Fatal Attraction (Love Kills Duet #2)

12. Twelve

Twelve

Charlotte

T ears burned my eyes as my hands grazed over the DO NOT ENTER sign posted on Karl’s door, the frame marked in a perfect X with crime scene tape. I knew it was locked, but just for the hell of it, I grasped the knob, just to groan and smack my forehead against the door when I’d proven myself right.

What the hell are you doing, Charlotte?

Even I wasn’t fully sure. I supposed some part of me was trying to buy some extra time, so I could muster up the courage to walk up the two flights of stairs and knock on Angel Seigler’s door. After talking with Ben, going to Angel’s parents wasn’t an option. They’d likely treat me as they did Ben and slam the door in my face no sooner than I could introduce myself, and then call up their daughter to warn her there was another attorney trying to reach out about the lawsuit. There was no guarantee Angel was home, and despite the additional time I’d taken to rehearse what I’d say, I hadn’t debated what the next steps would be if she decided to slam the door in my face, much less what to say if her reaction turned out to be the opposite. He may not deserve my help, but Karl was right—he’d die in prison if I couldn’t pull this off. It was the fear of my failure that was responsible for all these goddamn tears still snaking down my face.

You have to do this, Charlotte.

It’s now or never.

I nodded to my inner voice and willed myself to move, wiping my face with my head raised high. By the time I was where I needed to be, pausing outside of what I believed to be the correct door, I glanced down at the sticky note for reassurance.

But then the door opened, and I immediately stepped back, taking note of the doorbell camera far too late.

Shit. Shit. Shit!

A stunning brunette with aqua blue eyes, dressed in a black sequined blouse and dark jeans, her makeup beautifully done, stepped out. My hands became sweaty fast, so I quickly shoved the sticky note in my dress pocket and forced what I’d hoped was a decent smile on my face.

“Hi,” I said gently to her. “Are you Angel Seigler?”

“I am,” she answered cautiously, her brows raised. “Who’s asking?”

“My name is—“

“Wait a minute.” Her pupils widened as they gave me another head-to-toe sweep. “I recognize you. You’re Charlotte Greene, Karl’s ex-wife.”

I looked away, expecting her to slam the door.

When she didn’t, I nervously met her gaze, watching as she pushed the door wider and said, “I knew you’d show up eventually,” with a smirk on her face.

“You… You were expecting me?” I asked, swallowing to appease the sudden dryness in my throat.

“Oh yeah,” she said as she closed the door behind me, locking it. “For about,” —she paused and counted it out on her fingers— “hell, close to a year now.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. Hell, her knowing who I was and the fact she willingly allowed me inside her home was gravely unanticipated.

“Would you like something to drink?”

“I’m okay,” I kindly refused. “Thank you, though.”

I glanced around the living room, noting how remarkably beautiful it was. The walls were royal blue with perfect, hand-painted clouds spread along the top of each wall, with tons of family photos set up in frames below them. A black sectional sat in the heart of the room, and mounted against the left wall was a giant flat screen. Under it was a medium bookshelf filled to the brim with all types of books from paranormal, dark romance, fantasy, and crime thrillers. I couldn’t help but move closer and browse through the selections.

“You like to read?”

“I do when I have the time. You have a fascinating collection.”

“They’re not all mine,” she muttered softly. “Most of them belonged to my sister, Kate.”

I tore my sight away from the books to find Angel sizing me up, her eyes narrowed, challenging me.

“I’m not here to cause trouble. I just want to talk.”

“About the lawsuit? There’s no need. It’s over with now that Karl is about to go on trial.”

“How do you know he’s—”

“Ben,” she flatly retorted. “He reached out to my parents, who reached out to me. He’s called me a few times, too.”

Huh. So, Ben really was telling the truth about that.

“And you haven’t called him back, why?” I asked as I sat down across from her.

She shrugged, then leaned back, comfortably spreading her arms across the back of the couch cushions. “I don’t know, really. Perhaps I’ve been waiting for you to come along and tell your side of the story.”

Now my anger began to flare.

Just what kind of game was she trying to play with me?

“I don’t know what you’re expecting me to say, Angel. I didn’t know they were seeing each other. I didn’t find out until the night of the accident, when I got the call about Karl being in the hospital.”

“I know that already.”

“Then what exactly is it you want from me?” I asked, my head cocked .

Angel sighed and then rose to her feet, and I noticed she was limping as she began stalking down a narrow hallway, entering what I’d guessed was a bedroom at the end. I wasn’t sure what to do, and I couldn’t ignore how this whole encounter had nothing but red flags flying over my head. So, just to be safe, I got up and steered closer to the door, wincing as the deadbolt slid back with a click that was definitely noticeable.

“You’re overdramatic,” her voice echoed from the bedroom. “I’m not going to hurt you, Charlotte.”

My brain instructed me to sit the fuck down, but my heart, it screamed at me to run and not dare look back. The war between the two went on for far too long because before I knew it, Angel was back, holding a large shoebox in her hands.

“My sister loved Karl,” she murmured, tears filling her eyes as she reclaimed her seat. “I know you may not want to hear this, but I really need you to listen to me. Please .”

Angel raised a hand, and it shook, weakly gesturing in a plea for me to sit.

Against my better judgment, I did, observing her a little too closely to both of our likings.

“I assume you’re here about the death threats,” her voice shook. “Am I right?”

I swallowed, my eyes widening as I nodded. “Ye-yes, I am. Karl told me he’d been receiving them, and that Kate was too. I didn’t believe him at first, but now that he’s been arrested for crimes I’m certain he didn’t commit, I decided it was time I find out the truth for myself.”

