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Color flushed her cheeks as she raised her gaze to his “Might as well see just how crazy I am”
“I don’t think you’re crazy”
His words did little to ease the tension banding her chest “This kind of journaling is crazy”
“Not necessarily” A smile quirked his lips “I appreciate attention to detail”
That jostled a laugh “I take it to a whole new level”
“What happened?”
Slowing her breathing calo, I e My father had just died andwell, when Philip ca influence I was craving” Her throat tightened “My dad and I were close, and when I lost himit was hard”
Alex’s expression softened with empathy However, he didn’t say a word
“We got closer and closer, and he just kind of took over my life He asked me to marry him I shouldn’t have said yes I should have broken it off then, but I was afraid of being alone My ht I knehat I wanted We got married in a simple ceremony a few days later It never felt okay He had a way ofme feel as if I failed him When I was accepted in vet school, I knew I’d have to lad for the break froined I’d commute home on the weekends Philip hated the idea I didn’t really have the money for the first year, so I had to defer my entrance He was thrilled I wasn’t I worked as ot to leaving, the ot”
“How et?”
“A lot worse He started hitting uilt “And I took it for a while because he’d be so sorry afterward” She shook her head “My story is a million years old and has been replayed countless times” She sotwithout Philip watching
“I filled out a restraining order, which he never honored at all The cops toldso they could consider stalking charges That’s when I started keeping the journal”
“How es are in there?”
A bitter smile twisted her lips “I’ve never been able to stop journaling”
“How many?”
“Hundreds”
He absorbed the detail with no judgment “And Latimer fled Nashville after your attack and died just weeks later”
“Yeah, very convenient He was able to escape h theand missed the cops by seconds” She unfurled her hand to reveal the scars “You were right to know these were defensive wounds”
Alex tipped his head back, seen to him
“He broke into my apartment and stabbedI would die”
“But you hung in there”
“The eency room doctors said if it had been another five minutes I would have died”
His jaw tightened and a n that he’s alive?”
“Nothing”
He traced a long finger over a black journal “Why have you kept the journal?”
“PTSD, I think It’sIf I can look at the day’s events, or even events from weeks or months back, and see no patterns of trouble, I feel okay”
“Why didn’t you tell me about this before?”
“It never occurred to ht be alive, or that Deidre knew Philip It never occurred to ht be linked to her death”
He druertips on the table “I still have no solid link between Deidre and Philip They worked together, yes, but I can’t prove they ever communicated”
“How did she land on your radar?”
“Money wentfrom evidence in the Nashville Police Department My brother asked me to look into it Her name popped up almost immediately And then we found one of Deidre’s old business cards near the body of a murdered man”
“Who was killed?”
“We still haven’t identified him The killer chopped off his hands, feet, and head and set fire to the body”
She grimaced
“My plan was to interview Deidre about the body, but she died” He leaned back in his chair “There was a listening device in her town house We’re not sure who put it there”