Suspicions by Christine Kersey Read Free Book Online

of the reason he
had stepped over the line.
    I guess we all have to make our own choices
in life, she thought. But if anything happened with Jason, I would
stand by him. I wouldn't lose faith.
    Climbing out of the car, Stacey headed toward
the entrance of the grocery store. It was one of those warehouse
places where the customer packs her own groceries. Stacey didn't
mind packing her own food, as long as it saved her money.
    Bagging the produce she needed, she moved
onto the meat department. She found the least expensive beef and
picked up two pounds, placing it in a plastic bag. On the breakfast
aisle she bought only store brands of cereal. As she gathered her
items she realized what she could do for Amanda.
    I could make dinner for her and Mark, she
thought.
    Happy to have something specific to do for
the Stones, Stacey smiled as she unloaded her groceries onto the
conveyor belt. Her smile was quickly replaced by a frown as she
considered the check she was about to write. Jason would deposit
his check that afternoon, and she hoped the money would be credited
to their account before the grocery store tried to get the
funds.
    Every other week it was the same thing; the
cupboard and refrigerator would become bare, payday would arrive,
and Stacey would do the marketing, hoping the money would be in the
account by the time it was needed. She sighed as she wrote the
check, tired of this checkbook dance.
    Pushing the shopping cart out to the car, she
placed the groceries in the trunk then climbed behind the wheel and
looked across the street at the dealership again. This time she saw
Jason standing among the other salespeople and smiled to
herself.
    Looking at her watch, she knew she would have
to hurry to have time to put the groceries away before she met
Robby and Nikki at the school.
    She didn't see the late model red car pull
into the dealership lot or the driver talking to Jason.
     
     
     

Chapter Seven
     
     
     
    “At least getting the money won't be a
problem,” Stacey informed Jason, a grim smile on her face. “She has
a fortune invested in stocks and other things. They just live off
the dividends and Mark's income, you know.”
    They were in the kitchen preparing dinner.
Actually, Stacey was doing the preparing and Jason was doing the
sampling. She'd told him about the ransom note Amanda had found in
her mailbox and felt calm enough to look at the situation with some
detachment.
    “Exactly how much money do they have?” he
asked. “Mark's never told me and I certainly wouldn't ask him. You
and Amanda are pretty close. Has she ever told you how much she
inherited?”
    Glancing at her husband before turning back
to the stove, she said, “Actually, she did mention one time that
her parents had left her two million dollars.”
    He shook his head in astonishment. “I knew
they had at least one million.” He gave a low whistle. “But two!
Wow! I never guessed they had that much money.”
    She raised her eyebrows in question. “You
want to know something else?”
    “Of course. We don't have any secrets.”
    “Apparently, Mark receives a monthly
allowance from Amanda.”
    “What?!”
    “That's right. She didn't want to give up any
control of her money.”
    He looked at her in amazement. “And he agreed
to that?”
    “What other choice did he have? It's her
money. He couldn't force her to part with it, could he?”
    Jason drew his eyebrows together. “I wonder
if that causes problems.”
    Stacey thought about that as she chopped the
tomato for the salad. “It’s a possibility,” she said. “Don’t they
say money is the number one thing couple’s fight about?” Thinking
about Amanda’s comment that there were issues in her marriage,
Stacey wondered if money was one of them.
    Jason bent over the pot of spaghetti sauce,
dipping a spoon in for a taste. “I wouldn't know. We don't have any
money to fight over.”
    She laughed at their standing joke. “Poor,
but in love, that's us.” As she laughed out