Page 70 of Something’s Brewing

“Okay, if you’re sure, I’ll grab you a pillow and blanket.”

The air conditioner kicked on and Madison shivered.

Garrett sat next to her and draped a blanket over her lap before propping a pillow beside her.

Then, without asking, he disappeared into the kitchen.

She heard cabinet doors open, the hum of the microwave, the clink of a spoon against ceramic.

“You hungry?” he called.

“Not really.”

“Tough. You have to eat something.”

A few minutes later, he returned carrying soup, crackers, and another bottle of water balanced carefully in his hands.

Madison blinked. “You made soup?”

“I heated soup,” Garrett corrected.

He set everything on the coffee table before crouching in front of her instead of taking the spot beside her again.

“Eat.”

She took a few reluctant mouthfuls of the minestrone soup while he watched her like she might disappear if he blinked too long.

“This is good. Thanks.”

He nodded. “I’m going to go next door and assess the damage. Where did you hide the envelope from Frankie?”

“In the master closet.” She swallowed. “Taped underneath the shoe rack shelf.”

She reached into the front pocket of her purse, pulled out the key, and held it out to him. “You’ll need this.”

He took it. “Eat. Drink water. Rest.”

Normally, she would’ve insisted on going with him. Right now, she didn’t have the energy to argue.

“Yes, sir.” She smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

When Garrett returned, Madison sat up too quickly and instantly regretted it when the room tilted.

He placed a hand on her legs. “Hey, easy.”

“The envelope?”

He held up a slightly crumpled manila envelope like a trophy.

Relief hit so hard her eyes burned.

“Oh, thank God.” She sagged backward against the cushions.

“You hid it well. I almost missed it myself. But Madison,” he said quietly, “they trashed everything. Closets, drawers, couch cushions . . . They were definitely searching for the evidence. I cleaned up a lot of it.”

“But they didn’t find it,” she said.

Garrett shook his head.