Deadly In Stilettos (33 page)

             
‘At first, she acted as if she was not shocked by what I was telling her, but when I shared the part about you and your college professor, she was speechless. Come to think of it, that was when she wanted more and more information. She also offered to pay me for the information I had on you. I, of course, did not give it to her. But one day when I got to the office, my receptionist told me Anya had been by earlier that day, saying she wanted to leave something in my office. I have not spoken to her since that day. After you left my office, my receptionist told me Anya had been by earlier that day too, saying she wanted to leave something in my office. She called out of the blue that same day and said she was afraid for her life. She told me she was moving and if anyone asked about her, I was to tell them I had never met her. The entire conversation was confusing and strange. Deminis, what is really going on?”

             
Demi was not prepared to answer Brian’s question. She took a deep breath. “Anya and I have known each other for many years. In fact, we grew up together. Some would call us friends, but as you can see, that is not true. Recently, she began making threatening calls to me. I became real irritated and called her out on them. Through the years of my life, I have seen her everywhere I’ve turned. She pretended not to know me when I confronted her one day, but I knew she did.”

             
‘I’ve learned from a reliable source that she is mentally ill. Anya lost her license to practice medicine some time ago. She was committed to a mental hospital for trying to kill her last boyfriend just outside of Dallas about four years ago. I’m still working on who that boyfriend was, but when I find out, I will let you know. She has also tried to commit suicide several times. If she contacts you again, you should alert the proper authorities. There is no telling what Anya is capable of.”

             
Brian was speechless. He felt like an idiot. Why hadn’t he checked Anya’s background instead of taking her word? Now she was out there somewhere, a threat to society. He had to help Demi any way he could, or no telling what harm Anya would do. “If you need me to do anything at all, do not hesitant to call,” he told Demi.

             
As Demi got up to leave, she turned to face Brian. “If you really love her, just make sure you make her happy. She deserves it.” She walked out of the office feeling better about her and Tabi’s situation. They would speak later and try to salvage their friendship. Right now, she had to get back to Greg’s loft. It belonged to his cousin, who was out of town and had told Greg he could use it. It was time to tell the man she loved about her past. Demi only hoped she would be left heartbroken again. But at least if she was, this time it would be she who caused the pain, not the other person. Maybe this would be her way of freeing herself from all the wrongful things she had been subjected to. Her body was healing and her mind was clear. She knew that life could only get better for her from this point on. The only thing she was concerned about was finding the last person on her list and ending that final chapter.

             
The thought of Anya out there living a perfect life was not what Demi had in mind. If she had her way that would never happen. Anya did not deserve to live, especially when she tried to ruin the lives of so many others.  

Chapter 22

             
THE LETTER Greg read was alarming, the pictures even more. The pictures were of dead people, mostly men. The person who had sent them was anonymous, but the message was clear. The letter read:

If you know what’s best for yourself, get away from that psychotic woman of yours. She is dangerous, and does not care about anyone or anything other than herself. It is only a matter of time before you look like the people in these pictures.

              Greg looked around for somewhere to sit. He felt his lunch trying to escape, but fought back the urge to vomit. Who was behind such nonsense? Demi would never hurt anyone. Why was a picture of her father among the others? Just as he was about to call Dallas and speak with his Chief, the doorknob turned and in walked Demi. She looked pale. As hard as Greg tried to hide his thoughts, his mind had immediately gone to the other woman he were involved with. Could she be behind all this, as a sign of jealousy? Demi walked over to him, kissing him lightly on his forehead before taking a seat next to him. “Hi, Baby,” she said smiling. Greg wanted answers but knew that the time was not right. He wrapped his arms around her, letting her head rest against his chest.

             
“How was your appointment?” he asked. “Did the doctor say anything I should be worried about? You seem a bit pale.”

             
Demi sighed. Moving slightly away from Greg’s warm embrace, she sat up tall and looked him straight in the eyes. “There are a few things you should know. I should have told you a long time ago, but there’s no time like the present.” Greg wondered if what she was about to say had anything to do with the package he’d received earlier. He hid the envelope behind him, pushing it as far between the sofa cushions as possible. After a minute, Demi began her story.

             
“It started when my mother died giving birth to me. I never got a chance to meet her. My father did not want anything to do with me, blaming me for her death. My mother’s sister Charlotte raised me. She died from cancer when I was fifteen. After that, my life went completely to hell. Everyone from that point on treated me like crap in some way, shape or form. I was in a number of failed relationships, during which I was beaten, abused, and even raped.” Demi stopped to take a deep breath. She had to focus on remaining calm if she wanted to continue to share her story with Greg.

             
Greg wanted to comfort her, but knew it was crucial to their relationship that he heard all she had to say. Demi went on and he gave her his undivided attention. “I was determined not to let life get me down. I focused on my studies and received a full scholarship to Princeton University. I dated one of my professors, who turned out to be married. As soon as I found that out, I stopped seeing him. When I ended the relationship, he tried to kill me. Once I graduated, I received a great job in New York, where I met Enry. We were engaged. We were happy, or so I thought. When I refused to do what he wanted, he sabotaged my integrity. After the horrible break up with him, I relocated to Las Vegas. Just recently, one of my old friends started calling me, making threats. She and I were close before I left Dallas. She was upset that I did not come back. She wanted to make me suffer for hurting her when I left.”

