The Other Side of Perfect by Victoria Peters Read Free Book Online

back up to the house. 
                  “Hello again.” he said.
                  “You're here to convince me that Mason’s a murderer, aren’t you?”
                  “We are locking in on him, but we still haven’t got concrete evidence just yet. 
     
                  We just had two eye witnesses go missing again.  I wondered if you’d recognize               them.”
                  “Doubt it, but okay…”
                  Then, Agent Paul proceeded to pull the pictures from his folder.  “Recognize               these men?”
     
                  Jennifer took the pictures and began to flip through the various shots.  “That’s               Gary, Mason’s cook.  He’s missing?”
     
                  “Yes, and so is Amber Swartz.”
                  “The waitress?”
                  “Yes, neither has been seen in almost a week.”
                  “Maybe they quit…”
                  “They haven’t been to their homes either.  The last person to see them was James               Coleman, and he turned up dead this morning.”
     
                  “James!” she gasped. “James is Mason’s accountant!”
                  “Yes, I know.”
                  “But this doesn’t make sense.  It’s a bar.  Not a gang…”
     
                  “Just a front dear, just a front.  The illegals happen down the street at 2451 Walnut Court. We’ve got surveillance photos of Mason entering the house, but we haven’t been able to link him to anything specific. We just know that a lot of people have been turning up dead or missing lately, and well… at the bottom of these reports is Mason’s name, as you can see.”
     
                  “Listen, I know it seems like you have a case against my husband, but Mason is not a murderer. He’s a great husband and father!”
     
                  “Ma’am, you could be in danger. If he suspects for a moment that you are a risk, then he will kill you, or make you vanish, just the same as he did all the others. Nothing will stand in this man's way, I can assure you.”
     
    Jennifer gulped. She couldn’t deny there was damning evidence all around Mason, but her mind said they were wrong to point the finger at her husband. “I appreciate that you must be frustrated, Agent Paul. I’m surprised Mason didn’t tell me that his workers were missing, but I do know he was going there to fix something this morning.  Maybe if you talk to him…”
     
                  “He doesn’t talk to us.  He Just mocks our advances.”
                  “Look, I’m sorry, I just can’t…”
                  “Do you still have my card?”
                  “Yes.”
                  “If anything changes, please call me!”
                  “Fine. But don’t expect me to. Mason’s innocent!”              
                  “Just be careful, okay?”
     
    Jennifer agreed and watched as Agent Steven Paul walked to the end of the driveway and got into a second unmarked vehicle. He was handsome and kind, but he had to be a fool to think that Mason could be a murderer.
     
    The thoughts ran through her mind like wild horses and it was more than she could deal with, so she made arrangements for Helga to take the children for a few hours.  Then, after dropping them off at the old apartment, she made her way to Mason's bar. 
     
    Given that it was still early, the place was locked, but she knew the back way in. She didn't want to disturb Mason by knocking, so she headed around the side of the building toward the rear.  As she began to approach the back door, she could hear voices coming from the office