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Keira looks back at the phone again. “I’m going to ask you a few questions now. Some of them will seem really dumb, but bear with me, okay?”
“Okay.”
Keira takes another breath. “Have you noticed anyone taking pictures of you?”
“No.”
I glare at Keira, but she ignores me. Even by dumb standards, that was a really stupid question. Doesn’t she think Livia would have said something if she’d noticed a guy taking photographs of her?
“No-one’s asked you any unusual questions, or taken an interest in what you’re doing?”
Livia glances at me, and I wonder if she’s thinking about that time when I asked if she had a boyfriend. That was pretty unusual, in the circumstances.
“No,” she says eventually.
“Have you broken up with anyone recently? Someone who’d know your movements?”
“No, but…”
“But what?” Keira sits forward, and I copy her.
Livia frowns, like she’s thinking. “It’s never occurred to me before, but there was a guy where I used to work.”
“Right?” Keira prompts her. “What about him?”
“His name was Cole Shepherd, and he… he could be responsible for this.”
“Why?” I get the question out before Keira does, and she turns and scowls at me. I scowl back, but we both focus on Livia.
“Because he asked me to go out with him, and I said yes, but then I changed my mind when I found out he’d slept with two other women.” A blush creeps up her cheeks as she’s talking, but before I can say anything, Keira shakes her head.
“Can I get this straight? You refused to go out with this guy because he’d slept with someone else?” She doesn’t give Livia a chance to answer before she says, “I’m sorry, but how old are you?”
Livia turns to her, frowning. “I’m twenty-one. Why?”
“How old was this guy?”
“I don’t know. Twenty-six, I guess.”
Keira huffs out a sigh of frustration. “And you’re surprised he’d only slept with two other women? Seriously? You expected the guy to be a virgin, at the age of twenty-six? Are you…?”
“That’s not what I meant.” Livia raises her voice for the first time since I’ve known her, and I can’t help smiling. Keira can be a little overbearing at times.
“Okay. What did you mean?”
“Just that I prefer men who sleep with one woman at a time.”
“Don’t we all.” Keira rolls her eyes. “But there are a lot of men out there who think monogamy is over-rated.”
“No. You still don’t understand. I’m not talking about monogamy. Not really. What I mean is, I didn’t want to be with someone who thought it was okay to have two women in bed with him… at the same time.”
Livia’s blush has now reached the roots of her blonde hair, and she lowers her head to hide her embarrassment.
“Oh… I see what you’re saying.” Keira smiles, and Livia looks up again.
“That’s a relief. But the point is, he had my address and my phone number. He’d have been able to follow me.”
Keira nods her head. “He seems like a good place to start. I’ll look into him. You said his name was Cole?”
