Chapter 8 #2
He gave me a hard stare like he didn’t like the implication. “I didn’t do anything. I—” He cut himself off mid-breath and sighed again. “I’d rather not talk about it.”
So, I wasn’t the only one keeping secrets.
“Fine. Is our deal still on, then? Because I am not spending another day with Melanie’s kids until you tell me something useful about Wallace.”
He gave me a stiff nod. “Yes, it’s still on. I will continue to find out what I can if you keep up with the Del Rio moms.”
“Is that what we’re calling them now?”
“Seems to be a good description. I saw your texts. Did you get anything more out of them at the park?”
I sighed, feeling the familiar routine of reporting to my handler slide into place like a hand into a worn glove. Though, this handler was a lot easier on the eyes and didn’t have the personality of a cactus. I found Bray studying me again.
“Not really. I was too busy with the kids—which might be a flaw in your little plan here, by the way. I don’t know what I’m doing with them in the first place, and I don’t know how I’m supposed to get close to the moms if I’m on kid duty twenty-four seven.”
“You managed to gather some intel at the house this morning, didn’t you?” he said as if to justify his plan.
“Yes, but only because I got lucky and overheard something on the way to the bathroom between rounds of stuffed animal make-believe and a board game with very subjective rules.”
He looked at me like he was trying to fight a smile. “The kids like you. I saw them playing with you at the park.”
“A credit to my winning personality, no doubt,” I said flatly and pinched a blueberry off the top of my muffin.
Bray sat forward and folded his hands. “Tell me more about what happened at the house.”
I ate the blueberry and pretended to gaze off in thought. “Well, first we played a game where I was a penguin named Flips, and then—”
“Not with the kids. With Melanie.”
I smirked at him, knowing this was what he wanted but unable to resist reminding him what position he’d put me in.
“She gave me a tour when I got there. Her office is the only room in the house with a lock on the door, so I’m sure that’s where anything useful will be.
I would bet good money the whole house is decked out in nanny cams too.
She’ll probably find out I overheard her negotiating with her husband in his office, but hey, maybe they’re into exhibitionism. Rich people do weird shit.”
Bray arched a brow like he wanted to know more but was shy to ask.
“Her husband wanted to plan a ski trip for the family the weekend after next, and she convinced him to go alone.” I drew out the word with an unsubtle implication.
His face flushed a knowing shade of pink.
“She said she was busy with the girls, which prompted him to get suspicious, but not really. I get the sense as long as she keeps him distracted and satisfied, he doesn’t ask too many questions. ”
He nodded like this made sense. “And the body shop thing? Where did that come from?”
“When her husband was asking what she was always so busy with—late nights, last-minute plans, those types of things—he mentioned she sometimes comes home smelling like a body shop.”
“Interesting,” he said, and stroked his chin. “Did she say anything else?”
“No. She unzipped his pants and got busy convincing him to stay out of her business.”
He awkwardly cleared his throat and sat up straighter. He was flustered, and God damn it why was it so charming?
“When I came out of the bathroom, because no way was I sticking around for that, I heard her on the phone, I assume talking to Sandra or Jana. She quipped that three minutes on her knees was worth fifty thousand in profits.”
His flush burned away to pure interest. Both of his thick brows lifted, and his lips bent with curiosity.
“I know, right?” I said. “I’ll be honest with you, I thought you might be wrong about the whole thing, because a baby-product smuggling ring sounds ridiculous, but they are definitely up to something.”
An undeniable bloom of pride filled his face. “I know they are. And what about the bad debt thing? Where did that come from?”
“From Melanie telling whoever she was talking to on the phone that she knew fifty K wasn’t enough to cover it, and her husband would freak out if he found out she put a lien on their house.”
“Oh shit,” he said with wide eyes.
“Yeah.”
He thoughtfully stroked his jaw again, drawing my attention to his scar. “That would explain a few things, like why their operation seems to have slowed down lately.”
“It has?”
“Yes. Maybe they’re trying to lay low because they are in trouble. I wonder how they got into debt in the first place though …” He trailed off in thought and then shook his head. “Anyway, this is further than I’ve gotten on my own, so thank you. Great work.”
I nearly flinched. Wallace had never thanked me for anything. Ever. “You’re welcome,” I said with an unfamiliar but pleasant warmth in my cheeks.
He nodded with a smile, and for the first time, I felt like he might not be completely hopeless at his job.
“What else do you know about them?” I asked, leaning in, and pinching another chunk of muffin to pop in my mouth.
“I’ve got files on all of them: employment history, education, social affiliations. The usual. I’ve got several photos indicating foul play, but nothing solid enough to make an arrest. Yet. I’ve also managed to track down all of Melanie’s previous employees.”
“And?” I asked, eager to learn about the predecessors who’d filled my new position. Namely, why they had gotten fired.
Bray squared himself as if bracing to deliver the news.
“The first worked for the family when the kids were really young. Apparently, Kaden was a colicky baby, and she couldn’t handle the crying to Melanie’s preference.
The second got a little too close to Mr. Browning, if you know what I’m saying.
And the third stormed out when Melanie went off on her for buying a pack of plastic straws instead of the requested paper.
Apparently, it was literally the final straw that did it. ”
I groaned. “You’ve been hanging around these families too much because that was a grade-A Dad Joke.”
He chuckled a warm sound, and I had a sudden vision of him pushing a stroller.
“What about the fourth one?”
His face turned serious. “I haven’t been able to get ahold of Brittany. She hasn’t returned my calls.”
A thrilling rush filled my chest. I’d been covertly trying to penetrate restricted zones for long enough to recognize what this meant. A break, an opportunity. A way in.
“That’s perfect.”
Bray arched a brow. “How is that perfect?”
“Because usually when someone doesn’t want to talk to you, it’s because they’re hiding something.”
“What would Brittany Condor have to hide?”
I shrugged, pinching another chunk of muffin and noting the ex-nanny’s full name.
“Maybe she saw something she wasn’t supposed to see.
Like something worth getting fired over that would be useful for a new nanny to know.
” I chewed the bite and reached for the rest of the muffin, having gotten some of my appetite back.
A clue made me feel useful. I couldn’t decide what to do with my feelings about Wallace’s death, and I didn’t want to think about it.
I wanted to sink my teeth into the muffin and the case for distraction.
Bray watched me take a full bite, his eyes widening as he realized what I was implying. “You have to talk to Brittany.”
I nodded at him with a smile.