Later that afternoon, Rachel arrived at Hank’s house. She’d left home early for their meeting, allowing herself plenty of time to find his country acreage. But the directions he’d given her were perfect, so she’d arrived about twenty minutes early.
As she turned her car onto his long gravel driveway and drove toward his house, her breath caught in her throat. Hank’s place was like a small paradise. The house and small red barn were the only buildings she could see for miles and had been built near a small pristine lake surrounded by tall cottonwood trees.
Horses grazed peacefully in a meadow across the road from his house, while cows and a few small calves populated a lush pasture just behind it.
She parked her car on the paved driveway in front of the modern two-story home made of brick and stone. From her perspective, it looked big enough to house a large family, which she found an interesting choice for a single man who claimed to love bachelor life.
Then she took a deep breath, reminding herself that this was business only. Because that had been Hank’s perspective from the beginning. “You can do this,” she said aloud as she switched off the ignition and climbed out of her car.
It had been her idea to meet here after Hank has offered to come to her place to talk. But she feared he’d try to convince her to let him stay overnight again, just for her protection.
But the truth was that she wanted to see where and how he lived. She’d formed an idea in her mind about him that night in the diner that he was this altruistic good guy who had only wanted to help her out.
But now she knew the truth—that he’d been doing it for the money. And that fact hurt some place deep inside of her.
Rachel shook it off as she reached the front door and rang the doorbell. She could face anything if it meant finding her stalker soon and getting her life back.
The door opened and Russell stood on the other side.
Rachel blinked in surprise at her ex-fiancé. He wore a gray pin-striped suit that looked similar to the one Hank had worn on the television show.
The jacket hung a little loosely on Russell’s shoulders, but went well with the blue silk tie and the white oxford shirt. He looked like a new man. He’d shaved, revealing that deep cleft in his chin she’d always loved. And he’d also gotten his hair cut.
Russell, her one-time Prince Charming, looked the part today compared to the scruffy traveler who had shown up on her doorstep only a few days ago.
“Hi, Rachel,” Russell said with a smile. “You look amazing.”
“Thanks.” She peered into the living room. “I’m here to see Hank. Is he around?”
“No, he left a while ago on some vet emergency. But he should be back soon if you want to come in.”
She hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Okay, sure.”
It was strange being alone with Russell in Hank’s home. She looked around, finding an odd juxtaposition of country-style décor and remnants of bachelor life. Something told her Grandma Hattie might have had a hand in helping him decorate.
The living room looked cozy, with a gray leather sofa and two matching oversized recliners. A blue-and-white farmhouse-style rug covered a good portion of the hardwood floor and a giant television hung on the wall.
“This is perfect timing,” Russell said as they moved into the living room. “The two of us getting together like this.”
“The two of us?” Rachel echoed, taking a seat on the sofa and wondering if Russell had gotten the wrong impression. “Hank invited me here after I called him this morning. I didn’t even know you’d be here.”
“I have been busy going on job interviews.” He sat down in the nearest recliner. “Hence the suit.”
“Oh, that’s good. What kind of job are you looking for?”
“Something in my field, of course.” He shook his head. “There still aren’t many jobs for entomologists in Pine City.”
She nodded, remembering the disagreements they used to have about his job options. He’d wanted her to relocate with him so he could find a job he loved.
But Rachel had just started her practice and been building her clientele. And she’d witnessed Russell starting and then quitting too many ‘jobs he loved’ to risk her career.
“I’m so glad you’re here.” Russell leaned forward in the recliner, his gaze intense on her. “Hank knows how much I’ve been wanting to talk to you alone. Maybe this was his way of making it happen.”
A prickle of uneasiness shot through her. She was almost certain Hank hadn’t invited her to his home as a way of playing matchmaker. He didn’t act like he even liked Russell, much less wanted them to get back together. But she’d learned the hard way that Hank was a very good actor.
“I hope you’re hungry,” Russell said. “When I heard your car in the driveway, I popped something in the oven for us to snack on.”
“You didn’t have to make anything for me.” Then she smiled. “And since when did you take up cooking?”
