“Yes. And I will.” Emma looked up at her and smiled. “You’re a good person, Shaye. I know my discernment hasn’t been all that great recently, but I’m sure I’m right about you.”

Shaye felt a blush creep up her neck. No matter how much Eleonore had worked with her, Shaye still found compliments uncomfortable. On one hand, it pleased her to know she was appreciated, but deep down, there was some dark part of her that whispered that she didn’t deserve them.

“I’m glad you laughed,” Shaye said. “I would have had to return the retainer if you hadn’t.”

Emma smiled, then sobered. “Do you think it means something that none of David’s coworkers or old military buddies contacted me?”

“No. I was more interested in if someone had. Staying away seems normal under the circumstances.”

“And if someone had gotten in touch?”

“If it was a simple ‘sorry and let me know if I can do anything,’ then I still don’t see any cause for alarm. But this guy is playing with you, and sitting down with you for coffee would be another ego boost for him.”

“Oh. That’s a horrible thought. I’m glad they all stayed away.”

“Me too, but if anyone shows up, you let me know.”

Emma nodded and rose from the bed. “Let’s go look at my old bedroom.”

They headed down the hall and into the bedroom that Emma had occupied as a child. Emma opened the closet door and pushed the clothes aside to show Shaye the panel at the back. Shaye got on her hands and knees, slid the panel back, and peered inside.

The room was narrow and dark, and Shaye imagined Emma huddled in the far corner, hearing the whistling on the other side of the thin plaster wall, her pulse racing. If hiding in this room had been the only thing that could save Shaye from an attacker, she probably would have died. Even now, her breathing was somewhat shallow.

She backed out of the closet and looked over at Emma, who was fingering the edge of a lamp. “Is it supposed to be for winter storage?” Shaye asked.

“I don’t really know. I found it when I came to live with Aunt Margaret. She’d only recently moved in and didn’t even know about it.” Emma gave her a sad smile. “I was only five when my parents died and I came to live here. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. How many kids had a secret room in their closet?”

“Narnia.”

“Exactly. Except no cold and no witch. I used to crawl inside and stay there for hours, reading books with a flashlight. Even though Aunt Margaret never had children, somehow she knew to leave me alone when I was there. That somehow I felt safe, and inside the closet, I could work things out.”

“You’re lucky you had your Aunt Margaret.” Something Shaye knew firsthand.

“Extremely lucky.” Emma looked back at the closet and frowned. “But now it doesn’t feel safe. I mean, it saved my life, but I didn’t feel safe in there. I was scared to death. I can’t even imagine crawling back in there.”

Shaye knew exactly how Emma felt and didn’t blame her one bit. “Let’s see the rest of it and get out of here.”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

They finished with the upstairs, then Shaye checked out the backyard and immediately saw what Jackson had meant when he said an intruder would have left prints if entering through the back of the house. The giant oak trees created shade over a good two-thirds of the backyard, leaving much of the ground bare. There was no way to approach the house from the back without creating evidence of passage.

As Shaye exited the house, she caught sight of something sitting on the steps leading up to the front porch. She walked over and saw it was a card in a bright pink envelope. She picked it up and checked both sides, but didn’t see anything to indicate who the card was for. Behind her, Emma closed and locked the front door and Shaye turned around.

“I found this on the steps,” Shaye said.

Emma turned and looked at Shaye’s outstretched hand. Her eyes widened and her hand flew up over her mouth. “It can’t be,” she whispered. “Open it.”

Shaye opened the envelope and pulled out a birthday card. Before she even opened it, she already knew who it was from.

Happy Birthday, my darling. David

“He was here,” Emma said. “I told you he’s following me. There’s no other way he could have found me at the repair shop.”

Shaye frowned and stuffed the card back in the envelope. “Can I keep this?”

“Yes, please. I don’t ever want to see it again. I don’t want to see any of that stuff again.”

Shaye slipped the card in her duffel bag. There was really little purpose in keeping it, except that she didn’t want Emma to have to deal with it. The likelihood of finding a print for the stalker was low. He had been clever so far, so Shaye couldn’t imagine him slipping and leaving a print on the card. And the card would have been handled by any number of store employees and however many people pulled it off the shelf to look at it, then put it back.

“Stay calm,” Shaye said. She looked up and down the street, but didn’t see anyone holding an “I’m a stalker” sign. Still, leaving the card on the porch steps when they were inside was brazen.

Unless he’d had someone else do his dirty work again.

“Too bad Mr. Abshire is busy in the backyard. He might have seen who delivered the card.”

“Oh! That’s right. The stalker could have sent someone else, like he did with the skater kid.”

“Did the skater kid give his name?”

“No.”

“Can you describe him?”

“Maybe fifteen or so. Long dirty blond hair in a ponytail, and I mean dirty blond both in color and in condition. He looked like he needed a good scrubbing. His eyes were light green and he had a tattoo on the back of his hand—an eyeball. It didn’t look like professional work, and to be honest, it was a little creepy.”

“What color was it?”

“Black. Why, do you know him?”

“No, but I think I’d like to meet him.”

“You think he knows more than he was telling?”

“Maybe. If he’s a street kid, probably. They don’t miss much, but they’re not exactly big on volunteering information, either.”

“So what do we do now?”

“We get back into our cars and head back to New Orleans.”

“But we were going to talk. If he’s following me…”

“That’s why we’re going to meet at Landry’s. There’s a parking lot next door and plenty of people around. He won’t make a move in public. That’s not his play.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want you taking any chances. If you think he could come after you…”

“If he’s been watching, then he saw the sample books. He has no reason to think I’m anything but what I’m putting myself out to be.”

“I guess,” Emma said, but Shaye could tell she wasn’t convinced.

“After lunch, you’re going to change hotels.”

“He’ll find me again,” Emma said, sounding totally defeated.

“Maybe, but it will probably buy you a few days. You told me you picked a hotel close to your job. When he realized you were no longer staying in your home, those are probably the first places he checked.”

A flush ran up Emma’s neck and cheeks. “I’m so stupid! I’m sure you’re right.”

“You’re not stupid. You just don’t think like a criminal. That’s a good thing.”

“Seems like it would be an advantage right now.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve got that part covered. Let’s go get something to eat.”

Emma nodded and headed to her car. Shaye tossed the sample books and her duffel bag into her car and hopped inside. As Emma pulled away, Shaye started her car and headed down the street.

He was getting bolder.

That gave Shaye more opportunity to expose him, but made it that much more dangerous for Emma.

###

He lowered his binoculars as the cars rounded the corner and disappeared from view. The attic window was tiny but provided a perfect view of Emma’s house. He could even see inside the open windows. It had been so kind of Mrs. Pearson, the homeowner, to go see her new grandchild in Arizona, and so unfortunate that she’d returned home before his work was finished. In a day or two, her family would grow concerned and the police would pay a visit, but there would be nothing to indicate he was there, except Mrs. Pearson, and she wasn’t going to talk.