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“Have you tried to get a hold of her?”
“I did for the first two weeks. But stopped after I found the write-up on her wedding. I figured her husband wouldn’t appreciate a man from his wife’s past firing up her phone.”
Grant didn’t respond. Lucas knew why as there wasn’t much you could say to that.
Lucas rubbed his eyes and attempted small talk. “Day off?”
“Just got off my shift and went home to change clothes. Stopped by your house and no one was there, so I took a chance you’d be here.”
“Are you hunting me down for a reason?”
“Yep,” Grant said, pulling a folder sitting beside him and plopping it in front of Lucas on the bar top. “Did some investigation into Birdie and her life up north. Made a few phone calls. Apparently, my calls created a bit of a stir, and I got an email from a Tatiana Northrop.”
Lucas opened the folder and read the top piece of paper. “A private investigator?”
“Not just any P.I., one who had been on Marshall Shepherd’s payroll for several years.”
“What’s hard to believe about that? His sons and ex-wife were constantly on his heels and causing all kinds of trouble for him.”
“Well, for one, she’s ex-FBI.”
“And…?”
“And, supposedly, she lost her badge by failing to work within the department’s guidelines.”
“Again, not the first time an FBI agent went rogue and gone private.”
“It is if she’s Ariana’s granddaughter, and the daughter of an illegitimate baby Ariana sold to the highest bidder.”
Lucas kept reading as Grant continued.
“Word is, Ariana had a baby out of wedlock before meeting Marshall. She turned her dilemma into a golden opportunity and sold the baby to a for-profit child-placement organization. A sketchy-ass group who bought and sold babies. Thankfully, their main clientele was a couple of churches whose mission was to ensure the babies went to loving homes. Paid all the fees.”
Lucas set his beer down and turned to Grant, who had earned his full attention. “Go on.”
“I received a secure email from her, asking if we could talk a few days ago.”
“You met with her?”
“Not exactly. She insisted on sending me a burner phone in the mail so she could track me. Then she instructed me to go outside Wayward city limits to make the call to her phone, which I’m assuming was equally secure.”
“If you haven’t met with her yet, how do you know about her background?”
“You do know I’m a cop?”
“So, why is she pulling out all the super-spy shit?”
“Because she’s been in an induced coma for four months.”
“Jesus.” One didn’t expect to hear that in everyday conversation.
“Apparently, Ariana Shepherd and her vile litter were just as eager to discredit her granddaughter as they were Birdie.”
“And to keep her off their trail of destruction,” Lucas mused aloud. “What else?”
“That’s all I know. She asked to meet with me, but she’s in hiding and obviously has strong reasons why she doesn’t want to be found by the wrong people.”
This was the first time in weeks that Lucas felt hopeful. Whether to validate the reasons she left town or just for some mind-numbing closure.
