Deadly Rivalry (Hardy Brothers Security Book 17) Read online

  She’d been needy when they made love the previous night, clinging to him and touching every inch of his body, as if she was memorizing it. Ultimately James realized fear propelled her to do just that in case she never got a chance to be with him again. She was making love like it was the last time because she feared it could very well be their last time.

  “We have to get going, baby,” James said, moving behind her and resting his hand on her hip. “Detective Mason is going to be a douche if we’re late. Granted, he’s already a douche, but I have a feeling he’s going to be worse than usual if we give him a reason to complain.”

  “I’m ready,” Mandy said, smoothing her simple white top down. It was one of her work shirts. “How do I look? Please tell me I look like an innocent woman being framed by a demented murderer.”

  “You look like the most beautiful woman in the world,” James answered. “It’s going to be okay. The odds of him taking you into custody are slim. I’ve already talked to Givens this morning. He’s going to meet us at the station and he’ll put up a fight if they arrest you.”

  “If they arrest me, I need you to take my wedding and engagement rings and necklace,” Mandy said. “In fact … .” She reached to her finger to remove the ring, but James stopped her.

  “Don’t take those off,” he said, his voice soft. “I will take them if it becomes necessary, but it’s not going to become necessary. Have faith. I don’t ever want to see those rings off your finger and we’re not planning for something that’s probably not going to happen.”

  “Okay.” Mandy nodded, and James couldn’t help but notice how her hands shook when she returned to fussing over her top.

  James grabbed both of her hands and brought them to his mouth and kissed her palms before placing them on the center of his chest and locked gazes with her. “We can run right now. I have the documents. Peter will help us.”

  “I don’t want to run,” Mandy said. “I want this to be our life.”

  “Then you stick close to me and make sure you don’t answer anything until Givens gives you his approval,” James instructed. “He knows what he’s doing. I will be there with you the entire time.”

  “Okay.”

  James tipped Mandy’s chin up and kissed her, lingering close to her lips before pressing three small kisses to the corner of her mouth in quick succession. “I love you, baby. It’s going to be okay.”

  JOHN Givens met Mandy and James in the sheriff’s department lobby shortly before ten, his expression reflecting fierce determination.

  “They have nothing,” Givens said. “The body was found in the trunk of your car, but I have plenty of things in my arsenal to clear you. Let me do the talking. When Detective Mason asks a direct question and I allow you to respond, keep your answers short and to the point. Try not to get emotional and cry either. That’s what he wants.”

  “I understand,” Mandy said.

  Givens shifted his attention to James. “I’m not worried about you, Mrs. Hardy,” he said. “I’m worried about Mr. Hardy.”

  James’ eyebrows shot up his forehead. “Me? What do you think I’m going to do?”

  “I’ll tell you what you’re not going to do,” Givens replied. “You’re not going to confess to the crime if you think things are going south. I’ve been informed that you’re likely to confess and go to jail rather than let your wife be taken into custody. Don’t do that.”

  Mandy was shocked. “Were you planning on doing that?”

  “Of course not, baby,” James said, cupping the back of her head as he licked his lips. “I … well, maybe. Who told you I was considering doing that?”

  “Peter Marconi knows you well and he told me to remind you that your wife is innocent and will easily beat these charges,” Givens said. “If you confess – even though we know you’re innocent, too – you’ll create a mess of trouble that will keep you from your wife if you’re not careful.”

  “You can’t confess,” Mandy hissed. “What is wrong with you?”

  “Baby, I’m not going to let anyone take you,” James said, tugging on his limited patience. “If they try, I will do what I have to do to keep you safe.”

  “You will not,” Mandy challenged. “If you confess, then I’m going to confess just to spite you and I can guarantee you won’t like that.”

  James narrowed his eyes and scowled. “You’re killing me, wife.”

  “No one is confessing to anything,” Givens chided. “Good grief. This is why I prefer working with guilty people. When my clients are innocent, martyr complexes often overtake them. It is ridiculous.”

