Read An Act of Deceit: Book 2 of the Sarah Woods Mysteries for Free Online

crazy that day. I had no idea what I’d hit until I got out of the van.” Harding suddenly appeared bewildered, his facial features contorted. “Wait a minute. Who are you guys? Are you from the insurance company?”
         “Relax,” Carter said. “You’re not in trouble. You just might have been in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
         I noticed a trickle of sweat fall from Harding’s nose as he glanced back toward his van. I could certainly understand why Janet might be leery of him. He was an odd character, for sure. He scratched himself so often I was beginning to think he had hives.
         “Look, I don’t know what else to tell you guys,” Harding said. “Should I be hiring a lawyer or something? Not that I can afford one.”
         Carter smiled. “Don’t get all worked up. You don’t need a lawyer. We’re just trying to figure out how Marty wound up dead, that’s all.”
         “I’ve been asking myself the same thing.” Harding wiped his forehead and slowly backed away. “Look, I’ve really got to get going. I’ve got a ton of deliveries to make. I’m really sorry about your friend. I really am.”
         “Thanks. I appreciate you taking time to talk with us.” As Harding trailed off toward his van, Carter said, “Oh, one other thing.”
         Harding turned back around.
         “Did you happen to notice anyone else on the sidewalk? Was anyone standing near Marty before he walked out into the street? Maybe--”
         “No. I didn’t see anyone.” Harding’s mouth twitched as he thrust a thumb over his shoulder at the van. “Look, I’ve really got to go. Like I said, I’m sorry about your friend.” He turned and lumbered toward the van. Just as Harding climbed inside and slammed the door shut, Carter squatted and attached the tracking device to the underside of the van’s back bumper.
     
    * * *
          
         Ten minutes later we were stuffing our faces with cheeseburgers. There had been little conversation between us since leaving Harding’s workplace.
         “What’s on your mind?” I finally asked Carter, knowing he’d been chewing on more than beef and a sesame seed bun.
         “Did you pick up on what Harding said about not seeing anyone standing near Marty before he hit him?”
         I looked at Carter and shrugged.
         “Well, if he didn’t see Marty, how could he be sure no one was standing next to him?”
         “Good point. So he’s lying?”
         Carter wiped his mouth with a napkin then took a swig of his soda. “He seems to be lying about something. At any rate, if he strays from his schedule today, I’ll know it.”
         I looked at my watch. “Shit, I need to get back to the office. I’ve got a client at noon.” I stuffed the last bite of burger into my mouth.
         “Okay. Did you call those others? Uh, Jason, and that Ted guy from Marty’s contact list?”
         “Yes. I’m meeting Ted later this afternoon. He’s over at that assisted living community, Andover Estates. The other guy, Jason, is a bankruptcy attorney. He hasn’t called me back yet. I would assume he’s pretty busy these days.”
         “Let me know what you find out. By the way, I had my friend give Marty’s computer a look, after all. He didn’t find much. No e-mails from crazy girlfriends or threats from angry customers. There was nothing but a few subscriptions to porn sites.”
         “I can’t say I’m at all surprised.”
         “I’ll need you for a while tomorrow morning,” Carter said. “I set up an appointment with Marty’s restaurant manager, Abigail.”
         “Okay, but it seems like a lot of hassle. I’m beginning to feel like we’re on a wild goose chase, or something.”
         Carter looked at me sideways. “That’s your first mistake, Sarah. Never assume anything.”
     
    * * *
        
         My last client made his way out of the