Angel nodded to that, tears leaking out the corners of her blue eyes. She opened the shoebox and then pulled out a photo of Kate and Karl holding each other, kissing.

“She really loved him,” she said again, sniffling. “A lot. Kate knew Karl was married to you, but she didn’t care. I… I’d called her a homewrecker. Told her what she was doing was wrong and that she had no business fucking around with a married man. But she just wouldn’t listen to me. Kate never listened to me.”

“What can you tell me about their relationship? When did Kate start receiving death threats?”

“Honestly, there’s not much I can tell you. Kate never talked to me much about her relationship after I’d called her a homewrecker. All I really know is that for a while, they were fine. Kate was all happy and giddy when they were together. But then suddenly, about maybe a month before she died, Kate came home one night freaking the fuck out—”

“Wait,” I interrupted, apologizing. “Did she live here with you?”

“Yes, Kate and I shared this apartment together. Well, that night she came home freaking out… She was hysterical. I’d never seen my sister that way before. Ever.”

She plundered through the box and then fetched a sheet of computer paper with a message that looked like it was cut out from magazines and glued together to form a sentence. It read, Count your days with him, bitch.

“This is the first one she received. She told me she found it taped to her windshield when she was leaving work.”

“Did you know Karl was receiving them too?”

“Not at first, no. It wasn’t until she received the second one when she told me Karl had been receiving them too.”

She showed me the second threat that read, Say goodbye.

My body shook as I read both of them over and over again, my lips parted.

Oh my God… Karl really wasn’t bullshitting me.

“And when did Kate receive this one?”

“The same day she died. Kate told me Karl was taking her out to dinner so they could talk shit out and figure out their next move. I was under the impression they decided to skip town, because she’d texted me about an hour after Karl picked her up and said she wasn’t coming home. She told me to do whatever I wanted with her stuff, and she’d call when she could. I’m not a detective or remotely close to it, but I’m not dumb—I can read between the lines. Those threats,” she said, swallowing hard as she closed her eyes, taking a moment to compose herself. “They may have been sent to my sister, but I don’t think they were directed at my sister, if that makes sense. I do believe someone was stalking them, but the more I thought about it—and trust me, I’ve had a lot of time to think this through—I don’t believe they were out to harm Kate. I think whoever sent those threats intended to kill Karl and missed their mark, accidentally killing my sister instead.”

“Have you told your parents about this?” I asked, my mind racing.

“Of course I have. They don’t believe me. They’ve been in denial ever since Kate died. Now that Karl has been arrested, they don’t care about the lawsuit anymore. Hell, the PI they hired couldn’t find shit against Karl to help their case anyway.”

“Angel… Why are you telling me this?”

She scoffed, glaring at me like I was the most idiotic person she’d ever met. “Isn’t it obvious? It’s because I wholeheartedly believe he’s innocent. Karl’s been inside this apartment many times and I’ve gotten to know him quite well. I’m not trying to hurt your feelings, but he loved my sister. I know he did. They were absolutely crazy about each other. And if you don’t believe me about the texts, then I can show you proof. I still have the messages.”

“If that’s true, then you need to go to Ben. Show him and tell him everything.”

But all Angel could do was shake her head. “I-I can’t.”

“Yes,” I fiercely declared. “You can.”

“No, I can’t.”

“And why the hell not?”

“It’s my parents. Ben reached out to them the second Karl was arrested and told them everything about the rapes, and how he’s certain Karl’s being set up. Ben mentioned the death threats, and my parents flat out denied knowing anything. My mom called me up and told me if I talked to Ben or gave him anything that could help free Karl, they’d stop helping me.”

Angel took off her left shoe, then her sock, exposing her foot, which was partially bent, her toes crooked and curled.

My lips parted. That explained the limp.

“I was born disabled. The government sends me a check every month, but it’s nowhere near enough to help cover rent and utilities. When Kate was here, she helped pay the bills. She helped take care of me. When she died, my parents gave me a small portion of her life insurance, which really wasn’t much—only a few grand to help keep me afloat for a few months. When that money was gone, they started paying the bills my disability couldn’t cover.”

Okay, now I was fucking pissed.

“They’re blackmailing you.”

“Call it whatever you want,” she hoarsely whispered. “But I can’t, Charlotte. If my parents find out I talked to you, or if something happens and I’m forced to testify on Karl’s behalf, I’ll be homeless. I care about Karl, and the last thing I want is for him to go to prison, but—”

“Then help him ,” I desperately pleaded. “Hand the evidence over to Ben. He can keep you anonymous.”

Angel shook her head, rushing to snatch up the picture and pages and shove them inside the shoebox. “Anonymity won’t matter. My parents will know it was me.”

“Then what the hell was the point in all of this?” I asked when Angel jumped to her feet, stumbling a little due to her disability.

She clutched the box tightly against her chest, and I couldn’t help but scoff in outrageous disbelief when she limped a few large steps back to put some distance between us, her eyes tight and locked on me like a hawk.

“I understand the position you’re in,” I said gently, rising to my feet. “I do. But you have to do the right thing, Angel. Kate’s death wasn’t Karl’s fault, and it’s likely the same person who sabotaged his truck and murdered your sister, is the same person responsible for the rapes. Think about what Kate would’ve wanted.”

“I think it’s time for you to leave.”

“Angel—”

“GET OUT,” she screamed, her chest heaving, tears clinging to her dark lashes. “Get the fuck out of my apartment, Charlotte. Now .”

I tried to reason with her, but when she threatened to call the cops on me, I sighed with defeat, left with no other choice but to comply.

Dread nestled deep in my bones when I walked out the door, covering my mouth to hide my sob when it vehemently slammed behind me.