“On a lighter note, it’s a good look for you, Jonah. Very dashing.” Grey took a seat opposite him. “Did you at least get a good look at the perp?”
Jonah groaned. “Stop watching cop shows. And no, I didn’t get a good look. I happened to be glancing out my window when I heard the other one shatter. A piece of brick sat on my passenger seat. Some flying glass caught me, though. I never saw anyone. They’re already looking through the video to see if whoever it was got caught on tape.” He squeezed Addie’s hands. “Not. Your. Fault.”
“Good thing you were stopped at a red light,” Grey added. “It could have been so much worse.” The comment earned him a glare from Jonah and a sob from Addie.
She wiped tears from her face. “Don’t you think I've already run through the awful scenarios in my head?”
“Sorry. Filter must be broken today,” Grey said by way of apology. He had the grace to duck his head.
“As if you’ve ever owned one,” Addie muttered. She raised her eyes to Jonah. “He’s stepping up his game. What can we do?”
“We don’t know for sure that this is related to your stalker.” He grimaced, whether from the look on her face or that word, Addie wasn’t sure. “Really, it doesn’t matter. You and I are both at risk. We have to be careful, vigilant.”
“I thought we were. I can’t, don’t, go anywhere alone. I’m never even here alone.” She dragged a hand through her short curls. “Don’t you see? He’s like a terrorist. No, he is a terrorist. They feed on fear. He feeds on our fear. I can’t go anywhere alone without wondering if he’s out there, waiting for me.” She lowered her face into her hands, not even trying to stop the sobs that wracked her body. “I cannot live like this,” she muttered through her tears.
Jonah wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on the crown of her head. He waited until her sobbing lessened, then said, “I know it feels that way right now, Addie, I do. But it won’t be forever. Just until we catch him.”
She straightened up in time to catch a look pass between the two men. She didn’t want to know. Not right now anyway. “And how long will that take, Jonah? I'm losing my mind. This thing has been going on for months. What am I supposed to do? And I've read about stalking on-line. These things can happen for years, Jonah. Years! I don’t have years to wait. I want my life back, now.”
“I believe he’s escalating. I don’t think it’s going to be very long before he shows his hand, so to speak. Today’s incident serves as case in point.” He rubbed his head as if just remembering he’d been injured.
An idea started to form in the back of Addie’s mind; deep in the shadowy corners. It wasn’t an idea Jonah would like or ever go for, but she didn’t have a choice. She’d told the truth. She couldn’t go on like this for much longer.
Grey leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “This might not be the best time, but we have another problem.”
“Grey!” Addie hissed, but it was too late. Jonah was already looking at her, one eyebrow raised.
“Go ahead. You have to tell me now.” He sat back in the sofa, finding a more comfortable position but never releasing her hand.
“It’s not a big deal.” No way did she want to add to the pounding headache he probably already had. She shot Grey a glance. Her patented stop-mud-in-midair one. Not that it ever worked on him.
“Your friend, Detective Do-Wrong, came to chat with Addie today. When he knew you wouldn’t be around.”
“Grey, I told you I would discuss it with him.” She turned to Jonah. “I wanted to wait until I could tell you in person. Then you came in with that.” She pointed at his forehead. “Seems stupid now.” She hunched her shoulders, unwilling to add one more thing to the seemingly endless list of their troubles.
“Whatever he did made you feel badly, so it’s not stupid. Tell me.” Jonah ran a hand along her jaw, pushing her wild curls behind her ear. “Please.”
“I’d be happy to tell you all about that…well, you know how I feel about him,” Grey groused
“Grey, please,” Addie snapped. She sighed and turned to Jonah, telling him about the conversation and the way it made her feel. She watched the muscles around his mouth tighten. “We added him to the list, which I know sounds ridiculous, but you did say anyone who makes me feel uncomfortable.”
“I did, and I meant it,” Jonah agreed. “I would love to say he isn’t our person. And I really don’t think he is. Dan is, well, kind of a jerk for lack of a more colorful term, but I don’t think he’s the stalker. But that doesn’t mean I won’t be looking at that angle.”
