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Chapter 531
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Leesa's Advent Chapter 532
Casey Filip Conner—“Case” to anyone who was more than a nodding acquaintance—waited alone on the perfectly manicured first tee of one of L.A.’s most exclusive country clubs, gently stretching the muscles of his slender six-foot frame. He’d been playing here twice a week for several months now, but he still felt out of place at the posh club, whose membership counted some of the city’s wealthiest and well-known citizens. An ex-cop like him just did not belong in these surroundings. But that was no big news to Conner; nowadays, the feeling of not belonging seemed to grip him no matter where he was.He sucked in a deep breath of ocean-scented air, reflexively turning his thoughts away, as he always did, from anything beyond the simple, non-threatening life he had created for himself. That was how you survived, when you lost your only son to cancer, and then killed someone else’s kid barely a year later. Keep everything simple. Force down dangerous thoughts before they even began. Think a
Leesa's Advent Chapter 533
Conner motioned to the young blond waitress, indicating he wanted a draft beer. Sloane raised two fingers to show he wanted the same.Conner decided there was no point in delaying things. He nodded at the thin beige folder in front of Sloane. “Let’s hear what you’ve got.”“The body was discovered early Wednesday behind a market over in Hollywood,” Sloane explained, without consulting the file. “She was naked. We ID’ed her from her purse, which her killer conveniently left nearby. Christy DeMars, with a capital M, age twenty-four. The address on her driver’s license was three years old—we’re still trying to trace her to find next of kin. You know this town; hardly anyone sticks with their given names. No cash or credit cards in her wallet, but the killer left a gold bracelet behind.”“Good-looking?” Conner asked.Sloane grunted. “At my age, they’re all good-looking, but see for yourself.” He reached for the folder.Conner’s hand shot forward. He slammed his palm down on the cover of th
Leesa's Advent Chapter 534
Conner drove away from his meeting with Sloane with no plan in mind. Feeling even more unsettled than usual, he turned his new silver BMW west onto Sunset Boulevard, away from home and toward the ocean. He’d purchased the sporty coupe hoping it would add zest or excitement or something to his life, but of course it didn’t. A car was just a car, regardless of price or fancy features, and the only feeling it added was the embarrassment that he’d actually spent so much money thinking a car would change anything.He had no idea where he wanted to go, but he knew where he didn’t want to be—sitting home doing nothing. Cecilia was gone for the day, at some charity function or other, so he couldn’t seek refuge in her company. He wasn’t sure he would have anyway, not after accepting the DeMars file from Sloane. She was adamant about him staying away from his former life. And so was he, he reminded himself. But then what was the file doing on the passenger seat? He glanced over at the thin, har
Leesa's Advent Chapter 535
Conner leaned back in his padded leather chair and propped his feet up on the polished walnut desk that dominated his office. He stifled a yawn. Out until almost midnight the night before, he’d downed six or seven beers while watching television in some dimly lit bar. He’d paced his drinking too well to get drunk, but the comforting buzz was as close as he’d been in a long time. Despite arriving late at his office, he had finished what little work he had to do by noon. Since returning from a tasteless lunch, he’d just been killing time.For the first few months, his job as Director of Security had kept him busy. He threw himself into his work, spending twelve and fourteen-hour days studying and reworking most of the company’s security systems and procedures. The distraction had been a welcome balm. But as his new systems were implemented and perfected, there became less and less for him to actually do, and he was becoming increasingly restless. Especially on days like this. His though
Leesa's Advent Chapter 536
The bank was crowded. Tellers manned four stations behind the dark marble counter, but the line of people waiting between the padded scarlet ropes still folded back on itself like tourists waiting their turn at Disneyland. A couple of young children roamed free, chattering and playing with the ropes and the shiny brass-plated stands. A baby was crying.Conner hated coming to the bank on Saturdays, but he’d been forced to come today by a problem with his car loan that he’d put off for too long. Fortunately, there was only one person ahead of him at the service desk. Conner waited a discreet distance away, leaning against the marble counter around the corner from the tellers’ windows. The broad leaves of a tall dieffenbachia plant provided him some separation from the crowd in the main line.A tall, thin youth wearing an expensive leather overcoat entered the bank. Something about the kid sent Conner’s antennae twitching. The temperature outside was at least seventy. He knew some street
Leesa's Advent Chapter 537
Conner left Cecilia's condo shortly before noon, returning to his apartment while she headed out for a lunch date with her father. She’d invited him to come along, but he had begged off. The return of his nightmare had left him very unsettled. He didn’t really want to be alone, but he didn’t feel like socializing, either. So he spent the afternoon lazing around his apartment, watching football and killing time. He and Cecilia would see each other for dinner. Currently, he lay stretched out on his back on his bed with his hands clasped over his eyes, palms facing up toward the ceiling, resting. The television rattled on in the living room—he could hear muted voices and an occasional outburst of cheering from a late game. A wide band of sunlight streamed through the west-facing window, covering his bed like a warm, weightless blanket. The inactivity was a mistake. His thoughts turned to the file in the kitchen drawer, where it had lain unlooked at since Thursday evenin
Leesa's Advent Chapter 538
Th e appartment was dark, illuminated only by the ghostly flickering of the television. Stretched out on his worn couch, Pete Weber shoved the crumbling remnants of his second double cheeseburger into a white Burger King bag and tossed the bag to the floor. He rubbed his greasy palms on his jeans, then pushed the stop button on the remote control of the new DVD player he had stolen the day before. The room went black, but Weber had never minded the darkness.After a moment, he sat up and switched on the table lamp next to the couch. He looked at the piece of old shopping bag he’d scribbled on during his first two viewings of the show, nodding in approval as his eyes scanned down the paper. His notes were thorough. They contained everything he needed to remember.He grinned, remembering how he used to mock First Lieutenant Frank Osborne Jr., Columbia class of ‘73, for the notes he made and studied before each mission of their ten-man Special Forces team. Web
Leesa's Advent Chapter 539
The woman must have felt his eyes on her, because she beamed a fake smile and thrust out one hip in a time-honored stance. Weber returned the smile. Her body was better than okay. And she wasn’t wearing a wig. He was going to enjoy this in more ways than one.He moved closer, until less than a foot of space separated their bodies. In her gold stilettos, she was just a few inches shorter than him. He could see the uneven smears of make-up caked on her cheeks, and her breath smelled of stale tobacco and coffee. Surprisingly, her teeth were white and straight. Not one to take home to Mother, he thought, but she would do. He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out his money, making certain she saw both bills. He held one of the hundreds in front of her chin. She eyed it greedily.“I’m all yours, baby,” she purred, clutching the bill between her thumb and forefinger but making no move to pull it from his hand. “Whatever you want, I promise
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