Zayed looked at her and tapped at the print of all the messages Emma had received. “He is delusional. Stalkers usually have a mental illness that stops them from being social and creates a different world in their own head. She could’ve helped a kid with an injury and given him a bandage or helped a man cross a road and if they’re sick enough, they’d think that Emma loved them and decided to stalk her. Make her feel safe, protect her, and bring the two of them together.”
“Is that why he said ‘our home’?” Emma whispered.
“Yes. And he killed Lincoln because he…” Zayed paused, looking at Elena. He cleared his throat and softened his voice. “I think he knew what happened and hurt him to protect you.”
“But that happened years ago,” her voice was harsh, as she couldn’t believe it.
I wanted to take her in my lap and cocoon her in my arms. But I stayed put, clenching my hands in fists.
“It did,” Elena said, placing her hand on hers. “But he is not thinking rationally or even thinking. He wants you. He has been keeping an eye on you. Sent you gifts, messages and killed someone. He is even more dangerous than we thought.”
“What do I do?”
“For now, nothing,” Elena said and looked at me. “Cillian will keep you safe. But we can’t bide time to see what he’d do next. I will have my entire team to start looking for him. Starting with everyone on your contact list and… your mom’s death.”
“What about it?” Emma’s voice turned pensive, and I straightened up. Her mom was a very sensitive topic. I didn’t want them to push her too much that she didn’t open up.
Elena and Zayed shared a knowing look before she said, “I don’t think it was an accident, Emma.”
41
I’M GOING HOME
EMMA
I frowned. Her green eyes were sharp when she told me that my mom was killed. Murdered.
“But it was a stupid plane crash.”
“And how often do private planes of huge celebrities crash, kitten?” Zayed asked, his chocolate brown eyes pinned on me.
I shook my head, “No. She couldn’t have been murdered. I’m sure—”
“There’s a chance that she was.”
“Autopsy?” Cillian asked Elena.
She pursed her lips and shook her head. “It seemed a fake, but they cremated her after the funeral ceremony so we can’t prove it.”
“Who could’ve killed her?” I asked, looking up from my lap to all of them. Cillian’s face was hard to read as always, but Zayed, slowly rubbing his lips, looked like there was something churning in his head.
“My bet is on the stalker… but why would he kill her mother?” He seemed like he was talking to himself.
“Emma, did you know if you were going to inherit everything?” Elena asked me, holding out a few different papers in her hand. “Rich people and royals always die because of their greed and inheritance. Never from weapons.”
“I didn’t know until Lincoln announced it.”
“If the stalker knew Emma since she was a kid, he must have known Dorothy,” Cillian said, tilting his head at the picture of Lincoln. I couldn’t stomach it, so I looked away. “What if he knew she was going to inherit everything?”
“Then why stalk her if he could just kill her?” Zayed asked and leaned back in the chair. He didn’t seem like an idiot at all like I thought he was. Sure, he was rich and handsome and maybe a little charming, but he didn’t have tattoos or piercings—shut up. Focus, brain. “If I was a stalker, I would just drug her and keep her. No offence, kitten.”
“None taken.” I cleared my throat.
“But if I knew her since the beginning and found out she will inherit everything and I loved her…” Cillian muttered, staring at me. I had the sudden urge to hide my face so they wouldn’t see me get so flustered. “I’d ask her mom for marriage and because I’m delusional, I would think she would agree and give me her blessings. Instead—”
“My mom didn’t agree and threatened him?” I finished his sentence.
Elena continued, “That is a possibility. And then the stalker got mad, he murdered her, made it look like a plane crash and then it… wait. He sent her the text after he was done sneaking into her bedroom and placing the gifts. So he saw her with you, got jealous and went to her room.”