Free Sleuthing for a Living (Mackenzie & Mackenzie PI Mysteries Book 1) by Jennifer L. Hart Page A

enough room on it for the fee to clear. I'd just have to find another way to pay my mother back.
    Mac punched in the numbers, and a few minutes later we were poring over the intimate details of Paul Granger's life.
    "We already knew about the custody case. Len told me that's part of the DA's case against our client. She was in an ongoing legal battle over the kids, which speaks to motive."
    "You sound all official-like, saying things like 'our client' and 'motive.'" Mac smirked.
    "I watched a lot of Matlock as a kid."
    My daughter turned back to the screen. "A costly battle from the look of this. He'd filed for bankruptcy."
    I drummed my fingers on the table. "Weird. There was nothing about that in the file. He was employed and had flexible hours and all."
    "What did he do?" Mac took another swig from her soda can.
    I reached into my shoulder bag and thumbed through the file. "He worked for a small pharmaceutical company selling their drug to doctor's offices and such. Right Touch Pharmaceuticals."
    "Any idea what they make?" Mac asked.
    I did a palms-up. "I never heard of them."
    Mac opened a second screen and typed in the name of the pharmaceutical company listed as Paul Granger's employer, then bust out laughing.
    "What?" I nudged her aside to get a closer look at the screen. It was just a picture of a couple of moderately attractive people having a sunset dinner by the seashore. "What am I missing?"
    She tapped the screen. "It's an ED drug."
    I stared at her blankly.
    Mac shook her head. "Erectile dysfunction? As in the little blue pills."
    "Oh," I mumbled, feeling like an idiot. "Well, okay. So I guess he wasn't making any enemies at work."
    "Unless the drug doesn't work." Mac crossed her slim legs—all-knowing Buddha disguised as a sixteen-year-old computer whiz. "That could make guys kind of mad."
    I narrowed my eyes on her. "How would you know?"
    This garnered an eye roll. "Mom, get real."
    We were interrupted by a steady knock on the door.
    "Shoot, what time is it?" I scrambled over to where I'd left my purse. "Mac, are you expecting anyone?"
    She shook her head. I glanced at my cell. It was five thirty-five. "I've got to go. Let me just see who this is."
    With the file in my mouth and struggling to turn my coat sleeve right side out with one hand, I opened the door with the other. The file hit the floor and papers scattered when I took in the sight of my mother.
    With a massive amount of luggage stacked behind her.
    A sense of foreboding filled me at the sight of all those suitcases. "Mom? What are you doing here?"
    "I've left your father." Her tone was brisk as she whisked past me into the apartment as if she hadn't just yanked the rug out from underneath me. "I'm moving in."

CHAPTER SEVEN
     
    Always expect the unexpected. And then some.
    From the Working Man's Guide to Sleuthing for a Living by Albert Taylor, PI
     
    I buzzed the intercom on Len's office building at six twenty-three. "Len? It's Mackenzie. Sorry I'm late. Something came up."
    Something like my mother dropping a big old H-bomb and detonating my life. I'd lingered at the apartment as long as I could, trying to pump her for information.
    The door unlocked with a low droning hum, and I made my way down the hall into Len's office.
    Len was waiting in front of the reception desk. "Is everything all right?"
    I nodded, not wanting to get into it. "Yeah. Is Ms. Granger here?"
"In my office. I was just getting her some water." He indicated the bottle in his hand. "Would you care for anything?"
    I shook my head. "I'm fine, thanks." It was an outrageous lie, but he was asking about my physical comfort, not my mental state, so I figured I could get away with it.
    Jessica Granger was a svelte, stern-looking woman with every professionally highlighted hair in place. She nodded in acknowledgement when I apologized for my tardiness but didn't comment.
    My first thought was that she did look capable of murder. She was so calm and composed, not the hot mess I'd