tourist.
"Kincaid, don't tell me you were Armand's broker."
Mitch turned to see his lawyer, Nick Jamieson, regarding him with horror. "No, and I'm Mitch Peatwick, so just go away. The last thing I need is a hotshot society lawyer blowing my cover. What are you doing here, anyway?"
"I worked for Armand once," Nick said gloomily, as his wife joined them. "It wasn't my finest moment but—"
"Hello, Mitch darling." Tess slipped her arm around Mitch and kissed him on the cheek. "What a lovely party. It's always so much nicer when the body isn't actually present, don't you think? I understand he donated it to science. I overheard one of the mourners saying it was the first thing he'd ever given away."
"Shut up, Tess," Nick said amiably.
"I don't have to behave. It's just Mitch." Tess batted her eyes at him. "Mitch likes me unpolished, don't you, love?"
Mitch smiled down at her. "I'm crazy about you unpolished. I can't believe you married this stuffed shirt. It's like Tinker Bell marrying Donald Trump. When are you going to leave him and come live in sin with me?"
"No, no, he's doing better." Tess nodded approvingly at her husband. "He put his feet on the furniture the other day."
"Very funny." Nick tried to look supercilious, but his face collapsed into a grin when he looked at his wife.
"Of course, it was a footstool, but still, I saw it as A Sign of Things To Come."
Mitch watched them and felt a pang at how comfortable they were together. Maybe commitment wouldn't be so bad if it was like this. And God knew, if people as different as Nick and Tess could make it work, he could. With the right woman. If he ever found her. Not that he wanted to.
"Come to think of it, what are you doing here? If you're investigating the niece, I'm against it." Nick folded his arms. "I like her."
Tess nodded. "Me, too."
"So do I." Mitch sipped his drink to wash away the canape. "I'm working for her. How the hell did you ever end up fronting for Armand?''
"I was dating Mae, and she introduced us. I was trying to make points, so I said sure when he mentioned he had a little problem." Nick shook his head. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."
Tess and Mitch both looked at him with distasteful interest.
"Is there something wrong?" Nick said, looking from one to the other.
"You never told me you dated Mae," Tess said coolly.
"I never told you about a lot of the people I dated," Nick pointed out. "It was years ago. She'd just divorced that loser Dalton, and she was dating everybody, and my number came up. It was never serious. I didn't even know you then." He frowned at Mitch. "What's your problem? You're only working for her."
"I don't have a problem." Mitch glared at his lawyer. "No problem at all. What did you represent Armand for?"
"Fraud," Nick said.
"Get him acquitted?"
"Hell, no, he was guilty as sin. I had to work miracles to get him off with a fine and no jail time, and then he was mad because he was convicted." Nick scowled at the crowd in lieu of Armand. "He was a real piece of work, let me tell you."
Mitch frowned. "What kind of fraud?"
Nick hesitated and then shrugged. "It's public record. The whole thing was pretty convoluted, but what it came down to was that he'd looted a trust fund he'd been administering. The old lady who'd been living on the income from the fund got hot when it dried up and she sued. We managed to get him off with restitution and a fine, but it was close."
"What year?"
Nick gazed at him suspiciously. "Why are you so interested in this?"
"Mae has a trust fund. It appears to have fallen on hard times. What year?''
"It was 1989." Nick looked unhappy. "Tell me that Uncle Armand wasn't taking care of that fund for her."
Tess looked skeptical. "Would he be stupid enough to pull the same stunt twice?"
"Stupid, no. Greedy, yes. Armand Lewis would steal anything that wasn't nailed down. If he had a chance at her trust fund, he'd take it." Nick stopped, considering. "Of course, she's probably going
"Kincaid, don't tell me you were Armand's broker."
Mitch turned to see his lawyer, Nick Jamieson, regarding him with horror. "No, and I'm Mitch Peatwick, so just go away. The last thing I need is a hotshot society lawyer blowing my cover. What are you doing here, anyway?"
"I worked for Armand once," Nick said gloomily, as his wife joined them. "It wasn't my finest moment but—"
"Hello, Mitch darling." Tess slipped her arm around Mitch and kissed him on the cheek. "What a lovely party. It's always so much nicer when the body isn't actually present, don't you think? I understand he donated it to science. I overheard one of the mourners saying it was the first thing he'd ever given away."
"Shut up, Tess," Nick said amiably.
"I don't have to behave. It's just Mitch." Tess batted her eyes at him. "Mitch likes me unpolished, don't you, love?"
Mitch smiled down at her. "I'm crazy about you unpolished. I can't believe you married this stuffed shirt. It's like Tinker Bell marrying Donald Trump. When are you going to leave him and come live in sin with me?"
"No, no, he's doing better." Tess nodded approvingly at her husband. "He put his feet on the furniture the other day."
"Very funny." Nick tried to look supercilious, but his face collapsed into a grin when he looked at his wife.
"Of course, it was a footstool, but still, I saw it as A Sign of Things To Come."
Mitch watched them and felt a pang at how comfortable they were together. Maybe commitment wouldn't be so bad if it was like this. And God knew, if people as different as Nick and Tess could make it work, he could. With the right woman. If he ever found her. Not that he wanted to.
"Come to think of it, what are you doing here? If you're investigating the niece, I'm against it." Nick folded his arms. "I like her."
Tess nodded. "Me, too."
"So do I." Mitch sipped his drink to wash away the canape. "I'm working for her. How the hell did you ever end up fronting for Armand?''
"I was dating Mae, and she introduced us. I was trying to make points, so I said sure when he mentioned he had a little problem." Nick shook his head. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."
Tess and Mitch both looked at him with distasteful interest.
"Is there something wrong?" Nick said, looking from one to the other.
"You never told me you dated Mae," Tess said coolly.
"I never told you about a lot of the people I dated," Nick pointed out. "It was years ago. She'd just divorced that loser Dalton, and she was dating everybody, and my number came up. It was never serious. I didn't even know you then." He frowned at Mitch. "What's your problem? You're only working for her."
"I don't have a problem." Mitch glared at his lawyer. "No problem at all. What did you represent Armand for?"
"Fraud," Nick said.
"Get him acquitted?"
"Hell, no, he was guilty as sin. I had to work miracles to get him off with a fine and no jail time, and then he was mad because he was convicted." Nick scowled at the crowd in lieu of Armand. "He was a real piece of work, let me tell you."
Mitch frowned. "What kind of fraud?"
Nick hesitated and then shrugged. "It's public record. The whole thing was pretty convoluted, but what it came down to was that he'd looted a trust fund he'd been administering. The old lady who'd been living on the income from the fund got hot when it dried up and she sued. We managed to get him off with restitution and a fine, but it was close."
"What year?"
Nick gazed at him suspiciously. "Why are you so interested in this?"
"Mae has a trust fund. It appears to have fallen on hard times. What year?''
"It was 1989." Nick looked unhappy. "Tell me that Uncle Armand wasn't taking care of that fund for her."
Tess looked skeptical. "Would he be stupid enough to pull the same stunt twice?"
"Stupid, no. Greedy, yes. Armand Lewis would steal anything that wasn't nailed down. If he had a chance at her trust fund, he'd take it." Nick stopped, considering. "Of course, she's probably going
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