“First, we go inside.” He thrust his keys at her. She’d given him a key to her house a few weeks back. “Go, now. I’ll get the girls.”
His tone didn’t allow for argument. She rushed to the door, almost dropping his keys as she tried to open it. She heard the sound of her car door opening and his voice as he talked to the girls. The thought of this unknown man threatening Jonah drove her to the powder room. Kneeling before the commode, she dry-heaved as she sobbed. This wasn’t fair. Their lives were just getting back on track, settling down.
A moment later, she felt his hands in her hair, holding back her wild curls. “I'm right here, Addie. No one is going to hurt you. I promise.”
“I don’t care about that. What about you? How do I keep you safe?” She turned and buried her face into his chest. “I almost lost you once, Jonah. I can’t go through that again.”
He held her tightly, murmuring softly as she clung to him. Gracey and Lily crowded into the tiny powder room, pushing their noses against Addie. “Nothing is going to happen to either of us. Do you hear me?” He waited until she nodded against his chest. “I won’t let it.”
She straightened up, dashing away the remaining tears from her face. “But how, Jonah? How will you keep us safe? We don’t even know who he is.”
He dragged a hand through his short, dark hair. “I’ll figure it out.” He laughed at her frown. “Okay, we’ll figure this out.”
“I like the sound of we.” She reached up and kissed his cheek. “What do we do about the letter?”
“I’ll take it to the station. Won’t take me long. In fact, why don’t you come along? I’d feel better knowing you weren’t here alone.”
“Normally, I might fight you on this. Not right now. Let me take care of the girls first.” She headed out to the kitchen to get their dinners.
“Don’t get your hopes up,” he warned. “So far, he’s been very careful not to leave any trace.”
“Maybe he got lazy this time. A girl can hope.” She smiled at him but didn’t feel it. This stalker of hers was getting old. She wanted it over. Done. She wanted to move on with Jonah. They spent most of their time together these days. More often than not, he stayed at her place. It was easier with the dogs. Life with him felt…well, normal. She could be herself. He’d already seen her at her worst. At least she hoped.
“Ready?” Jonah stood by the door, evidence bag in his hand.
Addie shuddered at the thought of some unknown person writing that. Sending it to her. Threatening them. Then a terrible thought occurred to her. She stopped in front of him. “Do you think I know this person?” She pointed at the clear evidence bag, her hand shaking. “Could someone I actually know have sent that to me?”
I don’t know, honey. Maybe.” He followed her out and waited while she locked the door. “There’s no way to tell yet.”
She glanced around her quiet block. “I want to feel safe again, Jonah. I want to believe you’re safe as well.”
He threw an arm around her shoulders as they walked to the car. “I know. Me, too.”
She liked that he wasn’t throwing out false platitudes just to make her feel safe. She preferred honesty, even if it didn’t comfort her so much.
5
Several hours later Jonah pulled back into her driveway. They’d meant to drop off the letter and leave, but the nature of the threat escalated her case. What was once considered a harmless flirtation by his boss had become a legitimate threat to be taken seriously, especially since the offender named Jonah in his note, threatening him.
“I still have to call Grey. He’ll want to know.”
“Agreed. But maybe tomorrow?” He rubbed his shoulder as they got out of the car. “Not sure I can handle him tonight.”
“Are you in pain?” Addie cringed, thinking about dragging him into yet another of her problems.
“No, not really. I'm tired more than anything.” Jonah smiled at her. “Not used to putting in a full day again.”
“A fuller one thanks to me,” she muttered.
“Hey. This is not your fault.” He stood before her and lifted her chin with one finger. “Do you hear me? You did not do anything wrong.”
“And yet, here we are. Again. And then there’s the dream.”
He blew out a long breath. “Right. The dream. Why don’t you tell me about it?”
“Let’s eat. I can tell you then.” She grabbed plates while Jonah took the girls out back to relieve their bladders. When he came back, she was sitting at the table dishing up the Chinese food they’d gotten on the way home. Chicken and broccoli for her. Orange beef for him. He pulled out the opposite chair and sat.
Gracey let out a soft woof, circling the table with her twitching nose held high. Lily, the less subtle of the two, crossed to Jonah and leaned against him, all the while looking up at him with her soulful dark eyes.
“Somebody’s got your number,” Addie commented. She melted a bit as he reached down to caress her dog’s silky face.
“Can’t help it if I'm a sucker for small, furry dogs. And the beautiful woman who owns them.” He dished out a helping of the beef before adding a bit of her chicken. “Now, tell me.”
Addie did, breathing slowly and deeply to fight off the chills creeping across her flesh at the memory. She took a first bite of her favorite Chinese dish, and then she told him what she and Grey had done.
Jonah shook his head before putting down his fork. “Why am I not surprised? And what did you find?”
She cocked her head. “You’re not angry?”
“Not sure angry is the right word.”
“How about frustrated, scared, or wanting to lock me in a closet?”
“That last one isn’t one word but works. Look, I know you want to figure these things out, and I can’t imagine what you go through with these dreams.”
“But? There was definitely a but in there.”
“But I need you to be careful, Addie. To take these things seriously.”
