Brady approached the PEA office. A storefront at the end of an older strip mall, the place was unassuming and slightly tattered. Not even the melting blanket of snow made it look more appealing.
He stepped inside and scanned the large front room. Computers lined one wall, photocopiers and printers another. Two men and a woman sat at one of three round tables, flipping through binders. Bulletin boards with motivational posters lined the back wall with a large desk sitting below.
Spotting him, a young woman with a cautious expression came around the desk. Where Morgan was fragile and delicate, this woman was sturdy and muscular. Her nametag read Lacy Sutton, likely the friend on the train with Morgan last night.
She forced a smile. “Can I help you?”
“I’m Brady Owens. I’m looking for Morgan.”
She appraised him. “I was expecting you. Morgan’s told me all about you.”
He could only imagine what she might have said.
“I hope some of it was good,” he joked.
“All of it.” She smiled in earnest this time.
Brady relaxed. “Is the presentation over?”
“The meeting just broke up, and she’s saying goodbye to our guests.” Lacy nodded at the tables. “If you want to have a seat, I’ll go tell Morgan you’re here.”
Brady took a chair at an empty table, and Lacy disappeared through a doorway in the back. As soon as she was gone, the job seekers started chatting about Morgan and the jobs program. Wondering if one of her clients might be her stalker, he listened in. With her good looks, it would be easy for a client to fall for her, and a client wouldn’t likely come right out and admit his feelings. Especially if he was unemployed. He was more likely to take the secret admirer approach. Brady made a mental note to ask Morgan about her clients.
She soon entered the room and escorted four men in business suits to the front door. After shaking hands with them, she nodded a quick greeting for Brady and went straight to the job seekers.
She smiled and bent over the table. “How’s it going today? Any new leads?”
The seekers looked at her with respect and each of them shared about the progress in their job search. As she interacted with the trio, her face glowed and her whole being came alive. He could see she truly cared about them and that they were genuinely thankful for her assistance. When she turned to Brady, the same smile lit her face, and he felt time stop for a moment. As much as he simply wanted to sit there and bask in her radiating warmth, he needed to get moving on finding her stalker. But he could ease into the topic and not totally annihilate her good mood.
“Does the smile mean your presentation went well, or you’re happy to see me?”
“Both, actually,” she said, then looked down.
Wow. He didn’t expect her to admit she was glad to see him. “Can we go somewhere private to talk about this morning’s event?”
Her smile vanished.
Nice one. Way to sugarcoat that and ease into the topic of the stalker.
“My cubicle is right this way.” Her shoulders back, she led him through the back door. She stopped to pick up her briefcase and tote bag sitting just inside the door. “Thanks again for loaning me your truck. I got here just in time to drop my bags on the floor and run into the presentation.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, but didn’t attempt to take her bags this time.
They moved down a hallway to an area filled with cubicles and the chatter of busy workers. She entered a messy break room where she grabbed a bottle of thick liquid from the refrigerator. He assumed she planned to drink the orange gunk, but the color turned his stomach.
“I usually have one of these for energy in the morning, but with my meeting I didn’t get a chance.” She held it up. “It’s a veggie/berry drink that I make. Would you like one?”
He mocked a shudder.
“Ah, not into healthy eating, huh?” She shook the bottle.
“Give me a big cheeseburger, a plate of fries, maybe some onion rings and an ice-cold root beer, and I’m set. Well, maybe add some deep-fried cheese curds into the mix, too.”
She looked up laughing. “Are you serious about the curds?
“A Midwest thing. Born and raised in Minnesota.”
She poured the drink into a glass and the liquid reminded him of sewage sludge. “I thought I heard that accent in your voice.”
“Oh, ya, sure and you betcha.” He mocked his Norwegian ancestry.
She grinned as she held up the glass. “You sure you don’t want one?”
“I’ll pass.”
