Page 147 of Obsession

From the way he greeted me, I realized he had given me his personal phone number, not his work one.

I took a slow breath.

“Detective Shane Walker! This is Katherine Wrise. I need your help.”

After I had run back, I waited for him sitting on the steps outside my house. I was afraid to go in, not daring to go to my room alone to see that puddle and think about what it meant.

The detective hadn’t asked many questions. I told him that someone had been in my house and had left a frightening message, and he asked me to wait for him. He hadn’t even told me how long it would take him to get here, but before I could think twice about it, a car pulled into my driveway.

I lifted my head and winced. It was a black Jeep, and Shane Walker got out of it.

As he walked towards me, I wondered if calling him was the right decision.

Reason said yes. Yesterday I had sided with Harris, but this time it was different. This was about my house, about my father. Under no circumstances was I going to put his life in danger just because I was obsessed with a man who I knew nothing about, even if it had to do with Harris or not.

I was glad that he was wearing civilian clothes again, jeans and a T-shirt. There was no police car, no flashing lights. My neighbors were already scared enough.

“Katherine, are you all right? Are you hurt?”

Just like the woman earlier, his face told me I looked like shit. I rubbed my forehead and tried to breathe, then gestured toward the house.

“Follow me, please.”

That was all I said before I went up the stairs. He was right behind me, and as soon as he closed the door, he pulled out a gun.

My own reaction shocked me. I didn’t even flinch, it seemed completely normal to me.

He was strong, trained, armed. Thanks to him, I could breathe easy in my own home and dared to go upstairs.

He didn’t ask any questions, and that was a relief, but he was probably just paying attention to our surroundings in case anyone was still there. He thought about it, I thought about it.

It had gotten pretty dark, and I didn’t see the puddle when I reached the threshold, but he reached around me and turned on the light.

For a second, I prayed that it had disappeared. That it had been a mere hallucination, a result of my own madness, but it was still as real as it could be and even more terrifying than it seemed at first.

I turned to the detective when I felt no reaction from him. He had put on a serious face. He wasn’t trembling with fear like I was. I knew that such images meant nothing to him, he was used to seeing them every day, but I didn’t dare follow him when he stepped into my room.

He analyzed the bed carefully, but didn’t touch anything.

“It seems to me you have a much more interesting life than I thought, Katherine.”

I wrapped my arms around my waist and mustered all the courage I had left in me, then stepped towards him.

“Tell me everything from the beginning,” he asked, and I told him, hating the tremor in my voice.

“You went into the house earlier without unlocking the door. Is that a habit in your family?” He paced the room, analyzing.

I tried to answer as clearly as possible.

“No, not really. My dad left after me and probably didn’t lock up because I didn’t take my keys.”

I couldn’t read any judgment in his eyes as he looked at me. He stepped closer.

“Before anything else, I want you to tell me who you think did this. I want to know if I have a lead to go on.”

I shook my head, my tongue still twisting when I had to mention Harris’ name in front of this man.

“I don’t know, no… that’s why I called you here, if I’d called 911 they probably would have thought I was crazy.”

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