by Kelly Utt
Sean was retired and usually home, so Cate didn’t think it would be any trouble for him to pop over to her house. His grandson, Mitchell, was probably home from school already, anyway. Maybe he and Jilly could do homework together. Jilly would find it awkward that she had to hang out with him, but she’d get over it. It was more important that they kept her safe. Having an adult at the house was a necessity if someone tried to bother them. Aaron and Jilly were mature for their ages, but they couldn’t be expected to handle a stalker who might want to do them harm.
The call went to Sean’s voicemail. Cate didn’t leave a message, but he must have recognized her number because he called back within a few minutes. The old man said he was happy to go by her house and would remain there until she and Niko got home. Cate thanked him and felt grateful to have such a good neighbor nearby. She felt like Aaron and Jilly would be safe under Sean’s watchful eye.
On the way back into town, Cate debated whether to call James and fill him in. She’d been meaning to talk to him anyway, but she didn’t want to alarm him. Especially if she was overreacting. She knew her brother would stand up for her and would stop at nothing to protect her and the kids. She was glad to have him in her corner, yet there was something about that conversation he and Neil were having this morning which made her hesitant to get her brother involved. Cate thought maybe she should just let Neil handle it. She decided to wait and do just that. There were so many questions that were unanswered. She wanted to wait until she got a handle on at least a few of them before sharing what she knew with James.
Cate looked back at her youngest son in the rearview mirror. He was such a good boy. She thought about how much he looked like his dad the way he was sitting with his head leaned over to one side. He was looking out the window, watching the rain. For him, life was simple and easy until the day his father was taken away. Niko’s entire world changed that day. Never again would he be able to live completely carefree. In a single afternoon, he had come to understand the cruel reality that life can be harsh and difficult and unforgiving. Cate’s heart hurt for her boy. She thought herself a good mom and would have done anything to keep her children from experiencing this pain, including trading places with Mick if that had been an option. Cate Brady would have done anything for her family.
“Mommy?” Niko asked softly.
“Yes, my darling. What is it?” Cate was calmer now. She felt like she could breathe deeply again.
“Where are we going?”
He said it in such a trusting voice. It sounded like it would be have been okay no matter where his mom was taking them.
“We’re going to meet a friend of mine named Neil,” Cate said, choosing her words carefully. “He’s a detective on the local police force.”
“Does he wear a uniform and carry a gun?” Niko asked.
“He usually carries a gun, yes,” Cate replied. She wondered what her five-year-old knew about guns, anyway. She didn’t think they had discussed them much. What he knew must have come from TV and movies. That is unless his older siblings had been talking to him. “But Neil is a detective, so he wears a suit like Daddy. Detectives don’t wear uniforms like other police officers.”
Cate could see her son tense up at the mention of his daddy. Come to think of it, Niko hadn’t talked too much about his father since he died.
“You know,” Cate began. “It’s okay to talk about Daddy. Just because he’s gone doesn’t mean we will forget him. We could never do that.”
Niko nodded his head, hesitantly. He was quiet for another few moments. Cate didn’t break the silence. She wanted to give him space for his thoughts and feelings. When he spoke, Niko wanted to know more about Neil.
“Will he have a badge to prove that he’s a police officer?” It was an excellent question. Cate and Mick had always told the kids to look for a police officer if they were ever lost or in trouble, and they had pointed out how it was important to look for the police officer’s badge to identify them properly.
“Yes, my sweet boy. He will.”
“Are we going to see him at the police station?”
“Yes, that’s exactly right. We are. You’re my smart boy, Niko Brady,” Cate said, trying to sound as normal as possible. Niko smiled, basking in his mom’s adoration.
Cate wasn’t sure Niko had ever been to a police station. She didn’t think he had. She hoped it wouldn’t scare him.
8
When Cate and her young son arrived at the Rosemary Run police station, the rain was still coming down steadily. Visibility remained low, and it looked like the wet weather would continue for quite some time. Thunder boomed softly in the distance. The air outside felt dangerous.
Cate was unbuckling her seatbelt when Neil appeared beside her vehicle, shielded from the water by a large, black umbrella. His chiseled features and his deep-set blue eyes looked especially handsome in the low light.
“You made it,” Neil said, smiling, as Cate rolled down the driver’s side window. “You said one of your sons is with you?” Neil leaned forward to glance in the back seat.
“Yes, this is Niko Brady,” Cate said as she introduced Neil to her youngest son. Niko waved cheerfully, then Neil did the same.
Cate could tell Neil wanted to talk privately without Niko overhearing, yet he wasn’t inviting the two of them into the station. Maybe he didn’t want the little boy to get out in the rain.
“Cate, why don’t you step outside so we can talk for a few minutes?”
She liked that he was using her first name again. He seemed to have softened since this morning when he was driving a hard line with his probing questions.
“In the rain?”
“You can stand here with me, under my umbrella. It’s large enough for both of us.”
Cate’s pulse quickened at the thought of standing so close to Neil Fredericks. She told herself to stop it. This was not a social call. And besides, her husband had only been dead for little more than a week. Cate told Niko she’d be just outside and to stay buckled in his booster seat, then she climbed out of the SUV and stood next to the handsome detective. She could smell a hint of his aftershave. Perhaps the rain was making the smell more noticeable.
