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

Celia stood and closed her door. “What do you mean? What could blow back on you?”

“Look, I can’t talk right now. I have to get to the restaurant. But are you interested in a late dinner?”

“Yeah, I can swing that. Are you okay in the meantime?”

“Oh, I’m fine. I just want to make sure all my bases are covered.”

“Well, I’ll come to the restaurant at closing then. 10:00?”

“Great. I’ll save some of your favorite.”

“Sounds good. Let me know if anything changes.”

After they exchanged goodbyes, Celia sat back in her chair and thought about John. Where was he, she wondered. And what in the world was Marlene worried about? She and John had seemed to get along fine. Looking back, she had resigned a little unexpectedly, but then again, Celia knew she and Dave had been planning a restaurant. Now, however, Celia wondered if there was more to the story. If John had a grudge, it certainly wouldn’t be too surprising if he looked for a scapegoat. Shaking her head, Celia redirected her thinking. There was no use speculating between now and 10:00. Besides, she needed to get some work done.

One of the things Celia did after taking over as editor-in-chief was to create a content calendar that could be accessed by the entire staff. It was set up so that each writer could add to or update the status of their own projects, but only she could change the master calendar. John had tried the old-fashioned paper calendar method, and it had been very inefficient, not to mention confusing. It was as if he didn’t trust some of the writers to manage their projects. As far as Celia was concerned, a writer who couldn’t be trusted didn’t need to be a writer. So she gave them more ownership of their work, and it cleared her plate for other things. She was hoping William would feel the same way.

At 2:00 that afternoon, William walked into her office and cracked the door. She noticed he rarely fully shut the door when meeting with her or others. Maybe it was a precaution. At any rate, they exchanged the normal small talk, and then William pulled out his tablet and became businesslike.

“It looks like your system is working well,” William said. “And I appreciate being kept in the loop. It builds trust, and it helps Multicorp promote the publication.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Celia replied. “I always thought setting up a calendar that could be partially modified was a good idea, but I could never convince John.”

William laughed. “I’m not surprised. John has never been a fan of any idea that wasn’t his own. It’s part of the reason I knew I’d have to replace him if we acquired The Journal.”

Celia studied William for a minute. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Well, John called me right after he left.”

“He did?” William interrupted. “He didn’t harass or threaten you, did he?”

“No, nothing like that,” Celia answered. “I mean, he tried to get into my head a bit, but that’s just John. That’s actually what I wanted to ask you about.”

“Okay, go on.”

“Well, there’s one story I’ve been working on that we haven’t discussed. I’ve been interviewing Natasha Bronlov. I didn’t say anything because she made it clear there could be no advanced promotion or leaks of any kind. Anything like that and her permission and access to her is gone.”

“That makes sense. You were protecting your source.”

“Yes, well, when John called, he said you knew about the interviews. He said he told you. And yet you’ve never mentioned it.”

William sat back and looked out the window. He seemed to be annoyed, but Celia didn’t sense he was annoyed with her.

“Well, being professional certainly never has been John’s way. Celia, I didn’t ask about your interviews because I know how pushy John had been. I knew if Natasha said no leak, she meant no leak. She’d do exactly what she said she’d do. I figured you would tell me about it once you had the whole story.”

His response surprised Celia. She was also flattered that he trusted her judgment. It was refreshing.

“I appreciate that, William. I want us to communicate. But this story with Natasha –“

“Is big. Maybe your biggest so far, considering the mystery around her and her upcoming execution.”

“Exactly. And I know it’s twisted, seeing that she’s a serial killer, but I want to respect her boundaries.”

“Nothing twisted about that,” William said. “Choosing to respect someone isn’t about the other person deserving it. It’s about who we choose to be. I’m sure Natasha appreciates it.” William smiled. “And that’s another reason I knew you were the right choice for Editor-in-Chief.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” William pushed himself out of the chair and buttoned his coat. “Well, I have to charm a rich bastard. It won’t be as much fun as this meeting, but it has to be done.”

“Ugh, better you than me,” Celia said. “Enjoy!”

William laughed and left the office, closing the door behind him. She heard him speak to Gladys, who laughed in response, and then he walked away. Celia smiled. It was no wonder Multicorp’s stock kept rising. The man knew how to work a room. Celia was also relieved to know he was fine with the story. She’d have continued either way, but it helped to know her boss wouldn’t try to sabotage her. In fact, he seemed to understand exactly how Tasha felt. Almost like he knew her personally. On a hunch, Celia pulled up a document listing links to articles and photos she’d collected. After a few minutes of searching, she found what she was searching for.

There they were. There were several photos of Tasha and William chatting at various events. There was a picture of them dancing, and at one of the events, he appeared to be her escort. She was a newly minted actress then and several years his junior. William and Natasha had known each other