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

“But why?” Celia said. “He assaulted you!”

“He didn’t punch me hard enough to leave any marks. I stayed late voluntarily. By that time I knew he’d hit on others, and nothing had ever been done about it. I agreed to talk to our attorney, though, just to get an idea of what I would be in for if I reported it.”

“And how did that go?”

“He was no help at all,” Dave said.

“He was just blunt,” Marlene said. “He was honest about what would happen, how I would be questioned, what John’s side would do, and how it would all likely play out. I promised Dave I’d think about it, but it all turned out to be moot anyway.”

“Moot?”

“I missed the next day, took a sick day, which must have made John nervous. When I went back to work, he asked to see me in his office. I knew something was up.”

“Because John never wants to meet in his office,” Celia said.

“Yep. Well, his attorney was there, and they had this paperwork all laid out. I could resign quietly, sign an NDA, and he’d give me a nice chunk of money for my trouble.”

“No way!”

“Yes, way. Like I said, I have no doubt this had happened before me. It was almost like he knew the drill. I told him I needed 24 hours. Boy, he did not like that. But I’m not making any choice like that without talking to Dave.”

“I still wanted to pursue charges, but I also knew Marlene didn’t want to go through all that. And I knew how badly she had always wanted a restaurant. So we decided to look at the offer as an opportunity that came out of something crappy.”

“So you signed, and you used the money to open this place,” Celia said.

“We did.” Marlene cringed. “Do you think I’m terrible? A coward?”

“God no!” Celia said. “Look, I wish John would get locked up for his behavior. But I read the papers. Hell, we write stories like this. He said she said after hours. No marks. No complaints filed officially. I think you did exactly what was best for you. That is all that matters. I just wish I had known what you were facing.”

“I couldn’t say anything. I signed the NDA. It still makes me nervous, but him being out there and angry makes me more nervous. He gets angry when things don’t go his way.”

Celia looked at Dave and Marlene. They still seemed to be holding back, and Celia was hoping it wasn’t what she feared. “You’ve seen him, haven’t you?”

“The week after he left the paper, we were in the middle of the lunch crowd, and he walked in. I was helping out at the bar that day. Someone was out sick. He asked the hostess to seat him in the bar section. Since she had no idea who he was, she did.”

“Had he ever been here before?”

“Never. In fact, I don’t know that I have even run into him since I left the paper. But that day he sat there and ate the slowest lunch anyone has ever eaten here. And he just stared up at the bar. I knew he was watching, so I just avoided looking in his direction. I was supposed to go home between lunch and dinner, but it made me so nervous, I just stayed. I didn’t know if he was waiting outside or what.”

“Has he been back?”

“No, he hasn’t. But I have no idea if he is still in the city or if he has left. I watch everything around me when I go out, and I hate thinking about having to serve him again. But I can’t throw him out. People would wonder why.”

“And he made sure you couldn’t tell them, or you’d be in breach of that agreement.”

“Exactly.”

“What an ass,” Celia said. “Look, I’ll see what I can find out. In the meantime, document every single thing that even feels off. And never be here alone.”

“No worries there,” Marlene smiled. “Dave has been hovering since I found out I was pregnant.”

“Not hovering!” Dave protested. “Just...protecting.”

“Good,” Celia said. “I have to go. But I’ll be snooping, and I’ll let you know, okay?”

“You don’t want anything to eat?” Marlene asked.

“I’m not hungry. Besides, if I eat garlic and then go to bed, I’ll regret it in the morning.” Celia hugged Marlene, nodded at Dave, and left the restaurant.

Chapter 23

Keith and Celia decided to meet at a local Tex-Mex place. At 7:00, Celia arrived to see Keith already seated, sipping a Michelob Ultra. She tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned his head quickly. “I didn’t peg you as a light beer guy.”

“Celia, glad you’re here.” He flexed a bit. “Yeah, gotta watch the figure.”

“Oh brother,” she rolled her eyes. “A macho cop.”

“Gotta stay ahead of the bad guys. Want something to drink?”

“I’ll take a margarita.”

Keith flagged down a waiter, and Celia ordered her drink. She grabbed a chip and looked at Keith. “So this is you relaxing. I’m glad to see you actually do it.”

“I try to as much as I can.”

“Yeah, I’m sure things at the prison aren’t always calm.”

“Believe it or not, now that I work in Natasha’s section, it’s much better than I worked with the general population. Who knew women could be so violent.”

“That’s a little sexist, don’t you think?”

“I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just, my first job was at a men’s jail. Those guys were rowdy and always up for a fight. You could never let your guard down. I mean, they’d crack a guy’s head open if he got more eggs than they did. It’s been my experience that most women aren’t that ridiculous. That smarter sex.”

“Nice save,” Celia teased. “No, sadly, women can be just as petty and ridiculous. We just do it over different things sometimes. Though if someone got between me and a really good western omelet, I might punch them.”

“I’ll remember that. Figure or not, I’m thinking you might