A Book Club's Guide to Murder & Mayhem by Bethany Barker

Author:Bethany Barker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harbor Lane Books, LLC

Chapter Ten

Sufficiently shaken after the altercation with Tom, I lowered myself to the floor and threw my arms around Hunter’s neck. “My brave dog.” While clinging to him, I pondered what I’d learned.

Tom knew the contents of the will. How far would he go to guarantee I didn’t find out about the cabin? Did he know of the hidden thousands of dollars? His vague answers left me questioning the possibility. In one way, I didn’t think Mike would tell Tom he hid the money since he left him out of his will. On the other hand, Mike lingered near death when Tom last visited him. Mike might have mentioned the money while under the influence of medication.

Interestingly, Tom knew Honey. He could have told her Mike died, unless he didn’t want Honey to attempt to collect a share of the estate.

My heart tripped into overtime. I had experienced Tom’s bad temper multiple times while dating Mike. But could he really have killed Ryder to stop him from notifying me of the will?

I questioned whether I should call Pagarelli. Tom’s threat of a lawsuit was hardly police business. However, he knew about the second attorney. That said, I had no proof he murdered anyone, nor did I truly think he was capable of it.

My deliberating continued with reliving Tom’s temper tantrum. He threatened me and grabbed my arm, causing Hunter to attack him. I needed to get ahead of the situation in case Tom decided to sue me for a dog attack. Yes, definitely call Pagarelli.

I dialed his number, but a voice message said he was unavailable. I didn’t want to discuss the incident in a voicemail. I gave my name and asked him to call at his convenience.

I decided not to chance being alone. I gathered my laptop and papers and headed to the coffee shop in town, where I could write while in the presence of others.

Sitting in my car in front of the café, I wondered how credible the threats to sue me were. I dialed Corey James. “My apologies for disturbing you again. I have a quick question I hope you can answer.”

“It’s no trouble. I’ll do my best.”

“Tom Hansen visited me. Do you remember him coming to your law office to speak with Christopher Ryder?”

“Yes. Christopher mentioned the visit to me. Tom Hansen came when Mike was in the hospital convalescing after his heart attack. He asked Ryder to declare his brother unfit. Mike told Tom he’d excluded him from his will and access to his estate. Tom wanted to vacate the will. Christopher informed him that Mike was still sane and had the right to name his heirs. He was entitled to eliminate his relatives.”

“Tom would be angry about that.” I pictured his livid face.

James sighed into the phone. “He went berserk, raging about hiring his own attorney to fight the will. The man had no regard for his brother lying in the hospital.”

Anxiety grabbed me. “Tom threatened to sue me for the estate on the grounds that he is Mike’s sole surviving relative.

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