"Dibs?"
"Dibs I found the information; and want to check it out."
"Okay, we'll check it out later, but you are not getting out of the car."
"Fine. I found something else too. Juliet was always logged into her computer at work at the time when she supposedly made those nasty emails."
"That's not good."
"That's not the best bit. She always logged out up to ten minutes before the emails were made. Then the computer is logged into again and logged out only a few minutes later! Then Juliet would log in again an hour or more after that. I call that a good clue that someone else was using her password to log in when she was temporarily away from her desk. I'm going to cross-reference those times against her security pass. I think I'll find she left the office, and maybe even the building."
"I agree, but I don't think that someone was even seated at her desk. Lucas found evidence of a remote log-in pathway hidden deep in her computer."
"I've used remote log-ins before."
"A lot of companies use them for employees to access their desktops when they're away from the office. It prevents employees from carrying confidential data with them; and allows access to any file they need from wherever they are in the world."
"Lancaster Friedland has a lot of sensitive data."
"But they also have a thoughtful work practice, which includes working from home. I'll need to check and see if they installed that. It'll make it harder to track a person's physical presence at Juliet's computer, but we could trace the log-ins back to a user's IP address, and that's just as good as a fingerprint." Solomon grabbed his phone and I listened as he spoke into the handset. I figured he was talking to Lucas, given the tech speak he used. When he hung up, he said, "Lucas says it's going to take some time."
"We don't have much time. Juliet's lawyer needs a solid defense."
"I know."
"We need a plan."
"A plan?"
"To lure the stalker out into the open."
"Do you have something in mind?"
"The more I look at the purchases that Juliet received, the more I think her stalker is jealous of her, just like I thought Penelope was. She is ordering high-end things, things that Juliet would find hard to return either because it's inconvenient, or it's a final sale, or because it's a super high value order. I don't think it's meant to physically inconvenience her, but more to irritate those around her. Like Rob, for example. He's not a spendthrift, and some of the purchases are things I would expect them to make a joint decision on, like the wedding arrangements. It must annoy him to think Juliet is spending all that money without consulting him. Maybe the stalker wants to hurt Juliet financially too."
"It could be intentionally to split them up."
"I think that's a good possibility. But then I look at the goods Juliet didn't receive, and I think the stalker almost tries keep up with her. To have the kind of brands Juliet has, or might purchase. That also supports my theory that the stalker is a woman. It's like she's jealous of what Juliet has. The first key is: she's trying to disrupt Juliet and Rob."
"I'm listening. For what purpose? All this trouble just to break them up?"
"Ultimately, yes. If enough disruption keeps happening between them. All of this does that," I said, spreading my hand across the paperwork that spelled out tens of thousands of purchases. "The abrupt alienation of friends, and annoyance in her relationships, and when that fails, taking the job away, and finally, ultimately, her liberty. There's just one thing I can't work out."
"Yes?"
"Does the stalker want to get rid of Juliet to get to Rob? Or does she want Juliet so badly that she intends to put her where no one else can have her?"
"Well, that's an interesting and creepy theory."
"The creep factor is high in this case. Obsession could be the motive."
"So what's your plan?"
"To use the stalker’s shopping habit against her. One of our top motives is to split Juliet and Rob up, so why not plan their wedding instead?" I paused, hardly able to wait in my excitement as I latched onto my new strategy.
"They're already planning a wedding."
"Not that wedding, not the real one. A fake wedding, you know, to have in a couple of days. They can tell all their friends and family that they've decided to push the wedding forward in light of all the recent awful events and as they might lose their real opportunity, they're going to take the time to get married at home. After all, why not? Nothing can break them apart. It's the ultimate symbol of their unity as a couple and their goals for happiness. Plus, they have all these wedding things at their disposal. They already have the dress and the flowers and the suit and the decorations. They don't need to do another thing except unpack those boxes."
"And to tell people. If the stalker is part of their network, he or she won't be able to resist attending when they get the invitation, and that's when we draw them out," said Solomon.
"Not only that, but they'll try and ruin the celebration. It's their last chance to get what they want; and when they do, we'll be there too, waiting for them. We can have members of the team posing as guests, and cameras everywhere to monitor their every move... so long as they work," I added, remembering the disaster that happened the previous evening. We should have caught the stalker then and didn't.
"They'll work. Delgado went over every inch of cabling and found a loose wire. It tripped up the whole system. It won't happen again. Have you mentioned this plan to Juliet and Rob yet?"
"No, I literally just got the idea."
"They might not be on board," pointed out Solomon.
"Right now, I think they'd do anything to end this. We can offer enough evidence to prove a stalker accessed her computer and sent those emails, and typed her texts. That, coupled with the break-in last night, will force the police to take the stalker seriously. We have enough to show Detective Donahue."
"It's enough to make them consider another person is setting Juliet up," agreed Solomon.
"Exactly!"
"I need to speak to Lancaster Friedland."
"And I need to speak to MPD."
"We need to talk with Juliet and Rob."
Chapter Eighteen
"I don't think anyone lives here."
