by Laurie Nave
“I’m sure the women appreciate that,” Celia smiled.
“Not all of them. Criminals can be rough regardless of gender. But I can at least treat them like humans, not hit on them, and keep the peace with some dignity.”
“No wonder Natasha likes you.”
Keith chuckled and shook his head. “Here I was hoping it was my great physique.”
“Well, that probably doesn’t hurt,” Celia replied playfully.
“Yeah, right.” Keith rolled his eyes. “I think I’ll order some dessert.”
Chapter 24
“How’s it going?” Keith asked as he and Celia walked down the hall toward Room 4.
“Pretty good,” Celia answered. “It’s been busy. I didn’t realize how being Editor in Chief would change things.”
“I’m sure you're up to the task. Any news with your little problem?”
“Not lately, thank goodness,” Celia said. “But that reminds me. I hate to ask, but I need a different favor.”
“Sure. What is it?”
“John, my old boss. Can you find out if he’s still at his place? He’s been giving one of my friends a hard time. Not dealing with his career change well.”
“No problem. Is your friend okay?”
“I think so. I just want to make sure.”
Keith nodded and opened the door, where Natasha was already waiting. Celia thanked him, sat down, and began setting up the recorder.
“You and Keith seem quite friendly,” Tasha remarked.
“That is because we are friends,” Celia said. “And nothing more.”
“Such a shame,” Tasha sighed. “Maybe after our interviews are over you’ll give him your number.”
“He already has it. But somehow I think you already knew he did.”
Tasha laughed. “I’m afraid I’ve been a little too forthcoming in our interviews. You may actually know me well now.” She raised an eyebrow. “Of course, I know you as well.”
“Perish the thought,” Celia smiled. “So last time we talked about your father. We were interrupted before you told me about his murder.”
“Yes, sometimes I wonder if Keith listens in and opens the door on a cliffhanger.”
“True,” Celia laughed. “If he weren’t so law-abiding, I wouldn’t put it past him.”
Tasha chuckled but didn’t comment. “So I knew I’d have to be careful with my father. He knew I was angry, he suspected things, and he knew murderers. Who knows, he may have been one.”
“You think your father killed people?”
“My father did whatever he had to in order to ensure things went his way. I do the same, as do you.”
“I haven’t killed anyone,” Celia argued, a bit uncomfortable.
“Not yet,” Tasha said. Then she laughed. “Relax, I’m kidding. Like I said, I knew I should be cautious, but I was also angry. I was angry when I killed the attorney and the reporter too, but this was different. This was about betrayal.”
“That’s understandable.”
“First, I tried to access one of my father’s guns. I knew the combination to his safe; it’s how I got the gun for the first murder. But when I went to the safe this time, the combination had been changed. I realized then my father was afraid of me.”
“Well, he should have been. It was a pretty significant lie.”
“Yes, it was. However, that should have given me pause. If he was taking precautions, then the chances of me killing him without getting caught were pretty slim. But I was blinded. So I had to find another way to get a weapon.”
“Sadly, that isn’t as difficult as we would like it to be, is it?” Celia said. “It’s harder to walk into a store and buy one legally than it is to get one in an alley.”
“Exactly,” Tasha nodded. “But of course I could not do that. I was able to get a revolver, however. For several days, I attempted to talk to my father about my mother. I told him I was angry, but I knew he was trying to protect me. It was stupid, but it came from a good place. I told him I wasn’t sure I could have him in my life anymore, but I wanted to try.”
Celia nodded. Somehow she knew where Tasha was leading him, so she waited for the actress to continue.
“The idea that he might be cut out of my life upset him. His fear of being cut off superseded his suspicion of me. I knew it would. He began to beg for a second chance. So I told him I wanted to go together to see my mother, to at least see where she was buried and say goodbye. He readily agreed.”
“So you went to the cemetery where she was buried.”
“We did. The trip took a couple of days. He didn’t want to fly, and I didn’t question it. We used the GPS on my phone.”
“I see,” Celia said. That explained how the police knew where to find her.
“My father got a phone call while we were at the cemetery. It seemed innocuous as if it was from one of his friends. He told them he was on vacation and would take care of whatever they were talking about when he returned.”
“But it wasn’t innocuous.”
“No, it wasn’t. I had brought flowers for each of us to place on her grave. When he knelt to lay his bouquet on the ground, I shot him in the back of the head. Then I took everything from his pockets, his glasses, and the keys, and I drove to a hotel. Fifteen minutes after I checked in, the concierge knocked on the door. When I opened it, he stepped aside, and the police were there.”
“Were you surprised?”
“It’s funny. I was a bit surprised when the concierge stepped aside. But as soon as I saw the officers, my first thought was to chastise myself for being so idiotic. While I was manipulating my father, he was manipulating me.”
“And did you still have the gun?”
“Stupidly, I did. I had planned to take a different route home and discard it the next day. But there wasn’t time. My father had one of his friends tracking my phone, and when he did not call the friend back within half an hour, the friend called the local police and told them a murderer was at the hotel. He gave them my description and the location of the cemetery.”
