Chapter 45
A CALL FROM OFFICER KOMOROSKI lights up my screen. Perfect. He’s the one I need to talk to. I quickly answer.
“We found something troubling.” No niceties, just a gruff voice on the other end.
“Give me a second.” My voice is surprisingly steady.
I grab my purse from the floor and walk toward the other side of the flattened bleachers.
I realize if someone has been watching me, I might have looked rather distressed on my phone.
As I tuck myself behind some storage canisters, I search for Erika.
She is still talking to the two girls. They all seem to be smiling.
More than that, their body language seems to indicate they are very interested in whatever Erika is saying.
Her stunt with that awful substitute has likely given her some star power at school.
“Okay. I’m ready. What did you find?” My throat constricts on the word find.
“A tracker on Erika’s phone. Quite a sophisticated one. We didn’t even see it right away.”
“A tracker?” The word inside my mouth is like a warm oyster. I almost gag. “Like, so, what, someone can track what she’s doing on her phone or, um, does it show where she’s going or what?”
“Both. We found it in the Messenger app and also tied to her location services.”
I shut my eyes and then immediately blink them open. “Which phone?”
“Her iPhone. The other one she was using is clean.”
My baby is being stalked. Oh, and the picture Erika sent. Who has it? My heart tumbles in my chest. It’s as if someone is explicitly trying to destroy my family.
“What can you tell us, Meredith?”
“About what part?” I spit out. This is outrageous. Someone is coming after our daughter. I glance around the folded bleachers. She’s still talking with those girls. Can they be trusted?
“You tell us. Maybe about the tracker? What do you know?”
“I don’t know anything about a tracker. Someone is after her. How do we keep her safe?” My heart pounds in my chest. Is this related to the stolen tests?
Erika hasn’t moved. She looks relaxed. Her head is slightly cocked to the side.
My palm is suddenly damp. I switch my hold and wipe my hand down my khakis.
“Meredith, we have reason to believe you’re keeping something from us.” The officer’s aggressive tone feels like a shove. I keep getting shoved. Not the best way to gain my trust.
“What reason is that?” I feel the chill in my words as they leave my mouth.
“You asked for our help. Your home has been breached. Your daughter has been threatened. Help us put the pieces together.”
He’s right, of course. “I filed a restraining order against an employee on Monday. She’d been fired, but the firm felt I needed protection.
Her name is Betsey Comarsh.” I provide spelling of her name and agree to send full contact information after we get off the phone.
My clanging heart begins to slow. Sharing this information with people who can help keep our daughter, our whole family safe, feels right.
“Where was it filed?”
“New York. Lafayette Street. Preliminary order was filed by Hardwin Donovan.”
“And who is Hardwin D-O-N-O-V-A-N?” He barks the question more than asks it. His anger is not misplaced.
“Chief legal counsel at Garman Straub, where I work.”
“We’ll track down the order of protection. Why am I just hearing this now?”
“I thought this was all about Erika. This secret boyfriend and the trouble at school. I didn’t think any of this had to do with me.” I massage my left temple. “You said you had reason to believe I knew something. Why would you say that?”
“After a lucky break, we were able to trace the tracker. Meredith, we pinged a server in your office building in Manhattan.”
I freeze. Erika’s phone. Someone from my building is stalking Erika.
From my company? No. These guys can be tough, greedy, and even mean, but they wouldn’t threaten a child.
There has to be a mistake. What did he say about a lucky break?
Maybe it was just meant to look like it came from Garman Straub.
“Now whoever is tracking your daughter knows we have it. Maybe this Betsey Comarsh. Do you want to come in?”
“No. We’re at our son’s robotics tournament. We’re fine.” But we’re not fine. The best thing to do might be to go to the station.
“Let us send someone to escort you back here. We can review the reasons for the protective order.”
If I go in now, whoever set me up has won. Even if I can prove I had nothing to do with it, which is a huge if, they’ll have time to clean this up. The board meeting is on Monday. I can’t let this be resolved without me.
“Soon, but not yet. I’ll be in touch. I need—”
“Actually, Mrs. Hansel, I’m going to have to insist. You said you are at a robotics tournament?”
“We’ll come in soon.” I rush the words and hang up the phone before he can tell me what insist means. I shiver as I turn off the ringer.
“Mom?” Erika stands behind me.
I slowly turn.
“Are you okay?”
I force a smile and shove my phone into my purse. “Did you see some girls you know?”
“Yeah. I came over to ask if we could walk over to the quad, but obviously something’s wrong. Tell me.”
“They found a tracking app on your phone,” I blurt.
“A tracking app?” She yells it and then clamps her hands over her mouth. “The police found it?”
“Yes.” I bite the inside of my cheek. I’ve just told a sixteen-year-old child that she’s being stalked.
Tears rush into her eyes, making them appear as sapphires. They do look so much like Lucas’s. From what I know, he inherited them from his mother, but Clint has never mentioned any resemblance. Has he hidden the hurt of looking into our daughter’s eyes?
She wipes under her eyes, but only a few tears have fallen. “Do you know how long they’ve been tracking me?”
