One Little White Lie by Loretta Hill

you.’
    â€˜That Mark fellow had a bit of story to tell about your Kate. He reckons she was with him because he was a doctor. She took him to the cleaners when they broke up. Hopes she’ll do the same to you.’
    Henry snorted with disgust. ‘And you believed him? That guy has sour grapes written all over him.’ He tossed his beer back.
    â€˜I see this isn’t new information to you,’ Tom’s grimaced. ‘Mark said something to you too, didn’t he? That’s why you hit him.’
    Henry gritted his teeth. ‘I don’t like his style.’
    â€˜Hey,’ Tom held up his hands in surrender, ‘I’m not a big fan of the guy either, but a person like you … Henry, you’ve got to be careful.’ He paused for effect. ‘That’s why I got you this.’
    â€˜Got me what?’
    Tom held up a slim folder that until this moment had been sitting on the couch beside him. Henry eyed it with suspicion.
    â€˜Now I had to call in a few favours to get this,’ Tom announced with the air of someone who was about to be thanked. ‘But it’s all there. Every last bit of it. You’re lucky you’ve got a brother who’s a lawyer, let me tell you.’
    Henry homed in on the only part of the explanation that mattered.
    â€˜Every last bit of what?’
    â€˜Information on Kate Dreson,’ Tom replied as though it were a foregone conclusion. He held out the file to Henry, who then saw Kate’s name printed in black ink on the beige front. ‘Here, take it.’
    Henry nearly dropped his beer as Realisation struck him. ‘You had her investigated !’ He stepped back from the file as though it were a six-eyed alien with a laser gun.
    â€˜That’s OK.’ Tom shrugged. ‘You can thank me later.’
    â€˜I don’t want to thank you,’ Henry retorted. ‘ Kick you, now that’s a whole different story!’
    For the first time since the conversation had begun, Tom realised they weren’t on the same page. ‘I beg your pardon?’
    â€˜You’re unbelievable!’ Henry threw up his hands.
    Tom laid the file on the coffee table next to the newspaper and a pile of magazines. His brow wrinkled in confusion. ‘What’s got your goat now?’
    â€˜I would never ask you to do something like this.’
    â€˜Yes, yes, I know, I know.’ Tom waved away his protest. ‘But after I spoke to Mark Lowden I knew I had to have this girl checked to make sure you weren’t doing anything stupid, like falling for yet another gold-digger.’
    â€˜Tom,’ Henry tried to get through to him, ‘I’m not reading that. Take it back with you when you leave.’
    â€˜Oh, come on.’ Tom’s voice tempted him like the snake in the Tree of Knowledge. ‘Aren’t you in the least bit curious?’
    Henry folded his arms, his eyes narrowing on Tom’s devilish expression. ‘No.’
    â€˜Really?’
    â€˜Yes.’
    â€˜ Really? ’
    Henry ran his hands into his hair, clutching at his dark locks in frustration. ‘You,’ he stabbed a finger at Tom, ‘are out of line. This is a huge invasion of Kate’s privacy. It’s immoral.’
    â€˜Henry, you need facts.’
    â€˜I happen to trust Kate. My gut tells me –’
    But Tom cut him off. ‘That’s just it. Guts by definition digest food. They are not privy to life-changing decisions. Those sorts of things were decided upon by your brain, usually after you have collected together a series of indisputable facts and considered them for a solid period. That’s all I’ve done for you.’
    â€˜Thank you, counsel, but I don’t need your help or your advice.’
    â€˜I think you do. I’ll have you know she’s as poor as a church mouse. She’s got motive if ever I saw it. Mark was right about a few other things too. She was financially