He hesitates but does as I ask. I hand the phone back to Hailee.
She pulls me in for a hug. “Stay safe, okay?” she says, worry in her eyes.
“Me? You’re the one going back home, the last place this psycho saw us. You be safe. I’ve grown accustomed to you being around.”
“I’ll see you in the morning,” she says, nibbling on her lower lip.
“You too.”
Once they leave, Chase turns to me. “I’ve been trying to do this for a week now. Sit down and tell me everything you remember about that night.”
“It’s not much. My head’s cloudy, probably from the concussion,” I say as I sit down.
“Try. It’s important we catch this guy, especially since he has now taken to stalking you.”
I take a deep breath. “I was sitting at my tree, hanging out until I knew it was safe to go home. I heard something moving to my left. When I looked, I saw him. He was on the taller side and wearing all black.”
“What was he doing?”
“He was creeping through the woods. It was obvious he was trying to minimize the noise he was making. He didn’t see me. I’m not really sure how he didn’t, come to think of it.”
“Maybe he did, but thought you wouldn’t do anything.”
“I wish I hadn’t,” I mumble before clearing my throat. “Anyway, I didn’t think I could live with myself if he had killed or hurt one of you, so I came to warn you. I gave him a wide berth but moved quicker than he was. I watched him a second, but when he pulled what looked like a gun out, that’s when I ran out screaming.”
“What did he do?”
“I thought he would run, and he did, but he ran right toward me, so I took off. He got a hold of my jacket, but I pulled out of it.” I stare at my hands, shrugging. “He was faster than me, though. He tackled me. I turned over to fight him, but it made it worse. He pinned me down.”
“So he was face to face with you?” he asks, tipping my face up, looking me in the eye.
The feel of his hand on my cheek causes my skin to tingle at the contact.
“Yes, but he was wearing a mask. I couldn’t see his face.”
“What could you see?” His finger brushes over my cheek, causing a shiver to run down my body.
“He had dark eyes. I think he was white. There was a scar over his right eye. Possibly a burn?”
Pulling his hand away, he continues. “You’re doing great. What else?”
“His voice. He had a deep voice and smelled like death. He promised we would meet again,” I say, trembling at the thought.
“Why did he leave you behind?”
“What do you mean? He heard you coming.”
“He could have knocked you out and ran off with you and we wouldn’t have caught up. Instead, he paused. He didn’t run with you right away,” he says thoughtfully.
“You think that means something?”
“I think it could. Anything else?”
“No. You know the rest. You were there.”
“Okay. I think you should stay here for a while.”
“No way. I don’t need charity.”