Page 64 of Valor (Long Hot Summer: Christian Romantic Suspense #2)

CHAPTER NINE

Northern Moravia, 2025

“Would you think me completely irrational if I told you I think that someone has been following me since I got onto the train?”

Oliver’s knuckles turned white as he clenched the steering wheel.

“What do you mean?”

“A man wearing a fedora. I snapped a picture of him as he was leaving the station. Let me show you.” Meghan pulled the phone out of her pocket and tapped the screen. “It’s not very good, but see the hat? How many people around here would wear a thing like that?”

Oliver glanced at the picture.

“No one I know.”

“Hmm, that is really not that helpful.”

“Why would you say he is following you?”

“He watched me on the train even after I changed seats. Then he got off at Krasna Hora, too. And when we drove to my Airbnb, he was parked at the curb in front of the station.”

“What?”

“And get this. I saw him in the village square when I talked to my mom on the phone. Oliver, he knows where I’m staying.”

“Are you certain about this?”

Meghan looked out the window; the mountaintops were wrapped in wispy clouds. “He followed us today.”

“What?”

“I saw him in his car, parked in front of the coffee shop. He took pictures of us.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“You don’t think I’m being paranoid?”

He glanced over.

“Nope.”

“What should I do?”

“We need to involve the police.”

“But I don’t have anything to prove this. One picture taken at the train station doesn’t really cut it.”

“Okay, then we will get proof.”

“How?”

“He parked in front of your place. We’ll see if that was a coincidence or?—”

“How?”

“I work at the high school across the square, remember? I can get in and watch your Airbnb. You call me if you see his car. I get the license plate number and maybe even a couple of pictures. That’s a start. What do you think?”

Meghan fidgeted with her phone. Now Oliver offered to watch her. That would make two men observing her every move. That did not make her any more comfortable. Maybe she should go straight to the police.

“It’s an idea. But what I wonder is, why me? Is this some random stalker, or did he know I would be on the train? And if this is not a coincidence, how did he know I would be coming here?”

“Good questions. But the most important is this: Do you feel safe?”

His voice sounded genuine. Oliver did care about her, as she could tell from his series of kind gestures, protectiveness, and care. Meghan blew out her cheeks but remained silent.

“Okay.” He nodded. “You can stay with me.”

Meghan sucked in her breath. What was she to say to this? The man following her was more than creepy, but moving into Oliver’s place? Would that be a wise choice? She’d only known him for a couple of days. He was a high school teacher, but that didn’t automatically make him a saint.

“I understand your hesitation.” He broke the awkward silence. “Let me just say my mother lives with me, and we do have a spare room. It used to be my sister’s before she got married and moved to Brno.”

Did he live with his mother? Meghan struggled not to stare at him. She knew Oliver was too good to be true.

“I don’t know. What would your mom say?” She couldn’t imagine imposing on a virtual stranger.

“She will love you. And she will cook.” A smile broke on his face. “And bake.”

“But I prepaid for the entire two weeks.” Meghan struggled to keep the disappointment out of her voice. For a brief moment at the coffee shop, she was sure she felt something for this man. But living with his mom? That raised some red flags. But did she want to deal with a guy who had “mommy” issues? Not that she would consider a long-distance relationship, anyway.

They passed the sign welcoming them back to the village. She only had a few minutes to sort out this strange invitation.

“How about you stay only for a day or two, if that works better? Until we find out who the person is. I do have a friend at the police department. I will ask him to run the plates. Once we know who owns the car, we can decide what to do next.”

Meghan let out a long breath. Moving into Oliver’s place? Meeting his mother? How would she even broach that with Mom?

“Does your mom speak English?”

“No, but she uses Google Translate when traveling. It worked well for her in Italy. So, communication shouldn’t be a problem.”

“I don’t know. This seems such an imposition.”

“It’s not. Since I offered. Just think about it.”

He pulled to the curb and parked in front of the entrance to her building.

“Thank you.”

“No problem. Let me help you with the groceries,” he offered.

“I can handle it.”

But Oliver was already out, the trunk of his car open. “Just hold the door for me please,” he said as he walked toward the entrance, her bags swinging in his arms.

“Thank you.” She struggled to keep the apprehension out of her voice. Automatically, Meghan pulled at the door handle, forgetting that it should be locked. She held it open and frowned as the realization dawned on her.

Oliver walked past her, apparently thinking nothing of the unlocked door. She nervously rustled in her knapsack for the keys. But when she tried to insert the fob into her apartment’s lock, Meghan stopped dead. The door was ajar.

“Oliver?”

He set the bags on the hallway floor and surveyed the door. “You locked up before you left, correct?”

She nodded, trying to control the tremors spreading through her entire body.

“Excuse me.” He used his sleeve to push the door open.

Meghan sucked in a breath as she peered inside the apartment. Her things were scattered over the entire place, the open suitcase cut.

“My passport!” She lunged toward the door, but Oliver held her arm.

“Wait. Let me make a call first.”

“But I need to make sure they didn’t take it.”

Oliver tapped the screen. “Meghan, if it’s gone, it’s gone. Let me?—”

She glared at him. How could he be so casual about it? She wouldn’t be able to fly home without one.

“Yarda…”

A torrent of words followed. Meghan had no idea what was said. Oliver’s gaze met hers. Tears welled up in her eyes. He reached for her hand while he continued the conversation. All she could glean was her name and Canada. Oliver squeezed her fingers gently, then ended the call.

