Read Online Born to Be Wild by Catherine Coulter - Free Book Online Page B

slightly, and turned her eyes to Jack’s face. “It’s not just a mess, Chief. Jason is dead. That’s much more than a mess.”
    Jack nodded. “Yes, it is. Can you please tell me when you last saw Jason Maynard?”
    Milo said, “As you know, Jack, Jason worked for me, so the last time I saw him was yesterday afternoon when he left the office for the day.”
    â€œAnd you, Mrs. Hildebrand?”
    â€œAt dinner last Tuesday night. They always come to dinner on Tuesday nights. I served spinach lasagna, Jason’s favorite dish.”
    Milo Hildebrand took his wife’s hand, gently squeezed it. “Yes, yes, Livie, Jack doesn’t need the dinner menu. It was a pleasant evening, Jack, no surprises, no inkling of anything wrong with either Jason or Marci.”
    Jack continued smoothly, “Mrs. Hildebrand, how did Jason seem to you Tuesday night?”
    â€œAs Milo said—” She stopped and began shaking her head. He persevered. “Think back, Mrs. Hildebrand. Was he different in any way to you? Perhaps distracted? How did he and Marci deal with each other?”
    Milo opened his mouth to speak, but Jack shook his head at him, never looking away from Mrs. Hildebrand. Next time, he would get her alone. He hadn’t realized Milo was this dominant, but he wasn’t surprised. Olivia Hildebrand had spent her whole married life inside this home, completely dependent on Milo. He looked around. She’d made it a beautiful home. He’d seen stunning antiques in another home in Goddard Bay, but he couldn’t remember where at the moment.
    Olivia said, tears thick in her voice, “Jason and Marci loved each other, Chief, very much. They’ve been married for nearly three years now, spoke about starting a family soon. Marci loves children, she’s always wanted twins, you know. She was a twin, but her brother died when—”
    Milo heaved out a sigh. “Livie, Jack doesn’t need to know about Marci’s dead twin. Try to focus on Jason.”
    She flinched as if she’d been struck, then put her head down again. She whispered, “Yes, Milo, I know. It’s just that all this—” She looked up, waved her hand helplessly, then let it fall back onto her lap. She looked over at Pat, who’d remained standing, her arms folded, looking calm but concerned.
    â€œThere’s no need to apologize, Mrs. Hildebrand,” Patricia said easily. “We all understand what you’re going through.”
    Jack said, “I didn’t know Marci had a twin brother. I’m sorry to hear he died. But now I need you to come back to last Tuesday night.” He looked over at Milo, then back at his wife. “It’s not that I disbelieve Milo, it’s simply that I’ve learned over the years that mothers can sometimes pick up on unspoken feelings in their families. So think back. Did Jason seem concerned about anything? Upset? Did he speak of anyone he was having a problem with? Did you feel anything at all that didn’t seem quite right?”
    â€œNo, really, everything was fine. Even when he was quiet, he seemed content, not at all distracted or worried about anything. He laughed a lot, told several jokes—Jason could spin a joke out of every encounter he had—he was amazing, really. We had a nice visit.” She shot her husband a look and lifted her chin. “Jason loved the German chocolate cake I made. It was another favorite of his.”
    Jack turned to Milo. “Jason worked for you, Milo. Did you notice anything in his behavior recently at the office?”
    â€œJason is—was—a good insurance agent. People liked him, trusted him. He made a good living. He seemed to get along with everyone. There are sometimes little tiffs between agents because of the competition, you understand, but nothing that could ever possibly lead to something like this.” Milo had known what he was going to