Page 113 of Healed Heart
Probably a lie, but I don’t need Henry freaking out.I especially don’t need him freaking out our parents and the rest of the family.
“All right.”He pauses again.“Are you sure it wasn’t a random attack?”
“I mean, it could have been, but that would be a little too convenient given the circumstances.”
“Not too many guys would just let themselves get beaten to a pulp.”
“A narcissist would, if it meant he got what he wanted out of the deal.”
“A narcissist?”
“Yeah.I mean, I sat through a psychiatry lecture about narcissistic personality disorder yesterday, and this guy?—”
“Wait, wait, wait,” he says.“I think you’re going to have to tell me the whole story, sis.And don’t leave out any details.Start with how you’re involved in something like this.”
“But your meeting?—”
“Can wait.You’re more important.”
I smile into the phone.My brothers would move the world for Sage and me.We Steels stick together.Family is first and family is everything.
And I’m beginning to think of Jason as family.
I’m not sure if Jason wants me telling his whole story to my brother, but I make an executive decision.
My family has connections.Henry has connections.He’s in town, and he can help.Hewillhelp if I ask him to.
So I pour out the whole story.
When I’m done, he’s silent a moment.Until?—
“You’re sleeping with your professor?”
“Christ, Henry, that’s what you got out of all that?”
“No, and of course I’ll help.I don’t want to see an innocent man go down for something he didn’t do.We need to find out if there’s any security footage around this guy’s building.”
“He lives in an apartment in Boulder.Jason was at his house a couple of nights ago.That’s how we found out that Ralph is actually this Ronny Burgundy fellow.”
“That doesn’t really tell you anything.Not unless the fingerprints match.The address could’ve just been wrong.”
“Seems a little too convenient, doesn’t it?”
“I admit it does,” he says.“I just don’t want to get your hopes up.The good news is that most apartment buildings, especially in the Boulder area, have security cameras, so while we may not be able to see what happened inside his apartment, we should be able to see who came in and out.”
“I’m sure Blake Haywood has thought of that.”
“I’m sure he has, but in case he hasn’t, let me make a few phone calls.”
“What kind of phone calls?”
“To a judge who owes our family a favor.Here in Boulder County.I can secure some warrants for any security camera footage.”
“You can?What about Ralph’s apartment?Can you get a search warrant?”
“No.Everything is circumstantial.”
“What if the fingerprints match?”
