“I don’t need to supplement my income because I don’t waste it on frivolous crap.” Vee shot a derisive look at Ambra, who shot back a dagger of her own. “I can see where you spend your money and it’s not on your clients. Maybe if you stopped being such a little bitch, lapping after whatever crumbs Miss Arctic Snow here is willing to drop you, you’d see what was happening right under your damn nose. Stop poking around in my business and tend to your own. And tell your little fish-and-game honey to back off!”
“Watch yourself. She’s like a daughter to me and whatever you’re implying is about to get you in a pot of hot water,” he warned.
“My apologies for implying that you’re a dirty old man who likes women young enough to be his granddaughter,” Vee shot back, clearly not the least bit sorry. She threw one last comment over her shoulder as she let herself out. “Tend to your own backyard and stay the hell out of mine, Fowler!”
The door slammed and something breakable crashed to the tile floor. Ambra clenched her little fists and shrieked, “My Waterford!” and ran to determine the damage. Rhett couldn’t care less about a piece of crystal, though. He was stewing about Vee bursting into his house and spreading chaos in her wake. How dare she insult his wife? And what was Vee saying about “tending to his own backyard”? What did she know that he didn’t?
“She broke the Waterford,” Ambra wailed, gingerly holding shards of shattered crystal within a towel. “That bitch!”
“Buy another,” he muttered, irritated at Ambra for caring more about a piece of crystal than the fact that something foul was afoot within his business. “I’ll be in my study. I need to make a few calls.”
He stalked from the room and shut the heavy oak door to his office. Vee was tall for a woman. She’d stared right into his eyes without having to crane her neck like Ambra. There was something strong and vibrant about the older woman that, if she weren’t such a ballbuster stealing his clients, he might’ve respected.
But right about now...he wanted to bury her up to her neck in snow and then leave her to bake in the sun.
Well, maybe that was harsh but he was pretty damn mad.
Probably just as mad as Vee had been when Miranda had shown up asking questions. At that he cracked a smile. He would have loved to be a fly on the wall after that meeting.
Yeah, ol’ Vee had probably cursed his name up one side and down the other.
He guffawed. Served her right. Wait until she found out he’d placed a call to the IRS to have her audited.
Now, that was a thought that raised his spirits.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
JUST TO COVER all bases Miranda pulled every single permit filed with Fish and Game in the past year for big-game tags. When she started tabulating each of the individual operation permits, she realized the numbers were down for everyone. The economy was bad, and people just didn’t have the money for these types of luxuries. It was no wonder Vivid Adventures was doing far better for offering a competitive price.
On one hand, she was relieved that everyone was doing poorly, because then it took the spotlight from Rhett and Big Game Trophy, but she couldn’t deny something didn’t seem right. It wasn’t something she wanted to do, but she’d be cheating herself and the case if she plainly ignored a very big red flag.
Jeremiah walked in adjusting his gloves. “I’ll call you when I’m finished.” Jeremiah was on his way to interview Rhett again. She just couldn’t do it. Besides, if Rhett had something to do with the poaching. it was better that there was some distance between her and the case because of their relationship. Jeremiah had pointed out that a defense attorney would rip apart their case if it was discovered that there was a conflict of interest during the investigation. Jeremiah noted her glum acceptance of the situation and reminded her, “Don’t borrow trouble. It could be nothing.”
She nodded. “In the meantime, I’m going to place some calls to the other smaller operations to ask them about their volume.”
“Good idea.”
Miranda watched as Jeremiah left the office and listened as his car hit the highway. A part of her wanted to be there to provide a buffer between Jeremiah and Rhett but she knew that wasn’t possible. In fact, it would defeat the whole purpose of Jeremiah doing the questioning. She was terrified that, if in the event that Rhett was linked to the poaching, she’d feel as if she were losing her father all over again. Rhett was the only person she had left in her life who was still seminormal. Rhett had been the only one who hadn’t gone bonkers when Simone had died. “Please be innocent,” she whispered.