Free Deceived (Private Justice Book #3): A Novel by Irene Hannon Page B

wave of uneasiness crashing over him. “I bet that lady on the escalator is a good mom.”
    Greg didn’t respond.
    Instead, he once again squeezed the wheel and kept his eyes focused straight ahead. Wishing he could wipe out the past. Wishing he could pray for help.
    But God wouldn’t listen to the likes of him. Not anymore. He only welcomed back repentant sinners.
    All he could do was hope Todd’s obsession would diminish soon and that life would get back to normal.
    Whatever that was these days.

    As Connor tossed his suit jacket onto a chair in his office and went in search of a piece of the coffee cake Nikki had brought in yesterday, her voice wafted down the hall.
    “Pregnant women aren’t supposed to lift heavy stuff.”
    When that pronouncement was followed by a fit of coughing, his lips tipped up.
    Dev had just gotten the big news.
    Ignoring the growls in his stomach, he detoured toward his partner’s office and propped a shoulder against the doorway. Dev had sprayed soda all over the files scattered on his desk and was still hacking as Nikki shoved a fistful of paper napkins at him.
    “You need me to do the Heimlich maneuver?” Connor tried to rein in his grin.
    Dev waved his question aside and focused on Nikki. “You’re pregnant ?”
    “It happens.”
    “Did you know about this?” Dev looked his way and swiped at the soda-speckled folders on his desk with the wad of napkins.
    “I found out this morning before Cal and I left for the meeting on that executive security gig—which ran very long, by the way. I hope you left some of that coffee cake in the kitchen. I’m starving.”
    Dev ignored that comment.
    Not a positive sign.
    After one final hack, his partner eyed Nikki. “So . . . are you doing okay? Everything’s good?”
    “Everything’s great. And I was just kidding about lifting your files.”
    She bent to pick up a stack from the corner of his office, but before she touched them, Dev sprang out of his chair and raced around his desk. “Wait! I’ll get them.”
    “I can do it.” She grabbed the files and rose. “I’m pregnant, not incapacitated.”
    He tugged the files away from her. “Fine. But I’m here now. Where do you want these?”
    She cocked her head. Shrugged. “On my desk. I need to go through them and identify the contents since you never bother to label the new stuff.”
    For once, Dev let the dig pass and exited in silence.
    As he disappeared out the door to the reception area, Nikki winked at Connor and dropped her voice. “This could be fun.”
    He chuckled. “You’re bad.”
    “Aren’t I, though? But I’m good in other ways. Like digging for information.” She handed him the slip of paper in her hand. “There were fifteen Garbers in the phone book. That’s Linda’s number. I was getting ready to put it on your desk.”
    A quick scan told him it was a Kirkwood-area exchange. Probably not far from their offices. “What was your pretext?”
    “Build-A-Bear follow-up to verify she was satisfied with her birthday party. There were eight children at the event, three boys and five girls. The majority of them were daycare friends of her daughter, Lindsey, who’s enrolled at STL Academy all day in the summer and for aftercare during the school year. She’ll be in first grade this fall, and she dressed her bear in a pink tutu.”
    Connor stared at her. “How did you manage to get all that information?”
    “Like I said, I’m good. Remember that when raise time comes around.” She sent him a pointed look. “And don’t get your hopes up about the coffee cake. Dev scarfed down the last piece about an hour ago.”
    As she started down the hall, the guilty party pushed through from the front—and held the door open for her.
    Connor’s eyebrows rose. That was a first. Meaning interesting—and entertaining—times should be ahead.
    As for the latest information Nikki had unearthed—that, too, suggested interesting possibilities. If the blond boy the