  “No one is confessing,” James said, wrapping his arm around Mandy’s shoulders and tugging her close. “Now you keep her out of jail.”

  “Son, this isn’t my first time staring down a cloying little shit who wants to make a name for himself,” Given said, unruffled. “Watch and learn.”

  TEN MINUTES later Detective Mason ushered Mandy, James, and Givens into an interrogation room. He put up an initial fight regarding James’ attendance, but Givens shot him down with one sentence and a put-upon glare.

  “Thank you for coming,” Mason said. “I’m sorry you had to wait, but we got some new information and I had to look it over before bringing you back for questioning.”

  “You made us wait because you were hoping to make Mrs. Hardy nervous,” Givens corrected. “We’re not stupid.”

  Mason frowned. “We’ve been gathering evidence since Ms. Stokes’ body was found in your client’s trunk.”

  “That’s good,” Givens said. “We’ve been collecting evidence, too. Let’s hear your evidence first, shall we?”

  Mason was taken aback. “I … .” He snapped his mouth shut when the interrogation room door opened and Sheriff Morgan strode inside. “I wasn’t aware you were sitting in on this interview, Aaron.”

  “I wasn’t aware that I had to give you notification since I run the department,” Morgan shot back.

  James and Givens exchanged a brief look. There was some sort of power struggle happening between Morgan and Mason, and things were about to come to a head.

  “Well, I’m glad you’re here,” Mason said. “I want you to sign off when we arrest Mrs. Hardy.”

  “I’m sure you do,” Morgan said, glancing at James as he rubbed Mandy’s neck to soothe her. “Let’s get on with this.”

  “I agree,” Givens said. “We have a nice brunch waiting for us when we’re done here.”

  Mason made a face. “You’re awfully full of yourself, aren’t you?”

  “I have reason to be,” Givens replied matter-of-factly.

  “Mrs. Hardy, we need you to give us your exact timeline for the forty-eight hours prior to Ms. Stokes’ body being found,” Mason said.

  “She’s already done that and will not be doing it again,” Givens said.

  James leaned back in his chair, keeping his arm on Mandy’s back to center her, and watched the show. Givens was a marvel at getting under people’s skin.

  “We know that Mrs. Hardy and the deceased had words in a Mount Clemens restaurant the day Ms. Stokes died,” Mason pressed. “Mrs. Hardy found out her husband was having an affair with the victim and lashed out.”

  “Mr. Hardy and his associate, Jake Harrison, had lunch with Ms. Stokes to finish up their business deal,” Givens clarified. “Ms. Stokes was upset because she hired a photographer in an effort to snap a photograph of her and Mr. Hardy so she could upset his wife, but that never happened. I have the photographer if you need verification.

  “In addition, Mr. Harrison called his girlfriend Ally Hardy, who happens to be Mr. Hardy’s sister and Mrs. Hardy’s best friend, and told her what was happening before the lunch and that is why the two women showed up,” he continued. “The words exchanged were a cessation of the business arrangement and a simple declaration that the Hardy marriage was in no danger of crumbling.”

  Mason furrowed his brow. “That’s hearsay and after the fact.”

  “And yet we
have four people saying it and the story was related to another person in the courthouse long before Ms. Stokes died,” Givens said, his face impassive. “What else have you got?”

  “We need an alibi for the time of death,” Mason said.

  “You’ve been given an alibi by Mr. Hardy.”

  “I don’t think having nonstop sex is going to hold up in court,” Mason retorted.

  “It will when I call witnesses to testify about my client’s active sex life,” Givens said. “I have a lot of witnesses. Even I was shocked. It seems Mr. Hardy likes to brag … and give details.”

  James’ cheeks colored. “I’m not sure it’s fair to say I give a lot of details.”

  Mandy shot him a challenging look.

  “What, baby? It’s not my fault I can’t get the Jaws theme out of my head. That’s on you.”

  “We also have the victim’s body showing up in Mrs. Hardy’s car,” Mason said. “How are you going to get around that?”

