with the tears she fought so hard with furious blinking and sniffling. “If I hadn’t, you wouldn’t have been hurt....”
“I’m not hurt,” he assured her. He ignored the pounding in his head; it had gone down to a dull thud anyway.
“You have a concussion,” she said. “You can’t even remember the mother of your child....”
She hadn’t visited him in the hospital but she had obviously been apprised of everything that had happened there. His family had no secrets from each other.
“Oh, I remember her....” He glanced to where morgue technicians loaded Brenda Foster’s body into the back of the coroner’s van.
Poor Ethan. He was so young that he wouldn’t even remember his mother.
“That’s good,” Nikki said with a deep breath of relief. “I’m glad your memory is back.”
It had never really been gone. He couldn’t blame the concussion for not remembering meeting Sharon at the judge’s office. With the security at the courthouse, he hadn’t had to assess any of them as threats, so he hadn’t paid much attention to the people who had already gone through metal detectors and body screeners.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Parker said even though the information Nikki had recovered from the security system might hurt Sharon more than help her.
He glanced to where she sat in the back of a police car. According to Officer Green, Detective Sharpe had ordered them to bring her down to the police department so that he could personally interrogate her. Sharpe had just recently been promoted—though he hadn’t earned it. So he was probably just trying to scare her; he needn’t have bothered.
The poor woman had been absolutely terrified when she had found Brenda’s body. There was no way she could have killed her. Physically, she wasn’t strong enough. Emotionally, she was too sensitive and too empathetic to hurt anyone.
“Did you tell her that I’m your sister?” Nikki asked.
Parker couldn’t remember if he had introduced them; he’d been preoccupied with finding the judge’s body and with trying to find out who had killed her and how.
If her bodyguard had been there when the judge had sent Sharon and Ethan into hiding, why hadn’t he protected Brenda? Why hadn’t he even tried?
Parker wouldn’t have failed a client like that. He would have died trying to keep her safe. But maybe he had failed a client. If he hadn’t let Brenda fire him just so they could sleep together, she would still be alive. He wouldn’t have let anyone hurt her.
And he wouldn’t let anyone hurt Sharon, either.
“When they take her to the police department to give her statement,” he told Nikki, “you need to go with her and make sure she stays safe.” He didn’t want his sister in danger, either, though, so he would call his brother Cooper for backup. After seeing how brutally Brenda had been murdered, Parker was going to heed the judge’s warning to trust no one but him. And his family, of course.
“Where are you going?” Nikki asked.
“You tell me,” he said. “Find out who this Chuck is who was supposed to be protecting the judge.” Logan probably would have known. As the CEO of Payne Protection Agency, he was aware of the other security firms in the area. But those firms were no competition for Payne Protection—obviously.
“There was no Chuck with fingerprint access to the judge’s home,” Nikki said with a glance at the police car. “Could she have been lying?”
He shook his head. “No.” He didn’t think Sharon was capable of lying. He never should have doubted her—even for a minute. “Brenda must not have trusted the guy enough to give him access.”
“Then why would she have had him protecting her?”
Because she had fired Parker...
Maybe it was his fault that she had been killed....
As Parker had suspected, Logan knew who the Chuck was that worked bodyguard detail. Charles “Chuck” Horowitz.
Parker stood outside the man’s apartment; he was supposed to
“I’m not hurt,” he assured her. He ignored the pounding in his head; it had gone down to a dull thud anyway.
“You have a concussion,” she said. “You can’t even remember the mother of your child....”
She hadn’t visited him in the hospital but she had obviously been apprised of everything that had happened there. His family had no secrets from each other.
“Oh, I remember her....” He glanced to where morgue technicians loaded Brenda Foster’s body into the back of the coroner’s van.
Poor Ethan. He was so young that he wouldn’t even remember his mother.
“That’s good,” Nikki said with a deep breath of relief. “I’m glad your memory is back.”
It had never really been gone. He couldn’t blame the concussion for not remembering meeting Sharon at the judge’s office. With the security at the courthouse, he hadn’t had to assess any of them as threats, so he hadn’t paid much attention to the people who had already gone through metal detectors and body screeners.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Parker said even though the information Nikki had recovered from the security system might hurt Sharon more than help her.
He glanced to where she sat in the back of a police car. According to Officer Green, Detective Sharpe had ordered them to bring her down to the police department so that he could personally interrogate her. Sharpe had just recently been promoted—though he hadn’t earned it. So he was probably just trying to scare her; he needn’t have bothered.
The poor woman had been absolutely terrified when she had found Brenda’s body. There was no way she could have killed her. Physically, she wasn’t strong enough. Emotionally, she was too sensitive and too empathetic to hurt anyone.
“Did you tell her that I’m your sister?” Nikki asked.
Parker couldn’t remember if he had introduced them; he’d been preoccupied with finding the judge’s body and with trying to find out who had killed her and how.
If her bodyguard had been there when the judge had sent Sharon and Ethan into hiding, why hadn’t he protected Brenda? Why hadn’t he even tried?
Parker wouldn’t have failed a client like that. He would have died trying to keep her safe. But maybe he had failed a client. If he hadn’t let Brenda fire him just so they could sleep together, she would still be alive. He wouldn’t have let anyone hurt her.
And he wouldn’t let anyone hurt Sharon, either.
“When they take her to the police department to give her statement,” he told Nikki, “you need to go with her and make sure she stays safe.” He didn’t want his sister in danger, either, though, so he would call his brother Cooper for backup. After seeing how brutally Brenda had been murdered, Parker was going to heed the judge’s warning to trust no one but him. And his family, of course.
“Where are you going?” Nikki asked.
“You tell me,” he said. “Find out who this Chuck is who was supposed to be protecting the judge.” Logan probably would have known. As the CEO of Payne Protection Agency, he was aware of the other security firms in the area. But those firms were no competition for Payne Protection—obviously.
“There was no Chuck with fingerprint access to the judge’s home,” Nikki said with a glance at the police car. “Could she have been lying?”
He shook his head. “No.” He didn’t think Sharon was capable of lying. He never should have doubted her—even for a minute. “Brenda must not have trusted the guy enough to give him access.”
“Then why would she have had him protecting her?”
Because she had fired Parker...
Maybe it was his fault that she had been killed....
As Parker had suspected, Logan knew who the Chuck was that worked bodyguard detail. Charles “Chuck” Horowitz.
Parker stood outside the man’s apartment; he was supposed to
Similar Books
