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Candice nodded. “I understand. I wouldn’t either. Maybe you can play hooky tomorrow to help your mom out.”
Adam nodded and Brian thought it was actually a pretty good idea. He could miss a day of school. And Brian had no plans on working tomorrow. Sage had no family out here, so he would take care of her.
They headed back to the apartments, and he parked in his space. They walked to Brian’s apartment, and he opened the door. “If you chill here for a bit, I’m going to pack a bag. I’ll sleep on your sectional.”
Adam scowled. “I’m not a baby. I don’t need a sitter.”
“I know you’re not, buddy, but it’s an easy thing to do to set your mom’s mind at ease. She’s dealing with a lot of stuff right now and she needs to heal. We’re going to not stress her out or argue about anything, okay?”
Adam nodded, waiting as Brian packed a bag. Then they crossed the grass to the Harrison apartment.
Diamond whined excitedly as they entered and Adam went to his knees in the entryway, ruffling her fur. It was obvious the dog knew something was wrong.
“Why don’t you take her out back and play with her for a while,” Brian suggested. “She’s been locked up a long time.”
Adam turned and went through the apartment, and out the back door with the dog. Brian closed the door and set his bag down by the front door. He didn’t need a lot of stuff. He’d brought a change of clothes for morning and some shorts and a shirt to sleep in. He should probably be covered in case Adam came out of his room. No sense in scaring the boy more than what he already was.
He remembered what Sage had said about Adam’s anxiety. Did he struggle with it a lot? Maybe that was why they had the dog. He looked out the back door. Adam was sitting in a patio chair, and Diamond’s head rested on his lap. She knew he was hurting.
Grabbing his laptop bag, he set it on one of the kitchen chairs, then he planned dinner. Pizza, more than likely. There was no way he was going to try to cook in her kitchen.
When Adam came in, Brian was set up at the kitchen table, his files spread across the surface and his laptop open.
“What are you working on?”
Brian looked at the boy. He debated whether or not to show him, but what the hell. Maybe the kid would see something he couldn’t.
“I’m working on an embezzling case. Or maybe just a theft case. I’m not sure yet. There was a wealthy old gentleman being cared for at home. The family hired around the clock nurses and attendants so that the old man didn’t have to go to a nursing home. Well, after the old guy died, suddenly there’s a big discrepancy in the money being given away in the will. It’s my job to go in and figure out who stole a big chunk of the man’s money. He has several living relatives, and the will is on hold until I can straighten it all out.”
Adam looked at the stack of file folders on the table. “Those are all people that had access to his money?”
Brian shook his head. “Not directly. But someone was funneling money out of the account. I’m trying to backtrack and see who did it.”
“Wow,” the boy breathed. “You told me what you did, but I guess until you see it practically…” his voice trailed off. “Can I look?”
Brian nodded. “And this is just one case. I have three I’m working on right now. Parker just sent me a text that the complainant on one is breathing down his neck, demanding answers.”
Adam’s eyes got wide, then he looked at the stack. Reaching out, he opened the first file folder.
“This is Annette Blair. She’s a certified nurse assistant…”
They worked for a few hours, and Brian was impressed with Adam’s ability to grasp a financial situation. “Yeah,” he said eventually. “Mom has talked to me about our situation a lot. When my dad left, he stole all our money. And he stole my college fund. So, I set up a budget for us to stick to and we’re putting money away. Our budget is nothing like Old Man Ridge’s, though.”
Brian scowled at the thought of Sage and her son struggling. Man, if he ever met her ex… “Yeah, most budgets aren’t,” he agreed, “but the basics are the same.”
Adam nodded and reached for a file. “I think you need to dig into this lady more. She has a big family, and I bet she’s sending them money, somehow. And I don’t like her smile,” he said, pointing at the employment picture.
Snorting, Brian set the file aside. “Okay, I’ll look into her. I think you need to head to bed right now.”
Adam nodded, rubbing his eyes under his glasses. “Yes. You’ve done a good job sidetracking my anxiety. Thanks, Brian.”
Brian grinned and leaned over to give the boy a one-armed hug. “No problem, buddy. We’ll go get your mom in the morning.”
Adam nodded and headed to bed. Brian felt bad for the little man. He’d had a traumatic day today, and tomorrow could be worse, because he would actually have to be helping her. It had already been decided that he didn’t have to go to school tomorrow.
Speaking of… he grabbed his phone and texted Parker, telling him that he would be working from home the next two days. That would get him into the weekend and leave him free until Monday. Four days to make sure Sage was going to be okay. As the survivor of a couple of epic crashes, he knew the days following the event were usually the most painful.
If she needed the help, he would be here for her.
