Read Online Web of Evil: A Novel of Suspense by J. A. Jance - Free Book Online Page A

the time Grayson abruptly departed a posh bachelor party being held in his honor to the time an eastbound Burlington Northern freight train slammed into the vehicle in which he had been imprisoned.
    Ali scanned the next several paragraphs, which mostly contained information she had already learned. She slowed and read more carefully when she reached the part that discussed the ill-fated bachelor party at the Pink Swan.
    “We were all at the Pink Swan having a good time,” said bachelor party host and former NBC executive Jake Maxwell. “I remember someone saying there was a call for Paul. I believe he went outside to take it, and he never came back. I finally went outside looking for him and noticed his Porsche was missing from the parking lot. I just assumed he’d decided he’d had enough and gone home.”
    Early yesterday afternoon, Mr. Grayson’s Porsche Carrera was found stripped and abandoned in an apartment parking lot in Banning. The Camry destroyed by the speeding train had been reported stolen earlier in the day from a vacant-lot private-vehicle sales location in Ventura. The Riverside Sheriff’s Department is asking that anyone with information on either vehicle contact them immediately.
    Mr. Grayson was in the process of divorcing his wife, former local television news personality Alison Reynolds. He was due at a hearing to finalize their divorce at 10 A.M. yesterday morning. It was his failure to appear in court that prompted his fiancée, April Gaddis, to contact LAPD’s Missing Persons Unit, which immediately began conducting an investigation.
    The story continued on page two, but Ali didn’t bother following it. There was nothing new here. She tried two other papers with similar results—much the same story with no additional information and with equally bad photos of Alison Reynolds. Disgusted, Ali gave up, poured another cup of coffee, and turned on her computer. Once it booted up, she logged on and went to check out her new mail. Scanning the subject lines, she saw that three of them were addressed to Fred, the guy who had objected to the fact that Ali was divorcing her husband.
    Dear Fred,
    You are an ignorant asshole. I hope you die.
    So much for reasoned discussion. That one was unsigned, and Ali simply deleted it.
    Dear Fred,
    You sound just like my first husband, and you know what? It’s been years now and he still hasn’t figured out how come I took the kids and left him. I tried to tell him his actions were pulling us apart, but he didn’t want to hear it—so he didn’t hear it. It was a struggle, but money isn’t everything. I know the kids and I—two daughters and a son—are all better off.
    C ONNIE IN MI
    Dear Fred,
    Let no man put asunder? God must have heard what Fang did to Babe, and She smacked him a good one. Maybe She’ll smack you, too. Sounds like you deserve it.
    C ASEY THE O LD B AT
    Casey was someone who wrote in often. Usually Ali posted her comments, but this time they were a little too close to the “hope you die” one. Ali deleted Casey instead. As she was about to move on, a click announced a new e-mail, this one also addressed to Fred. But what caught Ali’s attention was the sender’s address, sugarloafmama.
    Dear Fred,
    I agree with you. Marriage vows are sacred, but they need to be kept by both parties involved. It reminds me of that old song, about Frankie and Johnny. “He was her man but he done her wrong.” All I can say is, good riddance!
    S UGARLOAFMAMA
    Laughing, Ali posted Edie’s comment. Anyone who lived in or around Sedona would know exactly who Sugarloafmama was. And the fact that Edie Larson held some reasonably strong opinions on any given subject, especially her former son-in-law, wouldn’t be news, either.
    Google sent me here. I thought this was a health care site. If I wanted advice to the lovelorn, I’d go to Dear Abby. You guys should get a life.
    That one was unsigned and it went away. After that Ali read a whole series of comments