Honeymoon

Chapter 31

HE KIND OF sounded like an insurance man, but he didn’t really look like one to Nora.

For starters, she noticed that he wasn’t that bad a dresser. The tie matched the suit, and the suit had actually been in style sometime during this decade.

Another thing was that he had a nice personality. The few insurance guys she’d met before seemed to have about as much charisma as a cardboard box. In fact, all things considered, Craig Reynolds was an attractive man. Nicely put together. He also drove a pretty good car. Then again, thought Nora, this was Briarcliff Manor, not the East Bronx. To manage the field office for a big insurance company in this neck of the woods, you’d kind of have to look the part.

Still, she wasn’t about to let her guard down.

She’d been watching Craig Reynolds carefully and making mental notes—from the moment he first showed up to when he wrapped his hands around his coffee mug and announced that there was “a little bit of a problem” with Connor’s policy.

“What sort of problem?” she asked.

“Ultimately, I don’t think it will be much of one at all. The thing is, because of Mr. Brown’s relatively young age, they’ve decided to investigate the claim.”

“Who’s they?”

“The home office back in Chicago. They basically call the shots.”

“You don’t have any say in the matter?”

“Not too much in this case. As I mentioned, Mr. Brown’s policy originated in our corporate division, which is run from the home office. Who services it, however, is based on proximity to the client. Meaning, if it wasn’t for the pending investigation, I’d be the one handling everything.”

“So if you’re not, who is?”

“I haven’t been told yet, but if I had to guess, it’s going to be a man by the name of John O’Hara.”

“Do you know him?”

“Only by reputation.”

“Uh-oh.”

“What?”

“When you said that, you frowned a little.”

“No, it’s no big deal. Supposedly, O’Hara’s a hard-ass—pardon my language—but that’s par for the course with an insurance investigator. From what I can tell, this should be a routine inquiry.”

As Craig Reynolds reached for his coffee again, Nora made another mental note: no wedding band.

“How do you like the vanilla hazelnut?” she asked.

“Tastes even better than it smells.”

She sat back in her chair. Having already turned off her tears, she gave Craig Reynolds a pleasant smile. He came across as caring and thoughtful. Better yet, she noticed that when he smiled back at her, his cheeks produced a cute pair of dimples. Too bad he doesn’t have any money.

Not that Nora was complaining. From where she was sitting, Craig Reynolds the insurance man was worth $1.9 million. It was a windfall she wasn’t about to turn down. The only wrinkle was the investigation. Routine as it sounded, it made her nervous.

But not overly so. She had a very good plan, and it was made to hold up to scrutiny. By the police, by the coroner’s office, by the likes of anyone or anything that might stand in her way. And that certainly included an insurance investigation.

Just the same, after Craig Reynolds left the house that afternoon, she decided it might be a good idea to make herself scarce for the next few days. She was supposed to see Jeffrey that weekend anyway. Maybe she’d go up a day early and surprise him.

He was, after all, her husband.