Silent Justice Read Online Free PDF Page A

jotted the name in her notepad. “Do you have her address?”
    Mrs. McKinley reached a hand toward Annie, pointing toward the notepad. “I can give you her address as well as the address and phone number of my husband’s firm.”
    Annie handed the woman her pad and waited until Mrs. McKinley finished writing and handed it back.
    Jake glanced over at the woman’s elegant cursive handwriting. She was obviously well educated. The woman had also written down a description of her husband’s favorite car, a red Mercedes Roadster—a convertible.
    Annie spoke. “Mrs. McKinley, how can you be sure your husband is having an affair?”
    The woman sighed. “I went to his office a few days ago when he wasn’t there. I suspected it already, but I wasn’t sure, so I went through his desk drawers and found a box of condoms. Strange, yes, but not enough.” She sighed again, this time deep and long. “So I dug a little further and found photos of that woman. Provocative photos, if you know what I mean.”
    “Do you know the woman?” Jake asked.
    She nodded. “Yes, he had an affair with her a number of years ago and I thought it was long past. But it seems to have been renewed.”
    “Are you sure they weren’t old photos?” Jake asked. “And he kept them for some reason?”
    Mrs. McKinley shook her head. “I know he’s having an affair. Whenever I give him a hug, I smell strange perfume on him. And his suit jackets have that same smell almost every day.” She dropped her eyes. “And … we rarely make love anymore.”
    Jake looked at Annie and raised his brows. The woman seemed to have lots of evidence and now she wanted some undeniable proof.
    The distraught woman raised her eyes. “I … I don’t want a divorce. I love my husband and I know he loves me. I only want to put an end to this and get our marriage back on track.”
    Annie spoke. “And you think confronting him with the proof will change him?”
    “I hope it will. My husband is a good man, but I’m desperate.”
    Jake wondered if the woman wanted to avoid a divorce to keep from disrupting her extravagant lifestyle, but a look into Mrs. McKinley’s saddened eyes made him change his mind. She seemed to be sincere, trying to soothe her broken heart.
    Annie closed the notepad and tucked it into her handbag. “We’ll see what we can come up with as soon as possible.”
    Mrs. McKinley reached to a stand beside her chair and retrieved an envelope. She handed it to Annie. “I hope you don’t mind cash? I can’t write you a check for obvious reasons. I need to keep this a secret … for now.”
    Annie took the envelope, glanced inside, and thumbed quickly through the bills. “Unless this takes longer than we expect, this should be plenty.” She closed the envelope and dropped it into her handbag. “Do you want a receipt?”
    Mrs. McKinley shook her head and smiled weakly. “You have a good reputation and I don’t want a paper trail. I don’t think a receipt will be necessary.”
    “We’ll let you know how things go as we proceed,” Jake said and looked at Annie. “Anything else we need to know?”
    “I believe we have enough information,” Annie said. She stood and faced Mrs. McKinley. “I’ll contact you if there’s anything else we need.”
    Jake and Mrs. McKinley stood and the woman led them to the foyer. She opened the door and thanked them, hope in her eyes.
    They stepped out onto the porch and the solid door closed behind them.
    Inside the car, Annie turned to Jake and patted her handbag. “There’s ten thousand dollars in this envelope.”
    Jake’s mouth dropped open. “This woman means business. She must be desperate.”
    “Wouldn’t you be?” Annie asked.
    Jake grinned and started the Firebird. “You don’t have to worry about that. We’re never going to be in this situation.”
    Annie looked at her watch. “What do you say about getting on this immediately? It’s still early and we’ve got all day.”
    Jake laughed.