“Fair enough. I came because you know me—you don’t know my team.”
“And you thought I would be more likely to trust you?”
Carter smiles. “I hope so. We seem to have the same interests here.”
I’m still trying to determine that. “What are you investigating him for?” I ask.
Carter shifts in his chair. “Money laundering.”
I sit up straighter. I wasn’t expecting that one. Mr. Gardiner doesn’t like to get his hands dirty. He’s more the type to give orders.
As I study Carter, his lips twitch into a smile. I cross my arms. “I can’t help you if you lie to me.”
His eyebrows shoot up. “What makes you think I’m lying?”
I lean back. “I’m trained in interrogation. You’re lying.”
Carter smiles again. “I was testing you.”
He’s still lying, but I’ll play along. After I’m silent for a moment, he continues.
“We’re pursuing RICO charges against him,” he informs me bluntly.
“You think Lawrence Gardiner is mixed up in organized crime?”
“We do, yes. Including money laundering.”
Now it’s my turn to be surprised. “He has legitimate businesses. Why would he risk those?”
Carter shrugs. “For the reward. His businesses are great covers, all of them. But have you ever wondered why he always seems to get his way in your town?”
Well, fuck. I just assumed he likely paid off Mr. Hackle, the principal, and the admissions director at Havenwood. But maybe there was more to it because in my current circumstances, it would take some well-placed connections—or threats—to pull off framing me for murder. And yes, he managed to pull it off.
But I’m not letting that asshole come between me and Lucy again.
“What do you need me to do?” I ask.
“Let’s get you out of here first. Then we’ll talk.”
I glance around the room. “I’m free to go?”
Carter chuckles. “Soon. You are being released into my custody.”
I groan. “So, not free.”
“Let me check on the paperwork. Then, like I said, after we leave, we’ll talk.”
After Carter leaves the room, I sit and wonder what the fuck I’ve gotten into. It’s no secret I don’t like Lucy’s father, but the idea of being the one to take him down doesn’t sit well with me either. Not if I’m going to have a future with Lucy and be part of her family. I’ll have to make my feelings clear to Carter.
An hour later, I’ve been released into his care, and we’re parking in front of the house I’m staying in.
“Stormy really fixed this place up,” Carter says.
“You’ve been here before?”
“Yeah, I have. That was a wild case. We should go inside and talk,” he says as he exits the vehicle.
“Sure,” I respond as if I have a choice.