“Most of the great chefs of the world are men, so I think I can handle a little snack. After all, I do have a college degree.”
She didn’t need a college degree to smell something burning. A smoke alarm went off somewhere, the shrill warning signal echoing throughout the big house.
Russell got up and walked over to Rachel, clasping her hands in his. They felt warm and callused. The hands of a man who had handled hundreds of insects. “I’m so glad you’re here, Rach,” he said over the piercing wail of the smoke alarm. “It feels just like old times.”
After he left the room, Rachel had a sudden urge to run out the door and take off. How could she tell Russell she had no interest in rekindling their romance? Especially when he looked so hopeful, so handsome, and so happy to see her?
When he’d first shown up on her doorstep last Friday night, she’d been too shocked to assess her true feelings. Then she’d learned the truth about Hank being hired to protect her and began to doubt her own perceptions.
She still liked Russell and admired his dedication to his profession. And she still remembered the physical attraction they’d had for each other. But after that first sizzling kiss with Hank, she knew a mere flicker wasn’t enough for her anymore. Russell Baker had been her first love, but not the kind of love that lasted. At least not for her. Now she was even grateful that he’d taken off last February, before they’d both made a dreadful mistake.
What a difference a year makes. Or maybe it was the different man that had changed everything for her. Hank might just be doing his job, but she couldn’t deny her feelings for him.
Russell returned to the living room with a tray containing two glasses of wine and a platter.
“Here we go, a merlot for my lady,” he said, setting the tray on the coffee table between them, then handing her a glass. Then he held out the platter to her. “Hors d'oeuvres?”
She looked at the tiny pizza triangle that had obviously been cut from a frozen pizza. “Thank you,” she said, taking it from him and nibbling on an unburnt corner.
Then he sat down and cleared his throat. “The truth is…I want you back. I know it’s been a bumpy road for us, but I’m sure we’ve learned things along the way. And one thing that I’ve learned is that you’re the perfect woman for me.”
She looked up into his brown eyes, not wanting to hurt him despite the way he’d abandoned her. But the words stuck in her throat. Maybe she’d wait until after he finished the frozen pizza appetizers. In her experience, men usually seemed to handle bad news better on a full stomach.
“I’d like to propose a toast,” Russell said, holding up his wineglass. “To the Rachelona cyanella, the most beautiful beetle on earth, named for the most beautiful woman on earth.”
She took a sip of wine, dismally seeing her future stretched out before her if she settled for Russell. Instead of having children, she’d be godmother to a beetle. Somehow, that wasn’t enough for her. So now the question was how to let him down easy.
“Russell,” she began.
“No.” He rushed over to her, taking a seat on the sofa next to her and reaching for her hand. “Don’t say it, because you know we were always meant to be together.”
“Am I interrupting?” Hank asked, standing just inside the front door.
She choked on her wine, coughing as Russell stood up to face him. “Rachel and I need a little privacy, if you don’t mind.”
“No,” Rachel gasped, rising to her feet and still coughing. “Russell, I’m sorry, but I really need to talk to Hank. Do you mind if we finish our conversation later?”
Russell’s mouth pressed into a firm line as he looked between the two of them, then he gave a sharp nod. “Fine. I have errands to run anyway. But we will talk, Rachel.”
It was a declaration, not a question, so she didn’t respond as he turned and walked out the front door.
Hank closed the door behind him, then slowly turned to face her. “What was all that about?”
“A misunderstanding.” She cleared her throat, then looked him straight in the eye. “Just like you and I have had a misunderstanding. Because I know you’ve been lying to me.”
Completely at a loss for words, Hank stared at her. Just a moment ago, he’d heard Russell trying to win Rachel back. And now, she was calling Hank a liar.
And she was right. A lie of omission, but a lie all the same. And made all the worse because of everything that had happened between them. “Rachel, I…”
She held up her hand to stop him. “It doesn’t matter now. Gina told me all about Cowboy Confidential, and I guess this gig was some kind of fun vacation for you. But the important thing is that I still need some hired help and you’re on the payroll until the end of the week, right?”
