Page 40 of Hold a Candle

Jamie didn’t bother to ask Pauley to eat again, he knew she was too stressed. “Let Mica finish his lunch first, then we’ll head that way. Can ye at least drink yer tea?” he asked softly.

Pauley hesitated, then with a sigh, she nodded and sat back down. “Aye, I can do that.”

“What are yer plans for this afternoon, Mica?” Jamie asked when they seated themselves. He was happy to see that Pauley was attempting to pick a little at her sausage roll.

“Quinn is now on board with me investigating on the sly because he’s suspicious of Macalister’s motives for taking the case away from us. Granted, Macalister is under no obligation to let any of us know he has an alias, but professional courtesy would have been nice.”

Pauley scoffed. “He won’t do that; he wants all the credit for solving it himself. The man is a ladder climber of the worst kind. He doesn’t care who he steps on to get higher.”

“Aye, makes me feel better that I kept the burner phone back from the evidence we turned over to his men,” Mica confessed.

“Ye kept back evidence?” Pauley exclaimed.

“I’ve got Angel on it trying to break into it. We might get lucky.” He winked at Pauley.

“There’s going to be hell to pay when Macalister finds out its missing,” Pauley replied with a chuckle.

Mica was fairly purring. “Well, he’ll no find out because he swept in all high and mighty before I even got all the evidence listed fer the locker. No one but me even knows there was a burner phone. Well...and Angel...and ye two.”

“I didn’t hear any of this,” Jamie inserted, shaking his head. “Does Quinn know?”

“Nay. That’s why Angel is working at home on her lunch break.”

Jamie rolled his eyes. “Then I really didn’t hear any of this.”

“That’s what ye get for hanging around with us, Jamie,” Mica chortled. He pushed his chair back and picked up his paper plate to throw away. “Thanks, fer lunch, it was delicious. Did ye make those sausage rolls?”

Jamie started clearing the table as well. “Nay, it was Lucerne. She’s the real cook in the family.”

“I might have to get her recipe. Miley and I both love sausage rolls but she says hers never turn out. They aren’t as good as these, I’ll admit, but maybe a new recipe might help perk hers up,” he enthused, glancing at his watch. “I’m headed out.” He turned toward the hallway to the front door and Pauley followed him.

“Call us if ye find out anything more, Mica.”

“Ye know I will. I’ll let myself out.” He gave her the thumbs up sign over his head with both hands.

Pauley watched him go and then turned back to Jaime. “Do we need to bring anything tonight for dinner at Neamh?” She drained her teacup and went to the sink to rinse it.

“I usually grab a bottle of Lucerne’s favorite white wine from Dookie’s, but she can’t drink it right now,” he replied, wiping his hands on a towel. “No point in bringing market packaged pastries either, not when she prefers to make them herself. So, I guess we are going empty-handed.”

“I like white wine, but I love a good sweet red as well. And ye are right about the market pastries,” Pauley agreed.

“Then we can grab some red wine at Dookie’s on the way out.”

Ten minutes later, Jamie turned to set the security code and make sure his phone alarm was working before they left for Neamh.

***

PAULEY AND LUCA WEREsitting in Darro’s study with Jamie, Darro, and Angus. Lucerne was in the kitchen with Corey and Delilah working on Halloween decorations. The children were still a bit spooked after having to go to the safe room earlier.

Pauley could see that Luca was still shaken up as well. Knowing that someone had actually followed him to Neamh had scared him more than he was willing to admit. Her anger with Brodie seethed inside. He would answer for this.

“When did ye become Brodie’s confidential informant Luca?” she asked.

Luca stared uncertainly at his mother. “How did ye find that out?”

“It didn’t take a genius to put it together,” she replied. “Brodie Macalister admitted to having a CI, but wouldn’t reveal who it was. With the evidence Mica and I have turned up, we figured it had to be ye or Belton.”

Luca ran his fingers through his blond hair. “Since I left school,” he confessed. “He’s the one who got me the job at Hope Barks. He said he wanted to help because ye had been his old partner, and he thought I might like to try my hand at something to do with law enforcement. I said I’d like that, but I didn’t think ye would.”

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