Murder List by Julie Garwood Page A

thing is…”
    “Yes?” Regan asked.
    “The neighbor isn’t so sure he could recognize them,” she said. “He told me he didn’t get a real good look at their faces, but I still want to show him a photo just in case.”
    “So that’s it? That’s the big plan? Get a photo of the goons?” Cordie asked. “We could just drive up to the circle drive, sit in the car, and when they come out, snap, snap. We’ve got our photos.”
    “No, there’s more,” Sophie said. “First, we go in and I pay our fees.”
    “You’re not paying for me,” Regan said.
    “You’re not paying my fee either,” Cordie said.
    “You’re doing me a huge favor. You’re giving up your weekend to help, so no more argument. Paying the fees is the least I can do as a thank-you. I’m going to pay in cash,” she added in an attempt to deflect further argument. “I don’t want Shields or his people to have access to any accounts, so I don’t want to pay by check or credit card.”
    “Good Lord. Are you telling me you’re carrying three thousand dollars in your purse?” Sophie grinned. “There wasn’t room in my bra, so, yes, it’s in my purse.”
    “Who carries that kind of cash around?” Cordie asked Regan.
    “Apparently Sophie does,” she answered.
    “My father carries ten times that amount in cash all the time,” Sophie commented.
    “Soph, how can you afford to pay three thousand dollars?” Cordie asked. “You make less than I do.”
    “Daddy.”
    “You told me last month you weren’t ever going to take any more money from him, remember? You were determined to make it on your own.”
    “It was an early birthday present,” Sophie said. “He just purchased another vacation home, and for tax purposes put that one in my name too. Daddy has enough money stashed away to last three lifetimes.”
    Although they had known Sophie since kindergarten and were her best friends, Regan and Cordie still didn’t know what her father actually did for a living. Every time one of them asked him, he came up with a different answer. Either he was changing occupations once a month, or he was making it up as he went along. For a long time, Regan thought he was in banking, and Cordie believed he was a real estate mogul. Now that they were older and had heard all the rumors and speculation, they knew Sophie’s father was into some shady dealings. He was always cooking up one scheme after another, and they now worried that it was only a matter of time before one of his schemes backfired.
    Regan worried about Sophie. As sophisticated as her friend considered herself to be, she was horribly naive about her father. And extremely protective.
    Cordie looked as if she wanted to continue to argue. Regan, determined to get her friends back on track, asked, “What’s the plan once we’re inside the conference center?”
    “We join the reception and… look around.”
    Regan glanced at Cordie. “What do you mean ‘look around’?” she asked.
    “Yes,” Cordie said. “Exactly what are we looking for?”
    Sophie grabbed her purse and opened the back door. “His computer. I’ve done some checking and know the registrations and records are computerized. I also found out he carries a laptop computer with him and I’m hoping that sometime this weekend we can get to it.”
    “Uh-oh, I don’t like the sound of that,” Cordie said.
    “You can’t be thinking about breaking into his computer,” Regan said, appalled at the idea.
    Sophie laughed. She waited until both of her friends had gotten out of the car before answering. “No, of course not. I don’t have the skill to break into his computer. Cordie will have to do it.”
    “No way. I’m not doing anything illegal.”
    “I need to get into his records,” Sophie argued. “It’s the only way I can find out about the other women he’s scammed.”
    “His bodyguards aren’t going to let any of us near his computer,” Regan said.
    “We’ve got all weekend to try.”
    “Sophie,