Debra Burroughs - Paradise Valley 02.5 - The Edge of Lies Read Online Free Page A

careers, new friends.”
    “He’s taking you away from your family. And forgive me if I’m wrong, but he comes across like a bit of a shady character, like he’s hiding something. Did you ask him about why he was late to the wedding yet?”
    “I did, but it’s really none of your concern. I love him, Susan. He’s my husband, for better or for worse.” Emily bit her tongue, trying not to say something she’d regret.
    “For your sake, Em, I hope it’s for better.”
    ~*~
    Emily decided that it would be for the better. She made the commitment to follow through and get her state certification to teach in the area. While she did this, Evan found a small space to rent and set up his business. He brought her down to the office, which was a single-room commercial space about fourteen by eighteen feet, in an old historic building on Main Street. He proudly showed her the lettering on the opaque glass in the top half of the door that announced Evan Parker, Private Investigator .
    Emily ran her hand over the lettering, tracing each curve of every letter. “It’s perfect, Evan. I can’t imagine any other name on this door—it’s like it belongs here.”
    Emily held in a deep sigh. She was happy for him, but her teaching certification process was taking longer than expected and she’d heard that teachers in the area were being laid off due to budget cuts.
    So, while looking for something else to put her time and energies into, their real estate agent suggested she try her hand at selling homes. He’d said she was smart and attractive and might do very well in their largely affluent community.
    At his prompting, and with Evan’s encouragement, she went to real estate school, got her license, and jumped in with both feet.
    ~*~
    Within a couple of weeks of hanging her license with a local brokerage, Emily offered to sit an open house for another agent, since she had no listings yet of her own. The seasoned agent gave her a few pointers on how to hold a successful open house, along with a warning to be safe.
    Emily hadn’t thought of that before, that holding an open house could be dangerous. Now she was a little nervous.
    Over the three-hour period that she held the house open, she only had a handful of guests and a few nosey neighbors.
    As the open house was winding down, a middle-aged man in shorts and a t-shirt walked in. She greeted him and showed him around, not thinking anything of it until he asked to see the recreation room in the basement. Something in her gut warned her not to do it, but she put it off to her imagination, plus, she wanted the sale. Besides, what was she going to tell him? “No, I can’t go down there with you because you might be a pervert and try to rob me or sexually assault me.” Clearly she couldn’t say such a thing, so, she followed him down the stairs.
    Still, she hung close to the bottom of the staircase, in case she had to make a quick getaway, pointing out features from there—the fireplace, the built-in wet bar, the bedroom and bathroom located down the hall. She suggested he go take a look at them.
    “Aren’t you coming?” the prospective buyer asked.
    Her stomach did a little flip. “I’ve seen them before. Go ahead, take a look. If you have any questions, I’ll be right here.”
    “Emily?”
    She startled at hearing a man’s voice calling her name from upstairs. “Evan? I’ll be up in a minute,” she called up the staircase. Feeling safer, she walked toward the back bedroom and looked for the man.
    “Any questions?” she asked as he emerged from the bedroom.
    He shook his head. “I’ll be in touch.” He climbed the stairs and left.
    Emily was relieved to know Evan was there, but she got an earful from him about personal safety after the man left.
    Once they were home, he suggested they go for some shooting practice the next morning. She could use his weapon for now, he offered. On Monday, though, he wanted her to apply for a concealed weapons permit and then