“What the hell?” I whispered, reaching for the stack of photographs. The one
on top was of me, lying in my bed, apparently sleeping. As I looked through the other dozen or so photos, my hands began to shake.
All
of the images were of me within the last few days – a couple outside of the gun shop, a few when I was entering the salon with Darcy, and one
somehow
taken when I was in the middle of getting undressed in my bedroom.
I heard
the floorboards creak from Jake’s footsteps and quickly put the photographs back in the drawer. I wanted to confront him but part of me was so shaken, I was at a loss for words.
“What
?” I asked, noticing a look of rage on his face when he entered the room.
“Fuck
,” he mumbled, running a hand through his hair. “Something came up again on this damn case I’m on and now I have to drive back down to the station.”
I stared at him, my heart pounding wildly in my chest,
still shocked that he had all of those photos. The thought of him following me around and snapping pictures was a little more than disturbing. “Jake…”
He
bent down and grabbed his clothes then started getting dressed. “Damn job – it literally controls my fucking life.”
I cleared my throat.
“Jake, we really need to talk.”
H
e sat down next to me on the bed. “You know, I’d love more than anything to stay and talk with you, but can it wait until I get back – when there’s more time?”
I nodded.
He kissed my lips and then stood up. “Thanks, Lindsey. I really have to get down there before shit hits the fan. I wish I could tell you about it, but I’m not allowed to discuss my cases. You understand?”
I nodded.
He pointed at the blanket wrapped around me and smiled. “You’d better get dressed before you leave. Not that I wouldn’t mind having you here, naked and waiting for me when I return.”
I
picked my clothing up from the floor and began getting dressed.
“You oka
y?” he asked, combing his hair.
“Yes,”
I lied. “Why?”
He shrugged.
“You’re so quiet. You don’t regret tonight, do you?”
The truth was
, I wasn’t so sure. I still couldn’t get over the pictures. I had to bite my tongue to avoid going off on a tangent in front of him – I wanted to shout out my frustrations and ask him, why…why the hell was he following me around and taking these pictures? But something kept me from doing it. A nervous voice in my head that told me to wait.
“No,” I lied
, again.
He kissed the top of my head.
“Good, because I’m already hard thinking about the next time.”
I went back home and tried to sleep but my head was racing with unanswered questions. The more I thought about the pictures, the angrier I became. Not only was it disturbing, but it made me question everything I knew about the man. He kept a strange schedule, went in to work at the most inopportune times, and hadn’t even flinched when he’d talked about murdering the men who were terrorizing me. I knew he had to be a cop, but was there something more to him, something dangerous? I decided to keep my distance until my mother took the kids to Florida with her.
Hell, maybe I’d go with them.
Those thoughts finally helped me to fall asleep.
The next day I was kept busy with Scott’s funeral arrangements as well as trying to avoid reporters who
started calling early and eventually arrived at our doorstep in small groups.
“Knew this
was coming,” said my mother, peeking through the blinds at the news van parked outside.
I rubbed a hand across my forehead. “I was hoping they’d just call an
d we could tell them, ‘no comment’ then hang up.”
“The vultures,” she replied. “They don’t care about the victims. It’s all about the story and keeping their ratings up.”
I sighed. “At least I kept the kids home. They don’t have to talk to anyone about it yet.”
My mother turned around and studied me. “You were gone for quite a while last night.”
I shrugged. “Just discussing the case with Detective Sharp.”
She smiled. “I saw him earlier this morning
, he was coming home. He’s certainly a good-looking man.”
“Can’t argue that.”
“Is he married?”
“Why, are you interested?”
I asked, smiling.
She chuckled.
“No, he’s much too young for me. I was just curious.”
I sighed. “
He’s
not
married.”
Her eyes lit up.
“Interesting.”
“Why is that interesting?”
I asked, although I knew the answer; she was already trying to decide how intimate my relationship with Jake was. Before Scott, I’d dated quite a few guys and there was never much of an interim between them. It had been a little different with Jake, however. I hadn’t been looking, it had just happened.
“It just is,” she said. “By the way, I’m taking the kids shopping and
out for a late lunch. I think they could use a little distraction.”
I sighed.
“They’ll love that. Thank you, mom.”
She nodded. “Distractions are nice.
Even the living ones.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“I’m just saying that spending time with a young, handsome cop isn’t the worst thing in the world.”
I closed my eyes and sighed.
“Mom, my husband just died.”
“That’s true,
but he also broke your heart, honey. Quite frankly, he stopped being your husband the moment he dropped his pants for someone else.”
“
Scott had claimed that he still loved me.”
“He may have loved you
, but I guarantee he was no longer ‘in love’ with you. There’s a difference. I learned that when your father cheated on me.”
That had been over thirty years ago
, but a very memorable nightmare. His affair had lasted for six months before my mother had caught on. She’d kicked him out and he’d quickly moved in with the other woman, his secretary. Ten years later, they‘d both died in a car crash after returning from an office Christmas party. He’d had too much to drink and had apparently lost control of the vehicle. Although my mother had finally gotten over the ordeal, she still struggled with it once in a while; especially, around the holidays.
