The LeBaron Secret Read Online Free PDF Page A

they’ve had dinner a couple of times, yes.”
    â€œBut what does he want with her, Gabe? Besides her money, of course—they all want that. But what’s he sniffing around her for?”
    â€œSniffing around? I imagine he simply finds Melissa a fascinating woman. Lots of people do.” But this is dangerous territory because Sari has been known to display signs of being jealous of her daughter and the certain special attentions Melissa receives, so Gabe decides not to pursue this line of reasoning.
    â€œWhat does he see in her? She’s years older than he is.”
    â€œArchie is thirty-nine, forty.”
    â€œOf course, it’s easy to see what she sees in him. She’s always liked younger men. Are they having an affair, do you think?”
    â€œI don’t know. I doubt it.” Gabe decides not to tell Sari that Archie’s interest in Melissa could not be sexual—could not possibly be, unless—but never mind, he thinks, and decides to tell her what he believes is the truth. “I think Archie’s interest in Melissa is purely as a journalist. I think he’d like to do a story on the LeBaron family.”
    Sari claps one hand to her breast, and her look is one of horror. “But you wouldn’t allow him to do that, would you—with some of the things you know?”
    â€œNo, I assure you I would not.”
    â€œThank God. There’s some loyalty left in the world, at least.”
    â€œNo, rest assured I wouldn’t. Not while he’s working for me, anyway. So perhaps it’s in our best interest that I do my best to keep him on the payroll.”
    â€œHas he mentioned this to you—a story about us?”
    â€œIn passing, yes.”
    â€œYou see? That’s exactly what I’m afraid of. And with him seeing Melissa—Melissa is so terribly unreliable. She can’t be trusted, never could be. Melissa is the loose cannon in this family, Gabe.”
    â€œI know.”
    â€œAnd if she’s drinking—who knows what she might try to tell him.”
    â€œI understand.”
    â€œYou see,” she says, “I’m quite sure that there’s something very funny going on. I’ve told you that I’ve been having trouble with Eric at the office—little things, things I don’t need to go into here. But trouble. And I’m beginning to suspect that there may be a connection between this, and Melissa seeing this Archie person, and these—these unfavorable stories that have been appearing. I think there is a connection.”
    â€œSome sort of conspiracy, Sari? Aren’t you being a little paranoid?”
    â€œI’m not so sure, Gabe. I’m not at all sure. There’s something fishy going on. I may be a lot of things, but one thing I’m not is stupid. And I have good hunches. I’ve been able to build this business into what it is by playing my hunches. I have damned good hunches, and I have a hunch right now that something very funny is going on, and that it involves Eric, Melissa—the loose cannon—and your Mr. What’s-his-name. He’s good-looking, isn’t he?”
    â€œYes, I guess you’d say so.”
    â€œBut common-looking.”
    â€œCommon?” He laughs. “I keep forgetting that you’ve joined the aristocracy, Sari. Have you met the man?”
    â€œNo, thank goodness. But Thomas has seen him—seen him coming to call on our Miss Cannon. Thomas says he’s very common-looking. Thomas has very good hunches, too.”
    â€œWell, Archie’s a good reporter. Came to me from the Seattle Tribune . I’m lucky to have him.”
    She throws him a sly look. “Your new little pet, Polly?”
    â€œI’m a businessman. Businessmen don’t have pets.”
    â€œWith his shoes.”
    â€œWhat’s all this about his shoes?”
    â€œThomas tells me he wears yellow shoes. Yellow—like the brand of