Read Fatal Impulse: A Widow's Web Novel Online
Authors: Lori L. Robinett
A
ndi never returned to that house. After staying at Dana’s for a short time, she moved into her little cottage just outside of Buccaneer Bay, and had been there for about a week when she heard tires crunching gravel in the driveway. She stepped out onto the front porch just as Portia Woodson got out of her black Mercedes.
The young woman shaded her eyes from the sun, “Can I come up?”
Andi hesitated a moment, then said, “Sure.”
They sat in white Adirondack chairs, facing the ocean. Andi waited while the heiress chattered on about the view, the salt air, the weather. Finally, she fell quiet.
Andi cut to the chase. “What are you doing here?”
Portia pulled an envelope from her purse and laid it on the table. “I came to apologize. I should have quit seeing Chad as soon as I found out he was married. You probably hate me, and I deserve it.”
Andi shook her head. “I don’t hate you. My marriage was never a good one.”
“Still, I wanted to come and apologize personally.”
Her ivory linen sundress showed off her perfect tan, and perfect body. Her dark hair was pulled back in a severe bun, without so much as a hair out of place. But a closer look revealed dark bags under her eyes, and her manicured nails looked as though the tips had been chewed. She lost her parents, her sister and her fiancé, her brother-in-law was sitting in jail, and her grandfather’s illness forced her to take a more active role in the family business. It showed.
Andi smiled at her. “Apology accepted.”
“Thank you,” the girl murmured.
Without another word, she stood and gracefully descended the stairs. She started her car, turned it around and gave a quick wave before she disappeared from sight.
Andi picked the envelope up and slid her thumb under the flap. She ripped it open and pulled out a thick blue-backed paper. She read it carefully, then threw her head back and laughed.
It was the deed to a tourmaline mine.
I hope you enjoyed this novel, the first in the Widow's Web series. Read on for a sneak peek at the second book.
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Marcus froze in mid-cut, the serrated steak knife still in the meat as blood-red juices pooled on the plate. His eyes focused over his wife’s left shoulder and narrowed slightly. Before Sophie could turn to look, she felt the man’s presence just behind her.
“Marcus, what a surprise to see you here,” the man said. His calm demeanor was belied by his voice, which held an undercurrent of anger.
The metallic clink of the knife striking the edge of the plate sounded loud in the quiet of the dark restaurant. “And why is it a surprise that I take my wife out to enjoy a steak dinner?”
The man stepped forward, inches from Sophie. She could smell the musky scent of his cologne, with a hint of leather. She kept her eyes downcast and noticed the expensive shoes he wore. Loafers, with little tassels on them. He turned towards Sophie and she looked up at him. His blue eyes were clear as a mountain stream, and the streaks of silver at his temples gave him a distinguished air. He smiled at her and took her hand, “If I had a woman as beautiful as this one, I’d take her out, too.”
She held her breath as he kissed the back of her hand. The corners of her mouth twitched up in surprise, then she glanced at her husband. The muscles in his jaw worked as he motioned towards the man with his fork, “This is Blake Chaney. He’s the executive director of the Foundation.”
She looked up at the man and pulled her hand from his grasp. So this was the mysterious philanthropist. She murmured, “Nice to meet you, Dr. Chaney.”
Marcus said, “It’s Mr. Chaney.”
Mr. Chaney smiled at her, a charming smile that exposed a perfect row of white teeth. “He’s right. I’m not a doctor. Not a scientist. I supply the money and oversee the facility to make sure everything stays on track.”
Marcus looked around the intimate steak house. “Is your wife with you tonight?”
“No, she had other plans tonight.” He put his hands on the table and leaned towards Marcus, and lowered his voice, “I’m concerned about the pig that was lost today.”
Sophie frowned and watched her husband. His eyes closed for a moment. She knew that look. He was angry and trying to control it. When his eyes opened, his face was relaxed but his green eyes glittered with frustration. “It was a genetic mutation, out of my control. A fluke. ”
The man laid his hand on Marcus's shoulder. “I’m afraid this won’t sit well with the Institutional Review Board.”
