Brenda Novak - The Perfect Murder

“I’m free for now, but I can’t be sure it will last. I have no idea whether or not I should be looking over my shoulder.”

“And I’m supposed to care?” she snarled.

“I can’t help wondering what’s happening back home.”

“As you can tell, I don’t give a shit. I’ve got to go. Don’t ever call me again.”

“Wait! Just one more question.”

There was another long silence, but he didn’t hear a click, so he spoke up. “Have you heard of a man named Sebastian Costas?”

“You’re kidding, right?”

Her response surprised him. “No. Why would I be kidding?”

“Anyone remotely associated with you has heard of Sebastian Costas.”

He gripped the phone tighter. “He’s contacted you?”

“He’s contacted anyone and everyone who’s ever known you. When you got me into this, you didn’t tell me I’d have him on my ass every step of the way.”

Malcolm didn’t react to the accusation in that statement. He was too preoccupied with what her words signified. “He’s looking for me, then.” He’d been afraid of this. Sebastian had been a thorn in his side from day one…

“What’d you expect? That you could kill his son and he wouldn’t mind? Why’d you have to do that, anyway? You didn’t say anything about shooting the boy. You only mentioned Emily.”

“What did you think would happen to Colton, Pam?”

“You could’ve left him alive. His father would’ve taken him.”

“His father would’ve gone after the money.”

“You mean like he’s doing now? God, I wish I’d never met you.”

“It’s a little late for that, isn’t it? You wanted twenty thousand dollars to pay off your credit cards before your husband found out you’d been shopping again, and I gave you the opportunity to earn it. Now you want to blame me?”

“I’m hanging up.”

“Wait! So everyone knows I’m alive?”

“Sebastian knows. Or at least he’s guessed. But the DNA evidence has everyone else convinced you were in that car-so unless he can prove otherwise you’re fine.”

Except that he was probably doing his damnedest…

“You’re lucky your family cremated that body before he started raising hell,” she added.

Thank goodness his mother had followed through. He’d laid the groundwork several weeks in advance by telling her he wanted to be cremated if anything ever happened to him. But until this moment, he hadn’t been sure she’d acted on his request. He’d watched the papers online, but they’d never included this detail. Not even the obituary had mentioned it. And until now he hadn’t dared contact Pam, who was the only person on earth who was supposed to know he wasn’t dead. “You’re even luckier than I am,” he said.

Obviously uncertain how to take this statement, she didn’t respond right away. When she did, her tone was wary. “What do you mean by that?”

“What we did saved your marriage, your family. Mine is gone.”

“Don’t cry on my shoulder. You’re the reason they’re gone. You wanted it. You could’ve spared the boy and you didn’t.”

Because he’d hated Colton almost as much as Colton ’s father. That boy was all Emily had lived for. “It was the only way our plan could work, and you know it.”

“No. You could’ve taken the money just like you did. Chasing five hundred thousand dollars would be a lot less of a motivation than chasing your child’s killer. You might’ve signed your own death warrant and mine, too.”

“Oh, quit sniveling. You were able to pay your bills, weren’t you?”

“And you paid for a new life. I hope you’re happy with it.”

“Up yours.” He disconnected, then sat staring at the flickering TV. Damn Pam Wartle. And damn Sebastian Costas. Sebastian and Colton were all Emily could ever talk about. Sebastian never would’ve treated me this way… Sebastian will pay for it. He wants Colton to have whatever he needs… I’ll ask Sebastian for a list of stocks. Maybe he can help us with some investments… You ever touch Colton like that again, and I’ll tell Sebastian…

She’d always acted as if Sebastian was tougher, smarter and more dependable than he was. She was proud her son was turning out so much like his father because she’d been in love with her ex. She’d probably been sleeping with him the whole time.

So why the hell hadn’t he shot Sebastian, too? He could’ve called him up and had him come over to find Emily and Colton, then placed a slug in his head. The bastard deserved it.

Malcolm smiled as he imagined Sebastian’s reaction had he been invited to that party-his shock and horror, his heartbreak when he saw his son lying in a pool of blood, his righteous but impotent anger as he faced the barrel of Malcolm’s Glock.

But it was just a dream. Malcolm hadn’t killed Emily’s ex. He’d told himself it was smarter to work quickly and efficiently, smarter not to include anyone else. The fewer victims, the better his chances of pulling it off.

Too bad. Not killing Sebastian had been a mistake. Now he had to worry, watch his back. And he couldn’t have that if he planned to start a new life with Mary.

He needed a clean slate, no one chasing him from the past-which meant he had to deal with Sebastian once and for all.

“Where were you last night?”

Jane’s hand froze, her coffee cup halfway to her mouth. The few hours she’d slept had been restless. Between the knowledge of what she’d done with Sebastian, skipping her workout routine and Kate’s absence at the breakfast table, it had already been an odd morning. Getting a call from Jonathan made it even more unusual. They spoke at the office whenever they passed each other, but he’d never called her before. And he’d certainly never questioned her whereabouts.

Trying to play it cool, she put her mug down. She didn’t want anyone at TLS to become aware of the fact that she’d slept with someone involved in her first case. Sleeping with Sebastian wasn’t a conflict of interest, but it wasn’t very professional. She was embarrassed by her own actions, and by the neediness that had caused them. “I went to bed early. Why?”

“At your place?”

His apparent confusion surprised her. She’d missed a call from him late last night, but she hadn’t thought much about it. If he was on an important case, either one of his own or one for TLS, he worked around the clock. She’d figured she’d touch base with him when she got to the office. “Of course. Where else would I sleep?”

“I don’t know, but you weren’t at home.”

“Yes, I was,” she argued. “This morning I saw that I missed your call, but I had my phone turned off when you tried to reach me.” At least that much was true.

His voice grew firmer. “Jane, I dropped by.”

Damn! What was he doing coming to her house? He’d never done that before. “When?”

“Just after midnight.”

“What was so important that you’d visit that late?”

“I was worried about you. I was at The Last Stand using the Internet because my laptop battery is on the blink. Then, out of nowhere, this guy showed up, asking for you. I said I was the only one there, but he demanded I tell him where you live or call you for him. He was angry that your business card doesn’t have your cell phone number.”

“Who was it?” she asked.

“Said his name was Luther. Wouldn’t give a last name.”

Latisha’s father. As long as she wasn’t facing his pit bulls, she could relax. “I know who he is.”

“You do?”

“Of course. He’s connected to my case.”

“He wasn’t too happy when he left. On the off-chance he managed to find you, I drove over to make sure you were safe. But you didn’t answer the door.”