wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. “It’s a little more complicated. You see, Clarisse has resurfaced and is trying to get custody of Todd, too.”
“Why, that’s crazy! The divorce was granted?”
He pulled a well-muscled thigh to his chest and retied his shoelace. “I believe so, but there are some insurance policies still unresolved, and Clarisse can smell money a mile away.”
“There was no will?”
“None I can seem to locate, which isn’t like Mike. The insurance money will naturally go to Todd, but if Clarisse gets guardianship, she has control of it. There is enough to pay for her nightlife without her having to be a cocktail waitress for a while. Not that she would abandon the job. I’m told she likes her customers a lot, a whole lot.”
“She’ll never get guardianship, not with a blood relation standing in the wings.” Staring over the pasture, Elise scowled. The sun was coming up, changing the horizon to gold. Far off, beef cattle grazed in the early light, their coats a rich red. Until now, she had not realized how much she actually missed the farm where the clear, clean-smelling mornings were blissfully peaceful and the rolling hills so exquisite. Stands of light green, just-budding maples made the darker lush green of spring look dazzling.
“I have to prove myself a fit guardian as well, Liz. Why would the courts want to give the kid to a guy who lives in Atlanta, drives fast cars, and hasn’t had a meaningful relationship with anyone in his life?”
His hand went to his stomach. He slid onto the other side of the wall and stretched. Wincing, he bent forward and placed his hand on his thighs.
“Are you all right?” She was beside him instantly, one hand on his shoulder, the other reaching for the pulse at his neck. Satisfied his heart rate wasn’t erratic, she withdrew her hand. “Jeez, Lucas, you’re not going to recycle that coffee, are you?”
He shook his head. “No, it’s just stomach cramps. I’m not as young as I used to be.”
“Here, sit down,” she said gently. Noting his shallow breathing, she didn’t think age had anything to do with what he was feeling at the moment.
Lucas slumped down onto the grass, and she knelt on one knee, facing him. Pushing aside a shock of hair, she felt his forehead.
“Breathe deeply. You’re overheated.”
“Of course I’m hot, Clara Barton. The putrid alcohol in my system is having a toxic reaction with this clean country air.” Lucas sucked in a slow, cleansing breath. “There’s more. When Mike was working here, he was working undercover on drug deals. Supposedly, he had access to a hundred thousand dollars never recovered after his death. As his only family member, it puts me in a tight place, under suspicion.”
“So what do you think happened to it? Was he a gambler?” While he talked, her hand came up to the back of his head and stroked it gently. His dark unruly hair, in need of a cut, curled over the back of his shirt and had the barest threads of gray below his temples, only noticeable on close inspection.
“No, I think things got hot with a deal, and he stashed it somewhere for safe keeping. The biggest gambling Mike ever indulged in was a few hands of poker with his friends every so often. I didn’t know my brother for very long. We just started communicating a few years before his first wife died, but from what others tell me, he was one of the most honest, untainted cops on the force.”
“Debts?”
“None I can find.” He swiped a hand over his face and pushed out a lengthy breath of air.
“Can you stand up?” Elise asked worriedly.
“Keep caressing me like a lap dog and everything will stand up.”
“Just concentrate on the feet first, Rover.” She removed her hand and stood. “Come, we can just walk the rest of the way.”
She could see the suggestion was heaven to his ears. He grinned, lips curving upward from both corners. She tried not to think of
Jeff Rovin, Gillian Anderson
Steve Lockley, Stephen Gallagher, Neal Asher, Stephen Laws, Mark Chadbourn, Mark Morris, Paul Finch, William Meikle, Peter Crowther, Graeme Hurry