Reclaiming Love

by Shirleen Davies

  “No. Usually these emails are from people requesting information about housing in the area. That’s the only reason I opened it. It could be from anybody.”

  “I’ve got to call Adam.” She grabbed her phone, punching Adam’s number. “It’s Julia. Caly just received an email with the photos attached. It came from a different email than the others.”

  “Yeah, I’m not surprised. Vic got here about an hour ago and is trying to locate the source. The sender used some type of email proxy account, but it wasn’t effective. He says the guy is real sloppy and not a techie.” He paced a few feet away from Vic. “How are you doing?”

  “As you’d expect, knowing the guy is starting to send the pictures around.” She looked up to see her father outside Caly’s office. “My father just showed up. I’d better—”

  “Someone sent him the photos, Julia. He already knows.”

  She turned her back to the door, burning with embarrassment, not wanting to face her father. “How do you know that?”

  “He was at my office when I arrived, along with the mayor. I explained you’ve already seen them. He also knows we’re trying to work things out between us. I think he’ll be all right.”

  “I don’t know what to say to him,” she said as pain filled her voice.

  “Remember, none of this is your fault and what we did wasn’t wrong. I’ll be there in an hour. I love you, Julia.”

  “I love you, too.” She hung up and swung around to face the one man she admired above all others. The pain on his face reflected her own. He opened his arms and she flew into them, tears streaming down her face.

