Chapter Nineteen
ABBIE
The sympathetic look on Detective Peterson’s eyes does nothing to ease my anxiety. I feel so sick to my stomach that I’m surprised I haven’t vomited yet. My hands are shaking so hard that when I try to lift a cup of water to my lips, it spills all over my chin.
“Can you… um…” I can barely form words. “Can you say that again?”
I need to hear it to believe it.
The detective takes a deep breath. “Yes. Okay. After going through your whole apartment, we found three cameras in your bedroom, all aimed at the bed.”
I nod weakly. Cold sweat runs down my neck. “And other rooms?”
Lilah’s room. That’s all I care about, really. Please, tell me there was nothing there.
Detective Peterson consults a notebook. “Fortunately, there were no other devices found in any other part of the apartment.”
I exhale hard as relief washes over me. Me being this insane person’s target is bad enough, but at least they’re not bothering with Lilah.
I just need to make sure whoever is stalking me never has a reason to go after her, now.
As much as I hate to be apart from her, I wonder if I should have her stay with Dad and Vivianne until this all blows over.
“We’re going to see if we can track where the cameras were purchased,” Detective Peterson explains.
“That might help us narrow down potential suspects, but I can’t make any promises; it won’t help if they were bought in cash, or secondhand on an online marketplace…
you know how it goes. I’ve also filed for a warrant to obtain phone records.
We won’t be able to track where the text messages came from, but it’ll help us build our case against whoever this guy is when we finally catch him. ”
My heart sinks. I was hoping for more of a guarantee that they’d be able to find this guy, but I suppose Peterson doesn’t want to promise more than he can be sure he can deliver.
“Okay,” I murmur. “I appreciate your help, thank you.”
Detective Peterson nods. “My team and I are going to head out now. Are you okay being here alone until Jake gets back, or do you want us to keep someone outside?”
Jake isn’t far: After dropping me off here and making sure I was okay letting the police inside, he immediately went around the corner to buy new, reinforced locks for the door.
He should be back at any moment, but the thought of being alone here for even a second makes me nauseous.
Still, I don’t want to be a burden. I’m an adult, and I’ve been dealing with this stalker asshole for a while now.
“I’ll be okay,” I assure him.
He gives me a hesitant look. “All right. I’ll be in touch if we find anything.”
“Thanks.”
I watch as he and the other officers file out of my apartment. When the last one crosses the threshold, I shut the door and lock it. Have to admit, I’m glad Jake is getting new ones.
Moving to the living room, I sink onto the couch and try not to think about being so alone right now. Does the stalker know I’m here by myself? Will they take this opportunity to come for me?
Ugh, my mind is going crazy. I need to calm down. My paranoia is getting the better of me.
A sudden knock on my front door startles me out of my thoughts. I jump up, my heart hammering, and hurry to look out the peephole. When I see my dad standing out in the hall, I let out a long breath of relief.
Thank God… here I was thinking my stalker was just showing up at my front door, giving no fucks about getting caught anymore. I’d almost forgotten Jake had texted Dad to let him know it was safe for Lilah to come home.
Undoing the lock, I open the door and give my dad a shaky smile.
“Hey,” I murmur. “Thanks for bringing her back.”
His brow is furrowed in concern. “Hi, sweetheart. You okay?”
Before I can answer, Lilah rushes inside and wraps her arms around my legs.
“Mommy! Missed you!”
I bend down to hug her back. “I missed you too, baby.”
Dad comes in and shuts the door behind him.
“Lilah, sweetie,” he says with a warm smile. “Why don’t you go to your room for a minute and find your favorite toys? Grandpa needs to talk with Mommy.”
Lilah blinks up at him and I can tell she doesn’t want to let me go. She can’t understand what’s going on, but she knows something isn’t right.
“It’s okay, sweety,” I tell her in a gentle tone. “Go play for a bit and we’ll come get you soon.”
She sticks out her bottom lip but mutters, “Otay.”
Reluctantly, she turns and makes her way down the hall toward her room.
Once she’s out of earshot, Dad asks in a low voice, “All right, what’s going on? When you told me about the first break-in, you assured me you’d be okay here and I didn’t pry, but this is too much, Abbie. You need to tell me everything.”
He’s right. I’ve been holding back the details so he wouldn’t worry, but I don’t have a choice anymore.
“So…” I begin in a shaky tone. “Back in Harrisburg, I had this… problem.”
“What kind of problem?”
I nervously clasp my hands together. “In Harrisburg, about six months ago, I started getting really weird messages. Someone was stalking me, but it never went past random texts and notes. When I moved here, I thought I left them behind, but I was wrong. They’ve followed me here and have gotten more aggressive.
