Page 11 of Evidence of Deceit

“Please. I’m frantic to find her, and I understand you’re her friend.”

Finally, she made up her mind.

“Be right back.” She walked down the short hallway. He had seconds to hide the mic before she came back from her bedroom.

She came back, and they exchanged phone numbers. A foolish, gullible woman. No wonder she was single.

She promised to call if she heard anything. Keith smiled to himself. Liar. He was sure he’d be six feet under before she called. Guilty, that’s what she was, and she would eventually find out what happened to people who lied to him and kept his wife from him.

But that would be for another day. Today he accomplished part of what he had to do. Thanking her, Keith left and went home. He had work to do. Mainly installing the spyware on Sheri’s phone. It would be harder than putting it on Claire’s but doable, plus Claire didn’t have her phone. It was now a matter of time. He would find Claire. And then … she would never run away again. Ever.

Chapter Six

“Yes!”

Keith punched his fist in the air. Women. They couldn’t keep their mouths shut if they tried.

He had installed the mic in Sheri’s apartment and the spy app on her phone a week ago. Heard nothing for days. He was beginning to despair that he would never get a lead on Claire. The private investigator he’d hired to find her had been useless. He should fire him, but he had been helpful in the past, especially with some of his not so lawful endeavors. A few, well, a lot of bucks under the table and he knew Troy Romano of Romano Investigations—“Your Secrets are Safe with Us”—was his.

It was early evening when he finally left his office. He poured himself a big glass of whiskey at home, sat in his leather chair and turned on the recording device. Heard the voice of his sweet, devious, lying bitch of a wife talking to her friend Sharon—no, Sheri.

The two of them laughed over something stupid while he was here frantically trying to find her. His face flushed, and he wanted to throw the recording device at something.Instead, he threw an etched glass bowl—Claire’s favorite Limoges. Watched as it dented the wall and then shattered into pieces on the floor. Perfect. Just like his relationship. Claire wounded him and shattered their love. Unlike the bowl, he would put their relationship back together.

Florida? Why hadn’t he thought about that cousin of hers? Too good-looking for his own good. Muscular, too—probably from working at his construction firm. Then he remembered Claire mentioning Mark had been a SEAL. Had Mark fixed Claire up with one of his buddies? Was she out on the town, drinking and whoring with some muscle-bound idiot while he was in New York, desperate to know where she was? Well, maybe not desperate. Hillary had helped calm him down.

Hillary was getting more annoying. She wanted him to leave Claire and marry her. Like that was going to happen. He had a good deal going with Hillary. But whores were a dime a dozen. He couldn’t fire her because she knew too much about him. She handled his finances, at least what he let her handle. She made all his travel plans, well, except for the really personal trips he made himself. She had access to most everything on his computer and knew the less than ideal people he dealt with. In short, she knew too much about him. Plus, he suspected she knew more than he thought. She could ruin everything he worked for in one phone call. He tapped his fingers on the table. The Hillary problem was going to take more thought. Maybe at some point, he would have to call someone to take care of her. Right now, though, Hillary was more than eager to cater to his every need at the office and her condo. Damn, he was getting hard thinking about Hillary. Maybe he would have her come over since Claire wasn’t here.

But first, he listened to the rest of Sheri’s and Claire’s conversation. Now that he knew where to find Claire, tomorrow he would fly to Florida and bring her back. Maybedo a little business with a client at the same time so that he could write the trip off. He took a sip of whiskey, sat back, and relished the thought of punishing Claire.

Claire had been stayingat Mark’s house for a week. If he wondered why she was still there, he hadn’t said anything or indicated that she should move on. She appreciated that but she needed to move on. It was only a matter of time before Keith found her. And then there was Sam Knight. Sam was getting too curious about her life. She couldn’t keep avoiding the questions; the woman sensed too much and was always watching her.

She wasn’t sure what she was going to do since she only had a couple of dollars to her name. Sheri promised to send some money, but that would take a day or so. She would wait until it came, and then she would leave.

She assumed there were a couple of women’s shelters in town that she could stay at. Moving on to another city wasn’t possible until she found a job and earned some money.

The three of them had just finished dinner and were watching TV. Sam was snuggling on the sofa with Mark. Claire was completing a crossword puzzle—in pen, which Mark and Sam had laughed at. Both confessed they weren’t that good at crossword puzzles and always did them in pencil with big erasers.

The doorbell rang.

Mark picked up his phone. “Love this video doorbell app.” He looked over at her and grinned. “Well, Claire, it looks like you have a visitor.”

Her heart stopped. No. No. No. It couldn’t be. She put the puzzle down. Got up on shaky legs and asked Mark whowas there.Oh, God.She didn’t need to ask. She knew who was there.

“It looks like Keith. Probably missed your smiling face,” he jokingly replied.

She placed her hands on the back of the chair so she wouldn’t fall.

“Don’t let him in,” she whispered.

“Whaaat?” Mark’s mouth was hanging open. The doorbell rang again. He looked at the door and then at her.

“I said, don’t let him in.”

“Claire …?”

Sam jumped in. “Claire, come with me. Mark, let him in, find out what he wants, and don’t say a word about Claire being here.”

Mark looked confused but nodded.

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