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ON THE WAY TO THE POLICE station, Jamie decided to stop for a cup of coffee. It was from the stress, of course. And there wasn’t a lot of strong pain medication she felt comfortable taking, especially with her still breastfeeding Rosie.
Coffee with caffeine wasn’t going to work, either. But a decaf was better than nothing.
Jamie parked in front of the coffee house and glanced around. She hated how much she was already checking her surroundings again, looking over her shoulder. She hated that she couldn’t even get a cup of coffee without stressing that she was being followed. But it would all be over soon, she told herself. This was definitely not going to last forever.
After getting out of her car and locking it, she walked into the coffee shop. She studied the large board that hung overhead and finally decided to get a decaf coffee with hazelnut syrup. She really wanted to indulge with something strong, but for Rosie’s sake she was going to stay away from caffeine completely. Even though she really could have used the pick-me-up.
Finally, she walked to the front. A headache throbbed dully between her eyes and she pressed her fingers to her temples. Hopefully, the hot drink was going to help. Otherwise, she would just have to ignore it.
Usually, she would have gone home to lie down. While she had been in bed that morning, it hadn’t been that bad. But she wasn’t going to roll over and die, not this time. She wasn’t going to give in, go home, sulk about how things were going wrong. She was just going to have to ride this one out and take matters into her own hands.
She ordered her coffee from a young man at the register. A bottle of wine would have been better, of course, but that wasn’t going to happen for a while, either.
When she took her purse out to pay for her order, the young man smiled.
“Don’t worry about it, miss,” he said. “The young woman who just left paid for your coffee today.”
Jamie froze and blinked at the kid. “What?”
He faltered a little, confused that she wasn’t thrilled about the stranger’s generosity. “Yes... She was just here. She said she knew you were having a bad day, and—”
“What did she look like?” Jamie asked, interrupting him.
He started to look very unsure. “Um...” he said, making a face, trying to think.
“Tell me.” Jamie was demanding. She was flustered, stressed out. And her stalker had just been here. How had she not noticed it? But she had been thinking about coffee and alcohol... It was so frustrating.
“I don’t know,” the cashier said and he seemed exasperated. “She was young. Maybe late twenties? Blond hair... Pretty. I wasn’t really paying a lot of attention. I’m sorry.”
Jamie shook her head and turned, walking away.
“Wait!” the cashier called after her. “Do you still want your coffee?”
But Jamie wasn’t listening. She wasn’t interested. She felt completely railroaded. She was on her way to the police station to take care of this business, and even now she was being harassed.
No one would believe that having someone buy you a cup of coffee was harassment. But Jamie knew better. It wasn’t just a cup of coffee. It was a reminder that she was being watched, that whoever was stalking them knew where she was and what she was doing. And wanted her to know about it.
That was what bothered her the most. Whoever was doing this wanted to rub it in her face that they knew where she was, knew what she was doing and where she was going.
Did they know that she was going to the police station?
Jamie stood in front of the coffee shop and scanned parking lot for a blond woman. She looked all around, but there were only older people walking around, a brunette with two kids, a kid on a skateboard. No one that matched the cashier’s description.
When Jamie looked at her car, there was a yellow Post-it note taped to her window. She ran over and pulled it off, glaring at the words written on it.
You look like you could use some kindness from a stranger. XOXO I hope you ordered a decaf.
Tears sprang to Jamie’s eyes. This was ridiculous! Why were they doing this to her? What did any of them do to deserve it? It wasn’t right. She was a good parent, a good wife. Alex was a wonderful husband. And her kids were all innocent, only just getting to know the world. What a terrible place this had become for them, and so soon in life.
Jamie unlocked the car and climbed in behind the wheel without going back into the shop to get her coffee. She didn’t want coffee from the stranger. She didn’t want to drink something that had been given to her as some kind of warning. Or something.
Jamie wasn’t even sure what to call it.
She drove to the police station, her eyes still blurry with tears. In the parking lot, she glanced around again. Her stalker know she was coming here? Did her stalker know why?
Jamie wiped her face, blew her nose, and finally walked into the station. She went to the front desk and asked to talk to Officer Halloway.
The officer arrived a moment later.
“Jamie, hi,” she said, smiling, but her smile faded away when she saw Jamie’s expression. “Let’s talk in my office.”
Jamie nodded and followed the officer into the police station, sitting down in the chair she had been in a couple of months before when she had been filling out the restraining order for her mother. When they were both sitting down, Halloway looked at Jamie, concerned.
“How can I help?” she asked in a gentle voice.
Jamie swallowed. “I need to speak to my mother. I know my restraining order is still in place. But I was hoping you could come with me.”
Halloway arched an eyebrow. “Are you sure? We don’t recommend contact after a restraining order has been put in place. Especially in a case involving children—”
“I know. I understand.” Jamie was interrupting a lot today. “But everything is happening again and I need to talk to her.”
Halloway frowned. “What do you mean happening again?”
“I’ll tell you on the drive. Please. You said I could come to you if I ever need anything. Well, here I am. I need something.”
Eventually, reluctantly, Halloway agreed. She grabbed her jacket and they got in one of the police cruisers, heading to where Jamie’s mother lived. Her address was in the police file – it was a place Jamie had never been to. Not since her mother had had to give up her old place when she went to prison.
The officer pulled into the driveway when they arrived and switched off the car. They listened to the engine ticking over. Jamie’s mind was spinning.
“I’ll come to the door with you,” Halloway suggested.
Jamie shook her head. “I can go alone,” she said.
She climbed out of the car and took a deep breath, looking at the house she had never known. It was a small townhouse complex, nothing too intimidating. But still, it was her mother. Everything about Jamie’s mother was intimidating. Even now, when Jamie knew that the woman didn’t have a foot to stand on.
The whole complex had been decorated for Halloween – pumpkins were carved and glowing in front of every door, there were decorations with black cats, witches, spiderwebs and ghosts everywhere. Usually, Jamie would have loved it – it was very festive. But today, it made everything seem a little eerie.
Jamie walked to the door and knocked before she could get cold feet.
After knocking, Jamie could hear her mother coming to the door. She swallowed her fear and her pride and squared her shoulders.
The door opened. Jamie’s mother blinked, looking surprised to see her. She glanced over Jamie’s shoulder and saw the police cruiser. She frowned.
“Jamie?” she asked.
