Page 9

9

LENNY

I walked home as quickly as I could after sitting on the beach for hours. The memories of walking in the dark still haunted me, and I tried my best to make it back each day before the sun set.

The sky was already turning a shade of orange that let me know my time was up.

I’d wiped my tears and brushed the sand off my knees before beginning the walk home.

It was further than I realized. My blind panic had driven me miles down the beach, and I knew, at this rate, I wouldn’t make it back with the sun still up.

I found one of the outlet paths that led to the main road, running along the beach.My phone only had ten percent of its battery left, and I used it to call a ride. I wasn’t willing to risk the long walk alone. At least I knew my sanity was partially intact.

A red SUV pulled up to where I stood on the sidewalk, and I checked the license plate with what I’d been provided when I called the ride at least five times before I got in. I made sure the driver knew the name of the person they were picking up.

You could never be too careful.

I used to think I was untouchable, that nothing could possibly happen to me.

I was wrong.

I sat in the back seat and watched out the window as the sun set on the ride home. By car, it only took twelve minutes to get to my apartment, a walk that would have taken me at least forty minutes.

“Thank you,” I said when the man pulled up, and I hopped out the car.

I hurried down the alley and inside, anxiety washing over me. What if they’d waited and watched what door I went in? Could they guess I lived alone?

Every horrible thought crossed my mind, motivating my steps to quicken.

I typed in the pin on the keypad, but a red light flashed, locking me out. I tried again, and it failed.

Not now. Please, not now.

I glanced over my shoulder, realizing the car was still sitting at the end of the alley. A lump formed in my stomach, and I tried again.

Still nothing.

I heard the sound of a car door and swallowed hard. Sweat beaded on my forehead, and I pushed on the door, hoping it might budge. My hands found the door handle and turned it over and over, but nothing happened.

Please, please, let this work.

I risked a glance back and saw the man approaching from his car.

Maybe I deserved this. Maybe it was karma for what I had done.

My fist pounded on the door, and I tugged at the handle again. The door was firmly locked in place.

I pounded once more, and a hand on my shoulder startled me, causing me to jump back. I raised my hands instinctively, not ready to go down without a fight.

“Woah there,” the driver said with a smile. “You forgot this.”

He held up a purse.

I instantly glanced down and around myself and saw my own was missing.

“Thank you,” I said softly, taking the bag from him.My heart was still pounding in my ears as he walked back to his car. The door flung open, and Mallory stood wide eyed in the entry.

“What on Earth are you doing out here?” she asked. “And why are you trying to break our door?”

“The pin didn’t work,” I said.

“Because I had it changed today. The lock company called and said their system had been tampered with, so I opted to change to a new code. You would know that if you’d checked your texts,” she muttered.

I looked down at my phone and realized I had multiple missed ones. At least ten were from Mallory wondering why I wasn’t home and to tell me about the pin change.

“I’m sorry,” I sighed. “Long day.”

“Where were you?” she asked. “I thought it was your day off.”She moved back to let me in and followed me up the stairs.

“It was,” I answered.I unlocked my apartment and pushed inside, hearing greetings from Alonzo and Birdie.

“You know your lease said no pets,” Mallory grumbled at the animals.

“If you throw them out, I go with them,” I reminded her.

“You’re still avoiding the question,” she pushed.

I set down my bag and phone and made my way to the kitchen to scour for any form of leftovers I could find for dinner.“I’m not avoiding,” I answered.

“Then where were you?” she pushed.

“I was with Beck,” I admitted.

“Lenore, seriously?” she said. “When will you learn to take my advice?”

“I do take your advice,” I promised.

She groaned, joining my hunt for food. We settled on leftover cheese pizza I added some leftover pieces of bacon to. I diced up the meat and added a bit to each of our slices.

“You don’t even have time for groceries, so how do you have time for a man?” she asked.

I shook my head.“I don’t need time for a man. I was just helping him.”

Mallory made her way to the couch and kicked her feet up. Her pizza was gone before I even made it over. I settled next to her and pulled my legs in close, savoring each bite.

Comfort food was the best solution to such a long day.

“What’s wrong?” Mallory asked, tilting her head.

“Nothing. What are we watching tonight?” I asked, deflecting.

