“You know,” Luke said, “I dated a librarian for a while.”
“Really?” Sophy said. “And how did that go for you?”
“It did not end well.”
“She has my sympathies, whoever she is. I’ve had a few bad endings myself.”
Thirteen
“Deke has always been theimpulsive type,” Angela Wells said. Phone in hand, she got up from the leather chair and moved to stand in front of the desk. She stabbed the speaker button on the heavily encrypted phone and set the device down on the polished surface. “It’s that talent of his. It makes him overconfident. Reckless.”
On the other side of the study Harry looked up from his laptop, gray brows quirking. She had been married to him for decades, long enough to know that he didn’t agree with her assessment. Unfortunately, she didn’t agree with it, either. Yes, their eldest son had a history of chasing adrenaline thrills, but in the immediate aftermath of his wife’s death he had plunged into a very dark place. He had taken the most dangerous assignments from the Agency. For over a year she had been terrified that he would not return to the surface.
She had been so grateful when he had appeared to pull back from some awful brink. In the past three or four years he had seemed more settled. Happier. More content. He had begun to concentrate more and more on his photography hobby.
But now she was afraid that the dark had reclaimed him.
“You were right,” Luke said on the other end of the connection. “Deke is in trouble.”
Angela sighed. “I was afraid of that. I thought that after he retired from the Agency he would finally settle down.”
“Hold on right there,” Sophy said. “Are you saying Deke Wells worked for an intelligence agency? Which one? CIA? FBI? NSA? DHS? Or is it some shady, off-the-books Foundation outfit?”
Angela winced. She was talking to a Harper. She had to watch every word. When Luke had called from the road a short time ago he had warned her that Sophy Harper was in the car and that the phone was on speaker, but Sophy had not said a word. Until now.
“Never mind,” Angela said smoothly. “This is Wells family business.”
“Which seems to have become Harper family business,” Sophy shot back. “Trust me, I’m not thrilled to be involved in this, but we both know that under the circumstances I don’t have any choice. It looks like your son has dragged my aunt into serious trouble.”
Angela took a grip on her temper. “Have you considered the possibility that Beatrice Harper might be the one responsible for whatever happened?” she said in her iciest tones. “It’s difficult to believe, but from what Luke says, Deke and your aunt apparently have some sort of relationship. Bea Harper probably seduced him. He’s been very vulnerable since he was widowed.”
“Deke’s wife died five years ago. There’s no way you can blame my aunt for this unfortunate situation. But I agree with you on one point: it’s hard to think of those two as a couple. I can’t imagine what she could possibly see in anoverconfident,recklessWells, especially one who evidently worked for a clandestine governmentagency. A Wells who apparently has no visible means of support,since he is now retired. Really, who can make a living with photography, especially at his age? I doubt if he’s the social media type.”
“How dare you?”
“Maybe Deke Wells is still working for that supersecret Agency. The photography night be a cover. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that he dragged Aunt Bea into a dangerous case and now they’re both in trouble.”
“You,” Angela said through clenched teeth, “have a very active imagination. You should try sticking to the facts. It will get you much farther.”
“Here’s a fact,” Sophy said coldly. “There’s a high probability that Deke and Bea are in trouble because of something that involves the pact between the families. Luke and I have no option but to work together to find them.”
“I doubt very much that Luke needs your assistance. He’s quite capable of conducting this investigation on his own.”
“I’m not about to let him handle this by himself, not while Aunt Bea is in danger.”
“This sort of thing is hardly in your wheelhouse. You’re just a crime scene reader and a housekeeper. You did what you were paid to do. Your services are no longer required. I’m sure Luke would be delighted if you stayed out of the way. Let him handle this.”
Luke cleared his throat. “Uh, Grandma, I don’t think you understand the situation. Sophy is committed to this project. She’s worried about her aunt and she is determined to go to Fool’s Gold Canyon. It makes sense for us to work together.”
“No, it does not,” Angela snapped. “This is a job for a trained security analyst. The Harpers have never had any abilities that would be useful in a situation like this.”
“I realize that the Wells clan thinks it’s superior to the Harpers because it controls a business empire,” Sophy said, “but we bothknow that empire was founded on my great-grandfather’s inventions.”
“Xavier Wells and Tobias Harper were partners. They developed those first security devices together. It’s not our fault that your great-grandfather did not have a head for business.”
“It’s a fact that Xavier Wells forced Tobias out of the company,” Sophy shot back.
“Xavier bought out Tobias. Your great-grandfather was not forced out. He wanted to pursue his own research and he needed money to do it. Xavier gave him the cash, a lot of it. Your great-grandfather blew it on weird inventions that never found a market.”
