Deadly Memories (Hardy Brothers Security Book 18) by Lily Harper Hart Page B

just about hit her limit. “Mandy fought off Lance Pritchard when he was bent on killing his own daughter and stealing his grandson. She did what she had to do to survive. You’re sick if you think otherwise.”
    Humphrey held his hands up in a placating manner. “Hey, I’m not trying to rile you up. I’m just repeating what I heard.”
    “See, that’s how I know you’re full of crap,” Sophie said. “Mandy is well-respected and beloved in this courthouse. She goes out of her way to help others and is a good worker. You’re trying to stir things up. I don’t know why, but you are.
    “Perhaps you’ve got your heart set on a judgeship at some point,” she continued. “Perhaps you just like gossip. I hear gossip, too. I hear you’ve hit on almost every female worker in the building and they’re considering filing a sexual harassment complaint. Should I believe that, too?” The last part was a lie, but Sophie enjoyed the red flush of Humphrey’s cheeks as her words washed over him.
    “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Humphrey said, shaking his head. “I have been nothing but professional with everyone – especially the women – since taking office.”
    “And yet gossip says otherwise,” Sophie said, internally crowing at Humphrey’s discomfort. “Such a sad state of affairs.”
    “I should probably start the press conference now,” Humphrey gritted out. “It was a great pleasure to see you again, Ms. Lane. I look forward to your questions.”
    “The pleasure was all mine.”

    T HE PRESS conference got underway almost immediately once Sophie split from Humphrey. Sheriff Morgan joined Humphrey on the steps, although he didn’t look thrilled to share the limelight with Macomb County’s newest politician, and the duo reiterated everything Sophie already knew before opening for questions from the media.
    “How is it that Sophie Lane got this information yesterday and no one else was allowed to have it?” The Channel 7 reporter shot Sophie a dark look as she asked the question.
    “Ms. Lane came by later in the day,” Morgan replied. “She already had some of the information, and in an effort to make certain she didn’t run a story with incomplete facts, we confirmed the rest of it for her.”
    “Why not call everyone else to give them the same courtesy she got?”
    “Because we were hoping to put off the press conference until today so we could have a clearer picture of Nate Foley’s health status,” Morgan answered, causing Sophie to roll her eyes. She knew the truth. Morgan had no intention of letting the information slip until he could control it. She forced his hand and now he was paying the price. He was clearly unhappy with her machinations.
    “And what is the status of Nate Foley’s health?” Sophie asked, locking gazes with Morgan. “Will he be charged once his health allows him to be transported to the Macomb County Jail?”
    “We can’t give out too many specifics about the suspect’s health,” Morgan replied, choosing his words carefully. “I can say his recovery isn’t a foregone conclusion. We’ll have to wait and see on that front.”
    “So what’s your plan?” Sophie asked, refusing to cede her control to another reporter so they could ask a question. “Will you be building a case on the assumption Nate Foley is going to recover?”
    Morgan and Humphrey exchanged a quick look, which wasn’t lost on Sophie. They were hiding something. It could’ve been something as simple as their distaste at having to answer a question she posed, but instinctively she felt it was more than that.
    “We are going to continue to collect evidence and go from there,” Morgan replied. “We cannot make plans for something until we know what’s going to happen. I’m sure you understand that.”
    “Does that mean you hope that Nate Foley’s recovery takes long enough for the public to forget about it?” the Channel 4 reporter asked, her blond bob bouncing in the