“He said to wait here; the police are on their way.”

Meghan slumped against the wall. She let go of his hand and slowly slid down to the floor. Her breathing turned shallow and fast, and clammy sweat broke out on her temples.

“Are you okay?” He stooped, not breaking eye contact.

Meghan nodded, not trusting her voice. She wouldn’t cry in front of him.

“Can I get you something?” He reached into one of the bags, pulled out a water bottle, and offered it to her.

She took a sip and swallowed hard. The lump at the back of her throat almost choked her. What was she to do now? She couldn’t stay here. If they broke in once, they could get in again.

Oliver sat next to her.

“I’m so sorry this happened.”

His voice, so close to her ear, made her shiver.

“Are you cold?”

“No,” she whispered.

“I have a blanket in the car,” he said softly.

“I’m okay.”

“You are shaking.”

She bit her lip. If he were any more sympathetic, she would start bawling.

“Here,” Oliver said and lifted his arm. “If that’s okay with you.”

It surprised her when he reached across her shoulders and gently pulled her closer to him. She didn’t refuse the comforting gesture. Meghan shimmied closer, and Oliver wrapped his other arm around her.

“I think you might be going into shock,” he whispered. “Would you like me to call the paramedics?”

“No. Please don’t. I can handle it.” She said under her breath. “I just don’t know what to do next.”

“My offer stands. I don’t think you should stay here.”

Meghan leaned into him, thankful for his body’s warmth and the feeling of security it offered.

“Okay,” she sighed. “Thank you. But, please, ask your mom if she is okay with you bringing a stranger to your home.”

“If that makes you feel better,” he released her from his embrace and pulled out his phone. Another river of incomprehensible words followed. When he finished the conversation, Oliver tightened his hold on her once again and said softly. “She is preparing your room. Would you be more comfortable in my car? We can wait for the police there.”

Reluctant to break his warm embrace, she agreed. He helped her get up. Meghan glanced at the open door. There was no way she could ever sleep here. Her silent prayer of thanks was filled with gratitude that she had not been home during the break-in.

* * *

The situation had escalated fast. He walked Meghan back to his car, his arm wrapped around her lower back. She was in shock. This harassment would stop—now—even if he had to confront Robert face to face. Blowing his cover at this stage of the investigation would have to be okay with his CO. Experiencing such a violation of her personal space in a country that she had just arrived in was traumatic. Oliver opened the passenger door of his car and helped her in.

“Let me turn on the engine.” He slipped into the driver’s seat and re-positioned the vents so the warm air would blow directly at her. “The seat is heated.” He touched a button. “If you get too hot, just turn it off.”

She stared at the dashboard.

A police car pulled to the curb behind them.

“I’ll go get the bags and talk to the officers. Then we can leave.”

No reply.

Oliver hesitated, but when Yarda approached his car, he had to get out and talk to him. He reached for her hand. It was still cold.

“I’ll be right back.”

Meghan didn’t look at him.

If I get hold of Robert. No. When I get hold of Robert, I’ll make sure that the man understands he messed with the wrong person.

Oliver shut the door firmly. He didn’t care how many regulations he just broke. Suddenly, this got very personal. Robert targeted a single young woman who had nothing to do with the grim history of the region. This unresolved case would not drag on another generation. It had been almost eighty years. Oliver’s team would find the documents and end this sad story once and for all. He glanced back into the car. Meghan was holding her phone, perhaps wondering if she should call her mother or change her flight.

“Hey,” Yarda stepped closer. “What do we have here.”

There was no need to lower their voices. This one time, Oliver was thankful that Meghan didn’t understand the language.

“I think it was Robert. We don’t know if anything is missing yet. Meghan worries about her passport. That is about the only thing of value she says has with her. He must have been looking for the documents.”

“I assume she doesn’t have them.”

“I don’t think she knows they exist.”

“How is she?” Yarda motioned toward the car.

“Shook up. I’m taking her to my mom’s house.”

“You are what?”

“She knows no one. Doesn’t speak Czech. Frankly, this is really traumatizing for her. I don’t think that putting her up in a hotel or another Airbnb is the best course of action. She may decide to fly back home tomorrow.”

“Does the boss know?”

“Not yet. And you will keep it that way. Right?”

Yarda nodded. “If you promise to fill him in yourself, I don’t need to include it in my report.”

“Meghan said Robert had been stalking her.”

“She knows him?”

“No. But he had been following her since she arrived in Prague.”

“How did he figure out when she was flying in?”

“I don’t know yet. He may have waited at the Prague airport. It’s small.”

“For days?”

“What else was there for him to do?” Oliver grunted.

“How would he know what she looked like?”

“Social media?”

“Do we have enough evidence to bring him in?” Yarda asked.

“Let the forensics process the scene. I will check the surveillance camera, and perhaps that will be enough to arrest him. She took a picture of him as he was leaving the train station. Up until now, Robert did nothing we could pick him up for. This—” He pointed his chin toward the building. “This might be just the thing we need to bring him in for a chat.”

“Okay,” Yarda pulled out a pack of cigarettes. “Want one?”

“No. But thanks.”

“I’ll talk to the guys and let you know what they find. You figure out how to break the news to the boss. I hope that she won’t be too much of a distraction.” Yarda glanced at Meghan, then winked at him.

“Want a piece of advice?”

“No,” Yarda lit his cigarette.

“I’ll give it to you anyway.”

Yarda chuckled.

“Mind your own business.”