Page 4 of Puzzle for Two

Zach asked warily, “How little a while ago?”

Beacher shrugged. “When I was sitting in your waiting room, listening to you argue with your former boyfriend.”

Zach winced. Their Del Sello Center office space was not just small, the walls were practically see-through. They were definitely hear-through, and had he realized they had a prospective client waiting, he’d have declined to take Ben’s call.

“Of course, it’s rude to eavesdrop, and I apologize, but I do think our little…charade will work to both our advantages.”

Zach opened his mouth, but his gaze fell upon the mutilated face of the severed doll head. He pressed his lips together.

“Granted, I could only hear your side of the conversation, but that was enough to persuade me that you’re a patient and…empathetic young man. Too much so, I imagine. I’m neither of those things.”

“Good to know.”

“It’s difficult to explain without making myself sound worse than I am.”

Yeah, probably not. It wasn’t just about what Zach wanted. He had to think of what was best for Brooke and for his mom as well. This scheme sounded shadier by the second.

He reached to push that little stack of temporary solutions back toward Beacher, but Beacher covered his hand with his own.

He said quietly, “Please hear me out.”

Zach stared down at the well-shaped hand gripping his own with surprising strength. Beacher’s nails were trimmed and buffed, his palm soft and well-cared for. A platinum Rolex gleamed on his tanned wrist.

Zach withdrew his hand, sitting back in his chair. “I’m listening.”

Beacher’s pale gaze bored into him. “I want desperately,desperatelyto divorce my wife. But it’s complicated.”

It always was, as Zach, working in an industry where more than fifty percent of the business had to do with divorce and marital discord, could have told him.

“Zora is truly…unstable. For years she’s accused me of having affairs with other women and done her best to punish me accordingly.”

“Have you had affairs?” Zach wasn’t judging. He just needed to know the score.

“No. I’ve never been unfaithful. Frankly, I wouldn’t dare. Ihavebeenmiserablyunhappy. As has Zora. That’s the most ridiculous part of this. She’s an unhappy as I am. I honestly believe she hates me. But anytime I try to bring up the topic of divorce, she threatens to destroy me. Destroy me personally and financially.”

“Does she have the power to do that? Destroy you financially, I mean.”

“Unfortunately, yes. When I first started out, I was broke. I had no capital. Zora’s family invested heavily in my company. And profited accordingly, I might add. I’ve tried many times through the years to buy Zora out, but she won’t sell. She wants that hold over me. I think she’d prefer to bankrupt us both rather than allow me my freedom.”

“I see.”

Beacher’s sigh spoke volumes. “That’s not even the worst of it. She’s also threatened numerous times to kill herself if I leave her. Kill herself in such a way that I’m framed for her murder.”

Zach blinked. “That’s…pretty extreme.”

“Zora is the definition of extreme. And no wonder. The whole family, the Kaschak clan, are certifiable. Believe me when I say this is no idle threat on Zora’s part. You’ll understand when—if—you read the dossier I’ve compiled. Anyway, when I was sitting in your lobby, it suddenly came to me. If I were to come out as gay, everything would be different.”

“Would it, though?”

Beacher leaned forward in his eagerness, and Zach had to stop himself from rolling his chair backward. It wasn’t that Beacher was unattractive, but something about the guy…

Possibly the whole pretend-to-be-my-boyfriend-to-decoy-my-maybe-suicidal-wife thing?

“Yes.Yes. Zora is very insecure and competitive. She can’t bear the idea of losing me to another woman. But losing to a man? That’s not abouther. That’s about me.”

“She’s still short a husband.”

“Yes. But it’s a loss her ego can survive.”

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