Serena explained how her mother had been working and she had been at her best friend’s house spending the night, as she often did because of her stepfather. “He fell asleep or passed out while drinking and smoking, which wasn’t the first time. He liked to drink a lot. He once caught his bed on fire, but it was contained before it really spread. Both fires were ruled an accident.”
“What does Robbie look like? Do you have a photo of him?” Brock glanced up from his pad.
“Dark hair and eyes and a skinny build. That’s all I can remember, but that was years ago.”
Brock looked up. “I’ll see if I can find a more recent photo for Robbie or Bob Broussard. They’re probably the same person.”
Serena frowned. “My life changed when my mother married Pete Broussard. At first not too bad, but quickly, he became a lousy husband for my mom and a worse stepfather to me. Robbie and his little brother didn’t live with his father. Robbie only came to visit a few times that first year my mother was married to my stepfather. His mother got custody of both of her sons. She lived in Biloxi, and I only met Robbie’s little brother once.”
“What’s the name of the younger brother?” Brock asked.
Serena closed her eyes and tried to visualize the ten-year-old. “I think Marcus.”
“This will give me something to go on. I’ll check both places and see what I can come up with.” Brock put his pad and pen in the top pocket of his white dress shirt.
“Because we think her stalker from Mobile might be here and behind the two recent fires, we,” Quinn slanted a look at Serena and clasped her hand on the couch between them, “want to see if we can get the guy to come after me.”
Brock shook his head. “That’s too risky.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to set me up as a target rather than allowing him to go after an unknown person? He’s killed one man, and Blaine barely made it out of his house alive.”
“What do you have planned?”
“We become a couple and blatantly flaunt our new relationship. In the past week, we’ve been together a lot, so it won’t be that farfetched. He went after Mark because Serena was dating him.”
Brock frowned. “Why did he go after the West family?”
“I wish I’d been aware that my stalker was in Cimarron City. Then at least Mark might still be alive. Blaine put my dog in his house rather than put Susie in my backyard and maybe prop something up to keep her from going through the hole in the fence again. Susie is very important to me. Maybe the stalker didn’t like that Blaine did that to me. Honestly, I’m just guessing. I’ve been thinking today about incidents that happened around me or to a person I knew in Mobile. In college, I had a teacher who was driving me and the whole class nuts. Nothing satisfied him. I had a low C, which was one of the better grades. Halfway through the semester, he left the school. Everyone was happy. Now looking back, there’s a chance the guy could have been behind his disappearance, like Don. I never thought about a connection before today.”
“Was Don your only boyfriend in Mobile?”
“He was my only serious one. I had to work a job and go to college, so I didn’t have a lot of down time.”
“How about Mark Johnson?” Brock asked.
“We dated but weren’t serious. I’ve dated other men in Cimarron City. Nothing happened to them, which makes me think that my stalker has recently found me, especially with everything that’s going on now.”
The police detective kneaded the back of his neck. “I have to run this by my captain. I’ll let you know what he thinks we should do. I’ll also contact the Mobile Police Department. Maybe they have additional information about the fires and even a suspect they didn’t have enough evidence to charge. In the meantime, you two need to be very careful. I’ll have a patrol car drive by at least hourly to keep an eye on both of your houses. If we see anything suspicious, we’ll follow through on it.” Brock pushed to his feet.
“I’ll let him out.” Quinn stood and walked with the police detective to the front door. He stepped out on the porch with Brock. “Did you find out if the video from the security cameras at the Wests’ house was preserved from Tuesday?
“No. We didn’t get anything there. The Wests’ cell phones had been destroyed in the fire as well as their computers. Nothing could be retrieved.”
Quinn watched his friend leave. Another dead end. He hoped their plan would draw the arsonist out.
* * *
Serena sagged back on the couch in relief. Letting others know what had gone on in her past lifted a burden from her. For the first time in a long while, she didn’t feel so alone. How long had her stalker been in Cimarron City? She’d thought she’d escaped and could finally have a normal life. She didn’t know if that would be possible without finding the guy terrorizing her.
When Quinn returned to the living room, he retook his seat next to her. “I’ve known Brock a long time. We were on the same baseball team as children. He’ll do what he can. I mentioned to him we could put hidden cameras inside and outside of our house and have an officer monitor them as well as us. I can set everything up.”
“I like that. I could keep an eye on my place from school.”
“And I can when I’m working.” His gaze snared hers and held it. “We’ll get him. He isn’t going to win.”
“I hope so. He’s been at this for a long time. For the past three years, I’ve tried to forget what happened in Mobile. I’m glad my mother isn’t around to see what’s been going on. She had enough guilt about her decision to marry Pete Broussard. It wasn’t long after they married that Pete’s true colors came out. In the end, she was working double shifts to keep food on the table and a roof over our heads. Pete couldn’t hold a job longer than a month.”
“Did your mother die?”
“Yes, in a car wreck one night when she was coming home from working overtime, not long after Pete died. The police said she fell asleep behind the wheel and hit a big tree.”
“How long after her husband’s death?”
