Five O’Clock Shadow Read Online Free Page A

wealthy.
    â€œI find it hard to believe, the part about the investments, I mean.” There had to be some mistake. One million gathering interest, and he had never mentioned it?
    â€œThat’s not even the interesting part. Your husband might not have known how rich he was. The bulk of the one million, some eight hundred thousand plus, was dumped into his account, listing you as beneficiary, two days before he died.”
    Now she was stunned. She felt both men suck in their collective breath waiting for her answer. Finally, she managed to shrug her shoulders.
    â€œNot good enough.” The silence was broken by the man opposite her standing to lean over the table. She could smell the sharp mint scent of his gum. He scrutinized her features.
    â€œWe think you have an idea of where this money might have come from.” This from the man with his hand on her chair. She felt his shirt brush her hair. She pulled back and shaking her head looked from one to the other. How could she know? What did they know that they weren’t telling her?
    â€œYou have to admit that three million would seem to be a pretty good motive for killing someone.” Back to the detective leaning over the table.
    â€œThe pilot was shot, not Randy.” Just an edge of anger crept into her voice.
    â€œSame difference. The one who pulled the trigger must have known the flight plan. Waited in advance, got his equipment together, chose the perfect spot, timed it so that the balloon was directly over the wires, planned it so that there would be no survivors.”
    She couldn’t control a shudder. She’d tried not to think of it that way…hadn’t allowed herself to dwell on the obvious premeditation.
    â€œWhat does this have to do with me?”
    â€œIs this familiar?” The man across from her sat down and rummaging in the stack of photos pulled an eight by ten from a manila envelope, and tossed it toward her. It looked like an ad for some kind of breakdown assault weapon, showing the gun in pieces at the top of the picture and then together at the bottom.
    â€œIt’s a gun. Do I get any points?”
    â€œI’ll tell you what you don’t get points for and that’s being a smart ass.” His chair had clattered to the floor in his lunge to lean across the table into her face. “You think long and hard, Missy, before you blow this off. You wouldn’t want me to have to get a warrant for your arrest, now would you?”
    Pauly stood and faced the two of them, surprised by the hardness in her voice, “I don’t have anything to tell you. I don’t know where the money came from. I don’t know who shot the pilot—”
    â€œAnd I suppose you don’t know how the gun got into the backseat of your car?”
    She sat down heavily as her knees turned to mush, only there wasn’t a chair. Both men rushed to help her up.
    â€œAre you all right?” She thought she heard real concern in the voice of the man who had stood behind her. Or did she just want to hear it? He held out his hand, strong, warm, steadying. She let him pull her upright.
    â€œYes.” But she knew her face was blanched and every freckle must look like a crater. “I need to sit down.”
    â€œSure. Here.” The younger man pulled out a chair, and the other one found a glass of water.
    â€œLook, I don’t want to get off on the wrong foot. If it’s any consolation, I’m just doing my job. It’s been suggested that we check out any connection that there might have been between you and the sniper.” Something in her expression must have said ‘big fucking deal’ because he covered with, “Hey, I feel badly about coming here to the hospital. It’s just that—”
    â€œIt’s your job. You said that.” She wasn’t going to cut them any slack.
    His sigh was audible, and he sat back down in the chair across the table. “Are you