Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
When we reached the office, Dante was in the breakroom, fuming.
“What’s up?” I asked, dropping my backpack on the breakroom table.
“That bitch slashed my tires! I’ve had it. I called the cops.” His eyes flashed, and he let out a soft growl that told me his wolf was close to the surface.
“What the hell? Rowan? Is she here?” I looked around, expecting to see her tied up somewhere.
“No, but she left a calling card.” He tossed a black rose made out of metal—including the thorns—on the table. “She loves black roses. She also keyed my car.” He let out another growl.
“Cripes. Did anybody see her?” I knew what the cops would say, and I wanted to prepare Dante because I knew he wasn’t thinking straight.
“No,” he said, giving me side-eye.
“Do you have a security camera installed in your car?”
“No,” he said, again glancing at me sideways. He knew what I was getting at. “You don’t think they’ll do a damned thing, do you?”
“No, honestly, I don’t. Without proof that it was her, there’s not much you’re going to be able to do. They’re not about to show up on her doorstop and accuse her of vandalism when there’s nothing to prove she’s been around here.”
For one thing, the cops were overworked and they didn’t have time for cases without compelling evidence. For another, a number of the cops were corrupt, and it often required a bribe to get anywhere. An activity we weren’t going to perpetuate.
Dante kicked the leg of his desk. “Damn it. What the hell am I going to do about her? I’d like to kick her ass across the ocean. Or better yet, into the ocean. The deepest part.”
I thought for a moment. We had to do something because she was growing more dangerous.
The cops weren’t going to help—we already knew that.
Thing was, Rowan was also married and it made me wonder if her husband knew about what she was doing.
We suspected it was a green card marriage—Lou was from another country and they’d been married for about five years, but from what we could tell, they were barely on speaking terms.
“What about contacting her husband? I wonder if he knows anything about this?” I asked.
Dante gave me a pointed look. “Well, that wasn’t a thought I was entertaining, but it might enlighten us…maybe.” He almost cracked a smile. “Can you imagine the look on her face when she finds out we’ve involved her spouse? Hey, what if we call immigration and tell them it’s a fake marriage?”
I snorted. “We can’t do that. He’s had enough hell in his life living with Rowan for five years. Besides, we’re not after him . We’re after her.”
“True,” Dante said. “Okay, but I’d rather not be the one to confront him. If we’re wrong, and he’s in love with her, I’m not the guy he’s going to want to hear this from.”
“Then start looking through the file that Philip gave me, while I drive over to their apartment. I’m only too happy to do what I can to put a stop to this.”
I dropped the files on his desk and strode out of the room, determined to put a stop to this for good. Peeking in Carson’s office, I whistled at him and snapped my fingers. “Yo, come with me. We got something to do and I need backup. Dante’s not the choice for this,” I said.
Carson groaned. “You’re talking about Rowan, aren’t you?” He shrugged into his leather jacket and followed me toward the door.
“You know me so well,” I said. “We’re going to go talk to her husband and see if he has any idea what she’s been up to.”
Carson knew better than grumble. He just followed me silently to the door, and — after informing Sophia where we’d be — we headed down to the parking lot.
* * *
I stopped in at the coffee stand before we hit the road. “Triple shot caramel latte,” I said. “What do you want?” I asked Carson.
“Quad shot espresso, iced.”
I gave his order and, once we had our drinks, we set out for Lake Forest Park.
Rowan and her husband lived on Northeast 174th Street. We took Highway 523 to Highway 522, where we turned north. We made another turn onto Highway 104, then left onto 178th Street. From there it was a quick jog to the left on 44th and another on 174th Street.
Finally, we pulled to a stop in front of a modest two-story house. The neighborhood wasn’t a bad one, though it wasn’t affluent, either. The house was a dark grey, with ice blue trim.
There was one car in the driveway — a green sedan. I wasn’t sure what Rowan drove, so we wanted to be cautious. I turned off the engine and looked at Carson.
“I suppose we should go knock on the door,” I said.
“We might as well get this over,” he said. “After all, what’s the worst she can do to us?”
“She’s a witch. There’s no telling what she can do, although I think she had much power, Dante would be in far more trouble than he is. So, shall we get this over with?”
I hoped that her husband didn’t own a gun, although rabbit shifters tended to be pacifists. Very few of them ran around armed.