“I do, Jonah. I promise. Besides, we went to a senior home in broad daylight. What could have happened?”
His short bark of laughter was far from comforting. “What indeed? Did the place look familiar?”
“No, I didn’t see anything from my dream. But we didn’t get to see all of it. There’s a wing for the more, uh, sick or maybe elderly, residents. I asked to see it, but she shot me down, claiming privacy laws and all that.”
Jonah leaned back in his chair. “How did you get her to take you on a tour in the first place? It’s not like either one of you is old enough to consider living there.”
She ignored the heat creeping into her cheeks. “We pretended to be a married couple. Mr. and Mrs. Mayberry, if you can believe it. Grey’s idea.”
“Something you’re not telling me?”
She appreciated his attempt at levity. “Very funny. He told the woman we were looking for a place for my Grandmother Betsy.”
“At least you didn’t say the Aunties. They’d have skinned you alive.”
“You’re not kidding. I may have been banned from Thanksgiving dinner. Knowing them, though, they’d probably still be knitting booties.” She slapped a hand over her mouth as soon as she uttered those words.
A dark eyebrow, the one with the scar running through it, climbed toward Jonah’s hairline. “No pressure there,” he quipped.
“I'm so sorry. I didn’t mean to mention that bit.”
To her shock, he roared with laughter. “Are you kidding me? They asked me about my choice in underwear and sperm count at practically our first meeting. Nothing about those two could shock me.”
She shuddered. “Never tell them. They’d take it as a challenge.”
“Duly noted. But seriously, I do want kids, someday. You know that. And neither of us is getting any younger.”
“Thanks…I think. What are you saying?”
“Nothing. Not yet at least. I'm an old-fashioned kind of guy. There will be a question before any of that happens.” He
took another bite of his dinner, washing it down with some water.
She watched him eat, amazed at his ability to do so. As if he hadn’t just mentioned marriage and children. “Uh… what just happened?”
He grinned at her. Grinned! “Never thought I’d make you speechless.”
“How can you talk about such things, so casually, with all that’s going on?” Addie’s mind whirled at the thought.
“Life is short, Addie. And since I've known you, there’s always been something ‘going on.’ Just saying.”
“Okay, true, but it was never a threat to both of us. Aren’t you taking this seriously? I need you to take this seriously.” She cringed at the screechy note her voice had taken on, somewhere in the range of fish wife, but she could do nothing about it.
Jonah’s chocolate eyes darkened to black. “I take it very seriously. This needs to end. This person who thinks he can threaten you has to stop. And pay for his actions. But none of that changes how I feel about you, Addie Foster. I hope you know that.”
She nodded, knowing words couldn’t make their way past the lump in her throat. She stood up and closed the distance between them, throwing her arms around him where he sat. Her tears streaked down her face and into his hair. “I cannot lose you,” she whispered.
Jonah stood, never letting go of her. “I’m right here. With you. I'm not going anywhere, and no one is going to hurt me. Or you.” He led her to the sofa, their dinners abandoned.
“I’m sorry,” she sobbed against his chest.
“You have nothing to be sorry for.” He rubbed her back while she pulled herself together. “Now I need you to focus. Think, Addie. Who could this be?”
“I don’t know. I get that everyone wants to point the finger at Noah, but I really don’t think so.”
“Tell me why.”
She struggled to put her thoughts into words. “Noah didn’t care enough about me to stalk me after I broke up with him. He wasn’t, uh, passionate enough to go to the trouble.” She wrung her hands, hoping he understood what she meant.
“You told me he was very upset when you broke it off with him.”
Addie sighed, wiping away the remaining tears from her face. “Upset, yes. But honestly, I think it was more about my doing it in a public place than anything. He was embarrassed, left me sitting there.”
“Yeah, real nice guy. But I agree with you. I don’t think it’s him either. But I wanted it to be him,” he growled.
“Now, now, you won in the end.” His jealous tone did a funny little thing to her heart, causing it to flip in her chest.
“True.” His smile was all teeth, not unlike his namesake. “So, who else then? Think. Anyone who paid a little more attention than they should have. Made you feel in anyway uncomfortable.”
She closed her eyes, concentrating on the past few months. Nothing came to mind other than the obvious criminals she’d had dealings with. She opened her eyes and stared at him. “I can’t think of anyone, Jonah. You know how crazy my life has been these past few months. Nothing else springs to mind. Are you sure I would know him? Or her?”
“About seventy percent of stalking victims know their stalker, at least superficially. It’s possible you don’t. It could be someone who came in the store. Or even someone you bumped into in the coffee shop or on the street.”
“This is a small town. People pretty much know each other. I can’t imagine it’s someone I've known all my life. Why now?”
“You could be right. It may be someone who’s new to town or someone who doesn’t live here in Ocean Grove but maybe work brings them here.”
“That narrows it down a bit. This is a beach town. The population swells from May through October.”
“True, but this is continuing. And he’s leaving stuff at your house. He knows his way around and is most likely local.”
“I thought he’d given up. Gotten over me. Things were quiet for a while. Wishful thinking, I guess.”
