Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 103665 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103665 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Paige planted a hand over a manila file. Her nails were a pretty pink. It was an odd thing for Amka to notice. “I don’t think Christian would survive in a jail cell, do you?”
Amka slowly shook her head. Christian needed the outdoors.
Daisy held out a hand. “Stop trying to terrify my client. She didn’t kill Jarod and neither did Christian. You’re fishing, and I’m getting bored.” She tapped her pen on her so far clean legal pad. “Somebody has tried to kill my client three times. You know this. We believe it had something to do with Jarod’s life, maybe his many trips to Anchorage, and we’d truly appreciate it if you’d do your jobs and find out what.”
Paige sighed heavily and looked at her partner as if at the end of her rope.
Jeb’s chin lowered, giving him the look of a pissed off Doberman. “We have a couple of theories about that. First, what if Amka was setting the explosive and accelerant in the storage unit to catch Jarod there later? We noted that he often spent time at the bar, behind the bar, pouring drinks. Perhaps you got caught in your own trap?”
Amka couldn’t comprehend. “You think I nearly got myself blown up or burned up on purpose?”
“No. We think it was an accident. The fire wasn’t supposed to happen until later when Jarod was in the building.” Paige nodded, her voice cajoling. “We’ve confirmed with Wyland and Sheldon that they wouldn’t have needed to enter the building for another week, which you knew because you know their restocking schedule.”
Sure, she did. They owned a storage building together. “I did not set that fire.”
Daisy tilted her head. The heat was frizzing her hair a little, but she still appeared powerful. “Do you think Amka shot at herself somehow from a sniper’s position?”
Jeb slowly smiled. “No. We think that Jarod was going after some payback for the fire.”
This was freaking insane.
Daisy chuckled. “Wow. You two should write thrillers along with our tanker chief. This is ridiculous. So with your current theory, did Amka cut her own brakes? Or did Jarod cut them as another play in a weird game between them?”
“You catch on fast,” Paige said, her voice dripping with sarcasm now. “We’re not sure. Could go either way. Maybe Jarod cut the brakes and then a very furious Amka murdered him an hour later. Or perhaps she cut the brakes to give herself an alibi for the murder.”
Wow. Amka looked at Daisy. “I can’t even understand any of this.”
Daisy’s eyes narrowed. “Me neither.”
Paige coughed into her hand. “Sorry about that. Spring allergies. Where is Jarod’s phone and laptop? We’ve been told he had both, and yet we can’t find either one.”
“I have no idea,” Amka said. If she did, she’d be erasing the video.
Daisy crossed her arms. “We’re about done with this questioning. You have more. What is it?”
What could it possibly be? There couldn’t be any more.
Jeb tapped the folder again. “Do you know about the life insurance policy Jarod took out two weeks ago?”
She stopped breathing. “What?”
Jeb nodded. “He listed you as the sole beneficiary. One million dollars, payable upon death.”
She stared at him. “What?” How in any world did that make sense? Jarod didn’t even like her. “You’re lying.”
Paige shook her head. “No, we’re not.” She pulled out a stapled stack of papers to hand to Daisy.
Daisy flipped through them. “Yep. One million.”
“I have no idea,” Amka whispered. The room tilted slightly. “He never told me.”
“Sure,” Paige muttered.
Daisy sat up straighter. “Are you implying that my client, who has a visible alibi for the night in question, had motive based on a policy she didn’t even know existed?”
“We’re saying everything’s on the table,” Jeb replied. “Jarod was killed. Amka stands to benefit. That’s motive.”
Amka gripped the edge of the chair. “No. He never even mentioned insurance.”
“You can deny it all you want,” Paige said. “But that policy was active. You’re the named recipient.”
Amka’s world tilted around her.
Daisy leaned forward, calm and cutting. “Out of curiosity, has anyone checked for life insurance policies on my client?”
Jeb raised an eyebrow. Paige didn’t move.
“Well?” Daisy pressed. “If you’re following the money, then follow it both ways.”
Paige exhaled and pulled out another stack of papers. “There’s a policy,” she said. “It was filed the same day with the beneficiary listed as Jarod Teller.”
“How much is the payout?” Daisy asked, her voice flat.
Paige hesitated. “One million.”
Amka’s body went cold.
That policy had never been mentioned. Never signed. Never discussed. She couldn’t imagine why he’d—
Wait a minute. Why would he do that? Bile roiled around in her stomach. Had Jarod planned to kill her for the money? Had he been that evil? Why take out both policies? Just to look innocent? He was a jerk, but she hadn’t imagined he was that cruel. “He took it out without telling me,” she whispered.