“Are we going inside?” Cate asked, already knowing the answer.
“I thought we’d talk out here, if it’s alright with you,” Neil replied.
Dynamics between the two of them were changing. Any formality that was present previously was being abandoned. Cate thought perhaps Neil had learned something which had moved him firmly onto her side. Hopefully, this meant he was no longer suspicious of her. Hopefully, he’d stop asking questions about her whereabouts the evening her husband died.
“So, tell me what happened,” Neil instructed.
Cate debated whether to tell him the whole story. She quickly decided that she would. She was genuinely concerned for her safety. Especially if Mick’s death hadn’t been an accident, because whoever killed him could be after her and the kids. She trusted the local police. She trusted Neil.
“It started the day of Mick’s funeral,” she began. “As the undertakers were lowering his casket into the ground, I jerked and looked away. I hadn’t planned to turn my body around, but it was overwhelming to see my husband buried. Everyone else was watching the casket, paying their last respects. When I turned around, I saw someone standing along the tree line at the edge of the cemetery. At first, I wasn’t even sure it was a person. All I could make out was a shadowy figure. But as my eyes focused, I could tell more. I don’t know whether it was a man or a woman, but the person saw me seeing them and took off running into the woods.”
“Huh,” Neil said, taking it in.
“And then,” Cate continued. “Later that evening, after most of the guests had left our house, I was in the kitchen with the kids when we heard a loud banging sound on the back porch. I could tell our metal trash cans had been knocked over. I first thought there must have been an animal messing around. Like I told the kids that night, we hav
e stray cats in the neighborhood. Cats and raccoons have shown up trying to mess with the trash before. But what I didn’t tell my kids is that immediately after the banging sound, I heard what I’m sure were footsteps, running away. I’m certain someone was there.”
“Did you go outside and check it out?” Neil asked, the rain still pouring down around them.
“No, I didn’t,” Cate said. “James and Rebecca were there. I could have asked my brother to check it out. I thought about it, but he was seeing my in-laws out. Nancy and Al had come in town from Oklahoma for the funeral. I wanted to get that woman out of my house as soon as possible, so I didn’t want to delay their exit by mentioning the noise to James. Our dog barked. Maybe that helped scare the person off.”
Cate noticed that Neil seemed to react when she mentioned her in-laws. He pulled his head ever so slightly back. She wondered what that was about. She liked Neil, and she hoped they could converse without her feeling like he was recording everything she did for his future reference. Cate didn’t want to be just another case to him. She wanted to be something more. Friends, perhaps. She thought that would be a good start.
“I’d considered mentioning it to James, but I hadn’t had a chance and didn’t want to make a big deal out of it,” Cate continued. “Truly, I thought maybe it was just the grief getting to me. I’ve never gone through anything like this before and it’s hard to know what’s normal and what’s not.”
Neil’s lips moved into a sympathetic frown. He cared about her. Cate could tell. It was hard for her to believe that she had only known Neil as an acquaintance until this morning. It felt like she had known him much longer.
“I can’t imagine what you’re going through,” Neil said kindly. “I’ve never been married. The closest loss I can compare yours to is when I lost my mom. That was the hardest thing I’d ever had to face. I’ll bet losing a spouse is even harder. I’m so sorry.”
Cate believed him.
“Thank you,” she said. “That’s very kind. Most people don’t know what to say, so they say something ridiculous. Or nothing at all. But your words are heartfelt. They mean a lot.”
She noticed herself leaning a little closer to him.
“So what happened today?” Neil asked. “Have there been any other incidents between the day of the funeral and now?”
Neil didn’t tell Cate that he’d spoken with both Sasha and Pal about this morning’s incident. Nor did he tell her he’d spoken with Nancy. Little did she know, Cate’s case had taken up Neil’s entire day.
“No other incidents until now,” Cate replied. “I’ve had a nagging feeling that I was being watched. I chalked that up to what happened at the cemetery and then, you know, later that evening. The kids and I have been mostly holed up at home until this morning when we all went back to work and school.”
“And today?” Neil asked again, patiently. He didn’t intend to push her. This was a long game. A marathon and not a sprint.
“Today, when I left my office, I noticed a dark-colored sedan following me,” Cate continued. “At first, I thought it was my imagination. I’ve been doubting myself more than usual lately.”
“That’s understandable,” Neil offered.
“But when I walked out of Niko’s preschool after signing him out in the office, I saw the same dark-colored sedan in the back of the parking lot. It was just sitting there with its lights on, idling. In the rain. The parking lot was nearly empty. Doesn’t that strike you as odd?”
“Maybe so,” Neil agreed. “Could you tell the make and model of the car?”
Cate shook her head from side to side. “No, I was focused on getting Niko buckled in and getting out of there.”
“Close your eyes for a minute and try to remember,” Neil instructed.
“Here?”
“Yes,” he said. His voice made Cate feel safe. She glanced at Niko to make sure her little boy was still buckled into his seat, then did as Neil asked. She wrinkled her nose as she closed her eyes tightly, her cheeks feigning a smile.