Lily whined and pressed her furry body against Addie’s legs. She picked up her dog and hugged her tightly. “It’s okay. Or it will be.” She stroked the dog’s head, hoping her words were correct.
Gracey, not to be outdone by her sister, sat on Jonah’s feet, placing one white paw on his knee. “You’re a good girl,” he crooned to her dog.
Her heart melted a bit. He was so good to not only her, but her little dogs, too. She took his hands in hers. “I promise to think about this tomorrow. I’ll even come up with a list of every man who’s so much as looked at me in the past six months. But right now, for tonight, I need to forget. Think you can help me with that?”
“I have an idea or two,” Jonah replied with a wink.
6
Addie crept along the darkened hallway, aware that danger lurked within the shadows. She didn’t know what form the danger would take or from which direction it would come, but the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention. Faint light spilled from the last room at the end of the hallway. She flattened back against the wall when she reached the room and peeked inside. A figure dressed in scrubs leaned over the bed. The weak light from a bedside lamp shone on the needle in the person’s hand. She couldn’t tell if it was a male or female.
“Just another moment, my dear, and you won’t suffer anymore,” the person whispered.
Addie gasped with horror, remembering when it was too late to cover her mouth.
The figure turned. “You!”
She jerked awake, then screamed at the sight of Grey lounging in her office doorway. “You scared me,” she accused her best friend.
“The screeching gave that away.” His face softened. “Did you have another nightmare? I came to bring you a mug of tea. You looked tired this morning.”
She yawned and stretched, proving his words. “I am, thanks. Come in, please.”
He arched one blond brow but did as she asked without question. “Something’s up.”
Addie’s shoulders sagged at the fact that he didn’t ask but stated it. “I have to tell you something, and I need you to promise you won’t freak out.”
“Good freak or bad freak?”
She barked out a laugh. Grey was always good for a laugh, even in the worst of times. “Sadly, a bad one.”
“Oh.” He moved to the edge of his chair. “Either way, I'm here for you. Always.”
“And you know I love you for it.”
She took a deep breath and expelled it slowly before telling him about the note on her door last evening. She had to give him credit, he sat and listened through the whole sordid tale. Not once did he interrupt. But his very expressive face spoke volumes. She took a sip of tea to fortify herself. She knew what was coming.
“Is that all? Are you done now?”
Addie nodded.
“What the hell, Addie? Why didn’t you tell me last night?” He jumped out of his chair and paced her small office. “This has to stop. When I get my hands on this cretin…”
“Remember the part about not freaking out?”
“That was before you told me you’d been threatened.” He looked at her set face. “Fine.” He sat back down. In a softer, more controlled tone, he added, “What’s the next step?”
“I’m so glad you asked, because I need help with this part.” She told him about Jonah asking her for the names of people she’d had any kind of run in with. “To review, we don’t think it’s Noah or anyone I know very well. And it’s probably not anyone who lives here in Ocean Grove. Or at least didn’t live here a long time. He could be new to town or someone who has a reason to be here regularly.”
“Leaving us the rest of the male population of North Carolina and beyond? Great!”
“We’ll leave that part up to the police. We have to come up with a list of names.”
“So Deputy Do-Wrong is finally taking this seriously?”
Addie tried to keep a straight face at his less-than-flattering nickname for Jonah’s partner, Dan Blackwell. “Now, Grey, play nice.”
Grey snorted. “You don’t like him either. Not sure Jonah even likes him.”
“I believe Jonah, uh, respects him.” She sighed. “I am not a fan. He tends to play down the things that happen.”
“Like when he came out after the bear had been left? I seem to recall him finding it funny someone ‘had the hots for you.’ He’s creepy.”
She chose not to respond, as she’d always found him a bit creepy as well. “Everyone at the station, starting with the chief of police, is taking this seriously because there is an actual threat this time. And not just to me.” Her breath hitched on the last part, and she sent a silent message out to the universe to keep Jonah safe.
“Well, whatever the reason, at least they’re paying attention now. So, let’s start on the list.” He grabbed a scratch pad and a pen from the corner of her desk. “Are you sure we’re not listing Noah?”
“I don’t believe it’s him. Nor does Jonah. But to be safe, and inclusive, go ahead and write his name down.”
Grey, who’d never been a huge Noah fan, did just that, putting him at the top of the list. He followed it up with several more.
She turned the paper around to get a better look. “Who’s Caden? And Mr. Mc Manus? How did he make the list?”
“Caden is the barista next door. He moved here a few months ago. And why not Mr. Mc Manus? Everyone knows he’s the meanest person in Ocean Grove.”
“You’re not wrong about Mr. Mc Manus. But being mean doesn’t put him on the short list of possible stalkers. And Caden is maybe twenty.”
“You’re point being, Mrs. Robinson?”
She stuck out her tongue at him. “Very funny, Grey.”
Jonah’s dark head popped into her office. He smiled at her before entering her already crowded office. “Hey, man,” Jonah said to Grey before turning to Addie and kissing her. “Do you have the list?”
She motioned to the only other empty chair available. “We were just talking about that. As you can see, we haven’t gotten very far.” She pointed to the three names.
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