  “Quite easily,” Givens replied. “I have a report from two months ago that shows that anyone can get into a Ford Focus trunk with the proper fob. It’s readily available in certain pawnshops and electronic stores, including three in the Mount Clemens city limits. I also have an affidavit from three security guards that says the cameras on the level Mrs. Hardy parked that day haven’t been working for three months.”

  “I wish I would’ve known that,” James muttered.

  “Multiple people could’ve opened Mrs. Hardy’s trunk and moved the body into her car without anyone seeing,” Givens said. “We’ve conducted four different experiments at four different times of the day – all videotaped in front of a third-party expert who signed off on them and will testify regarding their veracity – and we managed to open the trunks of four different Ford Focuses and move a dummy body without detection in all four scenarios.”

  James was impressed. He had no idea Givens had been so busy.

  “Why would someone want to frame Mrs. Hardy?” Mason asked.

  “That’s not my job,” Givens replied. “However, off the top of my head, I can point to hundreds of people who might want to frame Mrs. Hardy. She’s part of the criminal justice system and someone might want payback. In addition, the Lance Pritchard fiasco was big news. Someone trying to protect the Jackson prison from the fallout might want to paint Mrs. Hardy in a negative light to distract from the upheaval.”

  “I never thought of that,” James said, rubbing his chin.

  “There’s also Mr. Hardy’s business,” Givens said. “He’s put quite a few people away and any number of them might want revenge. As anyone who knows Mr. Hardy can attest, he loves his wife beyond reason. If someone wanted revenge on him, she would make an appealing target.”

  Guilt rolled through James as Givens’ words sank he. He already blamed himself for letting Madeline hang around. He would hate himself if one of his past cases came back to haunt his wife.

  “The truth is, you have nothing on Mrs. Hardy – including motive,” Givens said. “Mr. Hardy and his wife are notoriously in love. I have numerous politicians I will call to the stand to verify that, including Judge MacIntosh and Sheriff Morgan. They have both witnessed the love between my client and her husband on numerous occasions.”

  “So, because your client loves her husband, she’s naturally incapable of murder?” Mason challenged.

  “I don’t know if my client is incapable of murder,” Givens replied. “I know she didn’t commit this murder. I think you do, too, but you’re anxious to make a name for yourself. I can guarantee you’ll make a name for yourself if you press this issue, but that name will be something akin to a joke.”

  “You can’t threaten me,” Mason seethed.

  “I’m not threatening you.” Givens’ face was blank. “I’m explaining how things will go if you continue railroading an innocent woman.”

  “Well, I’m going to take her into custody and charge her with first-degree murder,” Mason said. “What do you think about that?”

  Mandy bit her lip and stared at the table as James tensed.

  “You’re not taking my wife,” James said.

  “You can’t stop me,” Mason shot back. “She’s a murderer. I’m getting her off the streets and making the people of this county safer at the same time. That’s my job.”

  Givens held up his hand and darted a warning look in James’ direction before turning back to Mason. “That is certainly your prerogative,” he said. “If you do that, we’ll demand an arraignment this afternoon. At that time, we will lay out all of the information we’ve gathered – including pieces you’re not aware of – and ask for a directed verdict.”

  “Do you think that scares me?” Mason challenged.

  “I don’t really care if it frightens you or not,” Givens said. “What should frighten you is the other document I will be filing.”

  “And what document is that?”

  “The one identifying your ties to Toby Keats,” Givens replied.

  James straightened in his chair. “Toby Keats? Are you saying Detective Mason has ties to the money launderer in Judge MacIntosh’s courtroom?”

  “I am,” Givens confirmed.

  Mason’s cheeks flushed a dark shade of red. “That’s a lie. No one is going to believe you.”

  “And yet I have proof,” Givens said.

  “No judge is going to listen to a smarmy lawyer attack a decorated detective,” Mason said.

  “What decorated detective are you referring to?” Givens asked, feigning confusion. “I have your record. You’ve been sanctioned no less than eight times for attitude, missing evidence, and possibly lying under oath.”

