37
HALLIE
“You shouldn’t have brought her here.”
Alton Brand paced the living room, muttering to himself. He hadn’t looked me in the eye, not once, but he had glared at his partner in crime a number of times. Right now, I was sitting on the couch with the three girls while the men discussed the “problem,” which was of course me.
“So, what would you have done?” Gregg whined. “Ma told her about the basement.”
“Your ma’s cuckoo for cocoa puffs. Who would have believed her?”
“She did.” Gregg jerked a thumb in my direction. “I saw it in her eyes.”
“The police have already searched the place once, and my lawyer will sue them for harassment if they try it again.”
“And what if the judge sides with the cops?”
Alton didn’t have an answer for that. Instead, he shrugged, philosophical. “Well,