Relief coursed through Addie. “Thank you for believing me.”
“Did you think I wouldn’t?”
“No, not really. I didn’t want you to dismiss Dan just because he’s another police officer.”
“Never. Like everyone else, cops are far from perfect.” He shot Grey a quick glance. “He’s the only one not being put on the list.”
“Because I'm such a wonderful person, right?” He stared at Jonah before bursting out in laughter. “Being gay doesn’t hurt either.”
“No, it does not,” agreed Jonah. He stood, holding out a hand to help Addie off the couch. “Why don’t we call it a day? Are you done here for the night?”
Addie glanced around the store. “I’ll just come in a bit early in the morning to tidy up. I really want to go home.”
Jonah smiled at her. “Me, too. Maybe pick up some pizza on the way home?”
“Home. I like the sound of that.”
“Yuck! As cute as you two are, I'm about to fall into a diabetic coma. Have a good night, kids. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” He wiggled his fingers and left.
Addie followed him to the door, locking it behind him. She dimmed the lights and got the girls from behind the counter. Both dogs ran straight to Jonah, crowding in against his legs. She watched as he crouched down to hug both of them. Lily, always the more sensitive of the two dogs, stretched her neck to sniff at the bandage on his forehead. She gave it a quick swipe with her tongue before nudging Addie’s hand, as if to say, ‘Let’s go.’
“I think someone’s ready to go home,” joked Addie.
“That makes two of us,” Jonah agreed.
Several hours later, Addie glanced at Jonah asleep in bed next to her. She brushed his hair back off his forehead and away from the stark white bandage. She’d placed a clean one on after his shower. The long day and dull headache had taken its toll. He lay facing her, his face relaxed in sleep. He’d been out cold for over an hour while sleep eluded her.
Half-formed ideas tumbled through her brain. She needed to end this, once and for all. There had to be a way to draw out whoever stalked her…safely draw him out, she corrected herself. Jonah would never agree to anything remotely putting her in the line of fire. Which was why she couldn’t tell him. She hated lying to him, but she hated the idea of his being hurt again, or worse, because of her even more. No, this had to end.
She switched off the lamp and slid down under her comforter. She also had to figure out what was happening at Magnolia Haven and whether or not Mrs. Henry’s life was in danger. She’d easily dismissed the older woman’s concerns initially, but her nightmares tied it all together. While she didn’t understand them, they’d never been wrong. Just vague. She owed the other woman an apology.
Addie tucked the covers around her neck and turned to face Jonah. She lay in the dark, watching him breathe, taking solace from the regular rise and fall of his chest. She placed one hand over his, needing the bond and smiled when his fingers laced with hers. Even in sleep, their connection remained. Yes, she would do whatever she could to end this horror. Even if it meant risking her own safety.
13
Wednesday morning, Addie got up before Jonah, showering and getting ready for work before he stirred. She stood at the stove, scrambling eggs when he appeared.
“Morning,” he mumbled before heading for the coffee maker.
She turned, hiding a grin at his dishev
eled hair and the dark stubble on his face. Clearly not a morning person today. “Hey there! Just one more day to go before Thanksgiving,” she crowed. “Hope you’re ready.”
He sipped his coffee before answering, eyes closed as the caffeine hit his system. “From what you’ve said, not sure I can be ready. But I’ll die trying.”
She winced before turning back to the stove.
Jonah put his mug down and wrapped his arms around her. “Too soon to joke about dying, huh? Sorry.” He kissed her neck and crossed to the slider, letting the girls in.
“Not sure there’ll ever be a good time for that.” Her mind raced, looking at her options to catch her stalker from every angle.
“I’m sorry. I was only kidding.”
She transferred eggs to two plates, pulling sourdough bread from the toaster. “It’s all good. If we can’t joke about it, what’s the point?”
“True. Cops—really, all the emergency services people I know—are great at gallows humor. Sometimes, too much.”
She took a bite of the eggs. “At least with a stalker, I'm never alone.”
