What She Found

Chapter 38

MONDAY, DECEMBER 24 - 2:00PM


Reese was buried in paperwork, a headache throbbing behind his eyes, when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," he said.

Maya popped her head in. "Hayden's here. I thought you wanted her to go to the apartment?"

Reese shook his head. "We have to discuss the case, and I thought it would be safer if she stayed here until we were done."

"How long is she going to be staying with us?" Maya asked.

"Once Hunter returns, she'll go home with him. He should be back in a few days."

"A lot can happen in that time."

Reese silently agreed, and continued to write. When he looked up again, however, Hayden was standing in the doorway.

"Hi," she said, pressing the duffel bag closer to herself. "Where do you want me?"

"In here," Reese told her. "Maya, would you get Hayden some coffee, please?"

Maya nodded, her eyes narrowed. "Of course."

When she was gone, Hayden settled into one of the chairs across from his desk. "Are you okay? You look a little stressed."

Reese blinked. "This case is difficult. We don't have a lot to go on. Mason doesn't leave much of a trail. Since Maya's accident, she's been frustrated. She wants everything solved." He glanced at her. "You should contact Mason, ask him to meet you."

"Are you kidding?" Hayden's voice rose. "He's not stupid, Reese. He already went after Maya and Hunter. What's to say he won't hurt me too? I'm the reason he's doing all of this."

"You're wrong," Reese said. "The money is the reason he's doing this. Could there be more than what you got after your mom died?"

"It's possible," she answered.

Before Reese could say anything else, Maya returned with two coffees. She set them down and stood back. "Did you make any headway?" she asked.

"There might be more money," Hayden said.

Maya directed her question at Reese. "Where?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Hayden murmured. She took a sip of coffee, and looked at the empty chair next to her. "Why don't you join us? This is your case, too. We could always use an extra brain."

Maya nodded and sat down. Her hard expression softened. "Tell us about your brother, Hayden."

Pushing her red hair behind an ear, Hayden let out a breath. "I haven't seen him since I was sixteen. But from what I remember about Mason, he had a temper. He would get mad when he wasn't getting what he wanted."

"That explains the attack." Reese wrote something down. "He must have not known you lived there. I think he lucked out and saw you one day, then started to follow you."

"Why after all this time?" Hayden asked. "He was distant from our parents. I had no idea he even knew about mom's funeral until I got a card from him."

Reese raised an eyebrow. "What are you taking about?"

Hayden looked uncomfortable. "After her funeral, I got a condolence card from him. I didn't realize it was from him at first."

"Give me your keys," Maya said to her. "I'll go get it. You still have it, don't you?"

"You don't need to do that," Hayden replied. "It's not necessary."

"This could be important."

"No, I mean, it's not there It's in the trunk of my car. I can get it myself."

Maya inclined her head. "Okay. Hurry up."

The door shut, leaving Maya and Reese alone.

"This just got more complicated," he said.