“Two months.” She placed a hand over her mouth. Why hadn’t she seen the connection?
“What’s wrong?”
“My mother died on the same day of the month as my stepfather, the tenth.”
Chapter Sixteen
Quinn gathered her close as the color bled from Serena’s face, her body shaking. “There may be no connection. Just a coincidence.”
She shook her head. “Not when you look at all the things that have happened over the years. It’s my stalker. Did he kill my stepfather then my mother two months later? Why would he do that? Is he some crazy lunatic?”
“It’s possible the death of your stepfather wasn’t an accident. He died in a fire like the others.” He shrugged. “I can’t say one way or another about your mother’s death. The cause is different.”
“But the current fires don’t have the same MO as my stepfather’s. The fire originated with my stepfather, and as I said to you before, it wasn’t the first time that he had been responsible for starting a fire at our house. He had a knack for drinking and smoking at the same time.”
“Too many coincidences. When did the gifts start?”
“In high school.”
“Your stepfather died when you were a senior?”
“Yes.”
“It could be connected. Your stalker’s attention started in high school. He escalated to killing your stepfather, who you said wasn’t a good man.”
“Then why my mother? We had a close relationship. Maybe this has nothing to do with either one of them.” She buried her face in her hands and scrubbed them down her cheeks.
“I’ll have Brock check into the circumstances of your mother’s accident.”
She sat forward. “Let’s go get the surveillance cameras we need.”
“First, I need to go by and see Granny. She was supposed to come see my house today, but I don’t want to put her in any danger.”
“I’d love to see Brenda. She’s so sweet. In fac
t, I can go by and pick her up and take her to church since you’re working. I’d also like to keep Brutus here at my house tomorrow.”
“That’s great. I’ll feel better if you have him with you. He’s a good watchdog. I’ll leave him with you tonight, too.”
“Thanks. He makes me feel safe like you do.”
Her compliment warmed Quinn’s heart. “And I’ll feel better that he’s with you.”
“With spring break next week, I can take Brutus on Wednesday.”
“Maybe Brock will think of something to help us figure out who your stalker is. When we get back, we can search for a photo of Robbie or Bob Broussard. That might help you remember what he looked like.”
“I haven’t seen him in years and that was just a glimpse. He’d come to see his dad when he graduated from high school, stayed a half an hour, and then stormed away. I heard them yelling from my bedroom. When the front door slammed shut, I jerked straight up. I stayed in my room the rest of the day.”
The more Quinn heard about her stepfather’s son, the more he felt he could be the stalker, but what did he look like now?
* * *
Later that evening, Serena prepared chili with French bread for dinner while Quinn finished setting up the hidden cameras in her house. She glanced through the photos of all the Robbie, Bob, and Robert Broussards on social media. There were several that had an account but no picture to go with it. The ones they printed didn’t spark any recognition for her. Maybe Robbie wasn’t the stalker. She couldn’t come up with any reason he would stalk her. They hardly had a connection. But when Brock stopped by the house earlier to tell them his captain gave the go ahead to surveil their houses, he pointed out stalkers often have reasons that don’t make sense to others. All she knew was that she wanted this nightmare over with once and for all.
“It smells great, and I’m starved.” Quinn entered the kitchen. “I’m all through with your place.”
“Good because dinner is ready.” She stirred her chili one last time then moved to the side to let Quinn serve himself.
After she filled her bowl, she brought it to her placemat then went back to remove the bread from the oven, its aroma arousing her hunger. She set it in the center of the table and took her seat.
Quinn said the grace then added, “Please, Lord, help us to find the person behind the fires before someone else is hurt or dies.”
“Amen,” Serena said with a long sigh. “I can help you with your house. It’s going to take you a long time to do it.”
“I’m going to put a couple in place tonight at the front and back doors then complete the job when I’m finished with my shift. You can help me then. A police officer will be monitoring them from a nearby location.”
It would be weird to have a person following her actions through the day like a reality TV show, but she was thankful there were many areas in the house where she could go for privacy. “After all your cameras are in place, we need to be blatantly ‘dating’ for the whole town to know we’re a couple. This guy has to be found. I hated seeing Blaine in the hospital again today. He’s struggling, but at least his prognosis is better. I don’t want anyone else dying.”
“Neither do I. I’m going to enjoy the dating part of this plan.” He winked.
The intent look in his eyes made her feel special as if they were really a couple, not dating as a pretense. Her cheeks heated.
“Maybe you should stop by the fire station on Sunday. That’ll get the guys talking about us.”
“I’ll call first in case you aren’t there. I think I’ll bake brownies for everyone.”
“I won’t be surprised if they’re all gone before you leave the station.” He covered her hand. “We’re a good team. We’ll get through this together. I have two arson cases I’d love to solve my first month on the job here. But mostly, I want you to have your life back.”
“So do I. I like having roots in one place, and Cimarron City is a good town to do that in. What made you move away from here?” Serena blew on the spoonful of chili before eating it.
Quinn delved into the basket of French bread and snatched a slice of it.
