Ring of Lies (18 page)

‘
Thank you for the compliment,
Mr
.
Parous.
As you know,
I’m only here for a few days and I’d like to
settle
Daniel’s affairs before I return to England.
So,
i
f we could get on
?
’

‘
Daniel was quite a character
, always telling jokes
, and a hell of a
golfer
, too
.
’
The attorney
looked out of the window at the Miami waterfront.
Then he looked at Grace without meeting her eyes.
‘
Do you play golf, Grace?
’

‘
I wasn’t aware that you knew my husband in anything other than a professional capacity.
’

‘
Daniel and I played
whenever he was in town, and h
ad dinner together
afterwards
.
He often talked of
you two
moving here permanently one day.
’

Grace drew in a breath and tried hard to keep her expression neutral.
But the shock of Daniel’s duplicity was hard to hide.

‘
The
purchase of the beach house was the first step in
hi
s
plans for
our
future.
Unfortunately,
he
died before
he could tell me exactly what they were
.
M
y priority now is to
ensure that the house
is
—
’

‘
Sand Dollars,
you mean?
’

‘
Sand Dollars?
’

‘
That’s the name of the house.
’

‘
Oh, yes.
I forgot.
Sorry
.
’

‘
You can hardly be blamed.
You’ve been through a lot.
B
y all accounts it’s a
stunning
property,
although I’ve only seen
pictures
.
Seems likely you’re
a very rich widow
.
’

Jack’s temper finally snapped.
‘
Mrs
.
Elliott
i
s here to sign the transfer papers.
She didn’t come to
listen to
you ramble on for an hour in order to justify your exorbitant fee
.
’
He turned to Grace.
‘
Give him the documents.
’

Grace glared at Jack.
‘
I apologi
z
e for Jack’s rudeness
.
’
She
pushed an envelope across the desk.
‘
Inside you’ll find
proof of
my
identity
, including
certified copies of my
birth and marriage certificate
s
.
’

The attorney
ignored Jack.
He
quickly scanned the documents.
‘
These all seem to be in order.
’
He opened the folder in front of him
and spread the
contents
out on the desk
.
‘
My assistant has prepared the
necessary
papers
.
If you’ll just sign where indicated, I’ll arrange to get
them
filed with the court.
’

Grace leaned forward
and angled
the document so that Jack could read it too.
She took her time,
although
the legalese was beyond her comprehension
.
Under the cover of the desk
Jack squeezed her knee lightly
.
She glowered at him.
He ran his fingers
down
the page
to
where the address of the property had been
entered
.
Grace gave a slight nod, then
lifted the pen, and added her
signature
.

The attorney
stood and took her hands again, squeezing her them too tightly for her comfort.

‘
It was really good me
e
ting you, Grace.
Sorry to cut this short, but I have
some important calls to make
.
’

Grace managed a stunning smile
before pulling her hands free
.
‘
Just one more thing
—
I wonder if you could tell me the name of the
b
ank my husband used here in Miami.
I want to set up a checking account so that any
maintenance
staff I employ to look after the house in my absence can be paid.
’

‘
It’s the First Apopka Bank on the corner of First and Third.
If you wait in reception I’ll
ask my assistant to
call ahead and
see if the
manager
is
available
.
’

‘
No, that’s okay
,
’
Jack said.
He stood and touched Grace’s elbow lightly, urging her toward the door.
‘
We’ll take our chance and see if he’s free.
’
He
cast a glance over
Grace’s drawn face
as they
strode down the hall to
the elevators.
‘
Feel up to visiting the
bank
, or have you had enough for one day
.
’

‘
I’ll cope.
The sooner I learn the truth, the sooner I can
go home
and
get on with my life.
’
The warmth of his hand seeped through the fine silk fabric of her jacket.
She felt h
er pulse leap,
and
a shiver r
u
n down her spine.
The attraction she’d felt for him six months ago was still as strong.
She let out a long breath
a
nd stepped away from his body.

The elevator doors opened.
Jack pushed her inside.
‘
The house belongs to you now
, but what if
Daniel
bought it
with
dirty
money
?
What will you do then?
’

Suddenly angry, h
er head snapped round.
‘
You mean illegally?
I don’t know.
I hadn’t thought about it.
’

‘
Maybe
you should.
’

‘
Why are you so sure that Daniel was involved in some form of criminal activity?
’

‘
Instinct.
Gut feeling
. C
all it what you like, but something tells me
your late husband’s
business
dealings were less than honest.
How long were you married?
’

Scowling, she shifted the strap of her purse on her shoulder.
‘
Ten years
, w
hy
?
’

‘
And in all that time Elliott never talked about his work?
’

Tension vibrated through Grace.
It took all of her willpower to remain calm
.
‘
I’
ve told you.
Daniel never discussed his work or clients with me.
’

‘
So you keep saying.
But can you prove it?
’

‘
I… no
.
’

‘
You may have to.
’

Ever since the solicitor had revealed the contents of Daniel’s will the fear had been building.
She fought the panic bubbling within her chest
, but even so her breath hitched
.