Weekend Warriors (Sisterhood #1)(55)

“I don’t know. My gut is telling me I have to pay attention. I’m trying to do that. I want to see all the stuff Lucas delivered. She said she slept in the truck the night of the storm. I have some trouble with that. Why didn’t Myra invite her to stay in the house? That would have been the decent thing to do. She lied to me about the driver, too. She referred to the driver as him. Not her. Him. She was very specific about him and his dog.”

“I can’t answer that, Jack. I wasn’t here when she talked to you. I knew the driver was a woman because Myra said it was a woman. I remember thinking she must be pretty strong to drive a big rig like that.” She shrugged. “A slip of the tongue. Whatever. Myra thinks women should stay home and knit and do good deeds. That’s fine if you don’t have to work for a living. Obviously the driver has to work for a living in order to eat and pay her bills.”

Jack stared off into space. “I have an all-points out on her and the truck. The minute she crosses the state line we’re hauling her in. We’ll impound the truck and sweep it clean.”

Nikki shrugged again. “I guess you have to do what you have to do. It’s not going to get you anywhere, Jack, because she had nothing to do with it. You’re grasping at straws here to make yourself look good.”

“Is that what you really think, Nik? It happened on my watch. My boss is on my ass. You’re threatening to sue the department. You know for every action there is a reaction. You’re the one who told me that.”

“I’ll represent Ms. Lucas if you kick up a fuss, Jack. All this ugly stuff will come out. That probable cause crap isn’t going to hold up and you know it. Myra is very influential. She knows everyone worth knowing. Senator Webster will come down on you like a ton of bricks if you even mention his wife and Myra in the same breath. She lost a million dollars, Jack. Yeah, I know you think she has money to burn, but she doesn’t. She donates to every worthy cause there is. She’ll hire some thousand-buck-an-hour attorney and he’ll smash you to a pulp before you can say, I’ll see you in court.”

“Is that supposed to scare me, Nik?”

“No, of course not. I’m just telling you what you’re up against if you take on Myra. That’s your plan, isn’t it? I know the way you operate, Jack. You’re working this on your own because, as you said, you like to get everything airtight before you spring your trap. You really should share all this with your boss before you end up making a mess of things. Keep your friends close, your enemies even closer. That kind of thing, right?”

Jack’s stomach worked itself into a knot. “Let’s check out those bathroom fixtures.”

“Why not,” Nikki said, getting out of the car. “Be sure to bring that court order. Myra will want to see it.”

Jack plucked it off the dashboard and handed it to Nikki. “Okay, this says you can search the garage, the barn and the house. Let’s go. Oh, one more thing, when you haul the truck driver in, I want to be there. I’ll do it pro bono. I mean it, Jack, don’t question her until and unless I’m present.”

Jack snorted. “How do you even know she’ll want you to represent her? If she has nothing to hide, why does she need a lawyer?”

“To protect her from you. Besides, I am her attorney. She came to see me once but I couldn’t help her.”

“What did she want you to do for her?”

Nikki swatted him with the court order. “That’s attorney-client privilege. You know better than to even ask. Go ahead, I’ll wait here. The stuff is in the garage. There’s a crowbar in there if you want to open the boxes.”

When Jack joined her twenty minutes later, she said, “four bathtubs, one misty green, one powder blue, garden tub in daffodil yellow and one in shell pink. Matching shower enclosures. Toilets same color with matching toilet seats. Two double sinks, one single and one with three basins. The vanities have to be built. Did I forget anything?”

“Yeah, the blueprints.”

“Myra can show you those. I wish you’d stop being such an asshole.”

Jack stomped ahead of her. “Let’s go see those blueprints. Of all the architects in town and the surrounding area, why did Myra pick Flanders? She has a shitty reputation.”

“You’ll have to ask Myra yourself, Jack. Bathroom remodeling is not my forte. Aren’t you going to check the barn?”

“When I’m ready,” Jack snapped. Nikki opened the screen door that squeaked just the way a screen door is supposed to squeak.

“Oooh, what smells so good? Are you making a chocolate cake, Myra?”

“Yes, dear. Just for you. Hello, Jack, how are you?” Myra asked cooly.

“Fine, thank you.” He nodded in Charles’s direction. “I’d like to see the blueprints for the bathrooms.” His tone was just as cool as Myra’s.

“Charles, take Jack to the summer pantry. Isabelle is working there because I didn’t have any other available space for her. Do not touch anything.

“Would you rather have stuffed peppers or pork chops for dinner, dear?”

“Stuffed peppers. How about pickled red beets and the wilted lettuce with lots of bacon in it. Lots and lots of mashed potatoes.”

“I think Charles can manage that. I wish I was half the cook he is.”