  He tightened his arms around her. “We’ll get this S.O.B, sweetheart. You can count on it.”

  ~~~~~

  Chapter Eleven

  “Got it,” Vic murmured as he focused in on the results of his work. “Here’s what you need, Adam.” He pointed to information on the screen before printing it. “You’ll need to get a court order so the service provider will release any identifying information.”

  “I’ll take care of it. Olander! Get in here,” he called over his shoulder.

  “Yes, Chief.”

  “This is what I need.” He handed Olander notes he’d prepared while Vic did his work.

  “Students, faculty, and administration employees who were at the high school between these dates. Okay,” Olander said. “Anything else?”

  “Once you have the list, identify anyone who is still in the area…anywhere around the lake and within fifty miles in all directions.”

  “That’ll take time. Is it all right if I grab another officer to help me on some of it?”

  “Choose one of the two who already know the situation.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “And I need all of it by tomorrow.”

  Olander sucked in a breath. “We’ll have it for you.”

  ******

  “A table in the back, please.” Adam slipped Julia’s hand through his arm, ignoring the stares of the diners already in the restaurant.

  “They’re watching us,” Julia said, trying to shield herself behind him.

  He bent down to whisper in her ear. “You’re the most beautiful woman in town. Of course they’ll stare.”

  They took seats in a private corner with a good view of the front.

  “Have you been able to find out anything?” Julia asked, fidgeting with the napkin in her lap while watching the other customers cast concealed looks their way.

  Adam slipped an arm around her and pulled her close. “Vic identified the service provider for each email address, and a subpoena is being served for the release of identifying information. If nothing else, it should provide us with the address of where the emails originated. We already know they were sent from somewhere in Peregrine Bay. I have officers compiling information that should help lead to the person responsible. Trust me…we will get the person.” He kissed her forehead, leaving his arm around her. “How did it go with your father?”

  Her mouth tilted into a grim smile. “He said the same things you have.” She looked up at him. “You’ve both been wonderful.”

  A somber chuckle escaped his lips. “That’s because we both love you.”

  They finished their lunch in silence before Adam confronted the issue yet to be addressed. He grasped her hand and squeezed it.

  “A lot has happened since I came back to town. And last night, well…it was more than I expected. As much as I want to be with you, every night, I don’t want you to feel pressured. You shouldn’t be alone, but I don’t have to be the one with you.”

  She blinked, unsure of what he was trying to tell her. “You don’t want to stay? Have you changed your mind about us?”

  He turned her to face him. “Never. I’ll stay if you’re sure that’s what you want.” He kissed her, not caring who saw.

  She eased away from him, color washing her cheeks. “Yes, that’s what I want.”

  “What the hell is going on here?”

  Julia cringed when she saw who stood at their table. She squeezed Adam’s thigh and sat up, leaning forward, hoping to avoid a confrontation.

  “Hello, Mark. I didn’t see you when we walked in.”

  “What are you doing here, Julia, with him?” His face reddened as he nodded toward Adam, otherwise ignoring him.

  “Having lunch, of course.”

  “That’s not what I’m talking about and you damn well know it.”

  Adam stood and stepped away from the table, keeping his voice low and calm. “That’s enough, Walters. Julia and I are having lunch, and as you can see, we are together. I hope you understand my meaning without further explanation. If you want to speak with Julia about it in private, I suggest you call her for a meeting. This isn’t the place.”

  A muscle flicked in Mark’s jaw as his face blanched and eyebrows drew together. “Is this what you want, Julia?”

  “Yes, it is. We can talk if you’d like, but not here. And, it won’t change my mind.”

  ******

  Selena waited in Julia’s office for her to return from lunch. She’d left a voice message and sent a text to Julia’s phone without receiving a reply. It wouldn’t have bothered her except for the email and images she received.

  “Hey.” Julia sounded tired as she walked to her desk. “What’s going on?”

  “I wanted to ask you the same thing. I…uh, got an email—”

  “Oh God,” Julia muttered, slumping into her chair.

  “You already know about them?”

  Julia nodded, rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands. “I’ve received them by email, plus someone dropped off several at home last night. Like you, Caly got them on email, but father got the full set in all their glossy glory this morning,” she said, sarcasm lacing her words. She looked up, her eyes red. “Now you. I don’t know who else has seen them.”

  “I heard father stopped by today to see you. Now I know why. How did he handle it?”

  “He’s angry, but not at either Adam or me.”

  “Have you spoken with Adam?” Selena asked, walking around Julia’s desk and placing a hand on her shoulder.

  “He’s quite involved in finding out who’s doing this. We were together last night when the photos arrived. I won’t go into details, but we’re trying to get back together.” She exhaled a deep breath. “He spent the night.”

  Selena took a step back, her eyes lighting up. “That’s wonderful news.”

  “It seems so fast.” She glanced up, her eyes fused with a mix of anxiety and hope.

  “Fast, are you joking? The two of you never should have split up. In my opinion it’s taken almost ten years too long.” Selena leaned against the desk, resting her hands on either side of her. “You may not be able to see it, but the way he looks at you sends chills through me. And in a good way. He’s clearly still in love with you. What about you, do you still love him?”

  Julia glanced out the window, for the first time noticing the bright sun and clear skies. “I
thought I’d dealt with my feelings for him long ago. Not until he came back did I realize how much I still loved him. It’s as if he’s come home to me after a long journey, except we’ve both grown up along the way. We’re different people, yet still the same. I guess I’m afraid of how strong my feelings are for him.”

  “Oh, Julia. From what I can tell, you have nothing to fear. And if I’m not mistaken, I believe he came back here for you more than the job.”

  Julia chuckled softly. “That’s what he told me.”

  “And the rest of what’s going on?”

  “Adam is doing all he can to identify the person. It will take time. I just hope no more of those pictures are sent out…they’re so humiliating.”

  “You have nothing to be embarrassed about and don’t believe for a moment it will change anything with the family or the company. We’ll all be together on this, as we always are.”

  Julia stood, giving Selena a hug. “Thank you,” she breathed out, then stepped away, looking over the items on her desk. “I never realized how different it would be to work without a computer for longer than a few hours.”

  “Feel lost?”

  “A little.”

  “Then maybe it’s time you go home, or better yet, come with me and I’ll show you Adam’s new place. All he has to do is sign the final papers and it’s his. I left a message a couple of hours ago and am pretty certain he’ll want to finish it up today. My guess is you’ll be spending a considerable amount of time there. Hold on a minute.” Selena pulled her phone from her pocket. “Hi, Adam. Yes, it’s all yours. How about we meet to sign the documents? Sounds good. I’ll see you then. What? I’m in her office now.” She held out the phone. “He wants to speak with you.”

  “Congratulations. It looks like you’re now a homeowner.” She shot a tired smile at Selena. “She mentioned taking me by it. Sure, that’s fine. I’ll wait for you.” She handed the phone back. “He’ll pick me up after signing the papers. He wants to show it to me himself.”