“You don’t know what you’re missing. It’s a blend of tomato, broccoli, apple and carrots. A perfect energy drink.”
He tried not to grimace but didn’t manage it. “I’ll take your word for it.”
“Coward.” She laughed. “There’s a water cooler in the corner if you’d like some water.”
“I’m good,” he said.
She shifted the straps for her bags on her shoulder, headed for the door and started chugging the drink the way a person stranded in a desert might gulp down water. This behavior seemed so out of character for her usual genteel manners.
She’d finished the entire drink by the time they reached her cubicle. She came to a sudden stop. Brady couldn’t react fast enough to keep from bumping into her. He shot an arm around her waist to stop her from taking a nosedive. He expected her to push free, but she clamped a hand over her mouth and pointed at the desk.
Brady followed the direction of her finger and found three red roses and another picture lying on her pristine desk.
“Not again.” Brady’s arm instinctively tightened around her.
She tried to swivel free but he was holding her too tightly. He relaxed his grip just enough to allow her turn, but he couldn’t make himself release her.
“Who could be doing this?” She lifted her stricken gaze to his.
“Don’t worry. We’ll find out,” he said, but he had no reason at this point to believe they would.
“I’m so thankful for your help.” A tremulous smile found her lips.
Hoping to put her at ease, he smiled back at her.
She suddenly seemed to notice he was holding her, and she pushed against his chest to free herself. The warmth of her touch sent his senses firing and his pulse racing. He didn’t want to let go, but short of making a fool of himself, he had no other choice but to release her.
After dropping her bags on the desk, she reached for the picture.
“Don’t touch it,” he warned.
She snapped her hand back and bent closer to look. She suddenly gasped and lurched back. “He was in my bedroom. Oh, no. No, no, no.”
Knowing he wasn’t going to like what he saw, Brady moved closer to get a better look at a picture of Morgan taken from above. A shadow of the man who took the photo fell over her as she peacefully slept in her bed. Superimposed in bright red letters on the bottom of the picture was the sentence, We’ll soon be together forever, my love.
Rage roared up and threatened to choke Brady. He raised his fist, ready to slam it into the desk, but it would increase Morgan’s fear. He tightened his fingers and faced her.
She bent forward, clutching her stomach. Her face was ashen, her lips pinched and glassy-eyed shock consumed her eyes.
He quickly blocked her view of the picture and roses. “I take it since you went straight to the conference room that you’re discovering this picture for the first time.”
“I hadn’t... I... I—” She dropped into her chair.
“So it could have been left last night or put here after you arrived today.”
Her gaze bounced around the area as if she was trying to focus. “I guess so. Does this mean it’s someone I work with?”
“Could be, but if the lock was picked at your apartment, your stalker could have gotten in here the same way. Is there a security system for the building?”
“No.”
He stepped outside her cubicle and searched the large room. “No security cameras?”
“Not that I know of.” Her focus was locked on the picture again.
He used the hem of his shirt to flip it over. “Tell me your exact steps when you arrived today.”
She looked a bit green around the gills and swallowed hard. He thought she might be sick any moment.
“You okay?” He looked for her trash can, just in case.
She nodded weakly and swallowed again. She closed her eyes for a few moments, then cleared her throat. “Like I said before, by the time I got here, my guests were already in the conference room. So I dropped my bags by the door and went straight into the meeting. I stayed in there until the meeting ended and came to get you.”
“I’ll need to interview all of your coworkers to see if anyone noticed something suspicious.”
“Interview us about what?” Lacy asked as she approached the cubicle.
Not knowing if Morgan had already told Lacy about the earlier roses and photos, he blocked her access to the cubicle.
“It’s okay,” Morgan said. “Lacy knows about the other ones.”
“Other ones?” Lacy tried to look over Brady’s shoulder.
He stepped back.
“Oh, roses...you mean roses. He was here, too?” Lacy slipped past Brady to squat by Morgan and take her hands. “Do you think he works here? With us?”