“Try to relax,” Neil instructed. “Go back in your mind and be there.”
Cate nodded her head to let him know she was trying.
“Be there,” he said again. “What can you tell me about the car you see?”
To Cate’s surprise, she could remember it in greater detail. Neil was good at his job. She was impressed.
“It was a newer car,” she said. “Maybe brand new. It was either dark, charcoal gray or black. It was hard to tell in the rain.”
“Good,” Neil said. “How big was the car?”
“Big. I think it would probably be considered a full-size. It looked kind of sporty. It was contoured around the sides and up near the headlights.”
“Did it have any markings on it? Like a racing stripe?”
“No, it was definitely plain.”
“Nice job,” Neil said. “Did you see where the car went when you pulled out of the parking lot?”
Cate opened her eyes. “As I drove away, it did too. Following behind me. I was so freaked out that I just sped ahead, swerving through traffic to try and get away from it. When I looked back, I couldn’t see it in my rearview mirror. But in all this rain, it was hard to tell what vehicles were behind me.”
“Alright, well, now I have a good idea what to be on the lookout for.“
“Do you think we’re safe?” Cate asked timidly.
Neil shrugged his shoulders a little, but stopped himself. He could tell Cate was looking to him for reassurance and already, he didn’t want to let her down. “Do you have a security system at your house?”
“I believe so,” Cate replied. “I don’t think it’s active, but I’m pretty sure the house is wired for one. Mick handled that kind of thing when we were married.” It was the first time Cate had referred to her marriage in past tense. It stung a little.
“How about you begin there?” Neil asked. “I can give you the name of a friend of mine at a local security company. He’ll take good care of you. He will make sure that your house is set up on their monitoring service, with both cameras and alarms. That will go a long way. If anyone comes to your back door again, we can take a look at the footage and hopefully identify them.”
“Okay,” Cate said.
She didn’t tell Neil, but she was reluctant to have her house monitored by a security company. She didn’t want to live her life in fear and she didn’t want her kids to grow up that way either. She thought to herself that she might wait awhile before following Neil’s advice. After all, no one had physically threatened them yet. These incidents might just be in her imagination. She had heard how flimsy they were as the words came out of her mouth. The dark-colored car in the school parking lot might have just been leaving at the same time. Maybe she was becoming paranoid. And a security system with cameras would only feed that paranoia.
“I appreciate you coming out here and talking to me like this, what with the rain,” Cate said, gesturing up to the sky. “I’ll let you get back to whatever you were doing. I should head home and make sure my kids are okay. They’ll be wanting supper soon and I always tell Aaron to wait to cook until Mick… Until I’m home.” Cate told herself that she needed to stop referring to Mick as if he were still a part of the family.
“It’s no problem,” Neil said. “I’m happy to help. You have my numbers. I wrote my mobile number on the business card I gave you this morning. Use that to call me directly, anytime. You can text if it’s more convenient. Let me know when you’re ready for the name of my friend from the alarm company. And I’ll let him know you’ll be reaching out soon.”
“Thank you,” Cate said, looking up at Neil and enjoying another whiff of his aftershave. “This has been nice.”
“It has,” he agreed. “Try to relax, please. Be smart about how you handle yourself and leave the worrying and investigating to me. Deal?”
Cate liked the way he said to leave the worrying to him, but she wasn’t so sure about the investigating part. She hoped th
ey could move on from that part soon. She hoped there would be a soon for the two of them.
“Deal,” she said, then she smiled at Detective Neil Fredericks politely and climbed back into her SUV.
On the way home Cate thought about how she had been acting like a crazy person, speeding through town in the rain and driving towards the bay while two of her children remained at home alone. Where had she thought she was going, anyway? It had been years since Cate had needed to run away. Even back then, she was running to Mick after a bad breakup with a boyfriend she’d had since high school. Those days had long passed. It was time for Cate to settle down.
9
“I’m gaining her trust,“ Detective Fredericks said to his partner, Luke Hemming, as he took off his coat and shook it out to get some of the water off. They were playing good cop-bad cop. The time for Luke’s bad-cop routine had not yet come. But they both figured it would. It almost always did.
“Does she suspect anything?” Luke asked. “It will make things easier for us if she remains oblivious.”
“I don’t think so,” Neil said. He felt bad. He really liked Cate. But he had a job to do. And he couldn’t ignore the growing body of evidence that was stacking up against her.
10
When Cate arrived home, she didn’t go inside. She didn’t have the energy to cook and then clean the mess. Instead, she texted Aaron and Jilly to come out to the SUV. Cate thanked Sean for staying with them as he and Mitchell headed home, then she drove all three of her kids to her parents’ house.
Cate had been trying to stay strong and to be independent, but she was tired. She knew her parents would welcome her and her children with open arms if she showed up asking for help. For tonight, she needed help with dinner and didn’t want the hassle of a restaurant. Cate feared that at some point soon, she might need Ron and Ellen’s help with a lot more than a meal. She pushed those thoughts away as she knocked on the wooden front door of her parents’ farmhouse, then used her key to enter. She hadn’t told them she was coming. She hadn’t needed to.