  “I don’t believe the seller will mind if I give Adam the keys early.” She turned to leave then stopped. “I’ll need to tell him about the photos on my computer.”

  “He already has Caly’s computer. He’ll probably want yours as well.”

  “No problem. I’ll take it with me to the signing. With luck he won’t need it long.”

  Julia sat down as Selena closed the door, wondering what she’d do with her time until Adam arrived. Everything she needed was on her computer.

  “Julia?” Tricia asked as she opened the door. “Mark is here to see you, and he doesn’t look too happy.”

  Julia blew out a breath. “Might as well get this over with,” she murmured.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Nothing. Go ahead and send him back.”

  Some days were just born to be terrible.

  ******

  Adam drove them to his new house in the truck, leaving Julia’s car locked at her office. He refused to let her drive, not knowing what her stalker might do if he found her alone.

  “Are you going to tell me what’s bothering you, besides the obvious?” Adam reached over to wrap his hand around hers and tug her toward him.

  She scooted over. Until he’d come back to town, her life seemed ordered and controlled. She’d updated her five-year plan for the business, decided to break it off with Mark, and set a resolution to meet someone she could love, maybe marry. Everything had turned around in a few short weeks, culminating in the nasty meeting with Mark.

  “Mark came by the office. It’s over.”

  “You don’t sound too pleased about it. Having regrets?” Adam kept his eyes trained on the road ahead, his chest squeezing in anticipation of her response.

  “None. I just hate the way it all came about—seeing us in the restaurant before I had a chance to tell him.”

  He relaxed, even though questions whirled in his head. “How close were the two of you?”

  “Not close. He seemed to have bigger plans for us than I ever did. We’d kept it casual, so his actions in the restaurant were a surprise. I’d planned to break it off even before you got to town.”

  “Is there anything you need to tell me about your meeting with him? Any threats?”

  “He’d never outright threaten me no matter how angry he is about my decision. It’s not his style. He’s more apt to make sure real estate business is directed to one of my competitors.”

  “I didn’t think you had much competition.”

  “We’re the largest firm, although several smaller companies do quite well. Most have one or two people and specialize in either sales or property management operations. No one else handles both on a large scale. We’ll keep doing our jobs no matter the fallout.” She leaned her head against the seat, letting out a sigh as her eyes shifted toward Adam. “Aren’t you tired?”

  “Exhausted. You wore me out last night.” He turned onto a side street then pulled to a stop in front of his new home.

  He pushed open the front door and stood aside, sweeping his hand toward the living room. “Here it is.”

  Julia looked around, knowing from talking to Selena the work Adam would have to put into it. The front room and kitchen were disasters even though she could see beyond the filth to the potential.

  “It needs a lot of work. I’ll hire out some of it, but plan to do quite a bit myself.”

  “Let me know if you need help. You may not know it, but I’ve done a lot of home renovations, then resold them. I love the challenge.”

  Adam grinned as he headed down the hall. He opened the door to the master bedroom then stopped, muttering an oath.

  “What is it?”

  Julia walked up beside him, peering around his shoulder, noting holes smashed through the drywall, broken glass from the shattered sliding door, electrical sockets ripped from the walls, carpet soaked through with water, and the bathroom door ripped from the hinges.

  “Was it like this the last time you saw it?”

  “No. Stay here.” He grabbed his phone, taking pictures as he surveyed the damage.

  “Adam, you need to see this,” Julia called from down the hall.

  He took a few more shots then found her in another bedroom, also vandalized.

  “The third bedroom is the same,” she said, coming back to stand next to him. “So all of this happened after you and Selena walked through the last time.”

  “That’s right.”

  Like the master bedroom, windows had been broken, holes smashed through walls, floors flooded with water, and ceiling lights ripped down. He continued to take pictures, walking from room to room, until he reached the guest bathroom where shower doors were broken and the toilet lay on its side, ripped from the floor and tossed in a corner. Water soaked through the vinyl floor, seeping into the wooden floors in the hallway.

  “Why would anyone do this? They couldn’t know you’d purchased it—not so soon.”

  “Shit.” Adam grabbed her hand, moving in long strides to the living room then outside.

  “What?”

  “Your house.”

  Adam sped to Julia’s place, hoping his instincts were wrong. She sat beside him, silent, one hand gripped in his. He pulled into her drive, noting all looked well from the outside. She ran to the front door, coming to an abrupt stop when she saw it standing open.

  “Let me go in ahead of you, Julia.” He doubted anyone would still be around, but pulled out his service revolver as he pushed the door fully open, his heart sinking at the damaged furniture, broken glass, and what appeared to be paint thrown on walls. “Don’t follow me yet. I’ll let you know when it’s all right to come in.”

  He moved through each room, finding nothing except more damage. This was so much worse than his place, where he’d already expected to gut most of the inside. Julia’s home had been perfect. He glanced at the bed where they’d made love the night before, shaking his head at the shredded linens and mattress with long slits on each side. Broken picture frames
and torn photos lay strewn across the floor. Adam knew from his experience as a detective this type of damage pointed to rage as opposed to destruction as a warning. The same person who’d sent the photos had entered both their homes, ratcheting up his anger to a dangerous level.

  “My God.”

  Adam turned around to see Julia standing in the doorway, her hand covering her mouth as she took in the sight. He holstered his gun, wrapping his arms around her.

  “It’s the same person, isn’t it?” Her voice shook as she worked to contain her outrage.

  “I believe so, yes.”

  She pushed away, crossing her arms to control her anger as she walked around the room. “I want his guy, Adam. Whoever this monster is, I want to find him and make him pay.”

  ~~~~~

  Chapter Twelve

  “It’s not much,” Adam said as they entered his studio apartment. At least he’d made his bed and thrown the dirty clothes into a pile in the corner.

  She grabbed his hand, a thin smile playing on her face. “Hey, it’s a lot better than my place.”

  He nodded, not thinking it much of an improvement. “I’ll get your stuff.” He’d given her a choice—his place or her father’s. There’d been no hesitation when she wrapped her arms around his waist, placing a kiss on his lips. He smiled as he retrieved her suitcase from his truck.

  Julia salvaged enough clothes to avoid making an emergency run to the local department store. Now all they had to decide was where to order take-out.

  “Monroe,” he answered his phone as he set down her suitcase. “Yes, sir. Olander and another officer were at Julia’s house and mine. They’ll have a complete report by morning, but I don’t expect to find anything useful, such as prints. Yes, sir.” Adam glanced at her as he set the phone aside.

  “The mayor?”

  “He heard about the break-ins. If Deke, the security technician, hadn’t been called away for some emergency, your system would’ve been installed today and this might not have happened.”