Page 6 of Shadowed Obsession

Silence takes over the line, and I’m anticipating him to tell me to fuck off. Never have I requestedthatmuch for a job. Maybe I’ve grown too comfortable with these people and their audacity has rubbed off on me.

But audacity is what got them to where they are now.

So I won’t back down. One million, or I’ll pass.

He breaks the silence with a chuckle. “You have got a deal, mate. You’re worth it. Start tomorrow. I’ll wire the payment in the morning. Thanks.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” I grunt, ending the call.

My eyes drop to her photos splayed across my bed.

What have I signed up for?

3/

you don’t know my name

César

31 days before ‘the incident’

Ispend two weeks following her routine only to find that my dangerous subject is a philanthropic, considerate, and seemingly kind woman. Nothing about the way Deirdre carries herself publicly or privately screams criminal or murderer. Unfortunately, this extends my time on her case, because the Hales are determined to findsomething. If only she’d let the mask fall enough for me to wrap this shit up, I’d be outta here and everything would go back to normal. Well, as normal as things could be for me.

Deirdre Klarke may be the most fascinating subject of my career. It amazes me how she moves as a woman in the mob while presenting herself as an upstanding citizen. A pretty girl with a bright smile can easily fool everyone around her.

But not me.

The most challenging part of this case isn’t her attractiveness, it’s that I haven’t actually witnessed her doing anything worth reporting. When you keep eyes on someone long enough, they’ll grow comfortable and eventually reveal themselves as if someone isn’t watching.

I’ll admit the complexity of this case has taken my mind off of worrying about myabuelaevery second of the day. She’s been sick for a while and doesn’t have a lot of time left. So I’m sure to spend every free moment I have with her, like I am right now.

I always accompany her to her dialysis appointments, and we make the best of it. Before Deirdre, I’d find myself bored wheneverAbuelafell asleep, exhausted from the treatments. Since I hacked into her office cameras, I now have a source of entertainment as I monitor her working through her webcam from an app on my phone.

Her life is structured, often relying on reminders and alarms to hold herself accountable. She leaves little room for error and panics whenever something doesn’t go according to plan. Hardly says no and struggles to enforce boundaries in her professional life.

For some reason, she’s reliant on little white lies to assure those around her. If she was a talking doll, her voice box would say, “don’t worry, I’m fine,” “everything’s okay,” and, “no worries, I’ll take care of it.”

All the while, she is one hiccup away from bursting into tears, which usually ensue after interactions with her family and friends. I’ve witnessed the outbursts firsthand, and they’re uncomfortable to watch. That still doesn’t explain what it is that weighs on her.

She’s a puzzle that keeps my mind sharp; her scattered pieces only make things more interesting. She’s mindful and behaves like someone who suspects they’re being watched, but I’ll credit that to her upbringing. Or a bad case of anxiety, maybe even guilt.

However, no one in her family has been convicted of anything. Even when she was named as a person of interest in the death of Lawrence Wiley, it was brief and the local police issued a statement to clear her name.

It’s no secret what her family does, but they’re too thorough and well respected within their communities to be placed under fire. They haven’t even gone to war with a rival family in nearly thirty years.

On paper, the Klarkes are clean as a whistle compared to their colleagues, but they wouldn’t have the reputation they do if that were the truth.

And once I discover who Ms. Klarke is whenever she slips—well, I’m on the edge of my seat, because this reveal may surprise even me.

Is that so wrong that I’m tempted to see just what lies beneath the character she plays? Will she be afraid, angry, or intrigued by my interference? Only one way to find out, and the thought has my heart racing.

Provoking her could either be life-threatening, turn me on, or both. And if it does, I vow to attend therapy more than twice a month. I’ll admit I should’ve scheduled a session once I felt compelled to install cameras in her home, but I can’t explain that without setting off alarms.

Also, my therapist is a woman, so the last thing I want is to make her uncomfortable around me or say anything she’ll need to report. Safe territory topics will have to suffice for me to maintain some semblance of control over my mental health.

I’ve learned how to navigate therapy, and censoring myself is key since I’d prefer to avoid grippy socks and handcuffs. Unless I consent to using them, of course.

A few ideas cycle through my mind as to how I could disrupt Deirdre’s routine in an unthreatening way. I’ll give her a choice to engage or not, and see if she takes the bait.

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