Free A Taste of Tragedy by Kim McMahill Page A

him. “Did I forget something?”
    “No, just thought maybe I could buy you an early lunch before you head back to Salt Lake .”
    Devyn looked casually at her watch before meeting his hazel eyes. “I suppose I have time for a quick bite.”
    The sheriff smiled and Devyn felt weak in the knees. This has stop , she thought as she exited the building.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN
     
    Morgan wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep functioning on so little sleep. She wasn’t prone to insomnia and functioned best on a full eight hours. Thoughts of yesterday’s meeting with Preston, fear that someone had been in her home, and suspicions that her predecessor was dead prevented her getting a decent night’s rest once again. At least the late, sleepless night had allowed her to unload most of the boxes she hadn’t unpacked.
    She had changed jobs frequently on her rapid ascent up the corporate ladder, but her position with GCF ranked, by far as her shakiest start yet. Sure, there were always stresses and pressures associated with any promotion or change of employment, but the vibe at GCF was new territory which had taken her outside her comfort zone.
    Arriving at work early, she stared at her computer monitor, watching as the tiny fish on her screen saver swam by as she slowly sipped her coffee. Despite all efforts, she couldn’t focus on any of the tasks she had originally planned for the day. It would likely be at least eight hours before she heard back from Preston on the lab analysis of MFHG3, assuming she didn’t get the run-around from him.
    If the accusations in the e-mails were correct, everything would change, and whatever she did today would be a wasted effort. If Preston verified the e-mail’s claims, there would be recalls and endless hours of meetings with the legal team and the publicity department to address damage control. If he denied the claims, she wasn’t sure what she would do, but doubted she would be able to accept his word on blind faith and proceed like nothing had happened.
    Morgan peeked outside her office and noticed Aaron wasn’t at his desk. She shut the door and dialed the number of her ex-husband’s cell. She almost hung up the phone when she heard his voice. They hadn’t talked in nearly a year, and she missed him so much she ached.
    “Hi, it’s Morgan.”
    “I know.”
    “How have you been?”
    “Busy.”
    She wasn’t sure what she had expected from him, but it was more than one or two-word sentences.
    “Is there something I can do for you, Morgan?”
    “I’m sorry to call out of the blue for a favor, but something is really bothering me and I know you can help me. It’s probably nothing, and it’s a very long story that I won’t bore you with. Anyway, I’ve recently taken a job with Giant Cactus Foods in Phoenix and, well, things are really weird here. I’d feel much better if I could talk to my predecessor about a troubling issue, but it’s almost like he’s disappeared or was never even here.”
    “What’s his name?”
    “Stan Jacobson. I tried to look for him online last night, but apparently, that’s a pretty common name. I did turn up an obituary that was very vague. I hope it’s not him, but if it is, I need to know. I’ll quit looking and try to get my questions answered some other way.”
    “What can you tell me about him?”
    “Not much. He was the head of the Healthy and Delicious Foods division here until a couple months ago. No one wants to talk about him or knows where he went. When I got here, I had a new computer and there wasn’t so much as a sticky note left behind. I asked for his files and my request was brushed off.”
    The line was silent. Morgan feared he would refuse to help her, though that would be totally out of character for him. She had thought her career was more important than his and had tried to make him choose. It was the biggest mistake of her life. She didn’t know why she was so driven to succeed. She wanted to make her parents