Free Horoscope: The Astrology Murders by Georgia Frontiere Page B

didn’t want to be tied to him when they went off to college.
    “Oh, you were sure,” Kelly said. “You just needed me to tell you that you weren’t a bad person if you broke up with him.”
    Julie laughed. She didn’t speak right away. When she did, she said, “Are you all right, Mom?”
    Kelly felt herself shiver again. She pulled the cover up around her and spoke into the receiver with an equanimity that she hoped would cover her true feelings. “Why shouldn’t I be?”
    “I don’t know,” Julie said. “You always used to go to the theater and out to dinner, but now every time I call, you’re home.”
    Meow, who had already fallen asleep, had stirred when Kellyfirst sat on the bed, and now she was awake and purring loudly. Kelly watched the fat red cat walk sleepily across the bed toward her; it helped her to keep the lightheartedness in her voice. “I’m busy, that’s all. I’ve got the column to write and clients to see, and—”
    Before Kelly could continue, Julie interrupted her. “How about coming out to Los Angeles for a long weekend?” she asked enthusiastically.
    Kelly felt her face grow hot; she hated lying, and now she had to lie again to her daughter. “I’d love to, honey, but I couldn’t. And you and Jeff will be home soon anyway. It’s practically Thanksgiving.”
    “Thanksgiving is a month away! I’d love to show you around campus and introduce you to Roger and my other friends.”
    Kelly didn’t say anything. Julie remained silent for a while, too. When Julie finally spoke, she was uncharacteristically quiet and serious. “I keep thinking about why you don’t go places anymore. It’s like you’re … I don’t know … afraid. You’re not afraid to go out of the house, are you, Mom?”
    It was the question Kelly had been dreading. Now her daughter was asking her directly. It shouldn’t have surprised her that Julie would sense this; she and Julie were so close. She felt drops of perspiration forming on her forehead. Of all the people she didn’t want to talk to about her problem, the two she most wanted to spare any worry about it were Julie and Jeffrey.
    She made herself laugh. “Of course not!” She didn’t know how much longer she could bear to be on the phone. “My goodness, darling, I’ve got to go! I just realized I left the water running in the tub and it’s going to overflow. I’m glad you called.”
    “Me, too,” Julie said. “Love you.”
    “Love you, too.”
    Kelly waited for Julie to hang up before she placed the receiver back on the phone on the night table. Meow was rubbing against her, waiting to be petted. She stroked the cat’s soft red fur and hoped that her lies had convinced her daughter. Then she looked toward her study and remembered the voice of the man who had threatened her. The mere thought of it terrified her.

Thirteen
    H E SAT AT HIS worktable, opening the surveillance equipment. There was something intriguing about the boxes that the miniature cameras came in. Perhaps it was the fact that equipment so technically advanced and so important could come in such tiny, nondescript cardboard containers. He tore open the first box, took out the camera, and held it in his hand. It was even tinier than the box and weighed almost nothing.
    He glanced at the computer he had set up. He’d brought it with him when he moved, a gift from his old job in Silicon Valley. A gift of sorts. All his boss knew was that one day the computer, like the new surveillance equipment they’d bought but had yet to install, was missing. He’d liked working there. He’d liked knowing his boss had valued his skill at programming. He’d even thought his boss was about to promote him. Then he’d found out he had to leave. It was her fault, of course. Kelly Elizabeth York’s. Everything was her fault.
    He thought about his mother for a moment, but she really wasn’t whom he wanted to think about. He wanted to think about Kelly Elizabeth York. As of tonight,