Fire and Ice Read Online Free PDF Page B

what if you suspect it, but you can’t prove it?”
    Owen rubbed his fleshy hands together and gave her a salacious grin.
    “Honey. That’s why we depend on people like you. You give us credible information we might not get on our own. But if between you and us and Connor’s guys, we can’t prove it was arson, we just bottle those fuckers up in court as long as we can. Instead of them bleedin’ us, we let their shysters bleed them into conceding.”
    He pursed his lips and squinted at her.
    “Now don’t misunderstand. Ole Brennan ain’t dumb. He’s been around. He’s a fuckin’ banker. If anyone knows how to make money under the table, those guys do. Ever wonder why the people who in charge of our money are richer than the whole damn bunch of us? Think about that, tootsie.”
    Annika interrupted, not bothering to tell him once again, to call her by her official title. “Was there anything unusual in the policy you wrote for Lakeside Estates? Anything you don’t usually include?”
    He frowned at her, then admitted, “Yeah. Brennan insisted on a clause that said if there is a fire or other damage to that hoity toity project of his, and we can’t prove it was intentional, then the insurance company will make good on all his legal fees. I added the clause after I jacked up his premiums 35%. He agreed and has been payin’ through the nose.”
    As she made her way to the door, he slouched up next to her, bumping against her as if by accident.
    “Uh, Miss, I mean, Lieutenant, if you’re gonna be around for a while, it would be my pleasure to show you a little bit of this town. We professionals have to stick together….”
    Annika brushed by him. “Thank you, Mr. Haggerty, but I’m focusing on the Lakeside Estates fires. Thank you for your help. I’ll call you if I have additional questions.”
    She pushed her way through the door and headed to her squad, sucking in a much needed gulp of fresh air. She smothered a groan. First a scumbag like Owen Haggerty, and now she had Brennan Corcoran to look forward to. At a private lunch, no less! She kicked herself for the hundredth time for spurning Sam’s offer to accompany her. But she wanted to do things her way, right? Great. Onward and upward.
    ~~~
    After the fifth insinuating suggestion and as many ‘ my dear’s, Corcoran acknowledged that Annika wasn’t impressed by his unctuousness and dropped his ingratiating overtures. His true colors began to show themselves. After listening to ten minutes of all the benefits Lakeside Estates would bring to Chicadia Falls and how lucky the town was to have him as a resident, Annika began to push back. Using Sam’s technique, she poked at the sore spots she knew rankled under his fawning exterior.
    “I know you said that Lakeside is your first development project. But I imagine over the years you’ve had many run-ins with the insurance industry. At least that’s what I usually hear from business leaders.”
    Corcoran huffed. “Damn straight. We businessmen are accustomed to dealing with those scoundrels. That whole industry is a sham. They pretend they want to protect you and then spend a fortune trying to deny your claim.”
    “Has that happened to you, Mr. Corcoran?”
    “Hell, no. I’m proud to say that I’ve never lost a suit I’ve brought against an insurance company. That’s because I know them for the greedy bastards that they are. They’re like that redneck Owen Haggerty. They think the money is theirs.”
    Annika smiled at him. “Mr. Haggerty said something to that effect about bankers. He wondered why the men who control everyone else’s money are the richest men in town.”
    Corcoran sneered. “What Haggerty doesn’t want to admit is that we’re just a hell of a lot smarter than they are.”
    Annika nibbled on her salad, congratulating herself that she’d wormed her way past his obsequious façade. She pressed her advantage.
    “I’m impressed that your first foray into housing development is