Free Deadly Valentine (Special Releases) by B. J. Daniels Page A

her files. She was too efficient, too methodical.’’
    Oliver swallowed. ‘‘Well, then...’’ He shook his head. ‘‘I just can’t believe it was Mitzy...unless she found out about us.’’
    ‘‘How could she not?’’ Jack demanded. ‘‘I can’t believe you could have had an affair in this small town without everyone knowing about it.’’
    ‘‘I rented a condo in another town. We met there. Or went to dinner in other towns. Since we worked together, no one was the wiser.’’
    Jack wondered about that. ‘‘You never met at the penthouse or her apartment?’’
    ‘‘Never.’’ Oliver seemed to relax as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. ‘‘Mitzy must have found out somehow. I’m glad it’s all out in the open.’’
    Jack glanced at Tempest, then dropped the bomb. ‘‘Maybe what Mitzy found out was that you were blackmailing her with those old photos in your safe and giving the money to your mistress.’’
    Shock ran like a bolt of electricity through Oliver, leaving him pale and trembling. ‘‘Oh, Christ,’’ he mumbled.
    ‘‘You had the photos. Peggy had the money. The evidence is in the bank accounts,’’ Jack said. ‘‘Mitzy withdrew it and Peggy put it in her account a couple of days later. Mitzy told us about the photos. The ones I found in your safe just this morning, so don’t even try to deny it.’’
    Oliver slumped in his chair, shoulders hunched, and for a moment, Jack thought the man would cry again and the crying was getting tiresome. ‘‘It was Peggy.’’
    ‘‘You’re saying the blackmail was her idea?’’ Tempest asked. ‘‘She knew about the photos?’’
    Oliver shook his head. ‘‘Peggy thought the money was mine. She’d never had anything, you know? I just wanted to give her...something.’’
    ‘‘In other words, she was demanding things?’’ Jack asked.
    Oliver looked up, blinked, his eyes moist. ‘‘It wasn’t like that. I wanted to give her things.’’ He looked to Tempest as if he thought she might understand.
    ‘‘Peggy and Mitzy were more than you could afford,’’ Tempest guessed.
    ‘‘I had no other choice but to get money from Mitzy,’’ Oliver said irritably. ‘‘The hotel wasn’t doing that well, I had money tied up in the new condo development and my mother was taking everything else. I just needed to hang in a few more weeks until my birthday.’’
    ‘‘Couldn’t you have taken money from your joint account?’’ Jack asked.
    Oliver shook his head. ‘‘Mitzy had her own checking account. She put all her money into it and never let me touch a cent of it.’’
    So that was it. Jack shook his head. Why did it always come down to money?
    There was a tap at the door. Deputy Dobson stuck his head in, handed Tempest some papers and gave her a smile. The door closed.
    Tempest looked down at the documents the deputy had given her, then said, ‘‘Is that why you took out an insurance policy on Peggy? Five hundred thousand dollars with you as the beneficiary.’’ She looked up. ‘‘What was that, insurance just in case she should eat some poison chocolates?’’
    Jack was surprised. Oliver looked shocked.
    ‘‘I don’t know anything about an insurance policy.’’ Oliver sat up, looking scared now. ‘‘I’m telling the truth. You have to believe me.’’
    ‘‘You’re saying Peggy did it all on her own?’’ Jack asked.
    ‘‘She must have.’’
    ‘‘Why would Peggy do that?’’ Tempest asked quietly.
    ‘‘How should I know?’’ Oliver cried.
    ‘‘Maybe she thought something was going to happen to her,’’ Tempest suggested.
    Oliver was sweating bullets. ‘‘I don’t know. I mean, maybe she was worried things wouldn’t go well with Mitzy when I told her. Maybe she thought Mitzy might...do something.’’
    ‘‘Like kill her?’’ Jack asked. ‘‘So she wanted you to have some money?’’
    ‘‘Maybe.’’ Even Oliver was finding that scenario hard
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