Carolyn G. Hart_Henrie O_04 Read Online Free PDF

broke two engagements! To fine young men. And her latest fiancé, Stan Dugan, he’d probably never been inside a country club until he met CeeCee. A personal-injury lawyer.” Lou’s patrician nose wrinkled. “Ugly as sin. I imagine Belle was appalled. Yes, I think the right questions could flip some images fast. Who took care of Belle’s kids while she was busy being Ms. Glamorous War Correspondent? Why did she marry two drunks in a row?” The shiny white hair quivered as she nodded vigorously. “God’s truth. I had a friend who knew Belle and her first husband, Oliver Burke, in Tokyo. Burke was soused all the time. And the second one, Gallagher, was drunk as a lord when his car went into the Potomac. Find out which generalshe slept with in Vietnam.” She shot me a sharp, quick look. “She knew Richard there. Didn’t she?”
    â€œOf course.” I made my answer careless, as if it didn’t matter.
    Those hot blue eyes flickered with amusement and erotic supposition. “Belle was even more gorgeous then than now.”
    If I could have shoved back my chair and escaped, I would have.
    Lou Kinkaid knew it.
    â€œRichard thought very highly of Belle.” My smile felt as if it were pasted to my face.
    Her lips curved in malicious pleasure. “I’m sure he did. Most men did.”
    Damn you. Damn you .
    I kept my voice even. “I’ve read a lot about Belle and her family.” Read and made notes and studied and compiled. “It sounds as though they had a lot of fun. Until the kidnapping.”
    â€œSounds that way.” She drawled it. “But some questions never get answered. Why is her oldest son crossways with the world? And yet he’s the only one who’s stayed in Dallas. All the others blew town as soon as they got CeeCee buried. Coincidence? I don’t think so. Belle handpicked a society girl for Joss, her youngest son, to marry. They didn’t even stay married a year. They split right after CeeCee was kidnapped. Why did the foundation—the Ericcson Foundation, funded with Belle’s millions—completely change direction after CeeCee died? She was the one who ran it, you know. And all the other siblings worked for her. One great big happy family…I don’t think. Especially the stepkids, the ones who joined the crew when Belle married Gallagher. What do they really think about Super Stepmom? Gretchen Gallagher always looks like a thundercloud, especially when Stepmom’s around. And Wheeler Gallagher’s never had a real job.” Lou looked again around the elegant dining room. “But Belle wasa Dallas icon. I couldn’t ask what I wanted to ask. What do you intend to ask?”
    â€œQuestions Belle has never heard,” I said grimly.
    Lou gave a small shrug that barely lifted her beautifully tailored jacket. She held up her wineglass. “Good luck.” It was grudging but this time perhaps sincere.
    The desserts arrived. She finished the glass of wine first—I’d lost count of how many—then spooned globs of a chocolate confection that looked darker than a Bavarian forest.
    I ate peppermint sorbet. It was almost as tart as my thoughts.
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    The Greek Revival house glistened in the bright Texas sun. I drove the rental car into a modest parking lot screened by poplars. A small wooden sign at the foot of the broad steps announced: ERICCSON FOUNDATION .
    The door opened into a broad central hall. To my right was a shiny walnut desk. A young woman with a pleasant face and ginger hair looked up and smiled cheerfully. “Good morning. May I help you?”
    My shoes clicked on the wooden floor. “Yes. I’d like to see Mr. Burke, please.”
    Anders Burke was the older of CeeCee Burke’s two brothers and it was he who was now director of the Ericcson Foundation.
    â€œI’m sorry.” She sounded genuinely concerned. “Mr. Burke is out of town and