soon as possible.
Chapter Five
When Alex pulled into her spot at the office the next morning, Brodie’s truck was in the parking lot. Her heart hammered against her ribs. All night she’d thought about him and what he must be going through. She wondered if his presence here this morning meant that he was ready to face the truth.
For someone so tough and fearless this sudden twist in his life had to be upsetting. She felt bad this was causing him so much pain. The last thing she wanted was to hurt him, but she couldn’t stop that now.
Grabbing her purse and briefcase, she got out. Brodie immediately swung his truck door open and walked toward her in his loose-limbed way. Without a word, he handed her a business card.
“That’s the name and location of a lab. They will do another DNA test. If you’d inform Mrs. Braxton, I’d appreciate it.”
“You want the test done at another lab?”
“Yes. To keep everything on the up-and-up.”
“Oh.”
“Nothing against you personally, but this is my life and I would prefer to use a lab that does not do business with you regularly.”
“Okay.” She respected his decision and the care he was taking with this. “I’ll let Mrs. Braxton know.”
“The lab will notify me, so we don’t have to have contact with each other.”
She looked up at him. “But I do insist on being notified of the results.”
“Of course.”
She squinted against the morning sun. “What if the test is the same?”
“It won’t be.”
He was still in denial. When the truth finally hit him it was going to be twice as difficult. This cowboy was in for the biggest fall of his life.
Turning, he walked back to his truck and drove away.
In her office, she let out a deep breath, wondering what to do. How to tell Mrs. Braxton without breaking her word to Brodie? A good P.I. didn’t straddle the fence, working both sides, unless it was for a very good reason. She considered this a good reason. Brodie needed time and she was going to give it to him.
Picking up the phone, she called Mrs. Braxton. “Helen, this is Alex. Brodie would rather the DNA test be done at a lab he’s chosen. Could you please give another sample?” She read off the name and location.
“What’s going on, Alex?”
“Brodie insists the lab not have any connection to Donovan Investigations. He’s just staggered by the whole thing.” She wanted to be as honest as possible.
“I can understand that.” There was a pause. “Does this mean…”
“It means Brodie wants the DNA done on his terms. He’s not happy with this intrusion into his life.”
“Oh, my. I don’t want to upset him.”
“Helen, Brodie is already upset and it’s only going to get worse. He’s almost forty and secure in the life he’s been living.”
“My daughter tells me I should just let him be, but I can’t. I…ah…”
Again Alex felt this woman’s pain. “We’ll have the results soon and we’ll take it from there.”
“Okay. I’ll do the test today.”
“Thanks. I’ll be in touch.”
Now they would wait. But Alex already knew the results. So did Brodie. This gave him time, though. Time to adjust. Time to accept the unbelievable.
N ADDY WON fifteen hundred dollars on the slot machines and she and Ethel were staying a few days longer in Vegas. Alex knew better than to try and dissuade her. When she returned, Alex knew she wouldn’t have a dime of the money left. Naddy believed in living every day as if it were her last.
Alex and Buck worked on the new cases. Valerie Cryder was accused of killing her husband and two children. The DA hired them to go the extra mile on Mrs. Cryder’s life, digging through all the dirty laundry, so to speak. Buck was handling most of it.
She had two other cases going that took up a lot of her time—a woman who was allegedly cheating onher husband, and a man who might be fooling around on his wife.
Sometimes she didn’t understand why people got married—so much cheating and
Chapter Five
When Alex pulled into her spot at the office the next morning, Brodie’s truck was in the parking lot. Her heart hammered against her ribs. All night she’d thought about him and what he must be going through. She wondered if his presence here this morning meant that he was ready to face the truth.
For someone so tough and fearless this sudden twist in his life had to be upsetting. She felt bad this was causing him so much pain. The last thing she wanted was to hurt him, but she couldn’t stop that now.
Grabbing her purse and briefcase, she got out. Brodie immediately swung his truck door open and walked toward her in his loose-limbed way. Without a word, he handed her a business card.
“That’s the name and location of a lab. They will do another DNA test. If you’d inform Mrs. Braxton, I’d appreciate it.”
“You want the test done at another lab?”
“Yes. To keep everything on the up-and-up.”
“Oh.”
“Nothing against you personally, but this is my life and I would prefer to use a lab that does not do business with you regularly.”
“Okay.” She respected his decision and the care he was taking with this. “I’ll let Mrs. Braxton know.”
“The lab will notify me, so we don’t have to have contact with each other.”
She looked up at him. “But I do insist on being notified of the results.”
“Of course.”
She squinted against the morning sun. “What if the test is the same?”
“It won’t be.”
He was still in denial. When the truth finally hit him it was going to be twice as difficult. This cowboy was in for the biggest fall of his life.
Turning, he walked back to his truck and drove away.
In her office, she let out a deep breath, wondering what to do. How to tell Mrs. Braxton without breaking her word to Brodie? A good P.I. didn’t straddle the fence, working both sides, unless it was for a very good reason. She considered this a good reason. Brodie needed time and she was going to give it to him.
Picking up the phone, she called Mrs. Braxton. “Helen, this is Alex. Brodie would rather the DNA test be done at a lab he’s chosen. Could you please give another sample?” She read off the name and location.
“What’s going on, Alex?”
“Brodie insists the lab not have any connection to Donovan Investigations. He’s just staggered by the whole thing.” She wanted to be as honest as possible.
“I can understand that.” There was a pause. “Does this mean…”
“It means Brodie wants the DNA done on his terms. He’s not happy with this intrusion into his life.”
“Oh, my. I don’t want to upset him.”
“Helen, Brodie is already upset and it’s only going to get worse. He’s almost forty and secure in the life he’s been living.”
“My daughter tells me I should just let him be, but I can’t. I…ah…”
Again Alex felt this woman’s pain. “We’ll have the results soon and we’ll take it from there.”
“Okay. I’ll do the test today.”
“Thanks. I’ll be in touch.”
Now they would wait. But Alex already knew the results. So did Brodie. This gave him time, though. Time to adjust. Time to accept the unbelievable.
N ADDY WON fifteen hundred dollars on the slot machines and she and Ethel were staying a few days longer in Vegas. Alex knew better than to try and dissuade her. When she returned, Alex knew she wouldn’t have a dime of the money left. Naddy believed in living every day as if it were her last.
Alex and Buck worked on the new cases. Valerie Cryder was accused of killing her husband and two children. The DA hired them to go the extra mile on Mrs. Cryder’s life, digging through all the dirty laundry, so to speak. Buck was handling most of it.
She had two other cases going that took up a lot of her time—a woman who was allegedly cheating onher husband, and a man who might be fooling around on his wife.
Sometimes she didn’t understand why people got married—so much cheating and
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