He shuffled through a pile of documents. “I haven’t gone through enough of the evidence to offer your grandmother a plea on the drug charges, but my offer on the misdemeanors and the lotion-in-the-pie situation stands.”
“That’s ridiculous,” I said quietly.
He ruffled his blond hair, leaving it sticking up in soft spikes. “I think the feds might take over the mushroom case, just so you know. But fair warning, there’ll be plenty of civil lawsuits coming her way. I don’t handle those, of course, but I have a cousin, Tyson, licensed in Idaho. He’s considering setting up a temporary office here in town.”
I blinked once. Then again. “Your cousin’s coming to town to sue my grandma?”
He smiled like it amused him. “Yes. He’s contacting everyone who purchased the bad batch of tea.”
My shoulders went back. “I see. You received that list from Sheriff Franco as part of your criminal investigation, didn’t you?”
“I did,” he said, his tone smooth.
“Then you so kindly shared it with your cousin,” I snapped.
His eyes twinkled. “I surely did.”
I stared at him. The guy probably would get a kickback. “I do find it interesting that you bought so much of this magical tea.”
He chortled. “I didn’t know it was poison. I have three sisters and seven female cousins, and they all like tea. I figured to send it home to California. Believe me, I’m going to be a plaintiff in that suit against your grandmother. I, ah, drank some and went on a trip.”
What a liar. I’d bet anything he didn’t try that tea. “It might interest you that your girlfriend, Brooke, is the one who sold the tea to my Nana.”
Brad leaned back in his chair, a hint of disbelief flickering across his face. “That’s not true.”
“Yes, it is. She knows the distributor of the wellness tea and hooked my Nana up. I’m pretty sure she received a commission for doing it.” I didn’t know that for certain, but it made sense. I could confirm it later.
“There’s no way sweet Brooke has anything to do with mushroom tea.”
“That’s where my grandma bought hers.” I fudged the truth a little. Brooke claimed she didn’t know anything about the mushrooms, and I wasn’t sure I believed her.
He folded his arms. “Then I’ll speak with Brooke. If she did anything illegal, I’ll charge her. Simple as that.”
“So you’re not all that close,” I said.
“My personal life is none of your business. I never let it interfere with my professional life, which is something you should probably learn.”
That hit me square in the chest. I had started dating Aiden when everyone thought he was a criminal, and nobody close to me knew he’d been undercover with the ATF.
Brad tilted his head. “Speaking of your boyfriend, I’m investigating where an ATF agent gets fifty thousand dollars in cash to post bail for someone. Agents don’t make that kind of money, and it wasn’t government funds. It came from him. I find that highly suspicious.”
I leaned back in the chair, keeping my tone level. “Do you, now?”
“Yes. I have to ask. Has Agent Devlin been skimming during these operations? I imagine those opportunities come often.”
My jaw tightened. Aiden could handle this jackass. “I’ve never lost at trial. You?”
His jaw looked like it could take a punch. “Neither have I, and I have a lot more experience than you do. I worked in California for a decade before I came here.”
I kept my smile fixed in place, though I felt the sting of it. He probably did have more experience, and I hadn’t gone to trial often enough to brag. The truth sat heavy in my throat. If Nana’s case went that far, I might not be the one to argue it. The optics wouldn’t look right. “So you’re not going to be reasonable about this,” I said.
“Actually, I hope you’re not,” he replied, flipping through a file. “If your grandma refuses a plea, I’ll take her to trial and put her in prison for a long time. Poisoning someone’s pie is dangerous business. I’d love to try her on the psychedelic mushroom case, too, but the feds will probably step in.”
I stood. “Well, it was nice not reaching an agreement with you.”
“Ditto,” he said cheerfully. “I’ll call Brooke right now. I’m sure she’ll explain appropriately.”
Grabbing my bag and the packet of protein powder, I turned and left without another word. Would Nana hold up in a trial? Sure, she seemed strong, but she wasn’t young.
