Page 61 of Daddy's Trust
“The bruise is from a m-man who tried to s-steal Cash’s truck on the way here. They’re good people.”
“Yes, but there has to be something they want, Addie. There’s always something they want. People just don’t do things out of the goodness of their hearts.”
Dotty knew well what it was like to live with someone who always wanted something from her.
“And if we don’t want anything in return?” Cash asked. “Is it hard to believe that we like Addie and want to help her?”
“Actually, it is,” Dotty said.
“The fact that we like your sister is so hard to believe?” Cash asked, a warning note in his voice.
Dotty glared at him, her cold blue eyes piercing. Monroe reached over and grasped hold of Addie’s hand. Addie suddenly realized that she’d been pressing her fingernails into the palm of her hand. Cash took her other hand and opened it. Had he seen what she had done? He ran his thumb over the marks in the palm of her hand.
“You took off your bandage,” he whispered to her. “Without permission. That was naughty.”
Urgh, why did that send a shiver of heat up her spine?
“Of course that isn’t hard to believe. This has nothing to do with Addie. It’s all of you. I don’t know you. I can’t trust you. How am I meant to know that you don’t have some ulterior motive?”
Ink nodded. “Fair enough. Would it make you feel better if you did pay us?”
Dotty gave him a surprised look. “Actually, it would. However I haven’t decided that we need your services.”
Ink nodded. “I get that. But someone did threaten you.”
“Right. The hotel room was really trashed?” She glanced over at Addie, who nodded.
“We took some photos,” Ink said.
Brody must have done something on his computer because a number of photos appeared on a screen at the end of the room. Ralen had to move his chair around so he could see them.
Monroe sucked in her breath. “Oh my God, they touched my clothes. Look at my poor heels. Jesus, what were they doing? That is not the way you treat Manolos.”
“Who?” Ralen asked.
“Manolos. My shoes. Poor things. They’re going to be so sad and upset with?—”
“They’re just shoes,” Ralen growled.
“That’s rude,” Monroe muttered.
“Eat,” Ralen said.
“Addie, did you have to find the bossiest men in Billings?” Monroe grumbled.
“Why just throw everything around like that,” Dotty said, ignoring Monroe’s mutterings. “There doesn’t look to be anything taken. Addie, did you notice anything missing?”
Addie shook her head.
“The safe still had your laptop. We’ve brought it back with us,” Ink said. “I didn’t know if you’d want to contact the police, but we’ve gone through and searched for any fingerprints. The trouble is that it’s a hotel room, so there’s going to be fingerprints, and a number of them will belong to the staff.”
“I don’t think the police are going to come to our aid anytime soon,” Monroe said.
“It’s their job,” Dotty replied. “If they don’t do it, I’ll be making some complaints.”
Addie knew her sister would do that.
“And that’s the message?” Dotty pointed to one image which Brody made bigger.
