Page 28 of Shadowing Her Stalker

She swung her legs over the side of the bed, but before she could rise, he held up a hand to stop her. She raised surprised eyebrows as he stepped into her bedroom and closed the door. She suppressed a wholly inappropriate giggle. She’d never been allowed to have a person of the opposite sex in this room. Part of her couldn’t help wondering if her mother was on the other side of the house having a complete meltdown.

“I’ve been on the phone with the office most of the afternoon. Listen, I’m sure you want to call your partners, but I wanted to talk to you before you speak to them.”

“Okay,” she prompted cautiously.

“First, I want you to return any calls from your new mobile or even mine. I don’t want to take the chance of anyone tracing your parents’ phone number or mine through theirs.”

“Sounds reasonable.”

“Second, I’d like you to, uh, obfuscate a bit about your exact location.”

He looked awkward and uncomfortable, and she couldn’t help wondering if it was due to his word choice or the action he was asking of her.

“Obfuscate,” she repeated. “I can...but why? I assume Chris and Tom know what’s happening. Zarah said she would reach out to them.”

“I’m only asking you to keep things vague. How much do they know about your hometown, anyway?”

She shrugged. “They know I grew up in a rural area of a state they like to poke fun at.”

He pressed. “Would they know the name of your hometown if asked?”

“No, but I’ve mentioned it in interviews, I’m sure. It’s never been a secret. As a matter of fact, I’m sure I’ve referred to the peace and tranquility I’ve found in the Ozarks in more than a few recordings.”

He bobbed his head. “You have. I guess what I’m asking is how much your partners in particular know about your folks and where they live.”

She stood, suspicion blossoming into incredulity. “You suspect Chris and Tom of having a hand in this?” she asked, offended for her partners. They may not be as close as they were before success pulled them in different directions, but Cara still regarded the men as two of her closest friends.

“I have to consider it,” Wyatt replied, his tone even and reasonable. “They have means and a strong motive.” She must have looked as horrified as she felt because he rushed to soothe her. “I sincerely hope I am wrong because I have admired them both for some time, but as an investigator, I have to take a long, hard look in their direction. They have both the money to pay someone to terrorize you and enough followers to whip into a frenzy.”

“A strong motive?” She gaped at him. “What motive? We’ve been friends since we were eighteen, and now all of a sudden they want to get rid of me? Have me kidnapped?”

“Someone did,” he interjected. “Someone paid thousands of dollars to a guy you’ve never met or heard of but happens to live in your home state to grab you at the airport. Someone who knows you well enough to know your schedule. Your movements.”

“They didn’t know where I was going.”

“As far as you know,” he shot back.

He crossed his arms over his chest, straining the shoulder seams of his shirt. Cara looked away. She knew he was speaking the truth, but for the first time in her life she was learning that the old cliché about how the truth could hurt underplayed the sensation.Hurtwas not a harsh enough word for the searing pain a few stark facts inflicted.

“Your abduction wasn’t random. It wasn’t a crime of opportunity motivated by robbery, like most carjackings. Gerald Griffin was waiting for you. He took you. You said it yourself. You offered him money and the car, told him to take what he wanted. He said you were what he needed. Why? What did a man you’ve never met need from you?”

“I don’t need you to remind me,” she snapped.

“No, but you do need me to help figure out who’s behind all this and make them stop,” he responded.

She closed her mouth so hard her teeth clacked. Cringing, she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned her head against the door frame. “I know, but I—”

She took another big gulp of air to center herself, then did exactly what she encouraged people who used their app to do. She asked for exactly what she needed.

“Can we not tonight?” Her voice trembled, but she squared her shoulders and let her hands fall to her sides, standing her ground. “I understand time is of the essence, but for tonight, one night, can we eat my mom’s pot roast and talk cows with my dad? My brain is tired. I’m on anxiety overload. I need to...be for a few hours.” His broad shoulders rose as he inhaled. She rushed into the breach. “I promise we can start fresh in the morning.”

Wyatt allowed his cheeks to fill before he let the oxygen seep out between parted lips. “Okay. We can wait until morning.”

“Thank you,” she said, clasping her hands over her heart.

He started to turn away but froze as if remembering something important. “Wait. You don’t eat pot roast.”

Cara inclined her head in acknowledgment. “Nor will I eat the potatoes and carrots cooked with it.”

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