“No. I didn’t ask.” Should have. Such a smart girl. “But they traced the tracking device on your iPhone back to my office building.”
“You’re kidding. Someone at your work.” She shakes her head. “Well, my phone has been with yours since Wednesday. And I was in the office twice recently. Once last week. Do you think whoever was tracking me is also tracking you?”
“Hey.” Clint suddenly appears, and he’s panting.
“You okay?” Erika squints at him. “Both of you are scaring me.”
“I’m fine.” He lowers his voice and leans toward me. “Did you tell anyone at work you were coming here today?”
I shake my head.
“I just saw Candy outside.”
“Candace is outside?” I glance across the huge gym toward the closed wall of doors. No windows to the lobby. From this spot, we have no idea what threats lurk on the other side.
“Yeah, I went to the lobby to talk to Coach and saw her. She’s got two big dudes with her. Doesn’t look like she’s here to watch the robotics final.”
She knows it’s Friday. Does she also know I’m getting closer to figuring out how they set me up?
“She’s probably tracking Mom’s phone.” Erika roughly crosses her arms across her chest.
Clint steps back like he’s been slapped.
“Yeah, Mom just found out my phone’s been hacked. Hers probably too. At least now we know who’s behind it.”
“Let’s not jump to conclusions.”
Erika rolls her eyes like I need to keep up.
“But we should get out of here.” I glance toward Reid, still huddled.
“Maybe we should just call the police?” Clint also glances toward the center arena.
“We could. I was just talking to Komoroski. He offered for us to come in.”
Clint slowly shakes his head. “To tell them what?”
I love this man.
He’ll do the hard thing with me. He won’t give in without a fight.
“Exactly,” I say. “We need to figure out who to trust.”
“Well, I can tell you with certainty it’s not Candy.” Clint puts his hand on my lower back.
“Then let’s go,” I say.
All three of us look over at Reid, who is now standing behind his teammates as they finalize the staging for whatever task their bot needs to run.
“You grab him, and I’ll pull the truck to the back entrance.” Clint pushes me slightly.
“Wait.” Erika grabs both our arms.
“We don’t have time to argue about this,” Clint almost shouts then lowers his voice to a whisper as a few of the parents look over at us. We’re being watched.
“Mom’s phone is likely being tracked and your truck is probably also. Whoever broke in and spray-painted the Range Rover had access.”
Clint stills.
“Maybe that’s even why they did it.” She shrugs. “I watch a lot of true crime shows.”
Clint and I look at each other. This whole thing may be well beyond us. I sigh in surrender. “Maybe the college has security or even police? I can call Komoroski back.”
“I have another idea. Dad, give me your keys.”
Clint shakes his head. “I’m not risking—”
“No. I’ll get Ella to give us her Accord. We’ll leave the truck here. She can bring it home later.”
“She’ll give you her car?”
“I’ve become a minor celebrity. I got this.” She reaches out and takes the key ring Clint offers.
I glance over at our intensely focused son. “Reid’s not going to be happy.”
“I’ll get Reid. I know the other coaches.” Clint glances across the gym.
“And I’ll stash my phone in one of the school’s robotics bins. We can at least try not to be tracked. But what about all our stuff?”
“Candy just walked in. She’s still on her phone.” Clint keeps his gaze on her. “Let’s leave the stuff in the truck. One of her guys didn’t come in with her.”
“Maybe watching the front or coming around back,” Erika murmurs.
“Okay, have Ella go alone and bring her car to the exit by the bathrooms. Leave the Accord running, but don’t have her take the truck. Keep it parked here. I don’t want her followed. You both head to that side entrance.” He points to the exit signs. “I’ll meet you there with Reid.”
Erika turns and sprints toward Ella.
Clint opens his mouth to call out, but then only mutters, “I’ll get the keys later.”
Candace, or Candy—hard to think of her by any other name—is still on the phone. I haven’t even seen her look up. Her goon is standing behind her. They haven’t moved from the entrance, but in moments they could be across the gymnasium.
Clint is now talking to Reid’s coach, his back to the observers.
Good man. One of the assistants is dispatched to talk to Reid.
He’s going to be so upset. Poor guy. At least he’s got his programming done.
He nods and then grabs one of the guys on his team and talks urgently before being led away.
Suddenly I realize I haven’t moved. Candace is off the phone and moving in my direction.
I slip behind some of the motivational banners, careful not to trip over any of the power cords.
Clint and Reid are already at the mouth of the restrooms. Clint takes a brief glance behind him and double-takes when he sees me still making my way.
I’m sorry, I mouth. Just go.
Clint pushes Reid toward Erika, but I lose them as they run down the hallway. My husband’s eyes widen as he looks behind me.
I run. As I make it to him, I spy a fire alarm on the wall. I flip up the plastic protector and yank on the red lever. The gym roars with a blaring alarm and flashing lights. I barely lose stride as Clint presses me toward the exit.
We round the side of the building behind a line of dumpsters.
Just as I am throwing my body into the old sedan, Clint freezes on his side of the car.