With a sigh, I opened my door and stepped out onto the road. Carson followed suit and together, we marched up to the front door. I took a deep breath, then let it out slowly as I rang the bell. After a few seconds I rang again.
The door opened abruptly and we found ourselves staring at a six-foot tall man, who was far more burly than any rabbit shifter I had ever met. But there was a gentle look in his eyes, although he stared at us warily.
“Are you Lou?” I asked. “Rowan’s husband?”
He nodded, looking puzzled. “Yes, I am. Are you looking for Rowan? She’s out right now.”
I shook my head. “No, actually we’d like to talk to you if we can have a moment. My name is Kyann Sarasan, and this is Carson Dreyfus. We’re from Shadow Blade Investigations.” I watched him closely to see if the name registered, but he still stared at us blankly.
After a moment, he stood back, opening the door wider. “Come in, please.”
He led us into the living room, which was modestly furnished. It was clean and organized. Plants grew everywhere, including a few orchids. The furniture had seen better days, but it too, was neat and clean. The entire place felt comfortably lived in.
“Please, sit down?” He asked, ushering us over to the sofa.
We sat down, and I set my purse on the table. I unzipped the pocket nearest me and brought out my badge, showing him my credentials.
“Have you ever heard of our agency?” I asked.
He studied my badge for a moment, then shook his head. “No, I’m sorry.”
“Have you ever heard a man named Dante Franco?” I asked.
Again, the blank stare and a shake of the head. “No, I’m sorry.”
“This is going to be a dicey subject,” I said. “And I’m not sure how you will react, but I assure you, we wouldn’t be here unless we needed to.”
Lou’s expression clouded over. He began to fidget, tapping his foot on the floor. “All right. I’m ready.”
“Oh boy,” Carson muttered.
“I’m really sorry, Lou — pardon me but I’m not sure of your last name — but we have a few uncomfortable questions to ask about your wife.”
A frightened look replaced the nervous gleam in his eyes. “Are you from immigration?”
“No, we’re not. We aren’t here regarding your green card. Your wife’s name is Rowan, correct?”
He nodded. “Yes, that’s her name.”
“There’s no easy way to say this,” I began, then decided to just blurt it out.
“Rowan has been stalking one of my investigators. In fact, he’s my co-owner.
Dante Franco has known Rowan for a while.
She used to frequent the gym where he worked out, and she began harassing him.
We have all of this on video so she can’t deny it.
She’s broken into his apartment, stolen from him, and yesterday she slashed his tires.
I’m afraid if we don’t put a stop to this, it might lead to violence. ”
I sat back, watching him closely. Lou just sat there, processing what I had told him. After a couple of moments, Lou let out a long sigh and leaned back in his chair, dropping his head back as he let out a groan.
“Not again. Please, not again.”
“You believe us?” I asked.
After another sigh, Lou leaned forward. “Believe you? Yes. I do. This has happened before. We used to live in Tacoma, until Rowan started stalking a man there. He went to the police. I threatened that I’d leave her if she didn’t stop.
I got her to see a shrink, and he helped her wean herself off the infatuation she had for this guy.
But our reputation was ruined. She ended up spending two weeks in jail, and he slapped a restraining order on her.
As soon as we could, we moved. I thought it might be a one off—that somehow, she’d just lost control for a time.
” He paused, then asked, “I assume you know that I’m here on a green card marriage? ”
I nodded, not sure what to say. That she had done this before signaled a greater problem than I thought.
“ I wasn’t the one who asked her to marry me so I could to gain my citizenship,” he said.
“We were dating. She wanted to marry me and I thought we were in love. It seems like a win-win. Marry the woman who could assure my future here, and we were in love. I thought I had found the best of both worlds.”
“I can see how you would think that,” Carson said.
“Right. It was a whirlwind marriage, but we were crazy for each other and even immigration could see that. I thought everything was wonderful until a year later, when she met Harry. That’s the first guy she stalked.
I didn’t realize it in the beginning, of course, but she was stalking me as well.
I just happen to be free and interested in her.
But the newness wore off, and when she met Harry, she fell for him. Hard.”
“How did he feel about her?” I asked.
“Oh, he didn’t reciprocate her feelings. He was gay, and she drove off his fiancé with her antics.”
“I’m not sure antics would be exactly the word I’d use,” Carson said.
