“That, you’d have to ask her,” Harvey told them.
“Harvey, I trust you won’t say anything about finding the bracelet.”
It was more of an order than a question from Holt.
“Of course,” Harvey assured him. “But I don’t think Sienna was involved in any of this. She’s a lot of things, but she would never try to harm anyone.”
“Harvey, Sienna has always been the mean girl.” Margo turned toward him. Then she softened it with a brief smile. “You’ve just always had a soft spot for her.”
“No.” Heat crept up Harvey’s neck. “She’s just very misunderstood, and all of you know who her mother is.” He shook his head, anger flashing in his eyes. “My father is a nightmare, and even he wouldn’t throw his own under the bus, tear me down for sport, or criticize me every time I breathed wrong.”
Margo’s smile faded. That, unfortunately, she believed.
Victoria Morrison had never cared who was watching when she went after Sienna. Now, with Harvey looking as disgusted as he did, something in it landed differently.
“Victoria does that?” June asked, appalled.
“Yeah.” Margo nodded. “Victoria can be brutal.”
“A few times I’ve gone to the Morrison place for dinner,” Harvey said, “she’ll do it right at the table. Things like, ‘Are you sure you want to eat all of that? You’ve been looking a little…’” He paused theatrically, then continued in a cutting falsetto that was unsettlingly accurate. “‘Bloated lately.’” His mouth twisted. “Then she laughs and blames it on Captain Morrison’s side of the family’s genes. Says something like, ‘Sienna was a little plump as a baby, and we simply have to watch that baby fat doesn’t come back.’ Then she’ll talk about how her own side of the family has impeccable genes.”
“What?” June and Holt said together.
“That’s despicable.” June’s face tightened with disgust.
“She’s always been like that,” Margo said. Then, unexpectedly, she found herself feeling the tiniest flicker of pity for Sienna. “I suppose I’d be mean too if I had a mother like that.”
“Yes,” June said. “But pain and poor treatment can explain some behavior without excusing it. You can understand why someone turned sharp without giving them permission to keep cutting other people.”
“That’s fair,” Harvey admitted. “Still, if you get past all that armor, Sienna’s not that bad.” He frowned, then looked back and forth between them. “What are you thinking about that bracelet?”
“We’ll tell you at the meeting,” Holt said. His eyes pinned Harvey with quiet force. “And none of this leaves this room. You do not alert Sienna, Clive, Victoria, Tom, or anyone even loosely connected to them. Not a word.”
“That’s why you don’t want Ace included. Because you think he’s too close to Sienna.” Harvey’s expression sharpened. “He’d never betray Willa’s family.”
“I agree with you, but Holt doesn’t,” June told him.
“I’m starting to wonder about you too, Harvey,” Holt said, half joking. “Maybe we shouldn’t involve you.”
“You know I won’t say a word. One thing my father taught me was never to betray a good person’s trust.” Harvey straightened at once.
“I know,” June said gently. Then she shot Holt a pointed look. “Holt was joking. You are very much part of this.”
“Thank you, June.” Harvey’s smile returned, broad and unexpectedly boyish. “That means a lot.”
“I can vouch for Harvey too,” Margo said. “I’ve known him all my life. He really is solid.”
“Well, thank you, Margo. That means a lot too.” Harvey went slightly red.
“And Harvey and I can both vouch for Ace,” Margo added.
“I’ll think about Ace.” Holt drew a breath and looked back at the truck. “Now, back to the truck.”
That focused their thoughts again.
Margo stepped closer, studying the vehicle properly now. The resemblance to her mother’s truck was unnerving, but the longer she looked, the more wrong it seemed. The interior was stripped. The body showed signs of tampering. The front and back bumpers looked as if they had been battered.
Holt pulled what looked like a handful of latex gloves from his pocket. He handed a pair to June, then to Harvey, and finally to Margo.
