A Taste of Tragedy by Kim McMahill Read Free Book Online Page A

her guard down, probably from drinking too many glasses of wine. Now, she wasn’t sure if she could get out, even if she wanted to. Sofia certainly didn’t need a man for financial support, having amassed plenty of wealth to live comfortably for the rest of her life. She was perfectly happy with her own company, so why had she let it happen? She wasn’t naïve enough to think he cared about her, much less loved her.
    It had to be her ego. J.R. was one of the most powerful men in his industry, and very influential in his community. Men respected yet feared him. Women sought him. The fact that he wanted her, even though only on his terms, was flattering. He was the only man she had ever feared and craved at the same time, and the combination of the two was exhilarating and frightening.
    Even as a young girl, Sofia had no respect for a woman, including her own mother, who became so dependent upon a man that she had to compromise her principles. It wasn’t easy earning one’s own way, a lesson Sophia learned the hard way, but at least she was in charge of her own destiny. Lately, though, she felt that control slipping away and feared she was no better than her mother. The woman had always needed men in order to survive and had eventually paid with her life. Sofia shuddered as she wondered if her uncharacteristic attraction to J.R. would end the same, continuing the vicious circle of dependency and death.
    The timid knock on her door brought Sofia out of her thoughts. “Come in.”
    “I just wanted to let you know that we received, by special courier, a large check from Arevir Pharmaceuticals out of Puerto Rico. Here it is.” Justine set the check on Sofia ’s desk and backed out of her office.
    Sofia picked up the check, tempted to rip it in half, but knowing she wouldn’t. She had wanted to be a member of Coterie, amused by their games of manipulation and awed by their power, but now they owned her.

CHAPTER ELEVEN
     
    Devyn read through the autopsy report on Dexter Fowler ,which was waiting on her desk when she and Nick returned from the County Unified Police Department. Everything supported the reported findings that the cause of death was from trauma, a broken neck consistent with hitting a tree head-on at a high rate of speed. The only fact that struck her as odd was the brief notation about significant bruising on the soles of both feet. The report stated that the bruising was recent, but an exact cause or date of the injury could not be determined.
    Picking up the phone, she dialed the extension to the lab.
    “Agent Nash. Did you get a chance to analyze the substance in the ski boots and bindings I just dropped off?”
    She listened and rolled her eyes. “I know you’re backed up and it’s only been a few hours, but put a rush on it.”
    “A ‘please’ or ‘thank you’ might have helped.”
    Nick’s voice drew her eyes up to him, and she gratefully accepted the cup of coffee in his extended hand.
    “Thank you very much for the coffee, Agent Melonis .”
    He chuckled. “Maybe I’ll teach you a few social graces yet.”
    “I wouldn’t count on it. You’re looking mighty smug. What did you find?”
    “I had the ski resort send us security footage from all their cameras, which aren’t many, from the morning of the incident. Guess who was captured on film buying a lift ticket?”
    “I’m not in the mood for games. Just spit it out.”
    “None other than the deceased gentleman known in our small circle as ‘Frank.’”
    Devyn nearly spit out her coffee as her eyes widened and she gasped at the news.
    “The autopsy report shows massive bruising on the soles of the victim’s feet. If the lab can confirm that the substance embedded in the grooves in the bottom of the ski boots and bindings is residue from an explosive material, probably some kind of plastic, add Frank to the mix, and there is no doubt in my mind that Dexter Fowler was murdered by the same man hired to kill the Uinta Vitamin and