I think Jake being around has made them mad. ”
Dad stares at me, shocked. It takes him several moments to find his words.
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
I drop my gaze from his. “I didn’t want to make you worry, and like I said, I thought moving here would make this all stop…”
To my surprise, Dad wraps his arms around me and pulls me into a tight hug.
“Oh, sweetheart, I’m so sorry,” he whispers. Then he pulls back and stares at me, a look of conviction crossing his face. “Seriously, you and Lilah need to come back to my house. I’ll keep you safe. If anybody even tries getting at you and I catch them…” Anger flares in his eyes.
Warmth spreads through me and I feel genuinely comforted by his offer.
Part of me wants to jump on it, but I stop myself.
Instead, I look up at him and reply, “I don’t want to put you and Vivianne in harm’s way …
but maybe it’s a good idea for Lilah to stay with you for the time being.
Detective Peterson has taken the case on and he believes I’m the stalker’s sole focus. ”
She’ll be comfortable there. She has her bedroom and I know Dad and Vivianne will take every precaution necessary to keep her safe.
“You need to come with me,” he says. “If anything happens?—”
“I don’t need to do anything, Dad,” I say as gently as possible, giving him another squeeze. “I’m an adult woman, and I am choosing not to put you in danger with my presence. But I do want you to take Lilah and keep her safe. I’ll have Jake and the cops here. I promise I’ll be fine.”
He frowns and shakes his head. “I don’t want to leave you here alone.”
“I’m sure.”
At that moment, the front door opens and Jake comes strolling inside holding a plastic bag. He stops when he spots me and Dad.
“Oh! Hi, Mr. Wixx,” he exclaims.
“Jake.” Dad nods, eyeing him up and down. He’s got that look of a father sizing up his teenage daughter’s new boyfriend… is he actually thinking about Jake back in high school?
Ooph, for Jake’s sake, I hope not. I also hope Dad doesn’t notice how much Lilah looks like Jake. He’s not the most observant when it comes to that stuff, but if he’s this focused on Jake, he might start to pick up on their similarities.
Jake clears his throat and holds up his bag. “I got the new locks. I’ll get them installed quick…”
“I’ll help,” Dad says in a commanding note that makes it clear he’s not taking no for an answer. “That way I can make sure nobody’s busting down my daughter’s door.”
Jake’s eyes widen slightly. “Uh, sure. I’d appreciate that, sir.”
I look between the two before murmuring, “I’ll go get Lilah packed up.”
The two men get to work and I head back to Lilah’s room. She’s sitting in the middle of the floor, playing with a stuffed elephant.
She looks up at me as I walk in.
“Mommy sad?”
Giving her a small smile, I kneel next to her. “No, sweetie. I’m not sad. I just have some adult stuff I need to take care of, so you’re going to go stay with Grandpa for a little while, okay?”
She tilts her head and frowns. “Why?”
How the hell do I try to explain this situation? “Mommy just wants to make sure you are happy and having fun. You’ll be bored while I take care of adult things if you stay here. Don’t worry, though. I’ll come see you every day.”
She looks thoughtful for a moment. “Okay, Mommy.”
I sigh in relief. “So let’s get you packed to sleep over at Grandpa’s.”
We both get up and quickly gather some clothes and a few toys and pack them in a little bag for her. By the time we finish and go back out to the living room, Dad and Jake are finishing up putting the new lock on the sliding glass doors.
Dad spots us and grins at Lilah. “Hey, princess! You ready to sleeve over at Grandpa’s?”
Lilah nods. “Yeah!” She points up at Jake and exclaims, “Yake calls me princess, too!”
An awkward silence falls at her words and I’m momentarily frozen in place as Dad furrows his brows.
I snap out of my daze and quickly hand Dad her bag. “Thank you.”
He leans in and kisses my forehead. “You’re welcome, sweetheart. Keep me posted on things, okay? And be careful.”
“I will,” I assure him. “Love you.”
“Love you too.”
Squatting down, I hug Lilah. “You be good, baby. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Love you, Mommya!”
I chuckle. “I love you too.”
She rushes over to Jake and he squats down to meet her with open arms.
“Bye, Yake!”
“Bye, Princess.” He smiles down at her. “We’ll see you soon.”
Dad and Lilah take off and I walk to the door, shutting it and locking it behind them. My heart aches and tears form in my eyes, but I fight not to let them fall as I turn to face Jake.
“You okay?” he asks, wrapping his arms around my head to hold me, his big body engulfing me completely.