If you think the past is forgotten-think again.
The Shadow Stalker series: Book Three: Dying For Attention
After the wedding, Carla believed the past was behind her. She never realized that sometimes relationships can come back to haunt you. It has been two years since defense attorney, Carla Summers met homicide detective, Nick Brunetti in Shadow of Death. They are now happily married and learning to adapt as newlyweds. Among the usual modifications that most couples face, Carla learns that someone from her past is stalking her. What she doesn't know is that Carlos, her ex-husband is searching for a disk he believes she has in her possession and will go to great lengths to find it. Trying to dismiss her terrifying memories of domestic abuse, she focuses her energy on representing Assistant District Attorney, Paul Wilmington, III who is the prime suspect in his wife's homicide.
Paul, whose daughter was murdered several years ago, is totally devastated by his loss and strives to prove his innocence with the help of Rachel Ward, who also works in the DA's office and is a friend of the family.
As Carla attempts to get an acquittal for Paul, she faces her own challenges: a break-in at her home and office, anonymous messages, and unwanted gifts. Quick to blame a former client for everything that is happening, Nick, her new husband learns that his dad, a widower is seeing a younger woman half his age and has recently announced his engagement.
Excerpt
The weather in late August brought humid temperatures and severe thunderstorms to the area. It was the middle of the night. Carla leaped out of bed as loud crackling sounds of thunder echoed in her ears. Staring out her window, she saw a torrential rain shower blanket the street of their home in Glendale Heights. A simultaneous ringing of the telephone just as the next sound of thunder cracked sent a chill through Carla. She pulled one end of the blanket toward her neck as she reached for the phone on the nightstand, next to her side of the bed.
"Hello."
"Honey, this is Nick. You won't believe what we found at the location Marcus gave us."
"You found the killer?"
"Yes, we found him. He's dead."
"Dead?"
"Yes. We're inspecting the crime scene now and will be able to match his DNA with that of the trace evidence we found on Colleen Williams. My question is...how much does Marcus know and is not telling us?"
"The DA's office isn't going to like this," she said with a sigh. "I'll have to ask Marcus if he knew Charles was already dead when the deal was made."
"Yeah, I know. Sandra Wilson was there at the scene. If looks good kill, we'd all be dead."
"I'm sure I'll be hearing from her soon."
“Yeah, I imagine so. I'll be in touch. I love you."
"I love you, too."
After hanging up the phone, she thought she heard a knock at the front door. She glanced at the clock on Nick's side of the bed. It's two o'clock in the morning. Who could it be at this hour?
As she climbed out of the bed, she reached for her satin robe and stepped into her pink furry slippers. All of a sudden the power went out. After slipping the robe on, she felt her way to the drawer on her nightstand, found a flashlight and pulling it out, flipped the switch to light her way.
The knocking grew louder as she paced herself across the floor, and into the living room. She looked out the peephole, but couldn't make out anyone there. Slowly she walked toward the large bay window and pulled back a corner of the drapes, directing the flashlight as she looked out. A lightening bolt struck near the large tree in their yard. As it did, a man's face appeared outside her window. She screamed and dropped her flashlight.
"Carla, Carla? Are you all right? It's me, Randall Turner."
What's he doing here at this hour?
She reached down and after searching for the flashlight, picked it up, unlocked the dead bolt, and opened the door. He was soaked from head to toe. "Randall, what are you doing here?"
"Seeing how severe the storm is and knowing Nick works the midnight shift, I decided to check on you." He noticed the flashlight in her hand. "Power outage?"
"I guess." She sighed. "Come in. You have to get out of those clothes or you'll get sick." She held his arm for support as he climbed out of his shoes and socks. Just then the lights flickered on. "Good. I'm glad the power is back. Listen, why don't you take a hot shower and I will see if I can find something for you to wear while I throw your clothes in the dryer."
He smiled. "You are very kind. I came to help you and it seems you are my angel of mercy."
Carla smiled. "It's nothing."
Chapter 22
"You can tell it's a stormy night. The weather makes people crazy," Jon Knight, a fellow officer said, shaking his head. "You would think there was a full moon out, too."
Nick grinned. Even though a crime could occur in any atmospheric condition, for some reason, tonight it seemed to escalate with the bad weather.
"The coroner's report just came in on that woman found dead in a motel room," Jon said.
"Overdose?"
"Yes, but not from the prescription or over the counter drugs we found near the body. There were traces of alcohol and Methadone in her blood stream.”
“Methadone?”
“It's a pain reliever and is also used to treat narcotic abuse.” Jon shook his head. “Not a pleasant thing. It relaxes a person to the point of decreased pain as well as a decrease in a person’s response to the pain. The victim can’t breathe and chokes to death.”
“That’s terrible,” Nick said.
“There is one thing that raises suspicion that it could be a homicide."
