obvious choice, given your job, but since you’re being family, too, she’ll be more apt to tell us the truth if there isn’t a stranger present. Third, we both want her with a cop.”
He wasn’t sure what Harper’s pause signified. What she was thinking. They did most of their talking with looks, not words.
He also didn’t like his brother being so confident with Harper present, as though he knew that Harper would agree with whatever spin Bruce put on things.
He’d deal with that later. He was making it through the day dealing with one thing at a time.
First priority was Gram’s safety. Getting the case done.
Then he’d face the life he’d built.
“You’re all about Bruce all of a sudden.” Whatever he would’ve guessed was on her mind, that hadn’t been it.
“I’m trying to get Gram home safely and as expediently as possible.”
“This whole conversation…it’s been Bruce says, Bruce thinks, Bruce’s idea…”
She had a problem with Bruce now? She was the one who’d been so certain he was a great guy, a great dad, would never hurt anyone.
Mason pulled himself up short, thankfully with his mouth shut. He’d never felt so out of control. So…
He didn’t know what.
He was a father who couldn’t claim his child.
A man in love who’d never hold his woman.
A guy who’d betrayed his own brother.
He needed a case that didn’t involve someone he knew. A challenging one that would result in saved lives when he succeeded. Work had always been where he’d found fulfilment. Peace.
“I’m doing all I can to give Bruce his due,” he said now. Harper deserved as much of the truth as he could provide. “You have any idea how it feels—” He stopped himself. Of course she did. “I accused him of abusing our grandmother. He’s being really decent about what I said and did. Getting her out of the home and investigating him was the right thing. He’d have done the same with me if the situation had been reversed. But I really believed he’d done it. I’m doing what I can now to show him the respect I wasn’t able to give him earlier in the week. He’s a good cop. Has the highest closed-case ratio on the force.”