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No sign of the man who d lurked across the street.
Somewhat reassured by neighborhood activity, she returned to her house and locked the door.
She couldn t, though, convince herself to open the curtains on the front window.
Chapter Eleven
 That asshole is trying to ruin your girlfriend s chance to get a job? Dace said as he and Mick as
they entered the Sheriff s Department after an afternoon of traffic stops. Everyone in the county
was speeding today as if the world was on fire and they would miss the show.
Girlfriend? Mick didn t know if he wanted to call Celeste that. Would she want to claim that spot
in is life? He didn t figure Dace would care, so he moved to a neutral enough answer.  Seems
so.
 Maybe she could sue him for defamation of character if anything bad comes of it.
Slow burning anger twisted in Mick s gut.  She might have to if this costs her the job.
Mick found a message from the school administrator on his desk and dialed the man right away.
Mick hoped to help Celeste put this annoyance to bed.
When Lenderson picked up, Mick launched into reassuring the man that Celeste s character was
impeccable, and she was perfectly stable. Mick explained that Huntley planned to discredit her.
 I ve known Celeste since we were teenagers, Mick said.  She s reliable and works hard.
 Well, was she a good kid? No drugs or drinking?
 She didn t drink or take drugs. And yes, she was a good kid.
 Well, deputy, I appreciate your feedback. It s just that this situation has the staff a bit worried.
 In what way?
 Well...
Mick wished the guy would stop using that word.
 I ve talked with a couple of teachers at the school who grew up here, Lenderson said,  and
they told me what happened to Celeste when she was a teen.
Ah, shit. Mick could see the writing on the wall and didn t like it one bit.  Such as?
Mick heard the man swallow.  The near rape. A horrible thing for a young lady to go through.
Perhaps it s a given she has some issues.
Mick tried regulating his voice, but he knew it came out cold.  It would give any woman issues,
but that was a long time ago, and she s perfectly fine. It doesn t impact her qualifications to
teach. You ve got to remember that the man who told you this crap about her is a stalker.
 And you said he is here in town?
 Yes.
 That worries me even more than before. It could add another dimension to this situation.
 What kind of dimension?
 What if this stalker came into the school with a weapon? I ll have to consult with the board.
Oh, Christ. Shit was rolling downhill fast.
 Celeste Rice is a competent, wonderful woman. There s nothing Huntley can say to make any
difference in her selection for a position at the school. The chance of him coming into school
with a gun isn t likely.
 Well...that s to be determined.
Mick ran a hand over his face, his temper coming to a boil. He reached for the foam ball sitting
on his desk and squeezed.  You think because Huntley is a psychologist his opinion ranks over
mine?
 Possibly. No offense.
Right, you peckerwood. Do you think I m going to keep a watch out for your car and give you a
ticket first chance I have? Might not be a bad idea. No, he d never do that to Lenderson simply
because the man had no balls, but it was damned tempting.
Mick was glad that hadn t slipped out. He didn t need to add to her problems.
 Thank you for your help, Officer, Lenderson said.
Once Mick hung up, he muttered under his breath.  Peckerwood.
Trey was walking by Mick s desk, and his eyes were concerned.  That bad?
 Yeah. That bad.
Before Mick left for the evening, he d formulated an idea he hoped would help Celeste. She had
to agree to it first.
* * * *
The phone rang and Celeste halted halfway down the hallway to listen to the machine. She hoped
it was Mick.
No such luck.
Darrell s snide voice, rumbling with enmity and hostility, came over the line.  Pick up, darling. I
know you re there.
Anger directed her headlong flight down the staircase.
 I know you re there. Darrell s voice returned in that condescending tone.
She snatched up the phone in the living room.  Fuck you, Darrell.
The words rushed from her, anger driving away common sense like a stiff breeze blew around a
pile of leaves.
 Darling, how nice to hear your voice.
 What do you want, Darrell? Maintain. Don t allow him to ruffle you. She peeked around the
side of the curtain on the front window.
 Your surrender to the shadow self, that s what I want.
 Never.
 Never say never, Celeste. If there s one thing I learned in psychology class, it s that never is
about as useful as always when it comes to mental illness. I want you to fall off the edge with
me. Explore the evil living within you. I m a sociopath, Celeste, and I need you to understand
how I feel. What it is like.
She d never heard him say that before, and it stunned her.  You re a what?
 Come now, you know what a sociopath is.
She did, and the idea frightened her more than if he d been technically insane.  I know.
 Then you know I don t feel remorse. You know I could do whatever I want to you or anyone
else and I could care less. It s always been that way. I realize it s very unusual for a sociopath to
admit to being one. He laughed.  Even weirder to analyze and diagnose themselves. But I find
it easy and very freeing to know the truth.
Her stomach coiled in revolt, the nausea from earlier returning mercilessly.
 I want you to understand the darkness and all it can give you, he said.
 It doesn t work like that, Darrell. You are born a sociopath or you re not.
 You really did learn something from your college courses. I m proud of you.
 No you re not.
She clicked off the phone. Enough was enough. She tossed the phone on the couch. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]