Free Keegan 00 Soft Case by John Misak Page A

doubted that Mullins committed suicide. Not with a wife like that.
    “Detectives,” she said, in a deep, sultry voice. Man.
    “We’re sorry to disturb you, ma’am,” Rick said, standing up.
    “I understand,” she said. Nothing about her hinted at the fact that she was grieving. She seemed composed, normal. Almost too normal. Her breasts, showing nicely with a v-neck t-shirt, didn’t seem too distressed either. “This has been such a shock.”
    “That’s what we would like to talk about,” I said.
    Sondra moved to the couch, sitting about fifteen feet away from us. She reached into a small box on the table next to her. “Do you mind if I smoke?” she asked.
    I reached for my pack. “So long as I can, too.”
    “Of course. Ron never liked my doing this,” she said, talking with the long cigarette dangling from her mouth. She lit it, took a long inhale, then exhaled slowly, seductively. She was good.
    “We would just like to ask you a few questions, so we might find out what happened to your husband,” I said, lighting my own cigarette. I attempted a masculine drag, but it just can’t be forced. DeNiro could do it. Others look normal. Unless you’re one of those guys that does it Asian-style. Trust me, only Asians can do it and make it work. Don’t try.
    “Of course,” She exhaled through the corner of her mouth, perfectly and then took another drag. She made it look like, well, you know.
    “When was the last time you and your husband spoke?” I asked. Rick whipped out his notepad and began jotting all of this down.
    “Monday night. I had just arrived at our condo in the Bahamas.”
    “Was he supposed to go with you?”
    “Yes, but he canceled at the last minute. Something to do with the company. He never tells me much about that. Probably because he knows I am not too concerned.”
    “How did he act for the last few months?”
    “Stressed.”
    “Can you explain that?”
    “Well, he is always, was always, uptight. He worried about every aspect of his business, which I guess made him such the successful man he was.”
    “But he was more stressed than usual?”
    “Yes.”
    “In what way?”
    “He was short-tempered. He was never short tempered.” “Never?”
    “Never.”
    “Do you know what about, exactly?” I asked.
    “Well, I am sure you know about his political aspirations. He had been thinking about that a lot, as well as other things.” She took another drag of her cigarette, looking right into my eyes as she did so.
    I looked at Rick. It was always good to get confirmation of a rumor. “Those rumors were true? He was considering running for
    Senate in the upcoming election?”
    “Yes. He probably would have won, too. Everyone liked him. The public, the press, politicians. He knew how to talk to people, knew how to make them feel comfortable. That’s why I married him. He made me feel secure.”
    “Okay. What other things were you talking about?”
    She looked around the room, as if she was telling me something she shouldn’t. It seemed like an act, far as I could tell. “He was planning on ending his partnership with Harold Chapman. He was done with the software business. Harold was going to take full control of the corporation. He was going to buy Ron out.”
    Interesting. “Was that his idea?”
    “I believe so,” Sondra said. She shifted in her seat. Normally, that signaled discomfort. For her, nothing came across that way. Honestly, I only hoped I’d get a peek at her butt. Hey, I am who I am.
    “Do you have any idea how Harold felt about it?”
    “He didn’t like it at first. You know, Harold is a shrewd man, but he can’t run certain aspects of the business the way Ron could. I think he was worried. No doubt the stock price would tumble when people found out Ron was no longer involved,” Sondra said. Everything that came out of her mouth had an intonation added to it, seemingly on purpose. This woman had made a life out of appearances.
    “So, he had a lot of