Page 25 of Reaper

five

After makingboth of us sandwiches, I grabbed a bag of chips and Natalie grabbed us both drinks and followed me to my room.

“Tell me about yourself,” I say as I take a bite of my food.

“What do you want to know?” she asks cautiously as she picks up a chip.

“Anything you want to tell me.”

Natalie tilts her head to the side as she chews, studying me. “You really mean that, don’t you?”

I nod. “I do and I don’t want any of those fake bullshit answers either.”

“Well, I’m nineteen. I graduated last May. Before William, I was a waitress.”

“Any family?”

“No.” She shakes her head.

“What’s your favorite color?”

Natalie looks at me, clearly surprised by the question. As much as I want to jump into the William discussion, I want her to relax first.

“Light blue. Like the sky.”

“Good taste. Is there anything you want around here? Favorite food? Tampons? Hell, shit to paint your face?”

Natalie looks down as a blush covers her cheeks. “I’m okay. You don’t have to go out of your way for me.”

“That’s not what I asked. I’m offering, so take it.”

“I’m not sure I know how to wear makeup. I wasn’t very good at it before William, but after him…well, he made me feel like wearing it was a sin. Evelyn brought me a little bit though,” she says quietly. “My favorite food is really anything fresh. You probably won’t believe me, but I love those fruit and veggie trays. Salads, sandwiches, honestly, anything that’s not hot.” She frowns. “William hated that.”

“Then it’s a good thing William isn’t around anymore then, isn’t it?” I say as I make a mental grocery list of things to pick up for her. If she wants rabbit food, I’ll stock the entire kitchen so she’s never out of options.

“Would you be up to talking about William?”

“Do I want to?” she sighs. “No. Will I though? Yes. I know it needs to be done. I don’t want to wear out my welcome.”

“You’re not going to wear out your welcome,” I scold.

“What do you want to know about William?”

“You said you met him at the restaurant you worked at. Tell me more about that.”

Natalie shrugs. “Classic story, really. Boy walks into where the girl works, keeps showing up until he convinces her to go out with him on a date. By the fourth date, he convinced me to move in with him. Honestly, I couldn’t say no because his place was nicer, and I really needed to save money. Then it was like I woke up one day and my independence was gone.”

“How so?”

Natalie sets her plate off to the side and wraps her arms around her middle. “He convinced me I didn’t need a job, so I quit. He didn’t like what I wore, so he bought me an entire new wardrobe without asking and threw away what little clothes I brought with me.” She bites her lip, looking away. “He decided everything for me. Unfortunately, I went along with it because I was convinced that I loved him and he knew what was best.” She laughs sadly.

“You know it’s not your fault, right? He preyed on you,” I point out. “Did you ever overhear anything that might be helpful? Do you know where he goes or his schedule? Anything.”

“He left every morning at eight a.m. to go to work. He always wore a suit. I think that’s why I believed him for so long about being an investment banker. He ordered lunch from Vera’s every day. He’s a creature of habit for the most part. About twice a week, he would come home late, but on the other days, he would come home at six and expect dinner on the table by six fifteen. When need be, he would take me out to dinners with him to make him look good.” She shakes her head. “I never understood what they talked about and I never spoke. He was very adamant that I be seen, not heard. If I deviated from that well, I’m sure you could guess what would happen.”

“I bet I can,” I mumble under my breath. “Keep going.”

Natalie’s brows furrow as she thinks back. “Honestly, I don’t know. He took a lot of private phone calls in his office. Sometimes he would call for me to get him a pen and paper if he happened to answer a call when we were out. I always carried some in my purse after the first time he berated me for not being prepared. During a couple of those is when I heard your name mentioned. Sometimes, like the other night, he would answer the phone and then tear out of the house like the world was ending. When that happened, I would never know if he would be back in five minutes or be gone for five days. Honestly, Harrison, I’m sorry, but I know nothing.”

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