“Damn,” Celia said softly. She had read an anonymous tip led to the arrest, but the reporter had no idea the plan was so elaborate. Like father, like daughter, she supposed.
“Yes, my father was smarter than I had believed. Underestimating him was a grave mistake. I should have known better.”
Celia made a few notes, and Natasha smoked in silence. Her father had betrayed her twice. First, he lied about her mother. Then he trapped her into being arrested. Celia felt a bit sorry for the actress. She looked up to see Tasha staring at the wall. She almost looked vulnerable. For a moment, Celia wondered whether she should bring up the topic of William after such a revelation, but the clock was ticking, and she had promised herself she would ask about him if only to see Natasha’s reaction.
“I hate to turn the subject on a dime, but I’d like to ask you something.”
“A change of subject would be appreciated,” Tasha said.
“William and I talked about my projects earlier this week. I had not told him about our interviews because I wanted to respect your privacy; however, he already knew because John told him.”
“Of course he did.”
“Yes, well, William didn’t seem at all upset that I kept it secret. In fact, he was pretty accommodating. He seemed to be glad that I cared about your privacy.”
“Almost as if we knew each other?” Tasha smiled.
“Exactly. I’ve seen some photos of the two of you. It seems like you were friends. Or maybe more?”
Natasha crushed her cigarette and laughed. “Surely you know that I am not William’s type.”
“I had heard that, but I wasn’t sure. Look, it doesn’t matter, I guess. But it felt like there was something there I didn’t know about, and I am not fond of that feeling.”
“I understand that. And now that we have talked and I know that I was right about you, I’ll be glad to fill in the missing pieces.”
“I’d ap
preciate that.”
“I have known William for years. He approached me at a premier event, and we became friends. My father seemed to take an instant dislike to him, so of course, I spent lots of time with him after that. He took me to my first awards show.”
“Yes, I saw that photo.”
“People speculated, but I knew William was gay. He was always very respectful and kind, and he shielded me from a lot of probing eyes and ears. He couldn’t stand my father, which I enjoyed immensely.”
“Really?”
“Yes, he was very upfront with me about it, He thought my father was using me. He was the one who suspected my father might compromise my privacy if it meant notoriety. “
“Wow,” Celia said. “Then again, he does seem pretty perceptive.”
“He is. We remained friends, but I didn’t advertise it. Neither did he. I didn’t want the press hounding him the way they did anyone they thought would give them a quote. I tried to distance myself after my arrest. But we remained in touch. He was the one who gave me information about my mother.”
Celia was shocked at the revelation. It made sense that William would know a lot of people. But Tasha must have really trusted him if she reached out to him in that way. After all, it could have clued him in to her plans, and she could have been exposed.
“I never doubted I could trust William,” Tasha seemed to read Celia’s mind. “When I was arrested, he got a message to me right away. Let me know he was there for whatever I needed. I wouldn’t let him visit during the trial, though. I didn’t want anyone harassing him.”
“So did you ask him about who should do these interviews? He does run a media company. I’m a little surprised you chose me, even now.”
“William has tried to acquire your paper before. It’s on the cusp of rivaling publications like US News and Global Times. Your old boss was an idiot, however, and blocked it.”
“I’d heard that,” Celia said.
“This time though, he did lots of homework. He knew where John’s weaknesses were, and he knew his secrets. He was going to acquire the paper, and he wanted to be the one to tell my story, should I ever decide to share. I was glad to give him that.”
“It makes sense. He was a good friend. But that still doesn’t explain choosing me.”
“I noticed your writing in the wake of 9/11. Of course, I was busy with my own life, but your writing struck me. There was a familiarity about your voice.”
“Familiarity?”
“Yes. You were pragmatic. You didn’t spin things with emotion. In fact, you didn’t seem to be swayed by emotion at all. It stood out at the time because everything was a drama.”
“And that was familiar?”
“Yes. It reminded me of me. When I was sentenced, I began researching you in earnest. I had some help. And I began seeing connections.”
Celia thought of Paul. “What kind of connections.”
“Well, there were little things. But when I realized that we had both known Paul, it seemed like a sign, if I believed in signs. It wasn’t hard to realize you had likely found a way to win that internship.”
Celia looked away. She was both impressed with Tasha’s intuition and bothered by the fact that Tasha seemed to be drawing parallels between them. It wasn’t as if Celia hadn’t done the same throughout their interviews, but she still wasn’t crazy about the comparison.
“There’s no need to be offended. We are led to think that everyone is supposed to cry over sad movies and moon over puppies and feel guilty when we take those grapes from the produce section of the grocery store. But not all of us feel that way. Once you realize it doesn’t make you a monster to not be ruled by emotion, it’s actually freeing.”
“But,” Celia hesitated. “Isn’t what you are describing exactly what it means to be a sociopath?”
Tasha laughed. “You’ve watched too much television. People like us don’t go around murdering everyone we don’t like. We just see more clearly.”
“You did,” Celia half-joked.