Jonah stared at her for a long moment. She wondered if she’d gone too far, but then he burst out laughing.
“Not bad for a civilian, right?”
He wiped his eyes with a napkin. “Please don’t tell Grey about this conversation. We’d never hear the end of it.”
Addie sighed. “It’s not funny. Not even a little. Maybe we can reserve these for when this is finally over.”
Jonah reached across the table and grabbed her hand, raising it to his mouth. “Of course.”
“And one more thing. I don’t want to think about any of this for a bit. I’ll be careful and all that, but he is not ruining Thanksgiving for me.”
“Deal.” He kissed her knuckles one more time before digging into his breakfast.
Addie stared at Grey over lunch, wrestling with bringing him into her half-baked idea to catch her stalker. She gnawed her bottom lip.
“I know I'm gorgeous, honey, but you’re not my type.”
She snickered in response. “I’ve known that almost as long as I've known you.” She picked at her salad; after all, tomorrow was a three thousand calorie day for sure.
Grey sat back, dropping his fork. “You may as well tell me. You know you want to.”
“Tell you what? Maybe I was contemplating how lucky I am to have you for my best friend.”
“And maybe I'm hitting the road next week as the newest back-up dancer for Prince.”
“He’s dead.”
“Exactly.” He narrowed his eyes, continuing to stare at her. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were plotting something. But you’d never do that without me, right?”
“Not since the great frog incident of nineteen ninety-two.”
Grey snorted. “And you would have gotten away with slipping the big ole frog in Miss Hyatt’s desk if I’d been there. That meanie never would have suspected nice, little Adelaide Foster.”
She laughed until tears streamed down her face. “When you’re right, you’re right. If only you’d been there to be the lookout. You could have distracted her with your witty ways.”
Grey grinned. “Too true. That bat hated me, but a little Wavery charm never hurts.” He took a bite of his lunch before continuing. “And as much as I enjoy a great trip down memory lane, don’t think you’ve thrown me off the scent.” He smirked.
She shook her head. “You’re worse than a bloodhound on the scent.”
“Stalling, but true. Out with it.”
“I need this to end. This crap where I'm afraid all the time and always looking over my shoulder. I need him caught and put away. I need to get on with my life.” She took a breath. “I need to move forward with my life. My life with Jonah. But how can I do that with this hanging over my head?”
“Agreed. What’s the plan? Do I get to hurt him? Ooh, we can hide the body. Plenty of places on Waverly land for that!”
Addie blinked back a different type of tears. “You are the very best friend a girl could ever have.” She stared at him. “You know that you can’t tell Jonah.”
“Oh. He really doesn’t know?”
She shook her head. “He can’t. He’d never agree to it.”
“Because he loves you and wants to keep you safe. Exactly what you want for him.”
“Yes and yes. This is wrong.” She blew an ebony curl out of her eyes. “And then there’s the fact that it may not work. But I can’t risk his getting hurt because of me. Not again.”
The door opened, and a couple in their twenties strolled in, hand in hand. What it must be to do that, not worrying about someone, or more than one someones trying to kill you, Addie mused. She waved at them. “Welcome to Smiling Dog Books. Let me know if I can help you with anything.”
“Thanks,” replied the girl. The two wandered to the section containing graphic novels.
Addie leaned across the coffee table. “Here’s what I came up with.”
Several hours later, the Aunties burst into the bookstore. “Oh my, Mrs. Henry just isn’t herself. Addie, you have to do something,” Beatrice huffed as she approached the counter.
Addie finished up with a customer, thanking him for his purchase before turning to them. “Tell me everything.”
“She looks so old, dear, so very old and sort of shriveled. Like she’s shrunk,” exclaimed Clementine.
Addie bit her lip to stop from chuckling. Mrs. Henry was old, as were her aunts. All three women lived on the downside of eighty-five. “Well, she did have a major trauma and surgery. You can’t expect her to be dancing around.”
“It’s more than that. She’s so quiet, lying in her bed like that.” Beatrice wrung her hands. “She’s withering away.”
