Read Online The Night Is Forever by Heather Graham - Free Book Online Page A

shoulders. “But it’s the coolest thing we get while we’re in purgatory.”
    “You’re right. I do remember. Sounds great,” Dustin said.
    Olivia glanced at him, trying not to frown. Ping-Pong and camping? That was how an agent worked?
    Joey scribbled on the sheet and turned back to Dustin. “I put your name down, okay?”
    “Thanks.”
    Aaron had come out of his office. Sandra—herding the boys out the door—was now behind Dustin.
    “Guess I need to get out of here, too,” Dustin said. “Thank you. I’ve heard about this place for years. It’s fantastic. Good day for me.”
    “Glad to have you, Agent—Dustin,” Aaron said.
    As he walked out, Aaron turned to them. “Drew, can you get Sydney? And, Sandra, can you find Mariah and Mason? We need a little meeting.”
    Five minutes later, they were all seated on the couches and chairs in the entry room. Once everyone had settled in, Aaron said, “We have to decide how to handle this situation. First, just to let you know, Sandra and I have rescheduled all our sessions for tomorrow—the lawyer’s coming in the morning.” He cleared his throat. “I guess you’re all aware that Marcus was the end of his line. I believe, since he and I discussed it many times, that the facility was left to me, but no one can be certain of anything until his attorney reads his final will and testament. I know, as well, that he left something from his life for every one of you. There are also clauses that protect the property and the livestock in the event of my death. So...that’s one thing. The other is...we have to decide on spin.”
    “Spin?” Mariah asked.
    Aaron exhaled. “Well, the information about the autopsy is out. Naturally, in today’s age of instant information and social media, it was inevitable, and some people are going to make a big deal of it. We all know the autopsy revealed he was on drugs. The blood tests made that clear. I saw Marcus that morning—he was fine. In fact, he was in a great mood. What happened to make him relapse after all those years...I don’t know. The thing is, it puts us in a bad light. What good does any of this therapy do if the man who founded the Horse Farm died while on drugs?”
    “He didn’t take drugs willingly,” Olivia said firmly.
    They were all silent, looking at her. She knew that pitying stare. They all believed she just couldn’t accept it.
    To her surprise, Sydney Roux, Drew’s partner in looking after the stables, spoke up, too. He stood to do so; Sydney was an old Tennessean. His grandparents and their grandparents had grown up in the nearby hills. He was a gentleman to the nth degree. He fingered the baseball cap he’d removed when he entered the office as he said, “I can’t believe it, either. I remember I was in my room above the stables one evening when he came by. I’d been drinking a beer and I tried to hide it. He told me, ‘Sydney, I’m an addict. You’re not. Don’t go thinking you can’t have that brew because I stopped by. I’m long past my trigger days.’ And I believe that—just like Olivia believes it. Something happened. Someone tricked him.”
    “If only,” Sandra murmured.
    “How could we ever find out? How could we prove such a thing?” Mariah asked. “We had cops out here. They searched with us that day.”
    “They didn’t find anything!” Olivia said, sitting up straight.
    Aaron looked at her. “Right.”
    “Don’t you see? They didn’t find anything. They didn’t find heroin, crack or anything else on him— and they didn’t find a needle in his possession. Where were the drugs or the paraphernalia he would have needed?”
    Sandra came and sat on the edge of the sofa by her. “Oh, Liv, the acreage here seems to go on forever and we’re surrounded by forests. He could’ve left stuff anywhere on the property and we might never find it. A hundred years from now, when they’re digging the place up to build condos, they might come across a broken needle or