Page 55 of Derek

“That’s a tough call. That last threat from her should help, but most of her threats are against Sonja. Why did you tell her you have a new girlfriend?” He heard a chair creak as the detective shifted.

“I don’t know what I was thinking. I guess I hoped that if Angie knew there was someone else, it might help her accept that there wasn’t anything between us anymore. Clearly, a mistake on my part.” He sighed deeply.

“Talk to Lincoln, and see what he says. I haven’t been able to get much out of my sources in St. Louis yet, but I’ll keep trying. I have to go now.”

“Thanks, I’d really like to know what she’s been doing since I left town. Let me know when you find out more. Bye.”

Derek scrolled through the contacts on his phone, looking for Lincoln Andrews’ number. He always got a chuckle out of the name because Jackson had told him once that his parents were history nuts and had named their children accordingly. He was named after the sixteenth president of the United States. The phone rang three times, and Derek was mentally preparing his message when he heard, “Lincoln Andrews, attorney-at-law.”

“Lincoln, it’s Derek Kiriakis. How are you?”

“Fine, thanks, but you surely didn’t call to ask that.”

“Right to the point. I need someone to represent me to get a restraining order against my old girlfriend. Any chance you have time?”

“Possibly. Tell me what’s happening.”

Derek asked, “Do you want the long version or the short?”

“I’m stuck in traffic. I’ll take all the entertainment I can get.”

Derek made a rude noise. “It’s not funny.”

“Let me be the judge of that,” the lawyer said. The anticipation of a good story was evident in his voice.

Derek started his tale with his and Angie’s initial meeting in St. Louis and the speed at which the relationship had developed. “I should have realized something was off. She kept pushing for more from me, and every time I tried to slow things down, some crisis would happen that she needed my help. Before I knew it, she was thoroughly enmeshed in my life.”

“What kind of crises?”

“Her car wouldn’t start one morning. Then she had a mysterious break-in at her apartment and was too scared to stay alone. It felt off, because nothing was taken, and the damage was minor, but I let her stay with me.”

Derek drew a deep breath. “The first time I tried to break up with her, she threatened suicide. I know I should have gotten out then. Emotional blackmail is no basis for a relationship, but she laid on the guilt. I got her to slow things down, and the tires on her car were slashed. There were multiple episodes of these things happening, but she couldn’t point to any possible culprit, and she didn’t want to go to the police. When I finally broke up with her, she did overdose, but not seriously.”

He paused before going on with the rest of the story. “After that, she started stalking me. She would be waiting for me after work or outside my apartment building. She sent me emails, she texted me, she sent regular mail. I saved it all. I went to the police in St. Louis, but they didn’t take it seriously. They lookedat who should be afraid of whom—this small woman or me. Even when the tires on my car got slashed, and I had a mysterious break-in, I couldn’t get any help. I heard that the Kansas City Office of the Department of Children was hiring, so I put in for a transfer.” He swallowed, feeling hollow. “I’d been wanting to be closer to my mother and the rest of the family. I stayed out of the kink scene here for almost a year, because I was afraid she might get word of where I was that way. She has a lot of friends in St. Louis, and she comes from money, which probably accounts for a fair number of her friends. I can’t help but think she might have found me because I joined Club Indigo and got back into the scene.”

“That would be difficult to track,” Lincoln said. “Lots of people go to larger events. St. Louis has the ‘Beat me in St. Louis’ group that hosts some great parties. If it did happen that way, it was probably innocent. So, what do you want me to do? You can’t get a restraining order just because she’s come to KC.”

“I know that, but here’s what happened today.”

When Derek finished his account, Jackson gave a low whistle. “A psych hold. Well, that’s a start, but you have no standing in that hearing. That’s strictly between her, the doctors, and the court. Her threats help your case, as does the recording you made, but I doubt if it’s enough, even with the St. Louis pattern. If a judge will even look at the old evidence. Does she know where you live?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Keep it that way. Vary your routes to and from work. Keep an eye out for her when you leave work. Document every contact, and try to keep her from finding Sonja. Since Angie knows she exists, she’s a target once Angie finds her. Why did you tell her anyway?”

“I wasn’t thinking clearly,” Derek said ruefully. “I know it was a doofus move. It’s too late to take it back, though.”

“Okay. Here’s the game plan. I want you to gather all the material you have and bring it to me, preferably while your ex is still locked up. I’ll send a clerk to her commitment hearing. You stay away. It will only encourage her if you show up. I’ll call you when I know something.”

“Thanks. I’ll get the stuff to your office first thing in the morning.”

“Good deal. I’ll call you after Angie’s hearing.”

Once he was through with the call, Derek grabbed his things and headed out for the night.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

When he arrived at Sonja’s, he kissed her then said he needed a shower.

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