"What's that?"
"It seems there was scarred tissue to the outside ear lobe, post-mortem and one earring was missing."
****
A black Mercedes pulls into a nearby parking lot. Reshid shifts the car in park and checks an address in the phone book. After he shot Charlie he did a thorough cleaning of the apartment, and moved to a new location across town. Pulling out his cell phone, he sent a message to his employer. "This is Reshid. I've found the address where Carla Summers works. Perhaps the disk is in her office. I will let you know if I find it." After sending the message, he disconnected the call and slipped the phone inside his coat pocket. Although the rain stopped, the humidity felt like a sauna.
Putting the car in gear, he then proceeded around the high rise noting the secured building and the night security guard inside the lobby. Taking a quick look, he knew he needed a way to get into the building to scope out their security features. He smiled when he saw a small Help Wanted-Maintenance sign on the window along with a telephone number.
Chapter 23
After showering, Randall found one of Nick's robes hanging on the back of the door and slipped it on. He grinned. This is how it should be. Just me and Carla. It would be so perfect. He opened the door and walked out into the living room. He saw Carla carrying a tray with two cups of hot beverage.
"I thought you might want some coffee," she said setting the tray down on a coffee table. "How do you take it?"
He settled back on the plush couch and smiled. "Two sugars. Thank you."
She added two teaspoons of sugar and carefully placed the cup in front of him. "I was wondering about a couple of things," she said, taking a seat in one of the recliners across from him.
"Yes?"
"You said you knew my husband works the midnight shift. How do you know that? Also, why are you out at two o'clock in the morning in this storm?"
Randall took a sip of the hot beverage. "This is perfect. Did you know I prefer fresh ground coffee over instant?"
Carla cocked her head to one side and wrinkled her nose.
"That's right. I never told you...we are neighbors. I bought the house directly across the street. I've been watching you, Carla. I love you."
Carla gasped; her mouth was dry. Old feelings of fear and anxiety began to surface.
The golden lab puppy slowly wiggled out of the master bedroom and approached them.
"Angel," he gently lifted the dog into his arms. "How are you?"
Carla stared in amazement as the two interacted. She then glanced at the vase of pink and white roses on the counter.
"You sent the flowers and the puppy."
The edge of his mouth curled in a devilish grin as he continued to stroke the animal's soft fur.
Tiny drops of perspiration formed at the top of her forehead; her hands felt clammy.
I have to get away from him, but how? This is my home.
After a long moment of silence and tension filling the air, Carla took a deep breath and sighed. "Let me go downstairs and check on your clothes."
His gaze remained fixated on her until she left the room.
The basement door was located inside the kitchen. Seeing her cell phone on the counter re-charging, she grabbed it and carried it downstairs with her, in hopes it had enough juice to call Nick. She hurried to the dryer, opened the door and felt the clothes.
Good, they are dried. She glanced back toward the stairs praying he wouldn't come down after her. There was a backdoor exit if there was an emergency, but her car was parked around the front of the house, and she didn't want to go too far in just her robe and slippers. She quickly phoned Nick's office, but only got his voice mail.
"Nick, this is Carla. Don't call me, but I need you to come home immediately. Randall Turner is here. It's a long story, but I have a feeling he's stalking me." She disconnected the call and then slipped the cell phone inside a side pocket on her robe, and grabbed his clothes from the dryer. Looking toward the stairs once more, she sensed an eeriness in the whole house. She sighed as she took the stairs one at a time.
By the time she made it to the top and into the kitchen, the living room seemed a bit darker. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dimmed light. She could barely make out the tall and muscular man sitting on her couch.
"I love the lamps that have dimmer switches. It helps to set the mood." He whispered.
Carla coughed. "I...hmmm have your clothes. They're dried, so if you want to use the bathroom and get dressed..." Before she knew it, he stood, and with one quick motion, crossed the room and took her into his arms. The clothes dropped and landed in a pile on the floor.
"Carla," he said in a husky tone as he held her with a strong grip and pressed his lips to hers.
She tried pushing him away, but he was very over-powering. Finally, she got one hand released and slapped him hard across the face.
He winced as he backed away from her. His eyes opened wide showing both surprise and anger.
"Why did you do that?"
Carla was speechless. She backed away as he took several steps toward her.
"Why?" He demanded.
"Randall, you better leave."
He continued to pursue her until he backed her up against the fireplace.
"I love you."
"I'm happily married. Please, just leave me alone."
His eyes burned with determination and anger.
I will have you.
The long moment of tension grew as she tried to remain strong even as she saw the wild and desperate look in his eyes. Finally, he reached down, picked up the bundle of clothes, and walked toward the front door.
Carla held her breath as she watched him open the door and walk out without looking back. Quickly, she hurried to the door, slammed it shut, set all the locks, turned her back to the door, and heaved a sigh of relief.
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