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

Keith was waiting for her, and his expression wasn’t good. He motioned for her to follow him, and she could see that someone had pried the back door open. The camera above the door was smashed. Celia cursed and followed Keith inside. Then she stopped and gasped.

There were flower petals all over her floor, leading from the back door toward her bedroom. She followed their path and saw a package on her bed. Police were inspecting it, and she asked them to step aside so she could see. There were some discarded roses on the bedding, but it was the item in the box that chilled Celia.

It was her neighbor’s cat. It looked like the neck had been broken. There was no note or name, but Celia knew exactly who had left it there. She felt nauseous for a minute, and then anger took over, and she whirled around to face Keith.

“I want to see the footage.”

“Celia, there really isn’t a good view,” Keith said.

“I don’t care! I want to see it.” She followed him into the living room, and they pulled it up on his tablet. A man wearing a ski mask walked to the back entrance. He held up the cat in front of his face, and then he threw something, probably a rock, at the camera. After that, there was only snow. Keith pulled up the view from inside the living room, but all they could see was someone’s back carrying the box and dropping flower petals. It was Bart; Celia knew it was Bart.

“It’s Bart.”

“I’m sure it is, but his face isn’t anywhere. It’ll be hard to prove it’s him.”

“I know that’s who it is. No one else would do that.”

“Could it possibly be your old boss? He’s pretty ticked, isn’t he?”

“It’s too tall to be John. Not fat enough either. And this isn’t his style. He’d come closer to trying to steal a story than this. This is Bart.”

An officer approached them then. “What makes you think it’s Bart?”

“It’s his build and height. And no one else has been stalking me, following me, and trying to hack into my computer. He’s obsessed. And this clearly violates the order.”

“What about your neighbors? Could any of them have seen something? Do any of them also know Bart?”

“Not really,” Celia started to pace. “Wait, I’m pretty sure Lucille met him. Oh God, poor Lucille. She loved that cat. Has anyone talked to her yet?”

“We tried, but no one is home right now. We’ll follow up. Maybe she noticed something.”

“I can’t believe he was this bold.”

“It’s not that unusual. He’s been escalating all along, Celia.” Keith said.

“I’ve done everything I should. Changed my number, installed alarms, locked up my computer like Fort Knox. And he still got in!” Celia stopped pacing. “How the hell am I supposed to stop him?”

“Okay, let’s just take it a step at a time. You’ll need to follow through with a report. Let the police do their job here thoroughly. And I can fix the door.” Keith looked around. “But Celia, you really don’t need to stay here.”

“Where am I supposed to go? I’m not letting some psycho jackass run me out of my home!”

Keith led her to the couch and sat her down before continuing. “I get it. You don’t want to give him the satisfaction. But this isn’t a note or a bit of hacking. He broke into your house and left the neighbor’s cat. This guy is seriously unhinged.”

“Then we fix the camera, I get a dog. I buy a gun. But I’m not leaving my house.”

“Celia, all of those things are good ideas. But for tonight, at least for a few days, you don’t need to be here. Please.”

“I wish I’d been here. I’d have killed him myself.”

“Or he would have killed you. He’s desperate.”

Celia pressed her fingers against the sides of her head. She knew Keith was right, and it made her angrier to admit it. She needed to stay away for a couple of days, at least until the door was fixed and the camera was replaced. But where would she stay? She wasn’t going to ask Marlene. Putting a pregnant woman in danger wasn’t happening. Celia wasn’t the kind of woman who had lots of female friends. She supposed she could rent a hotel room, but that seemed even less secure than her home.

“You can stay with me. I have an extra room.” Keith offered.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“Oh come on, Celia, we’re adults. I’m not going to try anything, and neither will you,” He grinned. “It’s just for a few days.”

“Are you sure?” Celia stood up. “I really hate this guy.”

“I know. Pack a bag, and then we can go to my place.”

“No, I have to go back to the office. I’ll pack a bag and then come to your place after work. I’m sure you have to get to the prison.”

Keith frowned. “I’d rather not leave you.”

“There are police here. I’m fine. I have to get things done today. I’ll see you tonight.”

“Okay then,” Keith said. “Call when you get to your office.”

Celia nodded and went to her bedroom to pack a few things. As she tossed her toiletries into a bag, she tried to stop fuming. Losing control wouldn’t help anything. And what if he was watching somewhere? She wasn’t going to leave the house in a panic. No one was going to make her panic, least of all some idiot with a bruised ego. Once she’d finished packing, Celia left her house, still being scoured by police, and drove back to work.

“Everything okay?” Gladys asked when Celia walked by her desk.

“Yeah, just a broken light,” Celia lied. “No biggie.” She closed her office door and sat at her desk, trying to refocus. She’d stay with Keith, she’d keep working, and she’d keep her eyes open. She’d been serious when she mentioned a gun to Keith. However, if she decided to get one, it wouldn’t be from a store.