Read Fanny Packs and Foul Play (A Haley Randolph Mystery) for Free Online

He looked pleased, or something, and he
actually started to grin.
    Oh my God, he was not grinning.
    “I don’t give a rat’s ass about your stupid
lawsuit! I don’t care if it costs a billion dollars to settle, I’m
not helping you with it! And don’t you ever come here again!” I
screamed.
    I stormed out of the interview room, down the
hallway, and into my office. My breathing was labored, my knees
shook, and I was on the very edge of perspiring.
    I couldn’t remember when I’d been so
completely furious—with anyone. And that’s saying a lot because
some of my clients were real jerks—not to mention some of the guys
I’d dated, some of the guys my friends had dated, and, of course,
my mother.
    I stomped to the window and gazed out,
desperate to catch a glimpse of something—anything—pleasant so I
could calm myself. That Liam Douglas was infuriating and I was
close to completely losing control—and just when I’d sworn to be a
nicer person.
    A minute or two passed while I drew in
calming breaths and forced myself to think happy thoughts.
    I’m not really good at calming breaths or
happy thoughts.
    At this point, I realized, nothing would help
but a massive amount of chocolate.
    I remembered that I’d gotten two bags of
M&Ms from the snack cabinet in the breakroom this morning so I
whipped around to grab them off of my desk and—oh my God. That
horrible Liam stood in my office doorway.
    My heart rate shot up at the sight of him—but
for a totally different reason this time.
    “How can a pregnant woman tell if she’s
carrying a future lawyer?” Liam asked. “She has an uncontrollable
craving for bologna.”
    I laughed—I didn’t want to, but it flew out.
I clamped my lips together so I couldn’t do it again.
    “I’m sorry,” he said, and walked into my
office. “I handled that badly. When you walked in and I saw you, I
…”
    “I inspired you to act like a jerk?” I
asked.
    “You inspired me to stop thinking clearly,”
he said.
    He looked slightly mystified and, of course,
so was I. We both just stood staring at each other, then he
grinned.
    He had a great grin.
    Not that I cared.
    Really.
    “Maybe we can take another run at this some
other time?” he asked.
    “I don’t think so,” I said.
    His grin got wider—which was really weird—and
he simply nodded and left my office.
    I staggered to my desk chair and
collapsed.
    I’d barely caught my breath when my cell
phone rang. Jack Bishop was calling.
    Oh my God, two totally hot guys within
minutes of each other?
    I nearly fell out of the chair.
    “I just got word from the cops,” Jack said,
when I answered. “It’s official. Veronica Spencer-Taft was
murdered.”
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter 5
    Jack waited in the hallway outside the entrance to
L.A. Affairs while I walked out. He’d called from the parking
garage and asked me to meet him so we could talk in person.
    Today he had on jeans, a white dress shirt,
and a sport coat, and he looked great. But I noticed a little
strain around his eyes that hadn’t been there yesterday. I figured
he was getting pressure from the Pike Warner law firm on behalf of
the Spencer-Taft family to come up with some answers in Veronica’s
death.
    “It’s official?” I asked. “She was
murdered?”
    Jack nodded. “The techs calculated the
trajectory of the fall and the body’s impact on the patio. It
didn’t add up. The detectives found a witness, one of the
construction workers, who saw her go over the railing. She didn’t
jump, and it was no accident. Someone pushed her.”
    Jack didn’t give any more details but I could
imagine what the scene had looked like. Veronica grasping for a
handhold, horror on her face as she tumbled.
    Too awful, I decided, and pushed on with
another question.
    “Did the witness see who did it?” I asked.
“Male, female? Old, young? Anything?”
    “Nothing,” Jack said. He was quiet for a few
seconds then said, “Look, I’m heading up this thing. The