“Len,” Mallory warned. “Don’t do that.”

I finished the last bite of pizza and searched the side table for the remote. The television clicked on as I picked it up and hit the power button. Alonzo and Birdie both made their way up onto my lap.

“Even they know something is up,” Mallory said as she nodded to the cats.

Damn cats, giving me away. They always knew when something was bothering me, but it didn’t mean I needed them to reveal it to everyone else around. At least wait until guests were gone to give me pity cuddles.

“Hello?” Mallory said, waving a hand in front of my face.

“What?” I asked, shaking my head and glancing to her.

“You went vacant,” she sighed.

“I just had a long day, that’s all,” I said.

When I met Mallory, I was in a low place, but there were still secrets I kept from even her. She knew Jake left me, and she knew I’d been completely ruined by it. I had zero self-esteem, no job, and no place to live when he kicked me out. She’d been there and picked me up off the ground.

“You’re thinking about him, aren’t you?” she asked.

“Who?”

“You know who,” she said and narrowed her eyes.

“I’m not.”Why did the room feel a thousand degrees hotter? I glanced to the thermostat on the wall and saw it was still the same exact temperature.

“You always have the same look when you think about him,” she pointed out. “Is this because of that FBI agent? Did he try to push you into doing something? You clearly aren’t ready to go back to relationships anytime soon.”

“No, no, it wasn’t like that at all,” I assured her.

“Len-”

Thud, thud, thud.

I nearly jumped out of my seat as a knock on the door startled me. I was on edge. The case, the driver grabbing my purse, and now this?

I heard a piece of paper slide under the door and stood from the couch. Mallory strained her neck to see, and I walked down the short hallway to find a single piece of paper on the floor. I spotted the pitch black writing before I was close enough to read it.

I picked it up, and my breath caught in my throat.

Stop looking.

Those were the only two words scrawled across the sheet. My heart felt like it was exploding through my chest, and I could barely manage a deep breath.

“Len, what is that?” Mal asked.

“Nothing,” I said weakly, trying to crumple up the piece of paper.

Mallory stood from the couch and made her was across the room faster than I could dispose of the threat. She held out her hand, but I clung to the ball of paper.She stepped forward and reached for it, but instinctively, I back away.

“Seriously, Len?” she asked, raising a brow. “Let me see it.”

“I-” I tried to come up with an excuse, but my mind went blank. “Fine,” I sighed and handed it over.

She worked to flatten it out, bringing it into my kitchen and smoothing it out on the island countertop.“Len…” Mallory warned. “What is this?”

“Probably just some dumb prank.”

She pushed past me and opened the apartment door, but no one was out on the landing. The door slammed shut as she moved to the windows, looking out all of them frantically.

“They’re probably long gone by now,” I said.

I leaned against my kitchen counter for support. My head was spinning, and my stomach felt nauseous.How did these things keep happening to me?

“We’ll check the cameras,” she assured me.

I wasn’t sure who was more spooked, me or Mallory. Her face was a new shade of pale, her eyes filled with concern for me.

“I’ll be right back,” she said and hurried out of the apartment.

I didn’t have the capacity to move from where I held myself up. One of my hands slid across my chest, over my heart. Its consistent pounding was the only thing I could focus on. The steady beat thrashed against my hand. I could hear it ringing in my ears.

My apartment door opened again, but I barely registered it.

The laptop was opened and pulled up to the security system Mal used before I could even wrap my mind around everything. She scrolled through footage for a few minutes while I continued to stand in the corner, growing more nauseated by the second.

“Here it is!” she said triumphantly.

I snapped my head in her direction, finally pulling myself together. I couldn’t let someone hold so much power over me, not after all these years spent rebuilding who I was. I was different now, better.

I moved closer to Mallory to get a better view of her laptop screen. She tilted it toward me, and I hovered over her shoulder, watching as she clicked play on the camera feed.

At first, there was nothing, just the empty sidewalk and the view outside her shop. It was closed now, most people having gone back to their rentals and homes for the day, so there was no foot traffic on the camera.

I almost thought Mallory could be mistaken until I spotted a shadowy movement on the pavement. It took a second before the person came into view. They were dressed fully in black, and from the angle of the camera, it was hard to tell their height and build looking down on them.

