Page 135 of Secrets Beneath the Waves

“Yeah, okay.” Brie stood and she and Kelli followed Jules out into the hallway. No noise from the balcony. If the murderer was out there, he was making no attempt to break either the lock or the glass. Small mercies.

The elevator doors down the hall opened and closed. Seconds later, someone rapped lightly on the door. “Calgary PD.”

To be safe, Jules peered through the peephole. Dante. She flipped the lock and tugged open the door. “Hey.”

Dante nodded curtly. Dark shadows rimmed his eyes. Was he coming off a string of shifts? He looked as though he hadn’tslept well in days. When she stepped back, he strode into the apartment. “My partner is checking the perimeter. Is everyone okay?”

“We’re fine, although, after I spoke to you, we noticed the sliding balcony door was open.”

His eyes narrowed as he swung his gaze in that direction. The doors were hidden behind long, floral curtains. “Is it still open?”

“No. I went over and closed and locked it.”

His jaw tightened. “That wasn’t smart.”

“I didn’t think allowing a murderer to stroll into the apartment would be smart either.”

Dante exhaled. “You’re sure it was closed before that?”

“Yes. Kelli opened and closed it while I was on the phone with you.” No need to let him know that she’d done so in order to verify his story.

“You didn’t look out?” He glanced at her friends, who’d come up to stand next to Jules.

Kelli shook her head. “No. It didn’t occur to me, since it’s so dark out there.”

Dante nodded and shifted his attention back to Jules. “Did anyone try to get in after you locked the door?”

“No. At least, we never heard a noise like he was attempting to break the lock or anything.” Also no need to mention that the three of them had been huddled in the bathroom at the time.

“Okay.” Dante held out his arm, his palm facing the three of them. “Stay here. I’ll check it out.” He rested his hand on the gun in the holster at his waist. “If anything happens, get to the bathroom, lock the door, and call 911, okay?”

Although none of them answered, Dante must have taken their silence as assent enough, as he headed for the balcony. When he reached the curtain, he slid it out of the way, hit the light switch on the wall next to the door, then glanced out before flipping the lock and sliding the door open.

One hand still on his weapon, he stepped outside and disappeared behind the curtain that covered part of the glass.

Thirty seconds later, he reappeared, his gun still holstered. “No one out there and no sign anyone was that I could see, although I told my partner to check out the ground below the fire escape and I’ve called in back-up to search the neighborhood.” He closed the door, locked it, and pulled the curtain back across.

A little of the tightness in Jules’ chest eased as he walked over to them, his dark eyes locked on hers. “Want to show me those creepy messages you mentioned?”

The same jolt that had rocketed through her when he had made that slow, intense perusal of her in the pub shot through her now. She swallowed. “Sure.” She turned toward her friends. “Kelli and Brie both got one.”

Kelli held up her phone, the screen turned toward Dante. He scanned it and nodded before turning to Brie. She showed him her screen as well. “How do you think he knows what I am wearing?” Her voice shook slightly, although some of the color had returned to her cheeks.

Dante shot Jules a look before saying, “The only way he could is if he was watching the building when you arrived or he actually was on the balcony at some point observing the three of you in here.”

CHAPTER

EIGHT

The thoughtof the killer stalking Jules to the apartment of her friend and then watching the three of them and toying with them all by sending those sick messages chilled Dante to the core. What was this guy’s end game?

His phone vibrated, and he pulled it from his shirt pocket. Coop, his partner, hadn’t seen the murderer or any indication the man had been anywhere near the building. Maybe Dante had been right in the alleyway and the guywasmore demon than man. Of course, a demon likely wouldn’t wear size thirteen men’s dress shoes, which the lab had determined were the kind that left those prints. He acknowledged the message before returning the phone to his pocket. “Kelli, do you have somewhere you can stay tonight while we check out the area and try to track this guy down?”

Brie looped a hand through the crook of her friend’s arm. “She can stay with me.” She grabbed Jules’ elbow with her free hand. “You should come to my place, too, Jules.”

Despite knowing it wouldn’t go over well, Dante couldn’t resist. “That’s not a bad idea.”

As expected, Jules sent him a heated look. “Yeah, maybe. Why don’t you help Kels pack a bag, Brie?”