Night Whispers - Leslie Kelly [72]
Tears continued to fall down her cheeks and Kelsey didn’t even bother wiping them away.
Mitch shook his head slowly. “You’re wrong,” he said with quiet dignity. “I’d be the happiest man alive if you never went back to that station. Don’t you get it? I couldn’t stand it if something happened to you.”
Kelsey watched as he raised a weary hand to his brow and rubbed his temple. His movements were so familiar to her, she knew he’d swipe his hand through his hair the second before he did it. Her heart ached, but she could not back down.
“The worst thing that could happen to me,” she explained softly, “is that I could allow someone else to dictate how I’ll live my life. I will not change who I am to suit anyone. And if you don’t know that about me, then you don’t know me at all.”
Mitch watched in silence as she strode toward the door. She paused, wrapping her arms around her body, as if gaining strength, then walked out of the apartment without another word.
He nearly went after her. Lots of things had been said before he’d even thought about what he was saying. The whole conversation should have been handled differently, when he wasn’t so angry about the way he’d discovered what she’d been going through…and about the way she’d hidden it from him.
But he couldn’t bring himself to follow her. Because he knew if he did they’d end up in each other’s arms and he’d apologize and tell her he didn’t mean it. Then they’d move on, and she’d remain Lady Love.
And he’d hate himself for the rest of his life if this pervert ended up hurting her.
12
“THEY CAUGHT THE KNIGHT.”
Kelsey nearly dropped the phone when she heard Brian’s voice. She’d snatched it up on the first ring, hoping Mitch had decided to call her rather than walk up the stairs and risk another face-to-face argument.
“Kelsey, are you there? I said they caught your secret admirer.”
“How do you know?”
“I happened to overhear a conversation going on right now in Jack McKenzie’s office.”
“Listening at keyholes? Never mind, I know better than to even ask. So, how’d they catch the guy?”
Brian paused and Kelsey knew he was building up the momentum. She could practically hear his excitement in the silent phone line. “Come on,” she insisted. “Spill your guts. I know you’re dying to.”
“Well, one of the secretaries caught him trying to slip a gift into your mail slot. She recognized the blue stationery, confronted him, and he broke down and confessed everything.”
Kelsey couldn’t believe the man had had enough nerve to stroll right into the station.
“Then what?” she asked, anxious to hear the rest of the story.
“She called McKenzie, and they’ve been in his office for the past half hour. I’m sure Jack will be calling you any minute—I wanted to give you a heads-up.”
“I appreciate it,” she said.
“Don’t you want to know who it is?” Brian said, and Kelsey heard the excitement in his voice. “I mean, it turns out this guy’s no stranger.”
Kelsey paused for a heartbeat, then a name rolled off her lips.
“Edgar.”
“How’d you know?” Brian asked, sounding highly annoyed that she’d stolen his thunder. She sat back heavily in her chair.
“You mean I’m right?”
“Yep. It was Edgar. He’s confessing everything.”
Somehow, Kelsey wasn’t surprised. She’d felt all along that the man writing to her was not a threat, but was simply some lonely person indulging in some fantasizing, just as she encouraged people to do on her show. And Edgar fit the bill.
Last night he’d so conveniently been there to drive her home because her car mysteriously wouldn’t start, then he’d immediately tried to carry her because of the huge puddle. Looking back, it was so obvious it was all contrived. Edgar was