Haze of Heat Read Online Free PDF

any rate, there was no return address so I scanned it and saved it. The following month I received another letter from the same man, praising my second book. But the next letter...” Rachel paused, shifting in the chair as the memory surfaced. “It was darker. Worded in a way that could be construed as sexually suggestive.”
    “Did you go to the police then?”
    “No.” Rachel briefly looked out the window behind Melinda. “Jan, my publisher, said it wasn’t a big deal. She’s seen this kind of thing happen to several of her writers. In fact, her brother, who works with her and also has a hotel review blog, has been the recipient of a few nasty letters because someone didn’t agree with a review.” A shrug of her shoulders. “Anyway, Jan told me to ignore it and Larry, that’s the guy writing me, would soon lose interest.”
    “But he didn’t.” Not a question.
    “No, he didn’t.” Rachel tucked one foot under the other, her eyes falling away to stare at her hands. “They started to become more intimate and fantastical each time. By the sixth letter, Larry fully believed he was the reincarnation of Reed Sterling and that I was really Evangeline, sharing our true life adventures in a bid to seek out my husband so that we could be together again.” Rachel dragged her gaze back to Melinda. “Wacked, huh?”
    Melinda’s lashes briefly hid her eyes. “That’s one word for it.”
    Rachel fisted her hands. “Yes, well, it all came to a head a week ago Saturday.”
    “I’m listening.” Melinda encouraged softly when Rachel pressed her lips tight.
    “About once a month our entire family gets together for brunch at our grandparents’ house.” Rachel twisted her fingers through the strap of her purse. “When I got home there was a strange scent in the apartment. I thought at first I was being overly sensitive to my neighbors, but then I entered my bedroom.” Her hands clenched. “I’m not the tidiest person in the world, but I don’t leave my bedding rumpled. Someone had broken into my home and used my bed. And not for sleeping.”
    Rachel peeked up to see Melinda mouth shape into a moue of distaste. “Oh.”
    “My intruder not only left several deposits, he also left a note, telling me he loved me and that we would be together again soon. He signed it, ‘your forever Reed’. The same way Larry had signed his last letter to me.”
    Melinda sat back in her chair. “That’s when you finally contacted the police?”
    Rachel’s head dipped in a slow nod. “I’d started to keep the physical letters after the third one, just in case, so the police confiscated those and the note, and anything else that might have prints or DNA. But results could take weeks. And if he’s never been fingerprinted or had his DNA taken for any reason, it won’t do much. Until they catch him.”
    “And nobody in your apartment complex saw anything out of the ordinary?”
    Rachel blew out her cheeks. “A man in a plumber’s uniform outside my front door. I had no need of a plumber.”
    A sardonic lift of Melinda’s perfect brow. “I would have expected a man who thought he was the reincarnation of a fictional character to be more inventive.”
    The droll comment made Rachel smile. “I never thought of it that way.”
    “It was the least derogatory thing I could voice. Please, go on.”
    Feeling the tension in her muscles smooth under the other woman’s serene countenance, Rachel did. “I stayed with my parents the first night, then thought if Larry could find my apartment, he might be able to find my parents’ place. The next day I bought a new mattress and went home, except all I did was jump at every sound. I checked into a local hotel, thinking I’d be able to get some sleep since I wasn’t home. But late the second night a vase with three roses was delivered to my door. One red, one white, and one pink.”
    Melinda’s eyes narrowed. “That’s what Reed gives Evangeline.”
    It pissed Rachel off to no