Murder Most Unusual by Michelle Somers

Author:Michelle Somers
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Mystery
ISBN: 9780648018810
Publisher: Michelle Somers
Published: 2017-01-30T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Forty-Two

Chase watched Stacey’s shoulders square, as if she were ready to take on the bastard killer.

God, he loved that about her.

He pushed the slip of that thought away, back into whatever crazy box it came from. It was just an expression, the sum of which didn’t add to the value of the individual words.

“Love” was an emotion he had no rights to. Not without the backup of a future behind it.

All he knew was Stacey wouldn’t face the bastard. And if he couldn’t control that, he’d ensure the one thing he could control – she wouldn’t face him alone.

‘He’s baiting you. It’s the kind of thing these sick bastards do.’

She dropped back into the couch, her shoulders slumped again, even as she still clutched the letter in her white-knuckled hand. ‘I’ve met him, haven’t I?’

‘More than likely.’

‘I hate this.’ The words were so soft, they could have been thoughts. Hers.

His.

Because he hated it too. Hated that she was scared. Hated that he felt powerless to take it all away. A detective’s badge and gun meant shit when he couldn’t get a handle on the son of a bitch psycho.

‘I can’t believe your idiot publisher thought it was a good idea to keep these letters a secret.’

Before his eyes she seemed to shrink even further into the couch.

‘What is it, Stacey?’

She lifted her head, her gaze miles away. ‘I spoke to Beth about it before …’ She swallowed, waving her hand rather than voicing words too painful. Too real.

He noticed she no longer called the other woman Morticia. Hadn’t for a while now, even leading up to her death.

‘What did she have to say?’

‘That Des was behind keeping those letters secret. And that he guessed the killer was copying my book as early as June last year.’

Fuck!

He grabbed his phone from the table. ‘He’s a fucking idiot!’

‘He kept it quiet for me. To protect my book.’

His finger pulled back from dialling Jayda’s number.

‘And you think that warrants the lives lost since then?’ He couldn’t prevent the scathing in his voice. Saw it slap Stacey as sure as a palm-slap across her face.

She leapt up from the couch and glared at him across the table. ‘Of course I don’t. I didn’t want this! I never asked anyone to protect me or push me or make me famous. Not like this.’

Her chest heaved, her eyes wild, trapped, like an animal the moment it realised there was nowhere to flee. ‘All I wanted was to write. To have people read my books. Now it’s as if everyone around me has taken my dream and run with it until it’s not even mine anymore.’

Large tears slid down her cheeks, unchecked, her body shaking so hard he thought she might shatter with the slightest touch.

‘Dammit, Stacey.’ He skirted the table. Turned his anger inward.

You idiot.

Stacey wasn’t to blame. She was just as pissed – probably more so – at discovering the truth. He pulled her into his arms and held her trembling body tight until she softened against him.

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