             
Demi turned to Greg. “I would see her almost everywhere I happened to be. She would be at random places as if she knew I would be there. It was freaky at first, but a few times when I approached her, she said she did not know me. I knew she was lying, but I let it go until I began receiving those calls. I found out it was her and told her that. I have not heard from or seen her around since that day. In one of my relationships, I was deceived so badly. I’m still wounded from it. The man I was dating was kind to me. We had something special, but he was deceiving me all along. I moved to another state to be with him, only to learn he had married someone else while we were apart. A week later, after I moved back home to Vegas, he showed up at my house unexpected. I thought he was here to apologize, but the scene got ugly real fast. I ended up in the hospital. I was pregnant at the time, but had only known for a few weeks. He beat me so violently the babies never had a chance.”

             
Tears formed in Demi’s eyes. “I was in the hospital for months. There were many surgeries and therapy after that to try and repair all the damage done physically and mentally. But in the end, I was advised never to have children. I could possibly die giving birth and the child could die also. I can never have children of my own.”

Demi could no longer fight the tears. She cried from all the pain she had locked inside. Greg held her in his arms. He was in tears too. He was shocked to learn so many horrible
things had happened to such a beautiful person. The contents of the package he’d received had no relevance to him anymore. He would find the person responsible for sending it and have a word or two with them. Demi did not need any more pain. He would make sure she did not receive any. He shushed her, telling her everything would be all right. Somehow, Demi believed him. He held her so tightly she was not able to breathe. When she coughed, he laughed, releasing her. “We will get through this together,” he said. “No one is going to hurt you again. I promise!”

             
The doorbell rang, and Greg looked puzzled. He did not receive company, so who could be outside his door? He glanced at Demi and she shrugged. He walked to the door and opened it. Tabitha was standing there looking lost. The redness in her eyes told Greg she had been crying nonstop. Whatever happened between the two friends needed to be resolved? He moved to the side, letting her in. Demi ran into her arms. The two women embraced like old times, telling each other how sorry they were. Greg gave them privacy by leaving the room. As he closed the door to the bedroom, he got down on his knees. He was a praying man, so he did what he knew how to do best, he talked to his God. He prayed that Demi was not behind the horrible pictures. He prayed that whoever responsible was caught and brought to justice. He prayed that Demi and Tabitha’s friendship was restored. And Greg thanked his God for all the new information he now had about Demi. Once he finished, he felt relieved. His heart did not ache so much anymore. Before he got up off his knees, he asked God to restore Demi’s faith in people. Although she had suffered greatly throughout her life, he prayed that she would be set free once and for all.

             
Tabitha apologized again to Demi, telling her she never meant to hurt her. Demi told Tabitha everything about her visit with Brian, and the fact that he had been deceived by Anya Bankston. She shared with Tabi how much Brian loved her and wanted to be with her. She told Tabi to give him another chance. Tabi reluctantly agreed, making no promises about the future.

Word about Enry’s death had spread, and the media were
covering it voraciously. Greg was shocked, but also happy that Enry was out of their lives for good. Laurel Cordwright was a prime suspect in the case, but no one knew where she was. Her parents had filed a missing persons report, but nothing had turned up yet. She vanished without a trace, which Greg found odd until he thought about that Martin guy. Something was happening right under his nose, but he was too wrapped in love to see it. To see that the woman he loved was a serial killer. He would soon learn of all the horrible things she had done without getting a second look from anyone. He would also soon be on the other side, feeling the wrath that caused death to creep up without warning. The voice in his head told him he should be relieved, but he didn’t feel anything. Why had he agreed to what he agreed to do?

             
Before Tabi left, she and Demi agreed to meet later in the week. Right now she wanted to see Brian to let him know she and Demi were okay. Greg watched as they embraced again before Tabitha left. He loved to see Demi happy. It made him happy, and his job easier. Too bad he didn’t know just who he was dealing with, and the friend who had her back, no matter what.

Demi turned to him. “Greg, are you okay? You seem a bit distracted.” He knew sh
e was worried that what she shared with him might have changed him feelings toward her. He reassured her that nothing had changed. His love for her was greater than ever. He wanted to protect her, making sure nothing else in her life caused her pain. Still, he couldn’t forget that package tucked inside the sofa. Someone was trying to tell him something, but what?

“
I will be leaving in a few days to go back to Las Vegas,” Demi said. “I have to go check on my house, and my boss wants to meet with me about some important protocol. It should only take a few days. I will be back before you miss me.” Greg was relieved. This would give him time to return to Dallas to get some answers from the person he knew was truly behind all this. The package had been sent from Dallas, so that was where he would start. If something wasn’t done quickly, he would be found out, and that couldn’t happen.