Page 39 of Tangled
“Officer Halliwell was one of the cops who attended the scene of Gracie’s death. One of the four officers assigned to the case,” Sabina said.
Scarlett drew back. “I’m, I don’t know what to think about that. Do you think he found something there? Something that implicated the Wolf, and that’s why they went after him?”
“I’m not going to discount any theory right now,” Sabina said.
“But if there was evidence of the Wolf at the scene and Halliwell took it to protect his overlord, wouldn’t they be pleased?” Brad asked.
“If it were something that tied the Wolf to the scene, they’d be grateful he took it,” Sabina said. “But having someone like Halliwell have possession of that kind of evidence? It was a no-win situation for him—take it and know too much about someone he shouldn’t or leave it and get taken to task for failing.”
“A death sentence either way,” Scarlett murmured.
Sabina inclined her head. “Or his death could not be about Gracie at all,” she added.
“True, but it is a connection,” Scarlett said.
Sabina inclined her head. “We’ll keep looking into it along with the other leads. Ava got called into a situation so wasn’t able to dig for the missing files today. But Leo, another member of my team, will pick it up tomorrow,” Sabina said as a knock sounded at the door.
“For as secure as you tell me this place is, there are an awful lot of people who just knock on your door,” Scarlett teased.
Brad leaned over and kissed her again as he rose. “You saw the biometric readers in the elevators and the codes?” She nodded. “Only family is in the system. And Andrea, my head of security. If someone knocks, you can be assured that ninety-nine times out of a hundred, it will be a Warwick.”
And it was. A few seconds later, Brad ushered in the remaining cousins she hadn’t met, introducing her to each as they crossed the threshold. Charley and Joey, the youngest ofthe ten—and the only girls in that generation—entered first. Josh and Sofia followed, while Asher and averypregnant Ellie Cavanaugh pulled up the rear.
Scarlett had to admit being a little starstruck at the last arrival. Ellie Cavanaugh was one of her favorite actresses, and she’d watched all her movies more than once. The woman gave her a sheepish, almost shy, smile, though, and hugged her the best she could with her protruding belly. “Sorry to bring the masses,” she said. “Asher and I wanted to come meet you before these two arrive.” She set a hand on her belly. “But when we stopped by the Perch to pick up some dinner to bring over, we ran into the others, and they decided to invite themselves along. I hope you don’t mind? And if you do, that’s okay. I remember my first trimester. It wasrough.”
“No, I don’t mind at all,” Scarlett replied honestly. She wanted to meet Brad’s entire family, and with their impromptu dinner party, the only ones she hadn’t met were his uncle Michael and aunt Sonya, and Gina, Kara’s and Sabina’s aunt. “I may not last long, but I’m glad you’re here,” she added with a smile.
Ellie laughed. “I may not last long either. I feel like a blimp, and my feet are killing me.”
“Which is why you should sit down,” Asher said, walking over and ushering his wife to a chair.
“We heard you’re eating a lot of chicken soup these days,” Charley said. She and her sister were in the kitchen pulling containers out of bags and setting them on the counter. “We brought some of that. But we have lasagna, too.”
Scarlett blanched at the thought of tomato sauce.
“Okay, no lasagna,” Joey said. “There’s mushroom and chicken risotto and a few veggie pierogi. They have an excellent salmon, but Ellie ix-nayed that. And judging by the look on your face, that was a good call.”
The men set the table, and Sofia and the twins plated the food as Scarlett contemplated her options. Ellie shot her a commiserating look. “We’re all different, but I can tell you from my experience, the risotto was always a good option. Not too rich but heavy enough to fill me up without having to eat too much.”
Scarlett rolled the idea around in her head and when she didn’t immediately feel like vomiting, she nodded. “Risotto it is then.”
***
“Again?” Scarlett asked as she rolled over in bed. At least this time the early-morning call was at six and not one. Brad dropped a kiss on her shoulder, answered, then smiled as he listened to whoever was on the other end of the line. If the call wasn’t about either Ellie or Olivia going into labor, she’d eat her hat. And if she had to guess, between the two, she’d pick Ellie. Twins tended to come early. Then again, Olivia had reached thirty-eight weeks, so was a good option, too.
When Brad hung up, she reached for his hand. “Who is it this time?”
“Ellie,” he said. “She went into labor two hours ago, and the twins are already here. A boy and a girl. Finley and Violet. Michael and Sonya are there, as are Joey, Charley, Ethan and Kara. Joaquin, Ellie’s dad, is on his way up from Mexico. He was already planning on coming today but thought she’d deliver closer to her due date, so he’d be here in time.”
“Will we go over?”
He rubbed her arm, then kissed the top of her head. “I was thinking we should sit this one out. Wait until they are home and then go visit. We needed to be there for Cody and Tia, but I didn’t like you being out as much as you were.” He paused. “That’s my preference. If you feel strongly otherwise, we can talk about it.”
She considered the options. With all the family members already visiting the couple, she didn’t think Ellie or Asher would hold it against them if they didn’t go to the hospital. She didn’t know how long the new family would be there, but she and Brad could make a point to stop by as soon as they got home. Maybe return the favor and bring dinner.
“We can wait. Or I can. If you want to go, please go,” she said.
He shook his head. “I’ll wait, too. They won’t mind. We can take them dinner in a couple of days,” he said, echoing her thoughts. “Cody and Tia will be home by then, too, and we can make the rounds. As you can imagine, both houses are very secure.”
