Chosen by a Killer by Laurie Nave (fastest ebook reader TXT) 📕

“I’m glad everyone could make it.” A man dressed in an expensive suit stood to address them all. He was vaguely familiar to Celia, though she couldn’t remember his name. “Let’s go ahead and get started.”

“Where’s John?” Julia whispered as she sat next to Celia. Celia looked around and shrugged.

“For those of you I haven’t met yet, I’m William Keller, CEO of Multicorp Media. As of Friday evening at 5:00, we acquired this publication as one of our affiliates, and I’d like to welcome everyone to the Multicorp Media family.”

A few people applauded, and the rest of the room joined them. William smiled, lifted his hands, and continued. “Over the next few weeks, we’ll be speaking with many of you in this room to discuss the direction we are planning to take and get your feedback. We want this transition to be smooth, so, for the most part, things will be business as usual. You will continue to work on your current projects.” The room seemed relieved at the news.

“However...” William looked toward the back of the room. “We do have one promotion to announce. John Talbot has left us to pursue other opportunities, and we are appreciative of his contributions here.”

“I told you!” Julia whispered, elbowing Celia. Celia shushed her and rubbed the rib where she’d just been jabbed.

“Your new editor-in-chief is a seasoned journalist with international experience and a stellar reputation. Everyone, please congratulate your new Editor-in-Chief, Celia Brockwell!”

Celia stood slowly, while Julia cheered loudly beside her. The applause this time was fairly enthusiastic, although Celia noted a couple of sour expressions on the faces of colleagues who had hoped the promotion would someday be theirs.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Julia asked as Celia sat and William continued his speech.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me?” Celia responded.

After the meeting ended, people began to disperse, many of them stopping by to congratulate Celia on her new title. Once the crowd had thinned, William made his way to the back of the room.

“I gather from your expression during the meeting that you had no idea you’d been promoted,” William chuckled.

“I didn’t, sir, but I am very glad to be the new Editor-in-Chief.”

“Yes, I didn’t assume John would follow through and talk to you. I confess the shock on your face was priceless. Either way, we know you are the right person for the job.”

“I appreciate that,” Celia replied.

“I’d like to sit down with you if you have a few minutes. I want to get a feel for what you are working on to see if we need to reassign anything. You’ll be taking on more as the Editor, so I don’t want you too overloaded.”

Celia checked her watch. “I’d like to talk about that as well. Unfortunately, I have a prior appointment at 10:30 off-site. Could we meet after lunch?”

“That sounds fine. 2:00?”

“Perfect,” Celia said. “I’ll make sure my assistant knows.”

William walked away, and Celia walked toward her office. She was the new Editor-in-Chief, just like that! And Multicorp would afford her all sorts of exposure and opportunities. She couldn’t help but speculate what the raise might entail as well. But now wasn’t the time to daydream. She needed to be at the prison by 10:30.

When Celia walked into the familiar small room, she was surprised to see that Natasha had put on makeup and had her hair swept into a chignon. Other than brushing her hair, Celia had never seen her do anything particularly special to her appearance.

“I meet with my attorney today. He has an attractive assistant,” Natasha answered the unspoken question.

Laughing, Celia sat down and turned on her recorder. She slid two new packs of cigarettes to Natasha and wrote the date at the top of her notebook page. “I do like the hair.”

“Thank you. You wouldn’t believe how I had to charm a guard to allow me to have a few bobby pins.”

“I think I don’t want to know.”

Natasha laughed and leaned in for a light. Once she had begun smoking, she sat back again. “So is your admirer still determined as ever?”

“Oh God, yes. I’d never have gone out with him if I had known he would be impossible to get rid of. And there’s nothing that can be done. He plays just barely inside the lines.”

Natasha pointed her cigarette finger and scolded. “You shouldn’t dismiss him. Men like him are bad for all women.”

Celia waved a hand and fiddled with her notebook. She didn’t want to discuss Bart with anyone, even Natasha. Besides, she wasn’t going to let him ruin her day and good news. He was much more than an annoyance, but she’d handle it in her way, once she figured out what that way was. Today Celia didn’t want Bart in her headspace. “I’ve got it under control.”

“You know, I believe you do.” Natasha tucked a bit of hair behind her ear. “So who are we killing today?”

Celia laughed and then caught herself. Murder wasn’t supposed to be funny. “You do have a way of putting things, don’t you?”

“I try to be direct,” Natasha teased.

“We haven’t talked about Julian Hedges.”

“Oh, that we didn’t have to talk about him,” Natasha said dryly.

“There was speculation in some of what I read that your motive for murdering him was connected somehow to organized crime. Of course, the official record states there was a long-standing grudge over misconduct.”

“Julian Hedges should have been disbarred years before he died. He was a seedy little man, a transplant from Michigan. He was crooked, and he used his skills and position to threaten and betray others. The organized crime bit was just a means to ensure his death.”

Natasha was referring to the anonymous note that she had sent to a known criminal who Julian represented. He was rumored to be under investigation by the FBI. According to court records, Natasha had doctored a couple of photos so it looked like Julian and an agent were having a conversation. This man didn’t bother checking the validity of the photos or