AllFreeNovel
Share Us
No wonder the various charity boards around the city went above and beyond to lure her into their board rooms. She wasn’t one to stop or let up on the reins until the job was done.
Theo might have had good intentions when he’d advised Brook to follow through with the meeting as if it was merely regarding a business proposition.
Unfortunately, he’d been wrong.
Elizabeth Elliott was well aware that her son’s interest in Brook went well beyond their silent partnership in S&E Investigations, Inc. Would she truly go behind Graham’s back to make known her own views on the subject?
Brook somehow managed not to hesitate when she offered her hand.
“Mrs. Elliott, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“None of that, dear.” Elizabeth ignored Brook’s hand and immediately drew her into an embrace. Thankfully, Kate had returned to Bit’s office and wouldn’t witness such a display of affection. “You’re family. You’ve given my family something I thought that we’d never achieve—closure. With closure also comes a measure of peace that allows us to carry on.”
Elizabeth’s voice had become heavy with emotion as she held onto Brook with surprising strength.
Brook wasn’t necessarily what some might label a hugger. There was no loosening her muscles, despite the duration of the embrace. Elizabeth didn’t seem to mind, though.
“Your son was very persistent about my involvement,” Brook shared once Elizabeth had finally pulled away. “I’m sure that NCIS would have eventually reopened your granddaughter’s case, as well as the others, based on the connections and discrepancies that Graham had been able to uncover between several of the investigations.”
Kelsey Marie Elliott had been brutally murdered near a military base, as had several other women in different states. Kelsey’s boyfriend had been arrested, tried, and convicted of the crime based on purely circumstantial evidence. With complete disregard of the verdict, Graham’s faith had never wavered in the young man’s innocence. After doing everything possible to put together a single file on similar cases that had occurred near other military bases across the country, he’d still been unable to get his daughter’s case reopened.
Despite Graham’s vast connections, NCIS had no interest in reinvestigating numerous, successfully closed cases that had resulted in many arrests and subsequent guilty verdicts. In the end, Graham had done what was necessary to convince Brook to take the case in exchange for what would turn out to be the start of S&E Investigations, Inc.
“You’re modest. I like that.” Elizabeth had walked back to the couch where she’d set her purse. She pulled out a white handkerchief, dabbed the bottom of her eyes where she’d gotten misty, and finally took a seat. She tilted her head in such a way that had Brook following suit and claiming her usual chair. “It takes a lot to impress my son, Brooklyn. You have done so in spades. He holds you in high regard, as I do in turn. My granddaughter was everything to us. Everything. While she entered the military due to her sense of honor and to uphold our family legacy, she was an artist at heart. It is the reason that I had a new art department building constructed at the George Washington University in her memory.”
“I’ve seen the oil painting in your son’s office,” Brook said softly as she reached for the carafe that Kate had brought in moments before Elizabeth had arrived at the office. “Your granddaughter was a very talented artist.”
“I didn’t realize that you’ve been by the estate,” Elizabeth replied as she reached for the small pitcher of cream. “Graham should have taken the time to introduce us properly.”
Brook somehow managed not to grimace at her mistake. She hadn’t been in Graham’s home, but she had seen security footage of Graham’s office after Jacob had talked his way in while posing as a chimney technician. It was doubtful that Graham had shared that rather disturbing detail with his mother, so she had to do something that she normally wasn’t accustomed to—she backpedaled her initial response.
“I apologize for the misunderstanding,” Brook said, hoping to still maintain a level of disassociation. Regardless that Elizabeth thought there was more to Brook’s relationship with Graham than strictly a professional one, she would still conduct this meeting at arm’s length. “During the setup of S&E Investigations, Graham and our technical advisor got to discussing security for the firm. Bobby Nowacki, who we refer to as Bit, is the best in his field. The two of them decided to make some upgrades, and I happened to be in the room when Graham was showing him the security system at the estate. I caught a glimpse of Kelsey’s oil painting in the footage.”
Brook had never felt the need to explain herself. She found herself sounding a lot like Bit, especially given the longwinded excuse that she’d come up with out of thin air. To cover up her unease, she poured a second cup of coffee before setting the carafe back down on the tray.
“I’m glad to know that my son didn’t forget his manners.”
Brook was grateful that she hadn’t poured the mug to the brim. The way that Elizabeth spoke of Graham was quite humorous. The man he was today was certainly not the little mischievous boy that had almost certainly tested the boundaries of his childhood.
“The reason that I wanted to visit you personally before next weekend was to give you fair warning,” Elizabeth stated as she got right down to business.
Her bracelets clinked together as she used a spoon to stir sugar and cream into her coffee. She paused long enough to allow some tension to build in Brook’s shoulders.
Fair warning?
Brook braced herself for a threat that wouldn’t be so veiled coming from Elizabeth Elliott. The woman wasn’t known to be coy.
“I’m close friends with the president of George Washington University. He’s planning to use the opportunity of the art building’s grand opening to corner you in regard to a teaching position. Not full time, of course, but one class per semester in criminal psychology.”
Brook ever so slowly released her breath, though the tension in her shoulders didn’t immediately dissipate. She’d honestly been prepared for Elizabeth to warn Brook against cultivating a personal relationship with Graham.
All the signs had been there.
At least, that was how it had been presented…much like Jacob’s gift.
Not wanting to get off course, Brook sipped her coffee to give herself more time to formulate a response. There was no room in her life for more distractions.
“I appreciate you telling me in advance,” Brook said as she lowered the mug. She kept the warm porcelain in her right hand while leaning her left elbow against the armrest. Elizabeth’s gaze was drawn to Brook’s holstered firearm, but the woman had grown up in a military family. Graham carried a concealed weapon almost twenty-four-seven, so it was not a sight that she was unaccustomed to in her everyday life. “I’ll be prepared to—“