“Right.” In that moment, he saw something in Rachel that had always been there but he hadn’t recognized until now. Anger at him, to be sure. But she had an inner strength, a belief in herself and her convictions, that made her truly special.
Plus one of the best headbutts he’d ever witnessed. She was amazing. And torn between working with him or killing him, judging by the fiery sparks in her green eyes.
“What do you need from me?” he asked her.
“We’ve got to come up with a short list of the most possible suspects. My career is at stake now. And it’s not just about me, my patients and co-workers could be in danger too. I’ve been put on a leave of absence until my stalker is caught. So it’s either catch him soon or…”
He heard the catch in her throat and saw the way she was trying to hold it all together. “Or what?”
“Or I leave Pine City to start over somewhere else. And just hope he doesn’t follow me there.”
He hated that it had come to this and that he was part of the pain he heard in her voice. Maybe he’d actually made things worse for her, because they sure hadn’t made any progress in identifying her stalker.
But he wasn’t about to stop looking, no matter how long it took. He owed her that much after letting her down on Saturday night. She’d been right by his side one moment, and the next moment Tad had grabbed her.
One hand curled into a fist just thinking about it. The one time she’d truly been in physical danger, he’d turned his back at just the wrong moment. They’d been lucky it was just that drunk loser instead of her stalker.
But he couldn’t let it happen again. “So, let’s think about this,” he began. “You’re put on a leave of absence. Your patients and work colleagues might be at risk. And the only way out of this situation might be you leaving town and starting over somewhere else.”
She looked thoughtful and slowly nodded. “Maybe I’ve been all wrong about him. He doesn’t want me. He just wants me to go away.”
“I think you’re right. He sent those letters and made that one phone call, but otherwise, he’s kept his distance.”
“Like he’s trying to scare me away.” She shook her head in disbelief. “We thought we’d flush him out with jealousy when he saw us together. That he wanted to be close to me. But what if it’s just the opposite?”
Brainy and beautiful, he thought to himself. The perfect combination.
“You think he wants you to go away?” Hank asked, following her line of thought. “To leave Pine City. Maybe even Texas?”
She nodded. “It makes the most sense when I think about it. But why does he want to drive me away?”
Hank was silent, pondering that very question. At last he said, “Let’s think who would benefit if you left town. How about that neighbor of yours? What’s his name? Newt? The one who keeps pestering you to buy you out.”
She nodded. “Yes, Newt Beaufort. He’s been a real pain, but I haven’t heard anything from him for the past couple of weeks.”
“Isn’t that when the stalker started ramping up?”
“Yes, it is.” She reached into her purse and pulled out a notepad and pen. “Okay, so I’m going to put Newt on the short list.”
“Who else can we put there?”
She shook her head. “I hate to even say it, much less think it. But my colleagues at the Craig Clinic didn’t waste much time putting me on leave. And they’re going to split all my patients between them.”
“Is there one therapist in particular that you have doubts about?”
“No, not really. I mean Noah Lopez has a made of couple of snide comments about my heavy patient load. And Jenna Rifkin has expressed worry that some of her patients will just move to the other female therapist in the practice while she’s on maternity leave.”
“So there is some professional jealousy?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know if it’s jealousy as much as competition. But I can’t imagine any of them threatening to kill me on live television.”
“The voice on that call was disguised,” he reminded her. “I think that increases the chance it’s someone you know. So who else can we add to the list?” He was waiting for her to name the most obvious person, not wanting to do it himself.
“I could always add my parents and brother?” she said wryly. “They’ve been wanting me to move home almost since the day I left.” She put her head in her hands. “And maybe that is the simplest solution.”
“Is that what you want?” he asked sincerely.
She met his gaze, then shook her head. “No. I want to stay right here and find this guy. If he’ll do this to me, who knows what he might do when someone else gets in his way.”
“Good,” Hank said. “I’m going to check in with Luke and see if they’ve made any progress identifying that caller. He said it would be a long shot, but maybe he’s got something by now.”
“There’s one thing we’re forgetting,” Rachel said, “and it puts a hole in my theory that the stalker is trying to drive me away.”