They kept their head down and avoided the camera, like they knew it was there. It wasn’t hidden; that wasn’t the purpose of it. Mallory had it installed for general security on the front door of the shop. It was meant to be seen and deter.

The person rounded the corner into the alley, and we watched, waiting for them to return. It took five minutes before they came back around, this time walking directly toward the camera. Their head was still down, and I couldn’t see any of their face.

It was barely anything, but it was a start.I took a deep breath, my heart finally no longer pounding.

“Can you email me this?” I asked.

“What’re you going to do with it, Len?” Mallory asked slowly.

“Give it to Agent Beck. It could help him,” I started.

“Isn’t this proof enough you should stay far away from him? The note literally said stop looking,” Mallory exclaimed. “I think you should listen, Len. That man has brought nothing good with him to this town.”

“You barely know him,” I muttered.

“I don’t need to. I’ve known you three years, and never once have you received a threat at your door like this,” she pushed. “Then suddenly, he comes to town, and now you’re wrapped up in whatever he’s doing, and threats are being slid under your door. Does that not worry you?”

“I’ll be more careful,” I assured her.

“You shouldn’t have to. You should be able to enjoy your life without looking over your shoulder all the time. You did enough of that with Jake,” she said.

Pain radiated across my chest. I saw it in her eyes, Mallory knew exactly what she was doing, bringing him into the conversation. It was a sore spot for me, but not one I was going to let keep me from this case.

Not when this was the newest piece of evidence. Not when the killer may have resurfaced. All I could think of was the other victims who were not as lucky as I was. I was given another chance. I had to use it to do good for them.

“Mal, please, just email me it,” I sighed, too tired to argue more with her.

She rolled her eyes.“You never listen to me,” she grumbled. “Promise me you will consider staying far away from him and the trouble he brought.”

“I can’t-”

“Len, just promise,” she pleaded. “I don’t want to see you hurt, by him or some creepy stalker.”

“Fine, I promise,” I said, knowing she wouldn’t let it go.

She quickly downloaded the video and pulled up her email. I heard a ping from my email app on my phone within seconds.

“Sent,” she sighed.She closed the laptop and started for the apartment door.“I’ll see you soon,” she promised, leaving me with a pit of guilt in my stomach.

* * *

I tossed and turned in my bed, unable to shake the feeling. The note and the two words on it haunted my thoughts.

My cats slept on either side of my legs, and I carefully slid myself to sit up in bed. I turned on the small lamp on my bedside table and opened the drawer, pulling out the paper.

I couldn’t bring myself to throw it out. What if it could help in some way? What if I was wrong about it all, overreacting?

My mind went back and forth.

I took a sip from the water glass I filled and left sitting on the nightstand before trying to will myself to sleep, turning back and forth under my sheets.

It was a useless task. It wasn’t like I actually thought sleep was possible; I wasn’t that delusional. I just thought maybe, my body would force my mind to at least rest, to take a break from everything that happened during the day.

Not even that seemed possible now.

My phone was sitting on the nightstand, and I rolled over and grabbed it, opening it to my emails. I found the one Mallory sent and played the clip over and over again. There had to be something, anything, I could use.

I kept watching until my eyes stung. I rubbed at them lazily, trying to clear the hazy vision. The answer had to be there.

On my tenth watch through, my eyes started to hurt, and I felt a headache inching its way in. I was about to close out the video when a small pop of red caught my eye.

I’d seen it in every play through. I thought it was just a zipper or design on the stalker’s black jacket, but this time, I saw it, the way it dangled and moved, like it was hanging out of the pocket, not attached to it.

It was so subtle.I rewound the video to make sure I hadn’t imagine it.

Again, I watched the small red speck dangle. There was no denying it: a keychain hung, barely visible, out of his pocket.

I shot out of the bed, finding slippers and a bathrobe and tying it around myself. This couldn’t wait; my mind would never let me rest until I let him know. I’d raced out of there less than a day before, and it was eating at me.

Alonzo and Birdie shifted to settle in the center of my bed without me in the way to stop them.

“I’ll be back,” I assured them before leaving the room and finding the keys to the car I kept parked nearby for rare occasions.