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CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

When the police arrived, Detective Scarborough introduced himself.

The man was in his fifties with a nearly bald head, shaggy eyebrows, and an equally shaggy brown mustache.

Olivia sat down with him in Tyson’s office. She explained the situation—including what had happened in her past.

Tyson had already checked the security camera footage and, sure enough, a delivery guy had left the flowers, and Hobbes had picked them up.

Tracking who had bought them would be tricky, but Olivia felt confident the detective would call various flower shops in the area to see if the roses had been purchased there. The Admirer, however, had grown his own roses.

What if these were homegrown also?

She swallowed hard. She didn’t want to think about it.

Scarborough squinted at her after she finished her story. “Ms. Montgomery, let’s say the police got the wrong guy when they killed The Admirer. Let’s say the real guy is still out there. How would he know where to find you? And why was he silent for a year?”

“My picture was in a news article with Tyson last week,” Olivia said. “That’s how he may have found out I was here.”

“If it’s the same guy, he could have gone after you in New York. Why here?”

“Why does this guy do anything he does? His actions are unexplainable. Maybe he doesn’t like that I’m so far away. Maybe this seems like a good place to strike. Maybe . . .” She shrugged, sounding exasperated. “Maybe he’s just simply unpredictable.”

“I get it.”

“There’s one other thing . . .” She hesitated.

Then she told him about the other murders she’d discovered. The unsolved ones in Maine, Virginia, and Ohio.

His gaze narrowed. “You really think this could be the same guy?”

“I don’t really know anything anymore.”

Scarborough was silent as he processed everything. He studied his notes and then looked up. “You said you worked with FBI Special Agent Harris up in New York?”

“Correct.”

Scarborough nodded slowly. “I’ll give him a call and see what he knows.”

She released the breath she’d been holding. At least that was something .

“Am I free to join my friends now?” Olivia asked.

He nodded. “If I think of any more questions?—”

“You know where to find me,” she finished for him.

She wandered into the living room and found Tyson. She knew what she had to do.

“I’m going to stay at a hotel instead of here,” she started. “You don’t need this kind of stress on you, and I certainly don’t want to pull you any deeper into my problems.”

“You’re my guest.” Tyson’s words were unwavering. “I want you to stay.”

“I can’t ignore what’s happening, Tyson.” Her voice sounded hoarse with emotion.

“Olivia, I don’t know everything that’s happening.” He lowered his tone to just above a whisper. “But I want nothing more than to ensure your safety. God has blessed me with more money than I deserve, and I want to use what He’s given me to help you out. Besides, I’ve been meaning to get an upgraded security system for a long time.”

Olivia took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. She wasn’t going to change his mind. But she was still on the fence about leaving.

She didn’t want to leave. She felt safer here. But was she putting people she cared about in danger?

Tyson gently touched her arm. “Let me fix you some tea. My mom insists everything is better with warm tea.”

She didn’t argue.

They walked into the kitchen, where Tyson filled a silver kettle with water and placed it on the burner. He then pulled out two mugs and placed tea bags inside.

“Maybe this guy made a mistake and left a clue,” Tyson said after a moment of silence.

“Somehow, I doubt it.” Olivia leaned forward. “I thought this nightmare was over. I should have known better.”

Even Mr. Positivity didn’t have a response to her statement.

That meant her situation truly was dire.

* * *

The kettle whistled, and Tyson poured the hot liquid into the mugs. He set one in front of Olivia, along with a bottle of honey and a spoon.

She and Tyson drank a few minutes in silence.

A question had been floating around in Olivia’s mind. She contemplated whether or not to voice it. With hesitation, she finally spoke.

“Tyson, I thought when you became a Christian that God would bless you, that life would be easier because He was watching out for you. Am I doing something wrong? Because I don’t feel any blessings.”

Tyson put down his tea, his full attention on her. “I think the blessings He gives us are things like peace and joy. He never promises to protect us from the hard times in life. He just promises to be there with us when they happen.”

Olivia stared at the remaining orange tea in her mug. “I have so much to learn.”

He smiled. “We all do. Our relationship with God is a journey. We’ll never arrive at the place where we have all the answers.”

“How’d you get so smart?” Olivia tried to break the serious mood she’d created.

It wasn’t easy for her to open up about spiritual issues. She was too afraid people would judge her. The quicker she could change the subject again, the better.

“It’s like a baby, Olivia. When they’re first born, they can’t eat solid food. It takes time to build up to that. As a baby, they have to be nurtured and loved and taught. As they get older, they take with them what they’ve learned and gradually mature enough to be able to discern things.”

“So our Christian walk is like that, because when we’re new Christians we haven’t had time to mature in Christ yet?” she clarified.

“Exactly. The important thing is that you want to grow.”

Detective Scarborough stuck his head in the kitchen. “Ms. Montgomery, we have a few more questions for you.”

Olivia downed the last sip of her tea and stood. She turned toward Tyson when she reached the doorway. “Thanks for the talk. You have a way of making me feel better.”

His eyes were warm. “Anytime, Olivia. Anytime.”

If only his words could somehow make this situation better instead of just her feelings.

But that wasn’t possible.

This nightmare was just beginning . . . and it would only get worse unless the police stopped this guy.