Page 110 of A Home for Harmony

He was trying damn hard not to show any reaction to this.

“You stopped engaging completely?” he asked.

“I did, not that I thought I responded to them in the past, but I might have. Once they were blocked and out of sight, I moved on. I thought it was over with and they got the hint. But months later, I’d get another one with the same signature. That is what I was calling it. It’s like they weren’t trying to hide the fact of who they were, even though I had no idea who it was.”

“And you blocked them every time?”

“I did. Erica passed out at work and was having all these tests. We were stressed and when she decided to move here and start her own business, I told her I wanted to do it too. She was worried about leaving me alone.”

“Were you worried about it?”

“I was,” she said, shrugging. “I knew I couldn’t afford the place we had and would have to find another. I hadn’t lived alone before and might have been a little apprehensive of it. But more importantly, there were comments in those messages about seeing me places in New York City. I knew it was time to leave.”

“Do you know if this person ever had contact with you in person?” he asked. “Any comments for you to believe that or just tying messages back to pictures?”

She looked to be trying to think back. “I don’t know. I don’t think so and don’t want to think it happened and I was so unaware.”

“Fast forward to your move over a year ago here,” he said. “How frequent has the contact been?”

“Not much. Really,” she said. “I thought for sure they’d gotten the hint. I want to say about four or five months went by and there was nothing or it could be I hadn’t noticed anything and they were lost with all the other comments. I was so happy it was over with. But then around the first of November, I got an email from an address I didn’t know. No name, or its generic names. This time they wanted to know where I’ve been. They hadn’t seen me around much and wanted to know if I moved. That they missed me. Something like that. An email I would pay more attention to than a comment on social media.”

Getting a little bolder.

“Do you have all these emails and messages?”

“I’m sure I can get them,” she said. “I didn’t delete them, though I wanted to. I just blocked them. There has to be a way to go in and find them, right?”

“There is,” he said. “We can have someone do that here if you want.”

“No. I don’t want anyone to know. I don’t want to worry my family.”

He lifted an eyebrow at her. “Harmony. This isn’t up for debate if I think there is a serious threat.”

He wouldn’t argue with her here, but he was getting his way.

“You’re not sure there is one either, are you?”

“Keep talking. Did anyone threaten you?”

“No,” she said. “They are just creepy. It’s in my mind and my gut. I know it. I know it’s a risk I take being so present online, but the fact this person is relentless and keeps coming back really bothers me.”

“As it should,” he said. “So now they think you’ve moved. Anything else?”

“Nothing really other than the same messages popping up now and again. On Valentine’s Day I got another message and the first thing that came to my mind was that it was some teen crush or something.”

“What did it say?” he asked. “Can you find it since it’s not that long ago?”

“It was something about wishing me Happy Valentine’s Day. The night and day of love. They were thinking of me and how sweet and honest I am and they can’t wait to see more of me.”

“See you in person or online?” he asked.

“I assumed online. But I’m not on as much,” she said. “I’ve been slowly stepping back and focusing on my other business. I’m still posting videos, but they are words of wisdom or inspiration. I don’t post a lot of pictures of myself.”

“You did when you were baking cookies,” he said.

Her shoulders dropped. “Scarlet told you that?”

“Yes,” he said. “My daughter talks to me. She said she saw the video of you making them and sent you a text.”