Lou shrugged. “You’re right. Anyway, she drove off Harry’s fiancé, and she destroyed his car. She put sugar in his gas tank when he told her to leave him alone.”
“What would happen if they were to arrest her for stalking Dante?” I asked. “What would happen to you , I mean.”
“Oh, I’d be okay. It’s past the time when ICE can deport me if the marriage fails.
I stay with her mainly because I worry about her mental health.
And… Against all odds… I do love the woman.
I hate what she’s doing, and I hate that she doesn’t feel passion for me anymore.
I keep thinking that if I stay long enough, she’ll come full circle back to me.
Then, maybe I can get her into therapy and we can have the family that I hoped for. I guess I’m fooling myself,” Lou said.
“You deserve better than this, man,” Carson said.
I nodded. “You do , you really do deserve more than this. I’m sorry, but we have to do something before she hurts Dante, because I swear to you — if she lays one hand on him, I’ll let my demon out and there won’t be anything left of her.
” I held Lou’s gaze, feeling that inner shift that happened when my demon rose her head out of the shadows.
Lou blanched. “I see,” he said. “You’re right, of course. We have to stop her. I wonder…let me see If I can call her therapist. Maybe he can commit her for an observation period. I’m still in contact with him. Let me put in a call and see what he has to say.”
“When is Rowan due home? She knows who we are and I don’t want to trigger her to act out.”
Lou glanced at the clock on the wall. “Not for a couple of hours. She’s working until two o’clock today.” He picked up his phone and excused himself.
Carson glanced over at me, shaking his head. “I didn’t expect this,” he said. “If she’s that far gone, she wouldn’t think twice about hurting anybody she thought was an enemy.”
“Unfortunately, I think you’re right.” I pulled out my phone and texted Dante with the information that we gotten so far. I had to truncate it, of course, but I gave him the gist of the conversation. I also told him we were waiting to hear what her former therapist might have to say.
When Lou returned, he looked like he’d just seen a ghost.
“All right,” he said. “Dr. Hedges thinks that she is a danger to your friend Dante. And to herself. He’s going to drive up here, and he, along with the police, will escort Rowan to the hospital, where she’ll undergo psychiatric evaluation.
Apparently, he recently dealt with a similar case that didn’t end well.
In fact, it ended up in a murder-suicide.
” Lou looked horrified. “Let me give you the doctor’s number so you can call him.
He should be here within two hours, three if traffic is bad. ”
The pain on his face was palpable. He looked like he was about to lose his best friend. I wanted to say something to help, but even if we reassured him this was for the best all around, that wouldn’t take the pain away. I stood, with Carson following suit.
“You know this is for the best,” I said. “She’s a danger to others and she’s a danger to herself, and she’s already ripped apart your heart.”
“I know, but it’s hard when you love someone so much that you desperately want to overlook the problems. I’ve never met another woman like her.
When she was in love with me, it was like a fairytale.
I know women talk about the Cinderella fantasy, but trust me — the Prince wants his Princess as well.
Or the pauper, depending on who it is. Finding the woman of your dreams isn’t easy, and I thought I did.
I guess sometimes it’s easier to pretend things are okay. ”
Lou walked us to the door, and I could tell he was trying not to cry. Rabbit shifters were emotional, and they valued family over everything else. If he had truly foreseen having a family with Rowan, chances are he’d go through hell and high water to get there. And now that wasn’t going to happen.
Impulsively, I reached out and gave him a quick hug. Startled, he returned it. I stood back, holding him by the shoulders.
“Listen to me. You deserve more than this. You deserve a woman is going to want to make a home with you, who isn’t going to look at anyone else.
You deserve someone who will value your love and not throw it away.
Please, believe me.” I held his gaze, watching as a myriad of emotions flashed through his eyes.
“Thank you,” he said. “Thank you for that. I’ll ask the doctor to get in touch with you once Rowan is in the hospital. I’m pretty sure that Dante will need to come in and make a formal statement. If you have any evidence, it probably be wise to bring it. That’s what happened in the first case.”
I nodded, and Carson and I thanked him and took our leave. As we drove away, it occurred to me how many people were living in fantasy worlds they had created, with no basis in reality. And how many people were hurt, thanks to those fantasies? I had a feeling it was far more than we wanted to think.