The Scent of Lies: A Paradise Valley Mystery Read Online Free PDF Page B

chair, he crossed his arms on the table, signaling he was ready to give Emily his full attention.
    “This will probably sound strange,” she began, “so prepare yourself.”
    Alex and Isabel looked at each other quizzically.
    “Someone wants to hire me as a private investigator to finish one of Evan’s old cases.”
    “What?” Isabel exclaimed. “But you’re a real estate agent.”
    “That’s what I said.”
    “Do you think you can handle it?” Alex asked. “It can be pretty dangerous work at times.”
    “It’s mostly following the client’s husband to see if he’s fooling around with another woman. I don’t think this case would put me in danger. Unless—”
    “Unless what?” Isabel said.
    “Unless this case is the reason Evan was murdered,” Alex pointed out. “That is what you were going to say, isn’t it?”
    “Well, I mean, I don’t know that, but the timing is curious.”
    “She could carry a gun,” Isabel suggested.
    “Do you ?” Emily asked her.
    “Of course. I work for the FBI. I often carry a gun...and not just for work.”
    “Are you kidding me?” Emily asked, taken by surprise. “How did I not know that?”
    Isabel shrugged. “Have you ever shot a gun before?”
    “Actually, yes. Evan and I went to the shooting range quite often. He wanted me to become familiar with guns since we had them in the house. I was actually pretty good. Since he died, though, I haven’t practiced or even gone near my gun.”
    “It would be easy enough to get back out to the shooting range for some practice, but what about the other parts of the job?” Alex asked. “No offense, Emily, just playing devil’s advocate here, but do you know anything about investigating?”
    “I did help Evan on a few of his cases, before I became a Realtor, and there were other cases he talked through with me. He didn’t really want that known, you know, that I helped him. He thought it would be safer for me if no one knew I was involved.”
    “Well, I certainly never knew,” Isabel said, glancing at Alex.
    “Me, either,” Alex added with a shrug.
    “I brought some of those skills with me into real estate, digging around, questioning clients to help collect information and uncover their motivations. If I could see that the husband made the decisions I could target his needs, tell him about the two-car garage or the basement ready to be turned into his man-cave. Vice versa if it seemed like the wife wore the pants in the family.”
    “Hmmm,” Isabel pursed her lips, “I never thought of it like that.”
    “So, yes, you could say I have some experience. Certainly an aptitude,” Emily explained, “and I still have Evan’s surveillance equipment. I just need a quick primer on how to use it.”
    “That would definitely help,” Isabel agreed.
    “Oh, and this will be of interest to you, Isabel,” Emily declared. “The client also suspects that her husband may be embezzling money from her company.”
    Isabel’s eyes lit up. That kind of investigation was right up her alley.
    “I thought maybe you could help me with that?” Emily raised her eyebrows along with her shoulders to illustrate her plea for Isabel’s help.
    “We can talk more about that once you decide if you’re going to go for it or not,” Isabel answered.
    “I guess the real question is, do you want to become a private investigator?” Alex asked. “It’s a risky business. Not to mention a constant reminder.”
    “No one knows that more than me, but I could certainly use the money.”
    “Aside from the money, Emily, do you want to do it?” Alex pressed.
    Emily paused and looked out the window, thinking about how she could help Delia find the truth, and in doing so perhaps find her own too. She slowly turned back to face her friends. “Yes, I do. I’m going to go for it.”
    “All right, then.” Isabel lifted her glass of orange juice. “To a new life for Emily!”
    “Here! Here!” Alex chimed in.
    Emily laughed at the