Page 49 of Stalked

“Okay,” Jon said. “Possible. And scary.”

Rosalyn had to agree.

Brandon continued. “When we get your notebook back, we’ll double-check for patterns to see if there’s any consistency, but maybe he was working around his own schedule. He has a job that requires him to be in an office at least part of the time. That’s why some weeks you had notes multiple days in a row, and sometimes you didn’t hear from him for a while.”

Jon nodded. “That would suggest someone with a career. We can see if weekends were more active with the notes—that might help confirm.”

Rosalyn looked at them. “I don’t understand. You’re saying the Watcher is just a normal guy? Like a businessman or a lawyer or something?” The thought made her feel a little ill.

Andrea reached over and touched her hand. “A lot of times minds of pure evil can be dressed in very professional packages.”

Brandon shrugged. “Times you thought he was toying with you by leaving you alone, making you think you’d gotten away? Maybe he just had something in his schedule that required his attention and he couldn’t get to you that day.”

“And it is highly likely that the Watcher is from your hometown of Mobile, since that’s where it all started. Not only that, but that you know him or met him briefly.” Jon grimaced.

Rosalyn shuddered, glad she was almost done with her food. She wouldn’t have been able to eat another bite after thinking about this. “I was an accountant. I met with clients all the time.”

“We’ll check into that right away,” Jon said. “Clients you’ve met with, coworkers.”

“But really, it could be anyone. Someone I met at the grocery store or while waiting for the elevator.”

Rosalyn saw the compassion in Andrea’s eyes. “Yes, unfortunately.”

The thought that she might recognize the Watcher’s face when they caught him made her want to be physically ill. Every person she’d known was suspect.

But for the first time, Rosalyn actually had hope that they—this Omega Sector team—might really catch him. Before today her only hope had been she might be able to outrun him at some point. Get somewhere he couldn’t find her. But there hadn’t been much chance of that with the baby coming.

Jon, Brandon and Andrea were discussing particular aspects of the Watcher when the door to the room opened and Steve walked in.

They just stared at each other for a long time. Apology was clear all over his face.

But even with his arm in the sling and the stiffness in his frame—pain from being hit with that telescopic baton thing—Rosalyn found she wasn’t quite ready to let this go just yet.

Steve eventually stepped away from the door.

“All right, I’ve cleared conference room 1 for us to use. I think we’ll all be more comfortable there.”

Everybody stood and began packing up their notes, still talking about the Watcher they were trying to profile.

“Rosalyn and I will meet you up there in a few minutes.”

They all shuffled out quickly after that. Rosalyn remained in her chair. Steve came and sat across from her.

“I overreacted. Made a mistake.”

She cocked her head to the side. “You thought I tried to have you killed.”

“You made a suspicious phone call and a few hours later someone took a swing at my head with a metal rod. That seemed pretty dubious at the time.”

“I told you I called the Ammonses.” Her volume began to rise.

His did too. “You also told me the day before that the Ammonses didn’t have a phone. It seemed like an inconsistency in your story. You know who tends to have inconsistencies in their stories? Liars and criminals.”

Rosalyn rolled her eyes. “I called their café. They have a phone there.”

His eyes narrowed. “I know thatnow. But you didn’t tell me that.”

Rosalyn stood, bracing her hands on the table and leaning toward him. “Because you didn’t ask. Because you were convinced I was up to no good. That I was playing you.”

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