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

“I never doubted I could trust William,” Tasha seemed to read Celia’s mind. “When I was arrested, he got a message to me right away. Let me know he was there for whatever I needed. I wouldn’t let him visit during the trial, though. I didn’t want anyone harassing him.”

“So did you ask him about who should do these interviews? He does run a media company. I’m a little surprised you chose me, even now.”

“William has tried to acquire your paper before. It’s on the cusp of rivaling publications like US News and Global Times. Your old boss was an idiot, however, and blocked it.”

“I’d heard that,” Celia said.

“This time though, he did lots of homework. He knew where John’s weaknesses were, and he knew his secrets. He was going to acquire the paper, and he wanted to be the one to tell my story, should I ever decide to share. I was glad to give him that.”

“It makes sense. He was a good friend. But that still doesn’t explain choosing me.”

“I noticed your writing in the wake of 9/11. Of course, I was busy with my own life, but your writing struck me. There was a familiarity about your voice.”

“Familiarity?”

“Yes. You were pragmatic. You didn’t spin things with emotion. In fact, you didn’t seem to be swayed by emotion at all. It stood out at the time because everything was a drama.”

“And that was familiar?”

“Yes. It reminded me of me. When I was sentenced, I began researching you in earnest. I had some help. And I began seeing connections.”

Celia thought of Paul. “What kind of connections.”

“Well, there were little things. But when I realized that we had both known Paul, it seemed like a sign, if I believed in signs. It wasn’t hard to realize you had likely found a way to win that internship.”

Celia looked away. She was both impressed with Tasha’s intuition and bothered by the fact that Tasha seemed to be drawing parallels between them. It wasn’t as if Celia hadn’t done the same throughout their interviews, but she still wasn’t crazy about the comparison.

“There’s no need to be offended. We are led to think that everyone is supposed to cry over sad movies and moon over puppies and feel guilty when we take those grapes from the produce section of the grocery store. But not all of us feel that way. Once you realize it doesn’t make you a monster to not be ruled by emotion, it’s actually freeing.”

“But,” Celia hesitated. “Isn’t what you are describing exactly what it means to be a sociopath?”

Tasha laughed. “You’ve watched too much television. People like us don’t go around murdering everyone we don’t like. We just see more clearly.”

“You did,” Celia half-joked.

“Oh honey,” Tasha said. “If I killed everyone I didn’t like, there would have been a lot more than five. What I did was self-preservation. Tell me you wouldn’t do anything to protect yourself.”

Celia didn’t want to head any further down the road Tasha was traveling. “So you researched me, and for whatever reason, you thought I could tell your story best because...you think I am like you.”

“A little over-simplified, but that is the gist. I also knew William was going to become your boss. And I wanted him to be a part of this. He deserves that. I wasn’t sure when he would make his move, but I knew it would be before you wrote my story.”

Though she pretended to be making notes, Celia just doodled in her notebook. Knowing what she knew, it made more sense that Natasha reached out to her instead of a reporter who might want to inject emotion or outrage into the story. However, the idea that a sociopathic killer had chosen her was less than comforting. And while she had no doubt William was a good person, it bothered her that he had been planning part of her life for her, at least in a sense. Celia had lived most of her adult life doing everything she could to make sure she was in control of her choices and life. This made her feel a bit like a puppet.

Then there was the assurance Natasha seemed to have that they were alike. Yes, Celia had been a bit...aggressive in her pursuit of success at times. However, she had never hurt anyone. Paul’s life wasn’t over because of one internship, or it shouldn’t have been. He would have done well if he had been surer of himself. And her colleague's accident? There was no way Celia could have known that would happen. She certainly didn’t intend harm. And then there was Bart. True, she wouldn’t mind if a bus hit him, but if she was truly like Tasha, Bart would already be dead.

“You’re upset,” Natasha said. “Understand, I had to be careful. I’m a good judge of people, but I’m not psychic. And I knew you would benefit as well. No one has told this story. No one knows what you know. In fact, you have carte blanche to write everything. Even the pieces that weren’t recorded.”

“Thank you for that,” Celia said. “I do understand why you were so careful. I’m just not used to parts of my life being orchestrated.”

“You could have said no to my letter,” Tasha smiled.

“Only an idiot would have done that,” Celia smiled back. “So now I know that backstory.”

“Yes, you do. It was something I had not planned to tell you, but here we are. And now it’s your turn. What about this stalker? Is he keeping his distance?”

“He hasn’t directly violated the order if that’s what you mean. I’m being cautious.”

“That means he is indirectly violating it. You know he will not stop. If he didn’t stop when you told him to, when you threw him out of your office, and when you filed an order, he is not going to stop.”

“I hope that isn’t true. I have security measures in place.”

“And you have Keith.”

“Yes, I have Keith. He’s been a big help. Did you