When he didn’t say anything for a moment, Serena slanted a look at him. His clenched jaw and tensed posture shouted she needed to change the subject. “That’s okay. You don’t need to answer the question.”
Still silence.
She turned her full attention to eating, hurt that she’d shared about her stalker with him, but he didn’t want to share his story. It had seemed like she’d known him for a long time but in reality, only a little longer than a week. His silence made that clear. She stared at her nearly empty bowl of chili. The connection she felt with him wasn’t reciprocal. Her record with men wasn’t good.
Quinn touched her hand, drawing her focus to him. “The reason I left Cimarron City after high school was because my long-time girlfriend became pregnant with another guy’s baby. That guy was one of my good friends. After their betrayal, I realized I couldn’t stay here and watch them have the family I’d hoped one day to have with Carol. I haven’t talked about them in years and I haven’t seen them yet, but I have moved on. I think leaving helped me to do that.”
“So, you’ve forgiven them. I don’t know if I can ever forgive my stalker. He’s been a shadow over my life for a long time and killed people I cared about.”
He looked away for a few seconds. “I haven’t forgiven Carol and Sam. I’m trying to, and maybe when I see them, I’ll feel that way. I want to.”
“I can understand that. My feelings about my stalker are intense, and I don’t know how I’ll be able to forgive him. I’ve never been so scared in my life than when he cornered me in my home in Mobile. Looking back, I see how naïve I was for years. I’m not anymore. The fact that in Mobile, I may have been friends with him and hadn’t known he was the stalker scares me.”
“Cameras are covering every way into your house. The police are viewing the feed in real time. Plus, you’ve got two dogs that will alert you to another person in here.”
“Which might be okay during spring break, but once school starts again, it’s not going to be as easy. I have to go to work. I have duties I need to do.”
“Then let’s give this stalker a reason to come after me.” He rose and tugged her to her feet.
“That worries me, too. I don’t want anyone else hurt because of me, especially you. Maybe my suggestion wasn’t a good one.”
He closed the space between them. “Nor do I want anyone hurt, especially you.” He combed his fingers through her hair and clasped the back of her head, bringing her even nearer. “I care about you.”
“And I care about you.” She cut the distance between them and kissed him. If anything happened to Quinn, she’d never be able to forgive the stalker—or herself.
* * *
Monday evening, Serena held her coffee and sipped it as she paced in front of the living room floor-to-ceiling window that gave her a good vantage point of seeing Quinn if he drove into his garage. Lying on the carpet, both Brutus and Susie watched her go back and forth. Earlier Quinn had called her and told her that he’d be tied up in a wildfire outside of town. But later he phoned her again and said that they were getting it under control, so he would be home shortly. That was almost two hours ago. Was there another wildfire or something new on the arson cases?
Or had the stalker somehow caught him like he had Don and Mark? She’d cared about them, and Don was still missing while Mark was dead.
After another fifteen minutes passed, she pulled out her cell phone, and after noting no calls on it, she started to punch in Quinn’s number. Before she’d completed doing that, she spied Quinn’s black SUV heading toward his garage.
She stuffed her phone in her jean pocket, saying, “Time to go see Quinn,” and moved toward the foyer.
She grabbed both leashes, fastened them on the dogs’ collars, and hurried out onto the porch. Before leaving, she double-checked her door was locked, which she’d been doin
g for the past two days any time she walked by an exit. She hurried next door.
As he climbed from his vehicle, she let the leashes go and threw her arms around his neck. “I was worried something had happened to you.”
“Just tired and glad to be here. I’ve been putting in a lot of overtime.”
“I have a stew in my slow cooker. I hope you’re hungry.”
“Starving. I’m going to shower and change. Then I’ll come over to your house.” He gave her a quick kiss then escorted her and the dogs to her front porch. “I won’t be long.”
“I’ll have dinner ready.” She entered her home and locked the door until Quinn returned.
She didn’t realize how much she’d been waiting for his arrival. She laughed at that thought. She’d been pacing half the day, counting the seconds until she’d see him.
Fifteen minutes later, the doorbell sounded, and she hurried from the kitchen to let Quinn inside after checking to make sure it was him. She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the foyer, shutting the world out.
“I’m definitely going to have a lot of leftovers. I didn’t realize that I kept putting vegetables into the slow cooker until it was nearly overflowing. Come on. Let’s eat. Then you can tell me about your day.”
Throughout dinner, Serena kept wondering what it would be like if she and Quinn were a real couple—if she didn’t have a relentless stalker going after the people she cared about. After the meal, he helped her clear the plates and utensils and put them into the dishwasher. It was nice having a partner by her side. She could get used to it.
She passed him the last bowl to put on the bottom rack. “I can’t believe you sometimes have to start a fire to stop one.”
“But it works in certain circumstances. If you take away a fire’s fuel source, it will die.”
“I’m just glad you were able to stop the wildfire.”
“So were we, but it’s put me behind on the arson cases, and I haven’t finished putting up the rest of the cameras in my house. I can’t stay too long. I want the cameras up tonight before I crash. We were fighting the fire for over twenty-four hours.”
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