“
Well, you’re probably right,” I said.
“So,” she said. “Invite that sexy neighbor over for dinner
while I’m here, so I can read his aura.”
I groaned. “Mom, we’re just friends.”
“These days you can also have friends with benefits,” she said with a wink.
I bit back a smile. “Mom, I have to say, you’re unpredictable. I never know what’s going to come out of your mouth.”
“Life is too short to bite your tongue. I’d rather speak my mind than keep everything bottled up inside. It’s something I learned after your father was out of the picture. It’s very liberating, you should try it.”
I thought about the confrontation with Jerry the other day. “Actually, I’
m getting better at speaking my mind, too.”
“Good.
Keep it up. Now that you’re a single mother, you can’t afford to let people step all over you.”
I took a deep breath and then confided in her about the ordeal with the cop and how someone had broken into the house. I wanted her to know what
was happening, to protect her as well as my children.
“You have to call the police,” she said, looking horrified.
“Mom, a
cop
is threatening me. One who, apparently, has other family members in the very same profession. Nobody would believe me and it might cause more retaliation. I can’t afford to take that chance.”
She
sighed. “Did you tell your neighbor?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I told Jake and he’s helping me with it.”
“What is he going to do?” she asked.
“I’m n
ot really sure. I’m hoping he can find some way to threaten them to leave me alone at the very least. All I know is that he promised to help and I hope he can come through.”
“
But it’s still too dangerous. Well, that settles it, then, you’re moving in with me; at least until it’s safe.”
“
Actually, I would like the children to leave with you, as soon as the funeral is over. I have to stick around. ”
Her eyes narrowed.
“You’re coming, too. Don’t be silly.”
I raised my hands.
“Mom, I need to stay here.”
“No you don’t.”
We argued about it for a while until I agreed to think about it.
She walked over to me and put her arm around my shoulders. “You’ll get through this, honey. I’m here fo
r you now and whatever I can do, don’t hesitate to ask.”
I smiled weakly.
“Thanks, mom.”
She nodded. “Let me know
if you invite the neighbor, though, so I don’t leave my reefer sitting out.”
I groaned
. “Mom, you actually brought the marijuana?”
She nodded.
“Of course; it helps my Rheumatoid Arthritis, dear.”
“Right.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh, believe what you want, but it’s the truth.”
“Well, don’t let Regan or Jeremy see it.”
She shrugged. “Too late now, we smoked a bowl together last night.”
“Mom!”
She threw her head back and laughed. “You’re so gullible.”
As I pretended to swat her, m
y cell phone began to ring.
Jake.
“Hi,” I said.
“Hi
, Lindsey. Listen,” he sighed. “I have to leave town.”
My eyes widened.
“What?”
“It’s this case, again.
My informant skipped town last night and its imperative that we track him down before someone else does. Anyway, I’ll be back in a couple of days.”
“I understand
.”
“
By the way, I’ve hired someone to keep an eye on you; a friend of mine.”
“Who
?”
“You probably won’t even know he’s around. His name is Carter and he’s
going to make sure nobody fucks with you.”
“But…”
“I don’t have much time. Carter knows that your life is in danger, but that’s about it. I haven’t told him anything else.”
I walked over to the window and looked outside. Besides the news van, nobody else was around. “Where is he?”
“He won’t be out in the open, but believe me, he’s around.”
I closed the blinds.
“Well, thanks.”
“No problem. I don’t want anything happening to you when I’m away. If something should go wrong,
though, you call me immediately.”
“
Okay.”
He lowered his voice
. “Lindsey, last night was…amazing, and I know we’ve only known each other for a short time, but fuck if I can’t stop thinking about you.”
I thought about the photos again. “Jake,
I have to ask you –”
“
Yeah, I’ll be right there!” he hollered, his mouth away from the phone.
I
hesitated. “Jake.”
“
Shit, Lindsey, I have to go. I’ll call you tonight.”
I sighed. “Sure.”
After he hung up, I went around the house and looked through all of the windows, curious as to where Carter would be hiding. It was a relief but also a little unnerving to know that we were being watched. Not finding any traces of him, however, I gave up and began calling the rest of our friends to let them know about Scott.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come with
us, honey?” asked my mother, two hours later.
“No,” I said. “I’m going to go th
rough our bills and see where we really do stand financially.”
“
Knowing Scott, he probably had some kind of life insurance policy. You should check with his employer.”
I nodded. “I will.”
My mom looked past me. “Oh, here they come. Ready to go, kiddos?”
“Yes,
grandma,” said Regan, looking pale. She had her hair pulled severely into a ponytail which emphasized the new circles under her eyes.
“Are you okay?” I asked, moving towards her.
“Peachy,” she mumbled, blinking back tears.
I pulled her
into my arms. “I know, it really sucks.”