  “How did you get internal sheriff’s department documents?” Mason asked.

  “That’s a good question,” Morgan said, shifting in his chair. “I have a feeling I know the answer to it, though. I want to go back to these ties you found between Toby Keats and my detective.”

  Givens opened the file in front of him and pulled out a stack of papers. He dropped it on the table and shoved it in Morgan’s direction. “I will file those in court the second you arrest Mrs. Hardy. I will also be sending packets out to every media representative in the area as well. It will be a media spectacle by the time I’m done.”

  “What makes you think the media will care?” Mason sneered.

  “Because I can guarantee one publication will run the story, and that means all of them will run the story,” Givens answered.

  “Sophie Lane,” Morgan said, shaking his head.

  “She already has a story ready to put up on her publication’s website the second I place a call,” Givens said.

  “Holy crap,” James muttered, dumbfounded.

  “I am not playing games with you, Sheriff Morgan,” Givens said. “I don’t believe you think Mrs. Hardy killed anyone. I also believe you’re interested in all of the information I’ve acquired on Detective Mason. It’s considerably more than I’ve given you.”

  “You can’t blackmail us,” Mason said.

  “It’s not blackmail,” Givens said. “It’s facts. The facts show that you are pushing for Mrs. Hardy’s incarceration and you have ties to an ongoing case in the courtroom where she works. That looks like a conflict of interest to me.”

  “Well, I guess it’s good that you don’t run this department,” Mason shot back.

  “It looks like a conflict of interest to me, too,” Morgan said, gathering the papers. “I’m declaring this interview over. Mrs. Hardy, you’re still a person of interest in this crime. I will be assigning a different detective to the case. After he goes through the evidence, we’ll be in touch.”

  “Wait a second,” Mason argued. “I’m taking her into custody.”

  “No, you’re not,” Morgan said. “She’s leaving with her husband. By the end of the day, if these documents are correct, you’ll be lucky if you’re not the one taken into custody. Mr. and Mrs. Hardy, I apologize for any inconvenience. We will definitely be in touch.”
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br />   “Thank you,” James said, watching Morgan and Mason storm out of the room. “That was … amazing. I don’t know how to thank you, Mr. Givens.”

  “Your wife is innocent, Mr. Hardy,” Givens said. “This case has been much easier to handle than you can imagine because of that fact. Although, I did much enjoy reading the depositions regarding your sexual antics.”

  “I’m a sex god,” James said, guileless.

  “I believe you might be,” Givens said, chuckling. “Come along. I believe Mr. Marconi has a special brunch set up in your honor. He has other things he wants to discuss with you, too.”

  “I’m looking forward to that.”

  “Me, too.” Mandy’s voice was barely louder than a whisper.

  James glanced down when his wife slipped her hand into his and smiled. While she wasn’t exactly bursting with enthusiasm, she was noticeably more relaxed. He leaned forward and kissed her temple. “I told you it was going to be okay.”

  “You’re still in trouble for the other thing.”

  “Well … that will be fun to deal with when we get home. You can spank me to your heart’s content.”

  “Home,” Mandy said, sighing. “I want to go home.”

  “We’re going, wife,” James said. “We just need to stop so I can fill you full of food and get caught up on everything before we get there. We still have to figure out who really did kill Madeline.”

  21

  Twenty-One

  “It sounds like we missed a fun time,” Grady said, smiling as he followed John Givens into Peter’s arboretum. “Thank you for what you did.”

  “I couldn’t have done it without your help,” Givens said. “Mason was flustered from the beginning, and when I pulled out the documentation tying him to Keats he almost flatlined.”

  “Good,” Sophie said, wrinkling her nose. “I hope they lock him up.”

  “You’ve got a vicious streak, sugar,” Grady said, tickling her ribs. “I like it.”

  “I know you do,” Sophie said. “I’ll show you more of it later.”

  “Okay, that’s enough of that,” Jake said, risking a worried look in Peter’s direction. “Just for the record, Grady, you don’t talk about doing dirty things with a mobster’s daughter when he’s in the room.”