“Oh honey,” Tasha said. “If I killed everyone I didn’t like, there would have been a lot more than five. What I did was self-preservation. Tell me you wouldn’t do anything to protect yourself.”
Celia didn’t want to head any further down the road Tasha was traveling. “So you researched me, and for whatever reason, you thought I could tell your story best because...you think I am like you.”
“A little over-simplified, but that is the gist. I also knew William was going to become your boss. And I wanted him to be a part of this. He deserves that. I wasn’t sure when he would make his move, but I knew it would be before you wrote my story.”
Though she pretended to be making notes, Celia just doodled in her notebook. Knowing what she knew, it made more sense that Natasha reached out to her instead of a reporter who might want to inject emotion or outrage into the story. However, the idea that a sociopathic killer had chosen her was less than comforting. And while she had no doubt William was a good person, it bothered her that he had been planning part of her life for her, at least in a sense. Celia had lived most of her adult life doing everything she could to make sure she was in control of her choices and life. This made her feel a bit like a puppet.
Then there was the assurance Natasha seemed to have that they were alike. Yes, Celia had been a bit...aggressive in her pursuit of success at times. However, she had never hurt anyone. Paul’s life wasn’t over because of one internship, or it shouldn’t have been. He would have done well if he had been surer of himself. And her colleague's accident? There was no way Celia could have known that would happen. She certainly didn’t intend harm. And then there was Bart. True, she wouldn’t mind if a bus hit him, but if she was truly like Tasha, Bart would already be dead.
“You’re upset,” Natasha said. “Understand, I had to be careful. I’m a good judge of people, but I’m not psychic. And I knew you would benefit as well. No one has told this story. No one knows what you know. In fact, you have carte blanche to write everything. Even the pieces that weren’t recorded.”
“Thank you for that,” Celia said. “I do understand why you were so careful. I’m just not used to parts of my life being orchestrated.”
“You could have said no to my letter,” Tasha smiled.
“Only an idiot would have done that,” Celia smiled back. “So now I know that backstory.”
“Yes, you do. It was something I had not planned to tell you, but here we are. And now it’s your turn. What about this stalker? Is he keeping his distance?”
“He hasn’t directly violated the order if that’s what you mean. I’m being cautious.”
“That means he is indirectly violating it. You know he will not stop. If he didn’t stop when you told him to, when you threw him out of your office, and when you filed an order, he is not going to stop.”
“I hope that isn’t true. I have security measures in place.”
“And you have Keith.”
“Yes, I have Keith. He’s been a big help. Did you know his story?”
“I assume you mean his sister. Yes, I know. Despite the television portrayals of riots and girlfriends and such, there are many very slow, dull hours in a women’s prison. And I have no one to spill any secrets to. Except maybe you, but you already know.”
“I’m actually honored if that makes sense. But I do have one more question.”
“I’ll do my best to answer.”
“You said William helped you find your mother. I understand he has a lot of connections, but your father went through a lot of trouble to hide her. How did William find her?”
Natasha bit her lip, one of the only signs she gave that she was hesitating.
“I don’t mean to pry too much about it.”
“No. it’s a fair question. I should have expected it.
“We can wait until next time...”
“William is my brother.”
Keith knocked on the door then, and Celia began to gather her things as
he walked into the room. She reached for the recorder, and Natasha grabbed her hand. It was the first contact they’d had, and Keith nervously touched the gun on his hip.
“I trust you,” Tasha said. “I’m trusting you.”
Celia nodded, took the recorder, and followed Keith without answering. They walked down the hall, and neither of them commented on Natasha’s violation of no-contact or her parting words. Keith kept walking with Celia until they were outside.
“You okay?” He asked.
“I’m fine. I promise.”
He nodded and walked back inside, and Celia walked to her car, a bit overwhelmed with all she learned during the day’s interview.
Chapter 25
Celia led her first staff meeting on Friday morning. It wasn’t the first time she’d organized a group or spoken in front of one, not by a long shot. However, it was her first meeting speaking as Editor-in-Chief, and she wanted it to go well. The feedback was good, and everyone was on board with the new calendar. Even the staff who had been skeptical or envious the day William had announced her promotion seemed amenable. When she returned to her desk, Gladys was smiling.
“Well, that’s the first time I haven’t heard some sort of yelling from the conference room.” She joked.
“I’ll try to do better next time,” Celia laughed.
“You know, now that I’m assistant to the Editor-in-Chief, I think I deserve a raise.”
You know,” Celia said, pausing at the assistant’s desk. “You really do.”
“Oh, I was teasing,” Gladys blushed a little.
“No you weren’t,” Celia replied. “Schedule a meeting between the two of us on Monday, and we can talk about it.”
“I’ll be glad to!” Gladys smiled and pulled the calendar up on her computer.
Celia chuckled as she walked into her office. Gladys had been there for a while, and as a result of Celia’s additional duties, Gladys had additional duties now too. Celia wasn’t sure what the protocol was for giving her a raise and how much she could decide on her own, but Gladys deserved it. She probably needed to look at some of the staff as well. John certainly never thought about their actual value.