Chosen by a Killer by Laurie Nave (read e book txt) 📗

Natasha’s account of the murder. She could weave quite a story, and she didn’t seem at all ruffled about killing a retired officer. And yet Celia found herself empathizing a bit with the actress. Roland had used his position to try to bully her and exact some kind of favor, probably the seedy kind. He was the type of officer who gave good ones a bad name. Celia wasn’t sure murder was the best way to deal with a man like Roland, but she understood why Natasha held a grudge. Keith knocked on the door, breaking the silence, and Celia began putting away her things.

“I meant what I said about your problem,” Natasha said as she stood to leave with the other officer.

“I appreciate the concern. I’ll see you next week,” Celia replied as she followed Keith out the door.

“So is everything okay?” Keith asked as they walked down the hall.

“Nothing I can’t handle.”

“The guy from the gala?” Keith chuckled when Celia looked at him. “It was obvious he wasn’t thrilled I said hello to you.”

“He’s just a little persistent.”

“It must be more than a little if you’re getting advice from Natasha.”

Celia laughed. “Oh, she just volunteered her input. She’s not the most objective when it comes to dealing with stress.”

“That’s an understatement.” Keith looked a bit concerned. “Still, if you need anything, let me know. I know there’s a lot of disturbing gray between a persistent guy and what qualifies somebody for a restraining order.”

“I’m sure it won’t come to that. He just needs to meet someone else, and he’ll forget all about me.”

“Tell you what, just in case, I’d be glad to take a look around your place, see if I can offer some security device. You at least need to set up a folder to document all his contact. A paper file and a digital one.”

Celia sighed. “Sure, that would be great. But like I said, he’ll eventually forget about me.”

“You may not be that easy to forget.” Keith smiled.

“Thanks for the compliment, but I’ll be fine. See you next week.” Celia waved at the woman behind the desk, walked to her car, and drove home still thinking about what Natasha had said. She hadn’t told Natasha or Keith about her conversation with her father. That would have led to a whole other series of probing questions that Celia didn’t want to answer. And it would have given the actress more reason for concern about Bart.

Celia opened her mailbox and groaned. It was apparent from the packed box that she hadn’t checked her mail for almost a week; she sometimes forgot when she was busy. After unlocking her door and dropping her briefcase and purse in the entryway, she began sorting through the thick stack.

Bills...bills...coupons...

Then Celia stopped. There was an envelope with no stamp and Celia’s name printed on the front. She opened it, read it, and then dropped into a kitchen chair.

Celia:

You can’t betray me. I will know. I love you. We belong together. I’m not giving up. Be careful how you reject me.

Celia’s first impulse was to rip the note into tiny pieces. However, instead, she put it back in the envelope and placed it in the top drawer – her junk drawer. It was from Bart, and it bothered her more than the calls and emails. In those, he just begged to see her or tried to convince her they should be together. Sure, he was manipulative, but weren’t most people that way when they wanted something? Celia had pulled more than a few strings in her own career, and Natasha certainly knew how to manipulate. Even John seemed to know which buttons to push.

But the threat in Bart’s handwritten note was clear. And he didn’t sign it. In all his somewhat pathetic attempts at romantic pleadings, he never hid who he was. Celia knew he was trying to scare her, but mostly she felt pissed. Bart wasn’t going away quietly, and nothing she said or did seemed to deter him. It was late, Celia was tired, and she hadn’t eaten since the prior evening. Bart wasn’t going to ruin a quiet night home with takeout. She took the note out of the drawer and tore it in half before tossing it into the trash can. Taking the menu from Marlene’s restaurant off of the refrigerator, Celia dialed the number to order her dinner.

Chapter 16

“So how are you?” Keith asked Celia as they started down the hallway toward Room 4.

“I’m doing pretty well. Ready for the weekend.”

“Yeah, me too, I’m off this weekend, so I can finally enjoy some free time.”

“Do you work many weekends?”

“Every other one,” Keith replied. “I get time-and-a-half then.”

“Nice.” Celia smiled.

“That Bart guy giving you any trouble?”

“Keith, you don’t have to worry about me. It’s all good.”

Keith shrugged and opened the door. “Enjoy your interview.”

Celia smiled and nodded as Keith closed the door. Natasha was already sitting in her place.

“You look terrible,” Natasha said. “You look the way I do when the noise in here prevents me from sleeping.”

Celia tossed the notebook on the table in front of her. “Gee, thanks.”

“No offense intended. I’m worried about you.” She raised a hand when Celia raised an eyebrow. “Okay, I’m curious. Are you not sleeping?”

“Not really,” Celia sighed.

“Why not? Your job? Your admirer?”

“I appreciate this, but I’d rather not talk about it.” Celia realized she didn’t have her recorder. “Well, crap.”

Natasha sat back and watched Celia quietly. Celia considered knocking on the door and having the guard walk her back to get it, but that would take at least ten minutes from the interview time.

“Screw it,” Celia laughed. “You may have to talk slowly today. We’re going old school.”

Natasha shrugged. “Or I could do the note-taking?”

“You write fast?”

“I know shorthand.” Natasha chuckled at Celia’s expression. “I learned it for the secretary turned agent role. I try to immerse myself into a character’s skills.”

Celia swore happily. “That’s perfect. Great!” She slid the notebook and pen across the table.

“No problem. So where