And watching her. Stan deliberately turned away, but she felt the copâs eyes all the way to her front door.
Chapter 6
Stan tossed and turned all night. Dreams of people chasing her with needles woke her every hour. She finally fell asleep around four. When her cell phone rang next to her head, it felt like mere minutes later. She reached for it, squinting at the clock. Nine-thirty! How can that be? She didnât recognize the number, but forced herself to sound awake.
âThis is Stan.â
âKristan Connor?â A womanâs voice, it sounded clipped and efficient.
âYes. Whoâs calling?â She sat up, throwing the pillow aside.
âThis is Bernadette Macguire. Iâm a recruiter for Infinity Financial. Iâve seen your credentials, and Iâd like you to come in and speak with us about a vice president, media relations position. When are you available?â
Infinity. One of her old companyâs biggest competitors. Glee surged through her, but she tried to play it cool. Infinity only wanted the best people, and their recruiting efforts were pickier than most. âI . . . Can you tell me a bit more about the position?â
âOf course.â Bernadette shuffled some pages on her end and reeled off the particulars of a job that sounded almost identical to the one Stan had lost. âBasically, the position is responsible for the media presence of the company. And weâd love to talk with you about it. Shall we set up an interview?â
âPlease.â
âWhat day works for you?â Bernadette clicked keys on her end of the line.
âCan we do next Tuesday?â Maybe Bernadette would think she was interviewing the rest of the week and not see her as desperate. And maybe at that point the police would have apprehended Caroleâs killer and she could focus on other things.
âTerrific. I have a ten and a two.â
Stan chose the two and hung up. âWhat do you think of that, Nutty? Warner can go pound sand!â
He ignored her and went back to sleep. Stan wanted to do the same, but she knew it would be impossible. She leaned back against the pillows and thought about having a job again. An expense account. A place to wear her fancy shoes and nice suits. She had another chance. A new world to rule. â I Will Surviveâ began playing in her head.
Interestingly, the prospect didnât excite her as much as she thought it would. Maybe with some coffee. Before she could get out of bed to make it, her iPhone rang again. Her mother.
Stay positive. âGood morning,â she nearly sang, grimacing at herself. God, she sounded fake.
âDid I interrupt anything?â Patricia asked in a tone suggesting she wasnât overconcerned if she had.
âNo, just getting ready to go for a bike ride.â Yes, thatâs what she would do today. Get the bike out and explore her new town. âHow are you, Mom?â She forced herself out of bed and went downstairs.
âA bike ride? Donât you have a job interview?â
Stan forced the smile to remain in her voice as she got the coffeepot ready and pressed the button to grind the beans. âNo, Mom, I donât.â Had her mother tapped her phone?
âKristan, you canât be serious. What are you doing with your time? Especially in that godforsaken place you moved to. Richard told me all about it.â
âRichard did? When did you talk to him?â She moved to the refrigerator and grabbed smoothie ingredients while the coffee brewed.
âOh, the other day,â Patricia said dismissively. âThe point is, youâre in a funk. You need to get back into the land of the living.â
Stan laughed. âBecause I donât have a job? Thatâs funny, Mom. When was the last time you worked?â
âKristan! That was uncalled for. I do other things with my time. Youâre well aware of all the volunteer work. The fund-raisers. The