Read Online The Perfect Murder by Brenda Novak - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Brenda Novak
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BrownEyedGirl: So what about this weekend?
WhosYourDaddy: I'll let you know.
BrownEyedGirl: When?
One minute turned into two, which turned into five. Sebastian was afraid he'd lost him, for tonight, anyway. He knew he should sign off and go to bed; he could hardly keep his eyes open. But he tried to stay awake, just in case...and ended up falling asleep at the desk.
65
Six
S hould he write back? Or wait for the night to pass and hope Mary would be less demanding the next time they talked?
Malcolm spent another twenty minutes in front of the computer on the kitchen table he'd rented along with the other furniture, trying to decide. He didn't want her to be as indifferent as she'd been before. Their recent conversations had been far more stimulating; he liked that she'd revealed her feelings for him. Despite her anger over what he'd done with Sherry Stewart, he'd known the chemistry between them was still there. But he wasn't sure where to take the relationship now that Mary was responding as he'd hoped. He hated to walk away, but he couldn't let her see him.
Being torn between what he wanted and what he knew he should do made him angry.
Damn it! He should never have started this. If he'd been able to go to the casinos, or patrol using his cop light and badge to generate a little excitement, or even go to a damn movie, it might not have gathered such momentum. But ever since he'd acquired Latisha and Marcie, he'd spent far too much time on the computer with Mary.
There was no use lamenting it, he told himself. Their relationship would've come to this eventually. Mary wasn't merely a diversion. He'd visited her place at least twice a week for months. He'd seen her kids playing out front and he'd stood in her yard, watching her move through the house. He'd thought about her a lot over the years, especially after he'd severed his past. She'd been the perfect fit, the one he shouldn't have let go. If he'd stuck with her, his life never would've become what it was now. They should've married and raised a family. Splitting up hadn't worked for either of them.
What a mess. With the incentive of half a million dollars and a fresh start, he'd imagined being able to walk away from his family and friends without a backward glance. He'd actually been eager to do so, had felt a sort of triumph in exiting with such a finale. He'd shocked and hurt them all, and they'd deserved it--
especially his immediate family. Nothing he did pleased his parents, but it was the 66
opposite for his older brother. And their baby sister had been absolutely worshipped.
But those people were part of the very fabric of his life. He couldn't seem to excise them without losing part of his own identity. And he'd discovered that his friends and acquaintances were just as hard to abandon. When he was planning to break away, he'd thought he'd mourn the loss of his career more than anything else.
But hanging on to his badge and his gun had softened that blow. When he went out driving at night, he got to enjoy the perks of power without having to answer to anybody. It was the people he missed. That was why he'd reached out to Mary.
It'd been pure luck that he'd been able to find her so easily. Had he not run into Francine, the girlfriend she'd hung out with in high school, he would've had a much harder time of it. But, thanks to seeing Francine in New York City while he was vacationing there with Emily, he'd learned about Mary's jewelry hobby and her Web site, even the city where she lived. That was all it took.
Locating her had given him such a sense of excitement. He'd felt alive again, hopeful that he'd be able to re-create a normal life.
But keeping his identity a secret was no longer satisfying. It was a hindrance. She missed him, wanted him, and he couldn't go to her. She wouldn't put up with this situation forever. Another man would come along and she'd fall in love with him instead.
So what could he do? She'd turn him in if he told her
BrownEyedGirl: So what about this weekend?
WhosYourDaddy: I'll let you know.
BrownEyedGirl: When?
One minute turned into two, which turned into five. Sebastian was afraid he'd lost him, for tonight, anyway. He knew he should sign off and go to bed; he could hardly keep his eyes open. But he tried to stay awake, just in case...and ended up falling asleep at the desk.
65
Six
S hould he write back? Or wait for the night to pass and hope Mary would be less demanding the next time they talked?
Malcolm spent another twenty minutes in front of the computer on the kitchen table he'd rented along with the other furniture, trying to decide. He didn't want her to be as indifferent as she'd been before. Their recent conversations had been far more stimulating; he liked that she'd revealed her feelings for him. Despite her anger over what he'd done with Sherry Stewart, he'd known the chemistry between them was still there. But he wasn't sure where to take the relationship now that Mary was responding as he'd hoped. He hated to walk away, but he couldn't let her see him.
Being torn between what he wanted and what he knew he should do made him angry.
Damn it! He should never have started this. If he'd been able to go to the casinos, or patrol using his cop light and badge to generate a little excitement, or even go to a damn movie, it might not have gathered such momentum. But ever since he'd acquired Latisha and Marcie, he'd spent far too much time on the computer with Mary.
There was no use lamenting it, he told himself. Their relationship would've come to this eventually. Mary wasn't merely a diversion. He'd visited her place at least twice a week for months. He'd seen her kids playing out front and he'd stood in her yard, watching her move through the house. He'd thought about her a lot over the years, especially after he'd severed his past. She'd been the perfect fit, the one he shouldn't have let go. If he'd stuck with her, his life never would've become what it was now. They should've married and raised a family. Splitting up hadn't worked for either of them.
What a mess. With the incentive of half a million dollars and a fresh start, he'd imagined being able to walk away from his family and friends without a backward glance. He'd actually been eager to do so, had felt a sort of triumph in exiting with such a finale. He'd shocked and hurt them all, and they'd deserved it--
especially his immediate family. Nothing he did pleased his parents, but it was the 66
opposite for his older brother. And their baby sister had been absolutely worshipped.
But those people were part of the very fabric of his life. He couldn't seem to excise them without losing part of his own identity. And he'd discovered that his friends and acquaintances were just as hard to abandon. When he was planning to break away, he'd thought he'd mourn the loss of his career more than anything else.
But hanging on to his badge and his gun had softened that blow. When he went out driving at night, he got to enjoy the perks of power without having to answer to anybody. It was the people he missed. That was why he'd reached out to Mary.
It'd been pure luck that he'd been able to find her so easily. Had he not run into Francine, the girlfriend she'd hung out with in high school, he would've had a much harder time of it. But, thanks to seeing Francine in New York City while he was vacationing there with Emily, he'd learned about Mary's jewelry hobby and her Web site, even the city where she lived. That was all it took.
Locating her had given him such a sense of excitement. He'd felt alive again, hopeful that he'd be able to re-create a normal life.
But keeping his identity a secret was no longer satisfying. It was a hindrance. She missed him, wanted him, and he couldn't go to her. She wouldn't put up with this situation forever. Another man would come along and she'd fall in love with him instead.
So what could he do? She'd turn him in if he told her
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