“What’s that?”
“The red Buick,” she told him. “That doesn’t fit with the notion that he wants to keep his distance and just stalk me from afar. You saw him drive by my house twice and even got his license plate number. And you could have caught him during that chase.”
“I didn’t forget about the red Buick.” He hesitated for a moment, but then decided he’d never lie or keep things from her again. “There’s something I need to show you.”
Rachel walked into his home office, a cozy room on the first floor of the house and sat in a chair next to him at the desk, watching as he opened up his laptop and the screen lit up. A few clicks later and a large, yellow insect filled the computer scene.
“Ugh!” Rachel reared back in her chair. “That’s the last thing I want to see!”
“There’s about twenty-five more photos like that on here. And they all belong to Russell. He showed them to me last night and I learned more about insects in North Texas than I ever wanted to know.”
She looked away from the screen. “Yes, I assumed the pictures belonged to Russell. But why are they on your computer and what do they have to do with my stalker? You don’t think Russell…” Rachel looked down on her list and realized the most obvious name was missing. He’d wanted her to go to Africa with him before he’d left her. She’d refused because she was building her own career and didn’t want to leave her patients.
But could the man she’d once loved—or had thought she loved—be the same one who had recited, Roses are red, corpses are blue. Keep watch, my love. I’m coming for you? It was too awful to consider.
“Hold on, I’m getting there,” he said, scrolling through more bug photos. Then he stopped and pointed to a picture of an insect that looked about five inches long draped across part of a rusty bucket. “According to the description Russell wrote, that is a Texas giant redheaded centipede.”
Rachel shuddered. “That thing is huge, but why are we looking at it?”
“Do you see the name on the bucket?”
Rachel leaned closer, lightly brushing against his shoulder for a better look. There was something printed on the rim of the bucket in black marker. “Does that say…Sassy?”
“Yes. And I recognize that bucket. I saw it when Lee showed me what she was feeding her mule. There were a couple of buckets like that with Sassy’s name written on them.”
“Okay,” Rachel said slowly, her mind whirling. “Putting aside why anyone would put a mule’s name on a bucket, what does this mean?”
He swirled in his office chair to face her. “This centipede photo was taken three weeks ago, according to the date recorded on it. That means Russell was in Pine City three weeks ago.”
Rachel sat back in her chair. “So he didn’t just fly in from Africa on the day he showed up at my house. He was here before I found that note in my pocket?” Her gaze met his. “And he was there during the time Lee’s red Buick was stolen?”
“Yes to all of that.” Hank reached out to touch her hand, then hesitated and pulled back again. “Do you think it’s possible he could have slipped that note in your coat pocket at Bonnie’s Diner without you seeing him?”
“I’m sure he could have. I barely recognized him when he showed up on my doorstep last Friday. He was scruffy and looked so…different.” She forced a smile, even as the shock still reverberated through her. “And when I eat pancakes at the diner, I rarely look up from my plate, so a human-sized redheaded centipede could walk by me and I’d be oblivious.”
That made him smile. “So what do you want to do now?”
She shook her head. “I can’t believe the Russell I knew, the man I planned to marry, could ever do something like this. Although, as a therapist I know people are complex and can lose themselves when under enormous stress.”
“Or he could just be a jerk,” Hank said bluntly. “Like you said, people are complex, so maybe he’s hidden that part of himself from you until now.”
“That doesn’t say much about my skills for reading people.”
“He wasn’t your patient,” Hank reminded her. “You loved him.”
Rachel rose out of the chair. “Did I? I’m not so sure anymore. These past few weeks…” Then she stopped herself from saying something that would make her look even more pathetic. “We have to confront him and find out the truth.”
Hank stood up and walked over to her. “I agree. But let me go talk to Lee Demby first and find out what she knows. That could give us some insight about his motives—if he is your…”
“Stalker?” she finished for him. Then she walked quickly over to the sofa and swept up her purse as she made her way to the front door, determined to be as far away from Hank as possible before she lost it.
“Rachel, please wait,” Hank called after her.
But she ignored him, closing door behind her and making a run for her car.