The two older women babbled amongst themselves, voices reaching a pitch only dogs could hear. Addie tried to interject but couldn’t get a word in. Until a shrill whistle broke the fray.
Grey stood behind her aunts, hands on hips. “Ladies, ladies. If I could interject a moment.” He waited until all eyes were on him. “Mrs. Henry is not a spring chicken.” Grey laughed when Clementine fixed him with her version of ‘the evil eye.’ “Just stating a fact, my dear.”
“It’s not too late to uninvite you to tomorrow’s feast. And what would Thanksgiving be without my famous sausage and apple dressing?” asked Clementine.
“Or my loved by all, traditional Southern cornbread dressing?” added Beatrice, not to be outshone.
“How is mine not ‘traditional?’ Grandmother Foster passed that recipe down to me. And she came from a long line of Southern cooks.”
“Well, Grandma Bradford was as Southern as pecan pie on Sundays. And she passed that recipe down to me.”
Addie would soon have a hole in her cheek from all the biting back of laughter. “Ladies, there’s a reason we enjoy two turkeys and two dressings every year. Because both are a required element of the feast.” She smiled at both, hugging each. What would she ever do without these cantankerous women? “But maybe we can get back to the subject at hand.”
“Oh, of course,” exclaimed Aunt Beatrice.
“Yes, we should think of how to help Mrs. Henry. Poor dear,” cooed Aunt Clementine.
“Exactly!” Addie interjected. If only she knew how, though. And she surely couldn’t tell them about her dreams. Not when their dear friend played the starring role. “We should plan a treat for her, now that she’s home. Of course, she won’t be able to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, but maybe we could bring it, or a smaller version at least, to her.” And somehow keep her from becoming the next victim, she whispered to herself.
Clementine glanced at her watch. “Oh my goodness, we have just about twenty-four hours left before the meal tomorrow. Sister, we have to hurry.” She bussed Addie’s cheek, leaving her in a cloud of eau de lavender, her aunt’s signature scent.
“Yes, of course. We have so much to do. See you lovelies tomorrow. Two o’clock sharp.” Beatrice h
ugged Addie before bustling after her sister.
“Grey, we have to write it down. All of it.” The thought of those two women, who’d been the most steadfast pillars of her life, no longer being there resonated as an ache in her soul.
Grey slid an arm around her shoulders, tucking Addie into his side. “We will. Don’t worry, we will. The generations to come will hear all the wonderful stories of Clementine and Beatrice.” He kissed her curls. “I promise.”
She held up one hand, pinkie extended, which he grasped with his. “And no, we don’t have to spit or draw blood this time.”
“Whew!”
Addie hugged him. “And now, all I have to do is figure out who, if anyone, at Magnolia Haven is a murderer and catch my stalker. In less than twenty-four hours.”
“All we have to do, you mean.”
She smiled at him. “Of course.” She slid her phone from her back pocket. “I should at least let Jonah know about Mrs. Henry’s condition and the Aunties’ plan to bring her dinner tomorrow.”
Addie walked into her office to place the call, as Grey had a habit of making noises in the background when she spoke with him. Jonah only had a moment to talk, so she filled him in, leaving out her half-baked plan to catch her stalker. They made plans for a light meal for dinner, in preparation for tomorrow’s feast.
Addie sat at her desk and pulled up the ‘Web on her phone. Step one of “Operation Catch the Perv,” as Grey had named their plot, commenced. She pulled her Grandmother Foster’s engagement ring from her pocket and placed it on her ring finger. She then snapped a picture of it before wrapping it back in cotton and returning it to her pocket. She uploaded the picture to her social media page, changing her status to ‘Engaged.’ Jonah loathed social media, often citing its role in crime. All those people finding their exes and ruining people’s lives. She crossed her fingers and hoped his friends and colleagues shared his beliefs. It didn’t matter, as she hoped this might draw out her stalker sooner rather than later. When he was caught and behind bars where he belonged, she’d explain it to Jonah.
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