Read Online Embezzled Love by Ginger Simpson - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ginger Simpson
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herself before knocking. Knowing her siblings' personalities, she planned to take what they said with a grain of salt. Frank, ever the skeptic, never looked at anything positively.
Her sister opened the door, looking unusually somber. "Hi, c'mon in."
From the foyer, Cassie spied her brother and Kara at the kitchen table, the oak veneer barely visible under reams of paper. Frank glared up beneath a furrowed brow. "Hi," he mumbled.
Cassie hung her purse on the coat rack in the entry hall and walked into the kitchen. Tension knotted her shoulders. "Should I be worried?"
"Can I get you a cup of coffee?" Kara offered.
"From the looks on everyone's face, I think I might need something stronger. But, coffee will do. Thanks." The legs of the chair squealed against the Spanish tile as Cassie took a seat.
"So, what's so important that I needed to rush right over here?" She wasn't sure she wanted to know.
Frank took a deep breath. "This isn't easy for us. We want you to know we did a little investigating because we love you. If we can keep you from getting hurt, you know we're going to do what it takes.
"Investigating?"
"Yes. You see, Evan…." Alaine chimed in, looking from Cassie to Frank then turning her gaze to her sister. There's something weird about him, Cass. He's too smooth. I can't put my finger on what bothers me about him, but Frank and I…."
Cassie's blood boiled. "You and Frank never like anyone I date. Why should this relationship be any different? Her neck burned with the redness she knew it turned as it always did when she got angry. You're obviously still mad about the watch and looking for a way to get even."
Alaine shook her head. "You're wrong. This doesn't have anything to do with liking or not liking anyone…or getting even over something. Frank and I just had suspicions and acted on them."
"Then show me what dirt you've dug up on Evan." Cassie cared little that sharpness edged her tone. "Let's get this over with."
Frank slid a piece of paper in front of her. "This is from Maricopa County, Arizona. You'll notice the name on the complaint is Evan Dennis. This person embezzled over three hundred thousand dollars from customers under the guise of landscaping contracts."
She pushed the paper away, annoyed by Frank's smugness and not impressed with his investigatory work. "There must be a million people who share Evan's name."
He slid the paper back. "Yes, but how many are in the same business?"
She crumpled the sheet and tossed it on the floor. "One piece of paper doesn't prove anything. I'm certainly not going to approach Evan with accusations based on such flimsy evidence."
Alaine produced another paper. "This one is a complaint filed in Reno, Nevada. Evan Robert Dennis bilked this man out of another three hundred thousand plus, claiming to be a construction contractor, taking money, and then not completing the jobs for which he was paid. What's Evan's middle name?"
Cassie chewed her bottom lip, fighting suspicion. "Okay, so that is his middle name. There could be others."
"Sure, it could all be a coincidence," Frank countered, "but we have a lot more to show you."
By the time she'd viewed all the documents, her siblings had found on the Internet, Cassie's mind webbed with confusion. Her head throbbed. Evan couldn't possibly be the person in all the fraudulent cases they presented. Her hand shook when she picked up her cup and downed the last of her cold coffee. She hung her head, exhausted from the day's work and spent from fighting what appeared to be obvious.
"Well?" Frank broke the silence.
"I don't know what to say." A lump formed in Cassie's throat and choked off her words. "Th-this is just too much to take in all at once. I refuse to believe Evan did all these horrible things. You don't know him." A tear trickled down her cheek.
"We didn't do this to hurt you, Cass." Alaine brushed the wetness from her sister's cheek. "Like Frank said, we just want to protect you."
Cassie pushed
Her sister opened the door, looking unusually somber. "Hi, c'mon in."
From the foyer, Cassie spied her brother and Kara at the kitchen table, the oak veneer barely visible under reams of paper. Frank glared up beneath a furrowed brow. "Hi," he mumbled.
Cassie hung her purse on the coat rack in the entry hall and walked into the kitchen. Tension knotted her shoulders. "Should I be worried?"
"Can I get you a cup of coffee?" Kara offered.
"From the looks on everyone's face, I think I might need something stronger. But, coffee will do. Thanks." The legs of the chair squealed against the Spanish tile as Cassie took a seat.
"So, what's so important that I needed to rush right over here?" She wasn't sure she wanted to know.
Frank took a deep breath. "This isn't easy for us. We want you to know we did a little investigating because we love you. If we can keep you from getting hurt, you know we're going to do what it takes.
"Investigating?"
"Yes. You see, Evan…." Alaine chimed in, looking from Cassie to Frank then turning her gaze to her sister. There's something weird about him, Cass. He's too smooth. I can't put my finger on what bothers me about him, but Frank and I…."
Cassie's blood boiled. "You and Frank never like anyone I date. Why should this relationship be any different? Her neck burned with the redness she knew it turned as it always did when she got angry. You're obviously still mad about the watch and looking for a way to get even."
Alaine shook her head. "You're wrong. This doesn't have anything to do with liking or not liking anyone…or getting even over something. Frank and I just had suspicions and acted on them."
"Then show me what dirt you've dug up on Evan." Cassie cared little that sharpness edged her tone. "Let's get this over with."
Frank slid a piece of paper in front of her. "This is from Maricopa County, Arizona. You'll notice the name on the complaint is Evan Dennis. This person embezzled over three hundred thousand dollars from customers under the guise of landscaping contracts."
She pushed the paper away, annoyed by Frank's smugness and not impressed with his investigatory work. "There must be a million people who share Evan's name."
He slid the paper back. "Yes, but how many are in the same business?"
She crumpled the sheet and tossed it on the floor. "One piece of paper doesn't prove anything. I'm certainly not going to approach Evan with accusations based on such flimsy evidence."
Alaine produced another paper. "This one is a complaint filed in Reno, Nevada. Evan Robert Dennis bilked this man out of another three hundred thousand plus, claiming to be a construction contractor, taking money, and then not completing the jobs for which he was paid. What's Evan's middle name?"
Cassie chewed her bottom lip, fighting suspicion. "Okay, so that is his middle name. There could be others."
"Sure, it could all be a coincidence," Frank countered, "but we have a lot more to show you."
By the time she'd viewed all the documents, her siblings had found on the Internet, Cassie's mind webbed with confusion. Her head throbbed. Evan couldn't possibly be the person in all the fraudulent cases they presented. Her hand shook when she picked up her cup and downed the last of her cold coffee. She hung her head, exhausted from the day's work and spent from fighting what appeared to be obvious.
"Well?" Frank broke the silence.
"I don't know what to say." A lump formed in Cassie's throat and choked off her words. "Th-this is just too much to take in all at once. I refuse to believe Evan did all these horrible things. You don't know him." A tear trickled down her cheek.
"We didn't do this to hurt you, Cass." Alaine brushed the wetness from her sister's cheek. "Like Frank said, we just want to protect you."
Cassie pushed
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