Five O’Clock Shadow Read Online Free

pieces. Abruptly she asked, “Where is this leading?” And with a look, she dared him to get cute again, say something like “where do you want it to lead?” But he didn’t. He leaned back against the wall, tipping the chair off of two of its legs, and looked relaxed and in control.
    â€œTell me about your husband. His business, how you met, that sort of thing.” From somewhere under the pictures, he produced a tape recorder, small, not much bigger than a pack of cigarettes.
    She wasn’t thrilled, but this was probably inevitable, might as well get it over with.
    â€œI met Randy—”
    â€œFull name of victim?”
    They both laughed—a spontaneous burst of sound. Victim of her meeting him and marrying him? Macabre humor. It broke the tension for a moment.
    â€œRandall Vincent McIntyre. I met Randy when I interviewed for a technical writer’s position with his company in April.”
    â€œApril of this year?”
    â€œYes. I started immediately and was promoted to supervisor of technical editing and writing within two months. I began dating Randy sometime later, in the summer.”
    â€œName of the firm?” The man sitting opposite her still asked all the questions, but the presence of the other detective behind her, the pressure of his hand weighing against the back of her chair made her feel cornered. Every once in a while, she knew their eyes met above her head. Silent messages? A strength in numbers thing? She just wished they would get this over with and leave.
    â€œThere were three founders, Randy, Tom Dougal, and Archer Brandon. MDB, Inc.”
    â€œAnd to the best of your knowledge, the firm is solvent?”
    â€œYes. They’ve grown from the three of them to over one hundred and twenty employees in a little over three years.”
    â€œAny idea of the company’s worth? Maybe, I should ask, do you have any idea what your cut will be?”
    â€œMy cut?” No, she hadn’t thought of that. Would she be rich? She guessed she would be. In the last two weeks money wasn’t very high on her list of concerns. But, it was obviously one more thing she needed to consider. “I haven’t looked into insurance, or a will, that sort of thing yet if that’s what you mean.”
    â€œLet me help you.” The man in the chair leaned across her to take an envelope from his pal. “Randy’s lawyer provided us with a will that was drawn up two days before the wedding, let’s see, that would be three weeks ago.”
    He seemed to be waiting for her comment. But what was there to say? She had no idea that a will even existed, but that was like Randy to take care of details. She wasn’t surprised.
    â€œThis leaves everything to you. His share of the business valued at two million, any ‘holdings,’ investments, bank accounts which in this case add up to another tidy
one million.
” He was staring at her now, holding eye contact. “Makes the paltry hundred thousand in insurance look like chicken feed.”
    She was flabbergasted. Did it show? Her chin had to be on the table. One million above and beyond the business? She never thought of Randy as having big bucks, unlimited discretionary spending money, what she would consider substantial wealth. Wouldn’t he have told her? His apartment was spartan. When they had started looking at houses before the wedding, they had looked at reasonably priced, nice neighborhood ones in good school districts, but nothing exorbitant. Yes, she knew that his third of the business had quickly grown, but it was money invested, working capital that he had struggled to pour back into an expanding company. Things had been tight. None of the partners breathed easily unless there was a backlog of contracts. And that had taken awhile. The loss of one large contract, even now, could make things shaky again. So, how had he amassed the other million? His parents hadn’t been