Arson Takes a Dare: The Third Marisa Adair Mystery Adventure (Marisa Adair Mysteries Book 3) by Jada Ryker Page A

sighed. “I’d need a super hacker to clean up my past.”
    Tara cocked her head at the glum tone in Marisa’s voice.
    Marisa continued, “Alex seems fine with my past. But I wonder what he really thinks of it. Sometimes I wish I could hire a super hacker for my brain and just wipe out some of the incidents—”
    Tara rose and gripped Marisa’s shoulders. “Stop that. You don’t have anything to regret.”
    Marisa pulled free of Tara’s clutching fingers. “Oh, sure, one of these days, I’ll write a sizzling memoir and make a ton of money. Remember that congressman—”
    “Shhh!” Tara released Marisa to put her fingers to her lips. “Don’t give the information away to Elizabeth. She lurks the halls to scoop up juicy gossip.” She snapped her fingers. “Speaking of juicy gossip, I meant to tell you about Mrs. Kenton. She won fifty million dollars in the lottery.”
    Marisa pushed away her personal black cloud of regrets. “I remember Mrs. Kenton when she was a resident at the nursing home. She seemed so out of it, sprawled in her wheelchair with that ragged baby doll clutched to her chest. After the fire, Mrs. Kenton was off the strong medications and out of the wheelchair. When I saw her at the assisted living center a few months ago, she was positively spry. And now she’s won a mega jackpot. How lucky for her.”
    “I’m not sure if it’s good or bad,” Tara said. “You remember her daughter died twenty years ago in a fire? Mayla Kenton was a gorgeous twenty-year-old college student, attending the University of Louisville on a music scholarship. Mrs. Kenton announced she’ll give the entire jackpot to the person who can bring her killer to justice.”
    “Wow!” Marisa frowned. “How is it a bad thing?”
    “Dreamus had to go on television to talk about the case. He thinks Mrs. Kenton will be inundated by crackpots who’ll try and trick her out of the money.”
    “You’re right. People will do worse things for less money.” Marisa shivered.
    Tara shrugged into her snug purple jacket. “Let’s go tell Alex about the amazing development with Mrs. Kenton. He met her a few months ago.”
    * * * * *
    “Alex, it’s not fiscally responsible to pay a full-time human resources director. You can contract with a third-party human resources consultant. That way, you can just pay for the services you need.” Elizabeth Furlong laughed. “You’ll have an even healthier bottom line, with a larger bonus for yourself.”
    Outside Alex’s slightly open office door, Tara’s chest swelled in outrage.
    Marisa put a cautionary finger to her lips.
    “Thank you for your suggestions, Elizabeth. But Marisa does excellent work, and I’m not eliminating her job. Now, I have work to do.”
    Marisa heard the tapping of fingers on a keyboard.
    “Alex, you work too hard.” Elizabeth sounded pouty. “How about having dinner with me tonight?”
    “You were right.” Marisa grabbed Tara’s arm. “That bitch is trying to get rid of me and steal my boyfriend.” She kept her voice low.
    “She doesn’t know about you and Alex.” Tara whispered back. “She thinks you’re in the midst of a torrid romance with me.” Her shoulders shook and she put her hand over her mouth.
    Marisa dragged Tara along the corridor.
    “Hey! I wanted to stay and hear Alex put her in her place.” Tara stared over her shoulder. “Don’t look now, but she’s stomping away from Alex’s office.”
    Elizabeth’s body was stiff with anger as she passed them. She disappeared around the corner.
    Tara turned to Marisa and squealed. “Did you say Alex is your boyfriend? Now that Elizabeth is determined to play all of the angles and has Alex in her sights, you decide he’s your boyfriend?”
    Marisa clenched her fists. “I’m not sure what Alex is, boyfriend or otherwise. But I’m sure he doesn’t need that boa constrictor wound around him, cutting off his oxygen.”

CHAPTER SEVEN
                 
    “Ms. Forrest,