Bodyguard/Husband Read Online Free Page B

page. “I want you to make me a list of every man you’ve ever gone out with.”
    “Every man— You think someone I dated killed Brad and Ralph and—?” Holly’s brain reeled. Her heart pounded painfully against her chest. Jack’s calm, matter-of-fact attitude was more disturbing than her great-uncle’s worry or Danny’s tentative questions.
    She gave a little laugh, trying to ease her tension. “It’ll be a short list.”
    He didn’t react. “That doesn’t matter. The nameson it do. Most stalkers are former lovers or boyfriends.”
    “St-stalkers?” The word sheared her breath. Her body felt flash-frozen. Danny had talked about an obsessed admirer, but nobody had ever said the word stalker.
    Jack nodded without speaking.
    Her hand shaking, Holly took the notebook and tried to make her fingers work. “Everyone since my husband died?” she asked.
    “Every man ever.” Jack watched Holly as she bent over the paper and wrote. She was quaking so badly that the paper fluttered, but she didn’t falter.
    When she finally handed him her list, it was short, as she’d said it would be, but he was impressed. It was extremely neat and methodical. He liked that. She’d listed the names in one column, and in the next column she’d indicated who each was, and when and for how long she’d dated him.
    He studied the names. First on the list was her husband Brad, whom she’d dated through high school, then married. Jack knew Holly had been married for six years before Brad was killed. And she’d dated Ralph Peyton for eleven months before he disappeared. His name was second on her list.
    Then she’d listed three names Jack hadn’t seen before.
    “Tell me about Gil Mason.”
    Holly sat with her hands twisted in her lap. “I dated him for a short while, several months after Brad’s death. He’s the pastor of the Baptist church. Married now, with a beautiful little girl.”
    “Earl Isley? The insurance salesman?”
    “I only went out with him once.”

    Jack saw her hands tighten. “Does he call? Do you see him?”
    She shook her head. “Not really. Of course, we run into each other. Everyone does in a small town like Maze. And he’s Uncle Virgil’s insurance agent, and mine.”
    Jack made a note. It might be normal to “run into each other” in Maze, but he wasn’t taking any chances. Every tidbit of information was important, until he could prove that it wasn’t.
    He reread what she’d written beside the third name and his neck prickled. Now this was important. Donald Sheffield had asked her out a number of times, until she’d finally refused to go out with him again. He’d moved to Jackson several months ago, but he still called her occasionally.
    “How often does this Sheffield call?”
    She shook her head. “Not that often. Maybe once every couple of months.”
    “Why did you quit dating him?”
    “I’d only been out with him a few times, and he started making assumptions, like we were a couple. He was new in town and he seemed lonely. I never should have gone out with him in the first place.”
    Jack winced at the words he’d heard so many times before. Classic stalking personality, and classic victim response. He sat up straight, reining in his gut reaction of anger. “This type of behavior can be indicative of a particular type of stalker called an erotomaniac,” he explained, tapping the paper. “Persistent. Keeps calling. Won’t take no for an answer. He thinks you two have a relationship.”
    Beside him, Holly shivered. “But we don’t.”
    “Now, who have you left off this list?”

    She frowned at him. “Nobody. That’s everyone I’ve dated. I told you it would be short.”
    As she spoke, the whir of the plane’s engines changed and the flight attendant’s voice came over the loudspeaker. They were about to land.
    “You’ve left off at least one name, maybe more.” Jack held up his hand as she stiffened. “Not on purpose. But this is important. You have to consider