Carolyn Arnold - McKinley 03 - Money is Murder Read Online Free Page A

always on the elevator except for my lunch break, twelve to one.”
    “Thank you, Jackson.”
    “You’re welcome, sir.”
    Sara spun and wrapped her arms around Sean ’s neck. “I can’t believe it. Having all this will take some getting used to.”
    “But I’m sure you’ll manage just fine.”
    He took her mouth and she angled her leg behind her.
    “Well, darling, I could manage standing here and kissing you all day too, but we should get moving.”
    “Nope. We have about two hours and I intend to spend it close to you.”
    “Sean.” She placed a hand on his chest. “You can’t mess me up for our meeting.” She smiled devilishly. “There will be plenty of time later. We have to stay focused and get answers about Cindy Quinn.”
    “I suppose you’re right. I’m surprised that Jimmy hasn’t called yet.”
    “Oh, be patient, he’ll come through for us. He’s still got hoops to go through.”
    “I don’t miss that.”
    “That makes two of us.”
    They made their way around the apartment. It was decorated in muted tones—beiges, creams, and grays. The artwork on the wall was minimalistic with silver frames, and the pieces themselves, abstract, adding the only splash of color to the space.
    “It’s beautifully laid out, but it could deal with some reds and blues,” Sara said.
    “It is geared toward businessmen, darling. They don’t live here permanently.”
    “I guess you’re right.”
    “What is it? You’re deep in thought.”
    “It’s Cindy Quinn.” Sara reached into her purse and pulled out a photo. “She was so young when she died. Twenty-five. Quinn must have had her later in life, but she still had all of hers ahead of her.”
    Sean took the picture. Cindy Quinn was posing for a professional portrait. She was dressed in a gray business jacket and white blouse. She had reddish-brown hair and soft facial features. Her eyes were bluish green, and she wore red lipstick.
    “You can tell by the eyes that she was very intelligent,” he said.
    “I agree. I don’t think she got to the top of the empire just because of her father. We don’t even know anything about her mother.”
    “She must be gone too, or, in the least, she’s out of the picture.”
    Sara pulled out her laptop and settled at the dining table. She brought up some sites she frequented for, what some may describe as, a morbid hobby. She typed in some search parameters and had her answer in seconds.
    She looked over at Sean who was now sitting across from her. “Valerie Hodges was Cindy’s mother. The obit states that she left behind her daughter and a boyfriend, Douglas Quinn.” She paused for a second, letting her words sink in. “He already had the love of his life and wasn’t remarrying.” She clicked away on keys again.
    “What are you doing now?”
    She kept her eyes on the screen when she answered him. “When I was upstairs at Quinn’s house I had the feeling he must have lost the love of his life and never remarried.” She glanced up for a second as the search results loaded. “There weren’t any photographs. Quinn had a rough life, despite his billions. He faced a lot of loss.”
    His hurt must have registered on his face, because Sara continued. “Darling, I also know he lived a full life. To find one’s true love, that is a nearly impossible task these days.”
    He reached for her hand. “For some people.”
    She smiled. “Yes, for some.” She tapped his hand before releasing it to work on the laptop. “This will take a little more digging—oh, here it is. Felicia Summers married Douglas Quinn, nineteen fifty-five.”
    “You are a miracle worker when it comes to finding this stuff.”
    “Impressed are we?” She laughed, but it faded quickly. “She died in a car accident in nineteen fifty—” she swallowed, roughly, emotion seeming to seize her, and then she finished her sentence, “fifty-seven. They were only married for two years.”
    “The love of his life.”
    Sara nodded, tears