Barbara Barton Diary
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May 3, 2008
Dear Diary,
It's been a few very busy days since I had time to sit down with an update. I flew back to New York City last week and held a staff meeting at Barton Publishing, assuring the employees that I was now the owner and totally capable of running the company. I intend to expand our efforts in the romance novel area, something Bradley had disliked and avoided. I've won the trust of Mary McGrath, who's famous for her many romance novels with a little twist. She's already working with Seamus Clark on a unique novel where they will take turns writing chapters.
I met with Carl Cameron the other night and told him that I learned from a doctor that I was never really pregnant at all, obviously it was just stress. He had mixed emotions, of course, but sees that this situation will take a lot of pressure off us both. We'll officially publish his first romance novel this month. I'm calling Mac Keegan to see if he'll fly down to the Big Apple to take Carl's photo for the back cover of his book.
I've also decided to invite Cody to stay here in a guest bedroom while I help him find an apartment. I owe him that much for helping me out in Detroit.
I bumped into Allison Dubois at the Four Seasons Supper Club yesterday and we had a nice conversation. She advised me that her dreams seemed to have taken a real twist. She touched my hand and then smiled. She said she now knows that I had nothing to do with the actual mugger that killed Bradley. She knows I'm not really pregnant. But, she does know that I'm not all that innocent either. My ideas regarding dealing with Bradley just never quite developed as I'd planned. I told her it was a good thing, and I was moving on with my life.
*closing my diary, locking it, and hiding it in my desk*
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April 26, 2008
Dear Diary,
This must be the most shocking day in my life!!
I'm here in Detroit with Cody Boyd, who set me up for the abortion I wanted and felt that I needed. I met with the doctor that Cody recommended on Saturday afternoon. He gave me a full physical, then called me in his office to give me the stunning news.
I'm not pregnant!!!
It seems that missing that period was caused by all the stress I've gone through over the last few months. The concerns of messing around with not only Carl, the man I thought was going to be the father of my first child, but also with Seamus Clark, Cody Boyd, and last, but not least, Lindsay Davis. My husband, Bradley, threatening to kill me if the baby turned out not to be his. Scotty Valens, that NYPD detective, hounding me since he thought that I had hired the mugger that shot and killed Bradley.
Now, for the first time in weeks, I feel free, free to do as I please. I'm the sole owner and manager of Barton Publishing where I can select the writers that I personally prefer. Carl, Seamus, and possibly Mary McGrath.
I decided to celebrate my freedom tonight with Cody at the Motor City Casino. He wants my support as he tries to open a legal business in New York City, providing computer software. Since he helped me, I'll go out of my way to help him.
I was scouring the hotel casino for Cody, who had gone off to meet with some friends while I visited the doctor. When I didn't see him right away, I sat down at a Texas Hold'em poker table and wound up conversing with a man named Mac Keegan. Turned out he's a professional photographer and I eventually gave him my card, telling him to come see me if he's ever in New York City. He gave me his card and said if I ever needed a novelist from the Detroit area' photo for the back cover of a book, to contact him.
Cody finally walked up and I introduced them, I eased Cody away so I could tell him what I learned from the doctor, that I wasn't pregnant after all.
I joked about how lucky we were since I hadn't requested a condom, because I thought I was already pregnant, last week when we did the horizontal. He laughed and said he'd been "clipped" several years ago, and I had nothing to worry about. I filed that away for future reference, of course.
*closing my diary with a grin, locking it, and hiding it in my suitcase*
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April 23, 2008
Dear Diary,
I spent last week getting closer to Lindsay Davis…. much closer. Lindsay had been attempting to seduce me into my first sexual experience with a woman. I liked the fact that she didn't take advantage of me the night I got drunk at Mahoney's Irish Pub.
We were sort of hitting on each other again at the bar in the Four Seasons Supper Club, so I figured what the heck. I invited her to come see my nice five story brownstone home planning to see where it might lead. With her cleverly and gently pushing my buttons, we wound up in my bed, a lovely experience that changed my opinions on those type of activities. I'm not planning to tell the world that yet, especially Carl, who's already nervous.
Tuesday night Carl caught up with me at the Four Seasons bar chatting with the new bartender, Shannon. He ordered a drink, but then insisted that we needed to talk in private. He led me out of the club and across the street to the entrance of Central Park. I questioned the safety of entering the park since it was after 11:00 pm, but he said we were only going in a few yards to the open area around the fountain.
We were barely there when Carl went down like he was hit by a rock or a bat. He was laying on the ground bleeding from his shoulder and I realized he'd been shot. I knelt down at his side, afraid that the next shot might get me, and dialed 911.
Within seconds a mounted police man arrived, followed shortly by an ambulance. They took Carl over to Columbia Medical Center and drove me over there in a squad car. I waited for what seemed like an eternity while they operated on him to remove a bullet.
A woman I recognized as Bridget Martin of CBS Channel 2 News arrived while I was waiting, asking me tons of questions regarding what happened. I answered as many as I could. When they finally put Carl in a room I was only allowed to see him for several minutes. They said he needed rest and the police would question him later. No doubt I'll be questioned too. I called Katie Donovan and left a message describing what happened. I'll probably ask her to go with me when the police question me.
