Ring of Lies (17 page)

Located on the twenty-first floor
of the city’s most enviable
high-rise
, t
he offices of Parous and Associates
were furnished
with
an eclectic mix of
glass topped
chrome
desks
, leather chairs, and modern art
.
Jack and Grace followed
an
executive assistant
down a long hallway lined with offices.
Each bore the nameplate of a junior attorney and his
para-legal
assistant.
At the end of the hallway they were shown into a confe
rence room overlooking the bay.

B
ehind
the
large
oval
-
shaped desk hung the most garish
,
unframed oil
painting
Grace
had ever seen.
She
looked at it from every angle,
and
tried to make sense of the random splash
es of reds, blues and black
s
, but only succeeded in making her eyes
cross and her head
ache.

Jack sat next to her
as they waited for the attorney to appear.
T
he
familiar spice
of his cologne fill
ed
her senses.
She closed her eyes
and
tried to
blot out the memor
y of a sunny June
afternoon, and
the
easy laughter they’d once shared
.
He’d smiled more back then
. N
ow all he seemed to do was frown.
Even his voice
,
once softer, more seductive, had a hard edge and she wondered what had brought about th
is
change
in his demeanour
.
When she opened
her eyes
again, he was watching her.

Sh
e tugged at the skirt of her newly purchased azure blue silk suit in an attempt to show Jack less of her long legs.

‘
Stop staring at me, Jack.
’

‘
I’m not staring, I’m regarding.
There’s a difference.
I can see this isn’t easy for you.
You okay?
’

‘
I’m
coping, that’s all that matters
.
I
wonder
what’s keeping
Mr
.
Parous.
’

‘
H
e’s probably snorting coke in the executive bathroom
or meeting his dealer
.
’

‘
Attor
ney
s don’t
do drugs or
hang out with drug dealers
,
’
Grace said.
‘
That would
be
un
professional
and
il
legal.
’

‘
Bullshit!
Don’t you read the papers or listen to the TV?
Who do you think defends the drug
barons
when they come
up
in
court
?
I’ll tell you
.
I
t’s a
thousand
-
dollar
-
an
-
hour
attorneys like Parous.
How do you think
they
afford
office
s
like this?
And don’t tell me it’s from legitimate earnings, because I won’t believe a word of it.
Corruption is rife in Miami
. B
ankers, attorneys, cops, even high court judges
—
they’re all on the take.
’

She wanted to disagree, but the morning paper
had
carried the
news
that
a
district attorney
in another state
had been charged with
corruption.

‘
Are you corrupt, too
, Jack
?
’

‘
Hell, no,
I’
m
just another patsy being taken for a ride!
’

Grace
opened her mouth to say something but was silenced by his dark, angry expression.

He rubbed his beard.
‘
Forget
I said that
.
I didn’t get much sleep last night and it’s been a rough
morning
.
When Parous shows up
introduce me as
a
distant relative or a
friend of the family.
Whatever he tells you about Elliott’s affairs, act like
you already know
.
’

‘
I’m not sure I can.
’

‘
Look, Grace, if you want learn the truth about
your late husband
you
have to trust
my instincts.
If I tell you to
do
something, you do it, no questions asked.
N
ow
, y
ou do all the talking.
I won’t
interrupt
unless I think he’s hiding something
or lying
, okay?
’

Grace nodded
.
Her fingers played with
the strap of her purse
, the only outward sign of her nervousness
.
The longer the attorney kept them waiting,
the more she wished she
’d stayed
in England
.

Suddenly, t
he door to the conference room opened
.
Zachary Parous
stepped inside
, a
manila folder
tucked under his arm
.
He appeared younger than Jack.
Tall,
athletic-looking, with
wide-shoulder
s
and
a deep
tan
,
he had
blond hair and blue eyes
.
He
looked as if he’d stepped straight out of the pages of a fashion magazine.
His suit, like the furniture in his office, hadn’t come from the local
K-Mart
store.
Everything about
his appearance
shrieked money
—
from the handmade leather shoes
to the
heavy
gold cufflinks
,
and
designer
watch on his wrist.

‘
Grace,
it’s good to meet you
.
I can’t believe you actually came here and at such a tragic time.
’
He
took
her hand
in his own
soft,
well-manicured one
, and
held on to her fingers longer than considered necessary
.
H
is
gaze settled on
Jack.
‘
And
you are
?
’

Grace withdrew her hand.
‘
This is Jack West, an old family friend.
He’s helping me while I’m here in Florida.
’

The attorney eyed Jack suspiciously for a moment,
and
then
took his seat behind the
massive
desk.

‘
Daniel always spoke fondly of you
, Grace
.
And
I can see why he chose to leave you at home rather than
have
you
travel
with him.
With such a
charming
smile, y
ou’d be prey for every beach lothario
within a hundred miles
.
’

Grace lowered her head, and
glanced at Jack
from under her lashes.
His expression was one of derision
, but he said nothing
.