We were parked across the street from the address issued on Juliet's missing parcels. The house lay on the outskirts of Harbridge, and looked like it had been vacant for several years. The front windows were boarded up, and the door had the remains of crime scene tape fluttering across the architrave, something that didn't strike me as a positive sign. A fat, ginger cat sat on the stoop, licking its paw. Getting to its feet, it meandered down the steps before quickly disappearing into the thick undergrowth.
"Someone might live here," said Solomon. He lowered his camera and quickly checked through the series of photos he snapped. "People live in all kinds of conditions. Not everyone is house proud."
"This doesn't look like the residence of someone who steals credit cards to order Tory Burch purses," I clarified. "Perhaps they just use it as a free mailbox."
"Stay here and I'll find out."
"But..." I started.
"You promised you would stay in the car."
"I..."
"Lexi," warned Solomon, with a pointed look to my wound.
"Fine. I'll stay in the car." I watched Solomon climb out and stroll across the road, pushing his way through a chain link gate. Meanwhile, I wished I’d asked him to look out for any nice purses lying around, along with criminals. He peered through the windows and walked around the side of the house, temporarily out of my view. I waited a few nervous minutes for him to reappear before his silhouette appeared in the windows and he knocked on the door. No one answered. He waited another minute, then retreated back to the sidewalk, walking over to the nearest neighbor's house. I couldn't see who answered, but he seemed to speak to someone. He nodded and strolled back to the car, like we were in no hurry to catch my gun-stealing assailant.
&
nbsp; "The neighbor says it's empty," he confirmed, climbing back into the driver's seat. "Apparently, it's just been sold. Before that, she said someone came by every couple of weeks to check on the place."
"Our stalker?" I asked hopefully. "Did she see her?"
"She said it was a guy from a real estate agency."
"Was he carrying a nice purse?"
"She didn't say."
I deflated. "Probably not our stalker... unless he has a secret fashion fetish."
"Don't let your ideas run away with you. I asked if she'd ever seen a woman around Juliet's height and build, and she said no."
"We could stake out the house."
"There's no point. We should assume the stalker knows we're combing Juliet's financial records and would find this address, if not now, then very soon. Plus, with the house now sold, she won't come back here."
"How can I tell Juliet another lead went dead?"
"Don't mention it. Focus on your fantasy wedding plan instead while I double-check the realtor's background."
"Do you think he knows our stalker?"
"Could be. Someone knows about this vacant house, and accepts deliveries here without arousing suspicion."
"If you can take me to my car, I can head over to Juliet now."
"Sure thing."
"Meet you at my house for dinner at seven."
Solomon gave one last, cursory check over the vacant house before pulling out onto the quiet street. "Want me to bring anything?"
"No, I have it all covered."
"Really? Everything?"
"Oh, ye of little faith. Yes, I have it all covered. I did all the grocery shopping and I have a meal plan."
Solomon nodded approvingly. "I'm impressed."
Me too, I thought, but I didn't say it since that would only have ruined my confident image. Far better to let everyone assume I had things under control. I'd have been a lot happier, however, not to be preparing food. I felt so sore from the stitches, and hated to think I was about to become the prime topic of conversation; but I offered to take over family dinner night, and I intended to follow through. I figured with the large number of people in my family, that meant my turn wouldn't come around again for a while, at least, not before my parents' kitchen got fixed. My only mission was to prepare a meal of a sufficient quality that my family would not only be suitably amazed, but also feel compelled to outdo me. Comforted by my fresh plan, and imagining several months of delicious, home-cooked meals to look forward to, I smiled all the way back to my car.
~
Juliet and Rob were playing chess in the living room. I knew how to play chess, but with nowhere near the level of concentration and apparent skills they both portrayed as they surveyed their next moves. "Who's winning?" I asked, taking a cursory, albeit clueless, glance at the chessboard.
"Hard to say," said Rob, "it could go either way."
"Oh, c'mon, it's obvious you're going to take my bishop. I’ll have to defend with my rook, which will leave my queen wide open!" said Juliet, squinting at the board, apparently far calmer than I would have been after her ordeal.
Rob laughed. "Now, it's obvious."
"Not anymore, buster! Now that I know your game, I can change it."
"Speaking of game changers," I said, wondering if I should hover beside them or just invite myself to sit down, "I have one for you."
Juliet glanced up. "Does it involve our house being invaded again? We already changed the alarm code, and I've been reassured the cameras all work properly now."
"They do," I replied, glancing over my shoulder and giving the camera a wave. A moment later, my cell phone beeped. "Delgado says hi," I told them. It beeped again. "He says not to keep looking at the cameras."
"It's hard when I know they're there," said Juliet. "I can't help it."
"Try to ignore them."
"She's right. We mustn't let anyone else know they're there," said Rob.
"Really? It's not like we have guests!"
I tightened my jaw, preparing to explain my plan, which I hoped they wouldn't hate. "Actually, about that. I have a plan..."
"Your plan," interrupted Rob. "Lexi, last night I went out for a couple hours for a business meeting that I couldn't get out of; and while I was out, this maniac broke into our home and went after my fiancée with an ax! I don't dare leave her side for a minute. I am terrified for her. Do you understand that?"