I finally left the hospital around two in the morning and upon arriving home found the following note over the door where I hide an extra key.
"Barb, this time I winged the man in your life. The next time, I won't be so careful and I promise I won't be. Lady you may run everyone else in your life but you don't run me. Calling me soon would be in your best interests"
There was no signature, but I knew it had to be Cody. I hurried inside and tried his cell phone, but had to leave a message saying I was responding to his note.
Tomorrow might be an interesting day!
*closing my diary, locking it, and hiding it in my desk*
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April 13, 2008
Dear Diary,
Well, waking up naked in Lindsay Davis' bed Sunday morning was a real shocker. It was certainly a new experience for me! Lindsay just laughed and said that my bi-virginity was still intact, and even though she wouldn't pass at the opportunity to seduce me, she had merely taken me home with her to protect me.
I do remember sharing several pitchers of Killian's Red Ale with her at Mahoney's Irish Pub over in Brooklyn. What led me to drink more than usual was the shocking discovery that Cody Boyd was still in New York City. It was the sexy brunette bartender, Rafe Michaels, that I overheard talking to Lindsay, mentioning that Cody was planning to take her to dinner on Sunday.
Rafe was saying Cody's presence in the Big Apple might have had something to do with the death of my husband, Bradley. Lindsay told Rafe who I was when I started pressing Rafe for more information.
I wouldn't put it past Cody to be screwing Ms. Michaels. And she certainly didn't deny that was a possibility after dinner on Sunday night. What, of course, worries me is the fact that Cody lied to me about heading back to Detroit after his little "party" with me. He PROMISED me to leave and stay out of the Bradley murder case, since he wasn't actually involved in the hit.
I need to stay closer to Lindsay, and this Rafe lady, to learn what's going on. If Carl hears this he'll have a conniption.
I swear I remember seeing Seamus there on Saturday night, but I was pretty drunk and might have been hallucinating.
*closing my diary, locking it, and hiding it in my desk*
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April 10, 2008
Dear Diary,
On Wednesday evening I met with Katie Donovan at the Four Seasons. We set up our 11:00 am meeting in her office for today and I think it went quite well. I filled her in on everything and I gave her a $1500 retainer.
I told her all about my life with Bradley. How I was a journalism student at Michigan State when I met Cody Boyd through a friend at a party, a one night fling. How I met Bradley later when he was giving a talk regarding publishing at Michigan State, and after his talk I caught him in the hall to ask some questions.
One thing led to another and he invited me out to dinner. He was ten years my senior, but he was just so incredibly intelligence. He managed to ply me with wine at dinner, and take me back to his rented hotel room. Three months later he asked me to marry him. I agreed and he took me back to New York City.
The first three months were great, getting to see New York, dinners out in fine restaurants, and furnishing the nice big five story brownstone home he purchased kept me busy while he was working. The sex was fine, but began dwindling as Bradley kept spending more and more time in the office.
I finished my degree at Columbia, but Bradley didn't want me to work, so I just cleaned the huge home and prepared his meals. In essence I became his cook and housekeeper and supplied him with sex when he needed it, around once or twice a month. I was more the young, attractive, trophy wife that he desired or felt he needed. He liked me dressed up looking sexy when he took me along to business dinners, something that wore thin after several years.
One night I had prepared a nice meal since he said he'd be home. At nine o'clock, I realized he wasn't coming home, so I angrily threw it in the garbage and went out looking for a nice restaurant alone. Because I like Italian food I tried the Four Seasons Supper Club.
The rest is history. I liked the place and the people that regularly attended. I met Seamus Clark, heard he had written a romance novel and I offered to read it. It was quite unique and the sex scenes were spellbinding, so I pushed Bradley to consider publishing it.
Seamus was attractive and joking around with him regarding the sex scenes in his novel led to more. A poor lonely girl in the big city getting a sensual man's attention. I'm not sure who seduced whom, but I wound up in his bed one night.
That fired my sensual appetite and then I met Carl Cameron. He had me at "hello" and we were soon doing the horizontal rumba while I helped edit his first romance novel. One hot, wild, sexy night, while Bradley was away in Boston at a conference, Carl screwed me unprotected in my own bed. Uh oh!! Playing with fire can get a girl burned!
Sure enough a few weeks later I realized I was pregnant, probably Carl's. Since Bradley said he wasn't ready for kids, we always used condoms, and up to that point, I'd been very careful. In a panic I got Bradley a little drunk and seduced him into sex without a condom, thinking that might solve my problem.
I told Carl and he said I should leave Bradley and marry him. I was considering my options when Bradley confronted me, saying he was sure I was messing around. That's when he threatened to kill me if the baby wasn't his.
Now Bradley is dead and, although I didn't hire that mugger, that NYPD detective is all over my ass asking questions. Hopefully, Katie can fend them off and avoid a trial.
*closing the new diary, locking it, and hiding it in my desk*
