Read The Wrong Man: A Novel of Suspense Online

Authors: Kate White

The Wrong Man: A Novel of Suspense (28 page)

“Sure, I’d love that,” he said.

“Good.”

She reached into the cabinet and took out a large pot, filled it with water, and set it on the stove. When she turned around, Kelman was taking her in with those riveting blue eyes of his.

“There’s one thing I can’t figure out,” he said. “Holt planned to kill you that
night, so how was he going to guarantee that he wouldn’t be connected to your death? He’s smart enough to know you would have probably told Baby who you were meeting and where.”

“He took a couple of precautions. First, he arranged for me to go to a coffee shop rather than the apartment. He could have said later that we were supposed to meet at some other building, and we got our signals crossed and I never showed. Also, he managed to gain access to the building without ever giving his real name to the broker.”

“How do you determine that?”

“Once I realized no one was going to cough up any details to me, I did some snooping. I dropped by the realtor for the building and the only person in the office was this young woman who couldn’t have been more than twenty-seven. I told her who I was and said I was trying to figure out what had happened. She apparently had no clue she shouldn’t be talking to me and said that Holt had emailed them posing as a foreigner who wanted to view the apartment but didn’t have much time. They left the keys for him to pick up. I suspect because it wasn’t a furnished apartment, they weren’t super worried.”

“It sickens me to ask this, but what would he have done with your body? He couldn’t leave it in the apartment. The police would wonder how you’d gained access and that might lead back to him.”

“Maybe he planned to come back late at night and drag it down to the street. It could have appeared as if I’d been followed on my way to meet him and killed by the same person who’d snapped Avery’s neck. There was a real arrogance to the man. I’m sure he felt nearly invincible.”

Kelman shook his head in disgust. “He won’t ever have another chance to hurt you, Kit.”

“What about Sasha?” she asked. “What kind of threat does
she
pose?”

“I’ve been tempted to contact her and tell her to back off. But after I had my fling with her, I learned that the smartest strategy was to not engage her on any level. I think she’ll back off. Plus, she’ll be busy trying to do everything possible not to be tainted by the scandal that’s about to swamp the firm.”

Kit slid off her stool and began to root through the fridge for garlic. Among the rotting lemons and carrots, she found a head of it with only a few tiny green shoots sprouting out of the top.

“What are we having anyway?” Kelman asked.

“It’s called
aglio e olio
. It’s really just spaghetti with garlic and olive oil and then you toss in lots of Parmesan.” She offered a playful grimace. “Like I warned you, my larder is a bit depleted at the moment.”

“Well, those are four of my favorite foods in the world.”

She grinned. “Glad to hear it. In the cookbook it says that this is the dish that Rome’s chic insomniacs depend upon to see them through the wee hours of the morning—when they’re out and about.”

He held her eyes tightly with his own.

“So, tell me,” he said. “Does that mean I get to stay until the wee hours?”

“Yes,” she said. “I’d like that.”

acknowledgments

I always love researching my books, but this one seemed particularly exciting and fun to work on in terms of collecting information. I spoke to everyone from decorators to hedge fund managers, and I also had a fabulous three-day trip to Islamorada.

My heartfelt thanks to: Denny Daikeler, design consultant and author; John Eric Sebesta, interior designer; Tate Kelly, real estate advisor; Dick Furlaud, Principal, Artorius Management; Nathanial White, attorney; Susan Brune, Esq.; A. John Murphy, partner Murphy & Weiner, Palo Alto and San Francisco; Barbara Butcher, consultant for forensic and medicolegal investigation; Dr. Chester Lerner, Associate Chief of Infectious Diseases, New York-Presbyterian/Lower Manhattan Hospital; Ed Petersen, retired FBI agent; Caleb White, police officer; Andrezj Wojtowicz, contractor; and Elias, who is on such deep background I can only use his first name

A huge thank you also to my wonderful editor, Carolyn Marino, who I have thoroughly enjoyed working with, and to Laura Brown, who helped so much through the entire process. Thanks as well to Mary Sasso and Rachel Elinksy for all their support and efforts on the PR and marketing front. And then there’s my amazing agent, Sandra Dijkstra, to whom I’ve owed so much over the twenty years I’ve been writing books! I want to also offer my gratitude to her terrific team: Elise Capron, Thao Le, and Andrea Cavallaro.

About the Author

KATE WHITE
, the former editor in chief of
Cosmopolitan
magazine, is the
New York Times
bestselling author of the stand-alone suspense novels
Hush
,
The Sixes
, and
Eyes on You
, as well as the Bailey Weggins mystery series. She is editor of the
Mystery Writers of America Cookbook
. She is also the author of popular career books for women, including
I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This: How to Ask for the Money, Snag the Promotion, and Create the Career You Deserve
. You can contact her or learn more about her at katewhite.com.

Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at
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.

Also by Kate White

FICTION

Lethally Blond

Over Her Dead Body

’Til Death Do Us Part

A Body to Die For

If Looks Could Kill

NONFICTION

I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This
: How to Ask for the Money, Snag the Promotion, and Create the Career You Deserve

You on Top

9 Secrets of Women Who Get Everything They Want

Why Good Girls Don’t Get Ahead . . . But Gutsy Girls Do

Credits

Cover design by Joanne O’Neill

Cover photograph © by Peter Scholey/ Getty Images

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Copyright

This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

THE WRONG MAN.
Copyright © 2015 by Kate White. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

FIRST EDITION

ISBN 978-0-06-235065-7

EPub Edition June 2015 ISBN 9780062350664

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RRD
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