Free TripleThreat1 by L.E. Harner Page B

another surprise. It turns out that the
insurance was actually just another part of the trust. The senior Mr. Hartfield
arranged to have the money paid to Franklin’s legitimate heirs, if he actually
married.” She paused, and for the first time I saw a crack in her perfect
grieving widow act, as her lips pressed tightly together and her face paled.
Was there genuine grief? Then I saw the tick of her jaw and her right hand balled
into a fist. The lady was pissed.
    “The amount of trust money would have doubled if I’d been
with child.” Margaret seemed to recognize the bitterness of her words, because
she cleared her throat and blinked at more tears. “Of course, I don’t really understand
these things.”
    “And was there an investigation?” I wasn’t about to get
distracted by the damsel in distress act.
    “Yes. Mr. Clive Ferrell of First Fidelity Life and Trust was
most suspicious and I believe he took it personally when he couldn’t prove
anything. Bless his heart. He even visited the site of the explosion.”
    “Did he now?” Archer asked. His tone was mild, encouraging
confidences.
    “Yes, but there wasn’t anything to see. Franklin was an
excellent planner and although the island where the accident happened is small,
the witness to the accident was quite unimpeachable. The local—’’ She frowned
prettily while she searched for the word. “Constable, I think…any way, the
local version of a police chief left the boat only moments before the explosion.
He was still on the dock, and received minor injuries. It’s all in the reports.
I have Mr. Ferrell’s contact information, if that would help.”
    “It would.” Archer stroked a long finger over his mouth and
looked toward the window. From his pensive expression I knew he was three steps
ahead of the interview and thinking about a plan. Abruptly he stood. “Do you
understand the terms of our agreement?”
    Startled by his apparent dismissal, Margaret looked up and placed
her small hand on his arm. “Oh. Yes, but don’t you want to know what—”
    “Yes, yes,” he said with a careless wave of his hand, shaking
her off. “Allow me…”
    I fought to hide my smile at the way her mouth snapped
closed when Archer cut her off mid-sentence.
    “After an intense investigation, you collected fifteen
million in insurance money. You deposited the funds into several bank accounts,
as agreed. Franklin transferred the money several more times, including your
half of the spoils. You discovered the money was gone and have been quietly
looking for a solution to your predicament. A solution that will not land you
in prison for fraud. Give the rest of the information to Zachary. Good day.”
Archer walked to the windows that opened onto the balcony and stepped through.
I would find him there, soon enough.
    *
    I returned from escorting Margaret to the front door after I
extracted all the pertinent information. Archer was once again seated in the
wing-backed chair, a fresh cup of coffee in his hand. I immediately headed
toward my laptop to enter her contact information into our database, when Archer
stopped me with a command.
    “Come here, Zachary,” he said. His voice was a low growl,
nothing like the cultured tones he’d used with our guest. My dick responded,
despite the vigorous workout from earlier this morning.
    I moved to stand between his spread knees, prepared to kneel
if that’s what he wanted, but he seemed content to wrap his arms around my
waist and rest his cheek against my stomach. A very uncharacteristic and almost
needy gesture that tweaked at my consciousness and reminded me that something
about Archer had been slightly off lately. Then he rubbed his fingers over my
heated ass, his firm stroke drawing my attention back to the present.
    “Do you still feel me, here?” Archer’s words shivered
through me.
    “I think I might still be feeling you through next Tuesday,
but I could take more.”
    Archer threw his head back and laughed.