“They have him in custody, but he’s not talking.” He didn’t want to go into more detail with Lucy standing there listening. “Maybe we should stay here tonight, rather than heading back to the city.”
“No, Grady, will you please take us home?” Lauren put her hand on his arm. “I need to make sure the penthouse window is fixed and talk to Clara and my father.” She flushed, and added, “There’s still time for us to make the charity event. If you don’t mind sticking around for a while.”
Attending the charity ball was the last thing he wanted to do, but he reluctantly nodded. “Of course. I think it’s best if we stick together until we know for sure that Curtis Handover has confessed.”
“Thank you.” Lauren impulsively hugged him, and for a moment, it felt like they were engaged for real. Then she stepped back, smiling brightly. “Let’s go then. I’ll make some arrangements while we drive.”
“Okay.” He escorted them outside. Out of habit, he looked for a black SUV but didn’t see one. When they reached the car, he drove out of the cute town and headed for the interstate.
But the timeline of Curtis Handover’s arrest and the black SUV shooting at them as they escaped via the crop-duster plane niggled at him. Sure, they’d spent a little over two hours in Lake Geneva after leaving the Madison airport, but it still seemed too soon for Curtis to have driven back into Illinois to be arrested by the state patrol.
And why had the guy driven back toward Chicago? Braun hadn’t mentioned an accomplice in the arrest, so Grady assumed Handover had been alone. Had the two men argued after losing them at the farmer’s field? That was the only thing he could think of that would cause the two men to go their separate ways.
His thoughts continued to whirl in his head. Curtis might have asked for a lawyer so he could make a deal, agreeing to testify against the second shooter for a lesser sentence.
Yet Grady knew he wouldn’t be able to relax until they knew for sure who Curtis Handover was working with and that both perps were in custody.
And if that meant attending the charity ball, then fine. He’d put on a monkey suit and attend, for Lauren’s and Lucy’s sake.
* * *
Lauren spoke to Clara,who thankfully had everything under control as usual. Her super-efficient housekeeper had already arranged for the penthouse window repair and gladly agreed to arrange for a tux to be delivered for Grady. When she asked Grady his size, he didn’t look overjoyed but provided the measurements she needed.
“I’m so glad you and Lucy are on your way home,” Clara gushed. “Do you want me to stay overnight tonight to watch Lucy?”
She hesitated, debating the pros and cons of doing that. Clara was sweet to stay overnight when Lauren had late-night charity events, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to leave her daughter home with Clara. Not when Curtis Handover hadn’t confessed to shooting at them or to kidnapping Ariel.
Besides, she could tell from Grady’s grim features he wasn’t convinced the incidents were over. Agent Braun had mentioned having Curtis in custody, but what about the second man who’d been helping him? Was he still out there somewhere? That thought alone was enough to sway her decision. “No need to stay, Clara. Lucy won’t like it, but she can attend the ball with me. I mean, with us.”
“Okay, but I’m here if you change your mind,” Clara said. “How long before you get here?”
“I’m not sure. You know how traffic gets congested in the city.” She felt certain they’d get home just in time to change and leave for the ball. “If you don’t mind, set our things out before you leave.”
“Oh, I’ll stay until you get here. Drive safely.”
“We will. Take care, Clara.” Lauren lowered the phone.
“I’m surprised she arranged for the window to be repaired,” Grady said.
“She has access to our expense account.” When Grady arched a brow, she hastily added, “Clara is trustworthy. We have never had a problem with her spending too much money.”
“Okay, okay.” He shook his head wryly. “My friend Joel Sullivan has a housekeeper on their ranch who they trust with that sort of thing too. I guess I’ve never had someone I trusted that way.”
She eyed him curiously. “You must trust your boss.”
“I do, and my former army teammates.” Grady paused, then added, “I would trust any of them with my life, as they’ve always had my back. But living in my house and paying for things isn’t the same thing.”
“I guess not.” Lauren had never been targeted by a gunman like this before. Being kidnapped by Jerry Cromwell when she was a child had been a terrifying experience. One that had made her wary of her daughter suffering the same fate. Yet Jerry hadn’t hurt her, he’d just wanted money.
The two gunmen who’d tried to shoot down the crop-duster plane as they’d escaped the farm had gone to extreme efforts to get her daughter. To the point she wasn’t even sure this was about money for Curtis and his accomplice anymore.
Curtis must have done this out of revenge. When the kidnapping hadn’t worked, and shooting at the penthouse hadn’t caused the car crash, he’d given up on the kidnapping idea to simply kill them all instead.
Difficult to understand that logic, but she felt certain Agent Braun would find the evidence he needed to put Curtis and his accomplice in prison for the rest of their lives.
Which made her think about how Nelson was scheduled to get out of jail sooner than she’d anticipated. There’s been too many other things to worry about, but now that the danger was over, her ex-husband’s release flashed front and center in her mind.
Would Nelson sue for joint custody of Lucy? She wanted to believe he’d move on with his life, but with few job prospects and no money, she felt certain he’d be all over her to get access to his daughter.