Marcus’s knuckles were white where he gripped his fork tightly, the only outward indication of his anger. “You are the executive director and sit on the Board. If you endorse human testing, the IRB’ll go along with it.”
Sophie’s eyes widened at the mention of human testing. Although she knew of her husband’s research, he rarely shared details. The squat gray building where he worked was intimidating enough without knowing what went on behind those walls.
“I’m so sorry, Marcus, but you know I can’t do that in good conscience.” His smile widened as he turned towards her. “Your husband is a brilliant researcher. Wouldn’t surprise me at all if he won the Nobel prize someday.”
He strode away, his leather shoes nearly silent on the polished hardwood floor.
She turned her attention back to her husband and tried to calm his ruffled nerves. “He obviously thinks a great deal of you. I didn’t know your research was so far along.”
He stabbed a piece of meat with his fork and jabbed it at her. “He has no idea how brilliant I am. He doesn’t know how close I am to curing the scourge of humankind. Losing that engineered pig today--”
She reached across and took his hand. It shook in hers, then he squeezed her fingers so tight her knuckles ground together painfully. He whispered urgently, “I have found the cure for cancer. You will see.”
The waiter arrived to refill their glasses, giving her the opportunity to pull her hand away. She took a sip of water then remembered, “Oh! I forgot to ask – were you able to get the new insurance card from Jennie?”
He nodded, still frowning, “Yes, yes, she ordered a duplicate for me. It’s in my desk drawer. I had other things on my mind today.”
“I know. I hate to bug you. I just need to make sure I have that card before I go see the OB again.”
He glared across the table at her, “I will get it to you, just quit bothering me about it.”
They finished the meal in silence, he lost in his thoughts and her nursing her sore hand as she contemplated her brilliant husband’s change in mood.
Less than twenty minutes later, Sophie hugged herself to calm the shivers. The wipers slapped furiously at the rain. Finally, he broke the silence. “You didn’t seem to mind when Blake kissed your hand tonight.”
Lightning danced across the sky and she jumped when thunder boomed almost immediately. She turned towards him and spoke softly, her voice barely audible over the raindrops pelting the roof of the SUV, “It just caught me by surprise.”
“Don’t let that act fool you. He’s a cad.” He grabbed her forearm and squeezed, “You and he aren’t seeing each other, are you?”
“Of course not! I’m in love with you. I’m having your baby.” She pulled her arm from his grip. The night had been so nice. Marcus had taken her out for a romantic dinner to celebrate her first trimester. He’d opened the car door for her, pulled her chair out for her, ordered for her. And then she’d smiled at his boss. And that was all it took to flip Marcus’s switch. He truly was a brilliant man, but his mood swings scared her.
She kept her head down, but glanced sideways at her husband. The muscles in his jaw worked furiously and his lips pressed tightly together. She cleared her throat and said, “Dinner was nice tonight.”
He snorted and strangled the steering wheel with his grip. A shiver ran down her spine as the Denali sped down the mountain road, leaving Widow's Pass behind them.
She tried to turn his focus to the one thing he truly cared about. “Blake mentioned human trials. Your research must be going really well if you are thinking about human trials.”
“More ready than you can ever imagine. And I’m not waiting around for the IRB. They move at a glacial pace, and the world cannot wait for them to grind along--” A loud rumble of thunder drowned out his words. A sharp bang punctuated the night. The SUV swerved to the left and threw Sophie into the door. The seat belt held her in place, but her head snapped to the right and hit the glass.
Lori was born in Centralia, Missouri and now lives just a few miles from there with her husband on a small hobby farm. They manage the place for their Miniature Schnauzer and Miniature Beagle, two cats, and three miniature horses. She is proud of her Women on Target "marksman" qualification for shooting, which comes in handy when writing mysteries. That's not the only reason not to mess with Lori - she keeps in shape by working out at a kickboxing gym, which also comes in handy when writing mysteries.
Besides writing, she has a bit of a Star Trek obsession and enjoys driving her yellow Jeep named Daisy.
Her first book,
Denim & Diamonds
, was published in 2014. Her short stories have been published in Well Versed and The Storyteller literary magazine.