Read Online The Nosy Neighbor by Fern Michaels - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Fern Michaels
Ads: Link
income statements. What are you people trying to do to me?”
Another sheaf of papers fell out of the manila envelope. An amended tax return—bearing her signature. Agent Lawrence ignored her stunned expression when he said coldly, “We’re trying to get you to help us. Do we have your attention now?”
Lucy clenched her teeth. “Yes, you have my attention. I want a lawyer.”
Special Agent Connors snorted. “You are a lawyer, Miss Baker. All we’re doing is asking you questions. If you want to lawyer up, that’s going to make us think you might not be telling the truth. You don’t want to mess with an OOJ charge, now do you?”
Lucy felt light-headed. No one wanted to mess with obstruction of justice charges. At least no one with even minimal intelligence. She shook her head so hard she thought she was going to pass out from the pain.
“Good.” Special Agent Connors smiled.
“By the way,” Mason continued, “Mr. Banks, who began using the name Jonathan St. Clair a good many years ago, is the beneficiary on all those brokerage accounts. The real Jonathan St. Clair, by the way, died as a child, before children got social security numbers. So it was simple for Banks to steal his identity and get seemingly legitimate documents in the St. Clair name. He’s also the beneficiary on all the life insurance policies in your name. Twenty-five million that we know of. We don’t know for certain, but we suspect he has a quit-claim deed, signed by you turning the house over to him for the sum of ten dollars, all ready to go on the house in the Watchung Mountains in case…”
“In case of what?” Lucy snapped. “I only have a fifty-thousand-dollar life policy. I make quarterly payments. It’s a whole life policy. Prudential Insurance. You’re crazy, you’re all crazy!” Lucy snapped again. Although it didn’t seem possible for her head to pound harder, it was. I’m going to explode right here in front of these people, she thought.
“Your untimely demise.”
It was a nightmare, pure and simple. Things like this didn’t happen to people like her. They happened to other people. The sick feeling in the pit of her stomach was working its way up to her throat. The pounding inside her head was unbearable. She was going to wake up any minute and realize she was having a terrible dream. She pinched the inside of her arm but felt the pain. She was wide-awake, and this was no nightmare. Your untimely demise. She shuddered at the words, and a chill washed over her.
Lucy’s eyes snapped open. The three agents were staring at her with pity in their eyes. Agent Lawrence pointed to the pile of papers and the photographs on the coffee table. “We can make this all go away if you agree to help us.”
Lucy snorted. It was blackmail pure and simple. Her legal brain kicked in. “I want to see that in writing. My brother can handle the legal work. It’s that, or it’s no deal. You do not have my legal signature on any of those documents. Those are forgeries and you damn well know it. Yes, you can drag me down, but in the end, I’ll win because I didn’t do anything wrong.” Brave words that meant squat. She knew it, and the agents knew it.
The agents stood as one. “You look tired, Miss Baker,” the third agent said quietly. “We’ll be in touch. Soon. Don’t get up. We can see ourselves out.”
Asob caught in Lucy’s throat. “Take your junk with you,” she said, pointing to the pile of papers and photographs.
“They’re for you, Miss Baker. We want you to study them so when we contact you again, you’ll appreciate what a precarious position your fiancé has placed you in. We want you to think about what has happened and what can still happen. We’ll be in touch,” Agent Lawrence said, just before the door closed behind him.
Lucy cried then because she didn’t know what else to do. In the whole of her thirty-eight years, she’d never been so miserable. Lucy thought about Jonathan’s quick little
Another sheaf of papers fell out of the manila envelope. An amended tax return—bearing her signature. Agent Lawrence ignored her stunned expression when he said coldly, “We’re trying to get you to help us. Do we have your attention now?”
Lucy clenched her teeth. “Yes, you have my attention. I want a lawyer.”
Special Agent Connors snorted. “You are a lawyer, Miss Baker. All we’re doing is asking you questions. If you want to lawyer up, that’s going to make us think you might not be telling the truth. You don’t want to mess with an OOJ charge, now do you?”
Lucy felt light-headed. No one wanted to mess with obstruction of justice charges. At least no one with even minimal intelligence. She shook her head so hard she thought she was going to pass out from the pain.
“Good.” Special Agent Connors smiled.
“By the way,” Mason continued, “Mr. Banks, who began using the name Jonathan St. Clair a good many years ago, is the beneficiary on all those brokerage accounts. The real Jonathan St. Clair, by the way, died as a child, before children got social security numbers. So it was simple for Banks to steal his identity and get seemingly legitimate documents in the St. Clair name. He’s also the beneficiary on all the life insurance policies in your name. Twenty-five million that we know of. We don’t know for certain, but we suspect he has a quit-claim deed, signed by you turning the house over to him for the sum of ten dollars, all ready to go on the house in the Watchung Mountains in case…”
“In case of what?” Lucy snapped. “I only have a fifty-thousand-dollar life policy. I make quarterly payments. It’s a whole life policy. Prudential Insurance. You’re crazy, you’re all crazy!” Lucy snapped again. Although it didn’t seem possible for her head to pound harder, it was. I’m going to explode right here in front of these people, she thought.
“Your untimely demise.”
It was a nightmare, pure and simple. Things like this didn’t happen to people like her. They happened to other people. The sick feeling in the pit of her stomach was working its way up to her throat. The pounding inside her head was unbearable. She was going to wake up any minute and realize she was having a terrible dream. She pinched the inside of her arm but felt the pain. She was wide-awake, and this was no nightmare. Your untimely demise. She shuddered at the words, and a chill washed over her.
Lucy’s eyes snapped open. The three agents were staring at her with pity in their eyes. Agent Lawrence pointed to the pile of papers and the photographs on the coffee table. “We can make this all go away if you agree to help us.”
Lucy snorted. It was blackmail pure and simple. Her legal brain kicked in. “I want to see that in writing. My brother can handle the legal work. It’s that, or it’s no deal. You do not have my legal signature on any of those documents. Those are forgeries and you damn well know it. Yes, you can drag me down, but in the end, I’ll win because I didn’t do anything wrong.” Brave words that meant squat. She knew it, and the agents knew it.
The agents stood as one. “You look tired, Miss Baker,” the third agent said quietly. “We’ll be in touch. Soon. Don’t get up. We can see ourselves out.”
Asob caught in Lucy’s throat. “Take your junk with you,” she said, pointing to the pile of papers and photographs.
“They’re for you, Miss Baker. We want you to study them so when we contact you again, you’ll appreciate what a precarious position your fiancé has placed you in. We want you to think about what has happened and what can still happen. We’ll be in touch,” Agent Lawrence said, just before the door closed behind him.
Lucy cried then because she didn’t know what else to do. In the whole of her thirty-eight years, she’d never been so miserable. Lucy thought about Jonathan’s quick little
Similar Books