I did. Unfortunately after enduring a break-in at my own home, I knew exactly how it felt. Naturally, I understood the wave of anger emanating from him. "I do and I came as fast as I could when Juliet called."
"And we appreciate that, but it doesn't change the fact that this maniac disarmed you before shooting you with your own weapon and then shooting our friend, whom you fingered as the number one suspect! It also doesn't change the fact that I had to watch an ax getting unwedged from our bathroom door and sealed in an evidence bag! Or that last night, our house looked like a crime scene! Or that someone we don't know, but are sorely paying for, is watching our every move, every single minute of the day. It doesn't diminish the inconvenience or necessity for me to send my little boy over to his grandparents’ house for the week, because his mom got shot while coming by to check on Juliet! Tell me you can do something about all of that, Lexi, because we need to know what that might be."
"Rob..." Juliet placed a settling hand on his arm. He stopped, and took a deep breath before he continued, "All you can tell us is that you think Juliet's stalker is a woman and no one can corroborate that. I don't want you to take another penny from my fiancée if you can't stop what is happening to her... to both of us."
"We're very close," I started.
"The bathroom door can testify to that!" Rob sighed.
My aching wound told me that too, but I decided now wasn't a good time to mention it. I didn’t want Rob's sympathy, not that he would even give me any, and it would have been yet another unpleasant reminder that everything he said was correct. Someone eluded our defenses and disarmed me. It was a disaster.
"I understand how horrifying this must be for you both. I really do. Last night, we came incredibly close to apprehending the stalker; but she was a little too fast, and too ready for us. Next time, that won't happen."
"We don't want there to be a next time," Juliet said softly.
"We have enough evidence to get the police to drop the charges against you," I told them, switching to more positive news.
Juliet's head shot up. "You do?"
"Yes. Solomon and I combed the computer records; we cross-referenced them with your log-in and log-out times, as well as those times with your access pass. We've found several conflicting instances where we have you on camera at another location at almost exactly the time you're supposedly logging on to your work computer, or sending an email, or making a trade. We can substantiate that evidence with pings from cell phone towers for your cell phone too. We already know you didn't do the things you were arrested for." I had high hopes in handing over the file Solomon and I collated, along with some very helpful photos Lucas obtained from ATM and traffic cameras. I just hoped Donahue wouldn't dismiss it.
Juliet gasped and reached for Rob, her eyes suddenly bright and hopeful. "And it's enough to convince Detective Donahue it wasn't me?"
"Yes. It's enough. The person who set you up is smart, very smart, but even they can't make you invisible. They just didn't think we'd find you elsewhere."
"What about all those purchases from my home computer?"
"That's going to be harder to prove, as we can't show you left the house at those times, or that someone accessed your home computer remotely. We're still looking into whether your work computer was hacked remotely."
"There is a remote log-in for when I work away from the office, but it's supposed to be secure... So I'm still in the hole for all those purchases? All those wedding things?" Juliet's shoulders dropped.
"We can take the financial hit, honey. You're not going to jail, and that's the most imp
ortant thing."
I perched on the edge of the couch, resisting the urge to check my wound while trying not to wince as the skin tightened. "Rob's right. You won't go to jail, but I think we might be able to find a way to get those purchases returned once we can prove to the stores you were being targeted by a stalker. If we can get the financial crimes unit to back it up, you'll have enough evidence to claim fraud. Until then, I have another idea."
"Such as?" asked Juliet, darting a glance at Rob.
"We're working on ways to identify the stalker, but we want to make the stalker come to us. Last night, we were caught offguard. This person was fully prepared in case she got interrupted and she knew how to evade us. We want to make sure she can't do that again. Like you said, Juliet, you're a sitting duck while you're here under house arrest. It's time to use that, and all the things your stalker bought, to our advantage."
"I don't understand."
"How do you feel about getting married?" I asked.
"Strongly," said Rob.
"We intend to. We thought we might have to postpone it, but everything can go ahead now," added Juliet.
"I meant, how do you feel about getting married a bit sooner? Like, a lot sooner?"
"We already paid the deposit on the venue," said Rob. "It's been booked for months."
I knew I had to be more specific. "How about this weekend, here, at your house?"
"What? Our wedding?" Juliet frowned.
"Yes, your wedding," I confirmed. "You have everything you need. You have dresses, flowers, suits, shoes, decorations. You have everything you need to stage a fake wedding."
"You have to explain," said Rob. "I don't understand. Weddings. Fake weddings. What does this have to do with anything?"
"Everything. Juliet, your stalker doesn't want you to be happy. She’s trying to do everything she can to interfere with that. She tried to take your job, as well as your freedom. She meddled with your finances. She alienated your friends and co-workers. I'm sure she caused more than one argument between you and Rob." The two exchanged a glance. Rob's guilty, silent gulp confirmed exactly what I suspected. "I thought so," I continued, "So far, what she hasn't done is split you up; but sending you to jail would do just that. Except, it's not going to happen! Now we're going to give her one last chance to try and take away the last promising event you have; and what better way to do that than to have her ruin your wedding?"
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