Danger in Deer Ridge (Blackthorne, Inc.) by Odell Terry

Author:Odell, Terry [Odell, Terry]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: Terry Odell
Published: 2011-05-26T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 21

Elizabeth’s hands trembled as she removed the blue leather folio from her purse. She forced a smile. “Guess you were right. It’s here.”

Gingerly, she laid it on the counter and poked it toward Grinch. When he took it, she felt as though they were bound together by an invisible cord. Invisible, yet unbreakable, like the monofilament thread used in cheap clothing.

He took a seat at the table and opened the ledger, first flipping through pages. She studied his face, but his expression was no more readable than the cryptic notations in the book.

After several moments, he went to the beginning and looked at each page in turn.

When he’d perused about ten pages, he closed the book over his forefinger. “I never asked you what your husband does.”

“He’s an accountant.”

Grinch’s eyebrow lifted. “Care to elaborate?”

“I don’t know a whole lot.” She coughed out the semblance of a laugh. “You know, I’m the dumb housewife. His business was man’s work. No need to strain my pretty little brain.”

“But you met some of his clients, didn’t you? At social functions.”

“Mostly it was the wives.” She scratched her nose. “I never thought about it, but Victor had very few female clients, for whatever reason. He probably figured they couldn’t possibly make enough money to be worthy of his skills. I’ll bet any potential woman client would have been put off by his chauvinistic attitude and taken her business elsewhere.”

“So, he was a high-end accountant.”

“He sure thought so.”

“Did the wives talk about their husbands’ work? Any complaints? Bragging?”

“Gossip?” She grinned. “Like Norma Fitzsimmons?”

He lifted his hands. “Hey, I didn’t say anything.”

“And you’re commended for your tact.”

His eyes twinkled, and that crooked grin warmed and dissolved the tension she’d been carrying. She realized she’d found some degree of comfort in being Elizabeth. She’d hardly thought about role-playing while she and Norma chatted. “I think Norma’s lonely. Her kids have usurped her position at work, and she needs to feel important.”

“You’re probably right.” He opened the ledger again. “It’s obvious from the writing that two different people wrote this.”

The man shifted gears faster than a NASCAR driver. She stepped behind him. On the one hand, she didn’t have to deal with his disarming grin. On the other, his scent sent currents of desire coursing through her.

Ignoring them, she took the book and found the page where the writing shifted. “From here on, it’s Victor’s writing.”

“Do you know who did the first part?”

“No, but it might have been his father. It’s a guess, but after he died—that’s when Victor transformed into a brute. I mean, he’d always been a chauvinistic pig, but until then, he was a kinder, gentler chauvinistic pig.”

Grinch chortled. He swiveled to face her. He stood there for several heartbeats. His smile faded. His lips parted. His eyes smoldered. What he wanted was clear. Yet he made no move. Her blood pounded in her ears. All she had to do was speak. Say what she was thinking, and they’d be upstairs. If they could wait that long.

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