Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 67432 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67432 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
But William wasn’t who I had my focus on this morning. There were two others at this family gathering who had my full attention: Archie and Wendy.
They were sitting on the swinging bench that looked out to the field, just behind the shimmering pool. Archie had his laptop on his lap and an arm thrown over Wendy. They wore matching outfits: dark blue Lululemon pants and tank tops. I was surprised to see so much definition in Archie’s arms. He had always come off as lanky and thinly built, but he clearly spent a decent amount of time at the gym. Wendy also looked like she took care of her body, her toned midriff showing a glittering belly button ring as she stood up to join the group. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, her lighter blonde roots showing against the darker brunette hair dye she had used.
Maybe Lito is their personal trainer?
Colton came up to my side, handing me a bottle of chilled water. I uncapped it and took a swig, handing it back to Colton with a thanks. He looked sexy in a black and blue basketball jersey and oversized black shorts. I would have preferred a shorter inseam if I were being honest, but that was purely for selfish purposes only. He had a thin golden chain that caught the sun as he looked up at me, smiling, bright white teeth showing with that tiny gap in the bottom row.
God damn it, this man was perfect. In every single way. How did I ever find it in me to push him away? What kind of monster had I been? I was a different Eric back then, and I was determined to prove that. I grabbed Colton’s hand and pulled him in for a kiss, not caring that we were in public.
He gave me a wink as we separated, his lips shining from the kiss. I was reminded of how he looked with those lips wrapped around my—
“Are you lovebirds ready to get destroyed in flag football?” Jen asked, nudging her brother with an elbow. She wore a bright pink shirt with red shorts and a maroon sweatband around her forehead, holding back most of her freshly washed hair. I could still smell the strawberry-and-mint shampoo she’d used.
“Jen, the last time we played this, my team won against yours by twenty points.”
“Which is why you’re going to be on my team today,” she said, grabbing Colton by the elbow and pulling him away to where her dad, Krystine, and Macy stood. On the other side were Luna and Matt. Jackson and Kendall joined the team I was headed for, while Archie and Wendy got up from the couch and went to Colton’s side. They had set up music to play through the Bluetooth speakers, but it cut out just as they were putting on their flag belts.
“Don’t worry, I got it,” I said, throwing a hand in the air and lightly jogging toward the computer. Archie turned back to help Wendy since she was struggling with the clip on the flag belt.
Perfect. I’ve got three minutes, tops.
I sat down on the couch and leaned forward, Archie’s laptop open to his Spotify page.
I closed out of that and went straight for the web browser.
A lot could be deduced by digging through someone’s emails. It was the digital version of rummaging through a person’s trash can. Subscriptions to various magazines and newsletters could easily paint a picture about a person’s likes and interests, but a couple of emails advertising deals at Nordstrom was barely scratching the surface. There were always other nuggets of gold hiding amongst the spam emails and fishy requests for your credit card info.
And so I went straight to the most popular email provider on the planet and was lucky enough to find Archie logged in. From the screen name at the top, I could tell it was his business account: AC Tech and Security. Immediately, my eyes were drawn to an already read message toward the bottom of the page.
THIS IS OUR FINAL ATTEMPT AT COLLECTING FUNDS BEFORE LEGAL ACTION IS TAKEN.
I clicked it, seeing a message from a loan provider trying to collect—holy shit. They were coming after Archie for two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. So Archie was underwater by a heart-stopping amount, which added up to quite a motive for murder. But taking his own mother’s life? That seemed far too extreme for even me to believe, and I’d seen some pretty fucked-up shit in the last six years of my work as a private detective.
There was a response to the message… a response signed by Lito Russo, CFO of AC Tech and Security.
Fucking hell. That must be the Lito that Wendy was talking to.
There was a photo of him attached to the signature of the email. He was a handsome guy with dark, close-cropped hair, a strong nose and brow, and light brown eyes. His arms were crossed against his chest, which gave his biceps a bit of a pump. There was a black-and-white octopus tattoo on his forearm, the tentacles seeming to wrap around his wrist.