Page 49 of Last Comes Fate

“A…stalker?’ I whispered, unable to feel my legs all over again.

“I’m so sorry,” Xavier said. “But yeah. You’d better call the cops, Ces. And make up the landing for me this evening. Because I’m not going anywhere.”

TWELVE

“Without knowing who sent it, there’s not really much we can do,” said Derek Kingston at about six thirty that evening, just before he shoveled an extra bite of pasta into his mouth.

Upon receiving the creepy letter, Xavier’s first instinct had been to call the police—preferably the chief or at least the Brooklyn DA, i.e., someone he perceived was possible to bribe. I, however, calmly took out my phone and called Derek, my brother’s former investigative partner with the NYPD, best friend, and a known and trusted ally to my entire family.

And, sure, yes, someone I briefly dated.

A fact that Xavier appeared to remember the second Derek arrived, looking far too dapper in a button-down shirt and slacks, with his NYPD badge sitting on his hip next to a holstered gun.

The detective glanced around the dinner table stacked with Zola siblings and a scowling duke as if he was unsure about whom to address this comment to but seemed to settle on me.

“Derek, come on. There has to be something we can do besides sit around with our thumbs up our butts,” Lea pressed as she refilled his wineglass in the practiced, automatic way she could have only learned from Nonna.

Right after I’d called Derek, I’d sent Kate a quick text about what happened. I should have known better. An hour later, she, Lea, and Joni arrived with baby Lupe and a tray of lasagna like a cavalry called to arms. The Zola clan loved nothing, if not drama, and I was serving heaps of it these days. Lea was more than happy to play family protector now that she was the de facto eldest with Matthew in Boston.

To be honest, I was more than a little annoyed with the entire situation. It was a letter. I was kind of surprised I hadn’t received more, given the number of times my name had been in the papers over the summer, and right now, I had bigger things to worry about than some idiot who didn’t like Xavier.

Derek, thankfully, was reasonably used to our chaos. The only thing that seemed to be making him uncomfortable was the six-foot-five duke who had been glaring blue murder for the last thirty minutes.

“I wonder if the NYPD can do anything at all,” Xavier mumbled. “It might be more useful to ask a neighbor’s dog to help guard the place. I think the couple across the street has a Pomeranian.”

I elbowed Xavier in the stomach. His scowl disappeared for a moment when he turned to me.

“Be nice,” I mouthed.

One side of that broad, full mouth rose, but the scowl resumed its position when he turned back to Derek, who was used to all measure of things much more intimidating than Xavier’s smart mouth.

“Just keep track of things going on here,” he told me. “Be smart, you know. Don’t go out by yourself late at night, see if you notice anyone following you. That sort of thing.” He must have caught my forlorn expression when he set down his fork. “Frankie, you know I care about you guys. You and Sofia are like family to me.”

Beside me, Xavier’s entire body tensed.

“Is there anyone you can think of who might have a motive?” Derek asked.

“Besides every woman who has seen Xavier’s face in thePost?” Joni asked, then shrugged when she found everyone looking at her. “What?”

Lea rolled her eyes and turned back to me. “Anyone treated you weird since you came home?”

“Stuff like this usually comes from people close to you,” Derek said.

I blinked, glanced up at Xavier, then back at Derek. “I—well, there is a, um, a colleague at school.”

“Adam,” Xavier growled. “Of course, it’s him.”

I winced at his obvious vitriol, then turned back to Derek and recounted the last few conversations I’d had with Adam—including his obvious obsession with Xavier.

Derek listened carefully, taking notes.

“Could be,” he said. “Worth a try, anyway. I’ll take the letter with me and dust for prints just to see if something comes up in the system. See if I can’t get something with his prints from the school while I’m at it. But your mailbox was wiped, so I doubt anything will come up. I’m sorry. I wish I could do more.”

“Don’t we all,” Xavier muttered, then got up from the table as if he couldn’t stand to sit still one second longer.

“You should come back to Belmont,” Lea said as she resumed her seat at the table and took baby Lupe back from Kate, who was at the end. “That’s what you should do. Come stay at the house with Joni and Nonna when she gets back from Italy.”

“Excuse me, and what if I don’t want to get murdered in my bed if Frankie’s stalker follows her there?” Joni demanded before seeming to realize how it made her sound. “Sorry. I just meant—”

---