Read Online Old Loves Die Hard (A Mac Faraday Mystery) by Lauren Carr - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Lauren Carr
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worth the energy it would’ve taken to kill him.”
“Money isn’t the only reason to kill someone,” Mac said. “Why are you so anxious to get your hands on his stuff now? What did Maguire have that you wanted badly enough to exert your energy killing him?”
“I resent that.” She shot a glare at Mac and another one at the dog that refused to stop staring at her.
“Natasha, please,” came a plea from her companion, who patted her hand. “It isn’t like you don’t know how this works. Ask Mac to tell you what Stephen had with him, and then if it’s there, ask him nicely if he can help you get it back. If it isn’t pertinent to the case, then maybe the police chief will let you take it without the pissing contest.”
For her own curiosity, Archie asked, “What is it?”
Natasha gritted her teeth and looked over to Garrison who waved his hand in a gesture for her to go on. Finally, she told them, “A watch. A gold pocket watch. It had belonged to my father. When I married Stephen, Dad gave it to him.”
“Why didn’t you take it when you separated?” Mac wanted to know.
The attorney’s face flushed. “I didn’t know he took it with him until after he had moved out. I asked him to give it back, but Stephen argued that it was a gift, which, yes, it was, but my father never would have given it to him if he’d known what a prick he was. Since we never officially got divorced—”
“Why didn’t you divorce him?” Archie asked.
“It’s complicated.”
Natasha rolled her eyes in a way that reminded Mac of when his daughter had been an adolescent in middle school. After years of being on the receiving end of the teenaged eye roll, such gestures now instantly got under his skin.
The defense attorney said, “It’s of purely sentimental value to me. Since Stephen’s dead now—Christine probably didn’t even know he ever had it.”
“A watch? A pocket watch?” Mac scoffed. “You’re here making all this stink over a watch, which since you’re his heir you’re going to get eventually anyway?”
“It belonged to my father.” Natasha moved to the edge of her seat.
Like an army general seeing the enemy make an advanced move, Gnarly inched forward. All he needed was the word.
“I don’t believe you,” Mac said. “Someone broke into Christine’s home and went through her stuff. Why shouldn’t I think it was you?”
Garrison grasped her arm as if to hold her back. “Offer him something to work with, Natasha.”
She asked Mac, “If I tell you what I know about who else would have wanted Stephen dead, will you help me get what is rightfully mine?”
“Tell me what you know, then I might be persuaded to help you.”
When Mac turned to follow her eyes to that of her companion in search of his opinion, he noticed the judge staring at him. After years of knowing and working with Judge Garrison Sutherland, he recognized the expression on his face. It was one of study. The man had seen something that captured his interest.
Seeing that the judge’s thoughts were elsewhere, Natasha said, “I really shouldn’t do anything to help catch whoever did society a public service by killing that slime bucket.”
“Think of it this way,” Mac said. “For once, you’ll be helping to catch a murderer instead of getting him off.”
Somehow, that persuaded her. “Stephen was extremely ambitious.”
“Now tell me something I don’t know.”
“Boris Hunter, the U.S. Attorney, has been burning up the phone lines to get on the short list to be appointed U.S. Attorney General to replace Reed ever since the grapevine started murmurings about him announcing his retirement before the holidays. I suppose you didn’t hear that his cancer resurfaced?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Meanwhile, this whole summer, Stephen and Roxanne Burton have been neck and neck to replace George Vance.” Natasha shot Mac an aside, “Did you know Hunter’s deputy, George Vance, got appointed judge?”
“Vance
“Money isn’t the only reason to kill someone,” Mac said. “Why are you so anxious to get your hands on his stuff now? What did Maguire have that you wanted badly enough to exert your energy killing him?”
“I resent that.” She shot a glare at Mac and another one at the dog that refused to stop staring at her.
“Natasha, please,” came a plea from her companion, who patted her hand. “It isn’t like you don’t know how this works. Ask Mac to tell you what Stephen had with him, and then if it’s there, ask him nicely if he can help you get it back. If it isn’t pertinent to the case, then maybe the police chief will let you take it without the pissing contest.”
For her own curiosity, Archie asked, “What is it?”
Natasha gritted her teeth and looked over to Garrison who waved his hand in a gesture for her to go on. Finally, she told them, “A watch. A gold pocket watch. It had belonged to my father. When I married Stephen, Dad gave it to him.”
“Why didn’t you take it when you separated?” Mac wanted to know.
The attorney’s face flushed. “I didn’t know he took it with him until after he had moved out. I asked him to give it back, but Stephen argued that it was a gift, which, yes, it was, but my father never would have given it to him if he’d known what a prick he was. Since we never officially got divorced—”
“Why didn’t you divorce him?” Archie asked.
“It’s complicated.”
Natasha rolled her eyes in a way that reminded Mac of when his daughter had been an adolescent in middle school. After years of being on the receiving end of the teenaged eye roll, such gestures now instantly got under his skin.
The defense attorney said, “It’s of purely sentimental value to me. Since Stephen’s dead now—Christine probably didn’t even know he ever had it.”
“A watch? A pocket watch?” Mac scoffed. “You’re here making all this stink over a watch, which since you’re his heir you’re going to get eventually anyway?”
“It belonged to my father.” Natasha moved to the edge of her seat.
Like an army general seeing the enemy make an advanced move, Gnarly inched forward. All he needed was the word.
“I don’t believe you,” Mac said. “Someone broke into Christine’s home and went through her stuff. Why shouldn’t I think it was you?”
Garrison grasped her arm as if to hold her back. “Offer him something to work with, Natasha.”
She asked Mac, “If I tell you what I know about who else would have wanted Stephen dead, will you help me get what is rightfully mine?”
“Tell me what you know, then I might be persuaded to help you.”
When Mac turned to follow her eyes to that of her companion in search of his opinion, he noticed the judge staring at him. After years of knowing and working with Judge Garrison Sutherland, he recognized the expression on his face. It was one of study. The man had seen something that captured his interest.
Seeing that the judge’s thoughts were elsewhere, Natasha said, “I really shouldn’t do anything to help catch whoever did society a public service by killing that slime bucket.”
“Think of it this way,” Mac said. “For once, you’ll be helping to catch a murderer instead of getting him off.”
Somehow, that persuaded her. “Stephen was extremely ambitious.”
“Now tell me something I don’t know.”
“Boris Hunter, the U.S. Attorney, has been burning up the phone lines to get on the short list to be appointed U.S. Attorney General to replace Reed ever since the grapevine started murmurings about him announcing his retirement before the holidays. I suppose you didn’t hear that his cancer resurfaced?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Meanwhile, this whole summer, Stephen and Roxanne Burton have been neck and neck to replace George Vance.” Natasha shot Mac an aside, “Did you know Hunter’s deputy, George Vance, got appointed judge?”
“Vance
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