“Don’t jump to conclusions,” Brady warned. “This doesn’t mean he’s a coworker.”
Lacy shook her head as if still not believing her eyes. “But he could be, right?”
“It’s possible.”
“Nantz.” She dropped Morgan’s hands and swiveled to look up at Brady. “It has to be Nantz.”
“No.” Morgan swung her head forcefully side to side then stopped to take a few deep breaths. All color had drained from her face and perspiration glistened on her forehead. Brady couldn’t tell if this news was hitting her harder than last night or if she wasn’t feeling well.
“Morgan?” he asked. “Are you okay?”
She blinked a few times. “Fine.”
“So who is this Nantz person?” he asked.
“Our supervisor. Silas Nantz. But I think Lacy is overreacting here. I’m sure he wouldn’t do something like this.”
“I don’t agree,” Lacy said firmly. “Nantz has a crush on Morgan. It’s so pitifully obvious, but he hasn’t said a thing to her about it. I figure he’s following work protocol and not hitting on her because he’s her supervisor. He’s kind of a jerk, though, and I could totally see him doing this.”
“I certainly can’t,” Morgan said.
Brady planted his feet on the carpet. “I’ll want to talk to him.”
Morgan crossed her arms “You’re not planning on accusing him of anything, are you? I don’t want my supervisor to be embarrassed because he has a little crush on me.”
“Aha, so you think he has a crush, too,” Lacy said.
“Okay, fine.” Morgan tightened her arms. “He does. But that doesn’t make him a stalker and doesn’t mean this has to make him uncomfortable.”
“Don’t worry, I can be subtle.”
Morgan looked up at him as if she didn’t believe him, and surprisingly, her opinion hurt.
She shifted her gaze to Lacy. “I didn’t ask what brought you back here.”
“I was just going to tell you I was leaving for lunch.”
Morgan turned her focus to Brady. “Do you need to ask Lacy any questions or is she free to go?”
“Just a couple of quick things. I’m assuming by your reaction you haven’t seen the roses before now, but did you see anyone in the building who seemed out of place?”
“I’ve been up front all morning with clients. It was just our usual group.”
“Could one of them have gotten back here?”
Lacy shook her head. “They have no need to access this part of the building. They have everything they need up front, including a restroom. Even so, if we leave the resource room, we lock the adjoining door.”
She offered Brady a tight smile. “I wish I could help more, but that’s all I know.” She stood. “I’m going to grab lunch. Can I bring anything back for you guys?”
“Depends on Morgan’s schedule.” Brady focused on her. “Can you take time to go to lunch?”
“Yes.”
“Then thanks for the offer, but we’re good.”
“Don’t worry, sweetie.” Lacy gave Morgan’s shoulder a squeeze. “Everything will work out just the way it’s supposed to.”
Having a good friend like Lacy was important. Brady had the same thing with his FRS teammates as friends, proving the importance of having strong relationships in his life.
Just not a relationship with a woman, huh?
Brady ignored his thoughts and watched Lacy walk away. “She seems nice.”
“I wouldn’t have my job without her,” Morgan said enthusiastically. “I was volunteering here and we started talking. She told me about the opening.” Morgan smiled, then sat forward as if resolved to move on. “So, about lunch. You want that cheeseburger you mentioned?”
He liked seeing this lighter side of her and wished she wasn’t under such tension so he could get to know the real Morgan. Just the kind of thought that could get him into big trouble.
He needed to stick to the investigation. Maybe see if she even wanted him to help figure out who was stalking her. “I’ve kind of butted in today and didn’t ask if you wanted my help investigating this.”
Her smile faltered. “You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”
“I’m glad to help, but, I want to make sure you’d like me to work on this.”
“Yes, thank you. I’d appreciate it.”
“I’ll have to give Rossi a call to bring him up to speed and ask if he’s amenable to my doing a little digging around in my free time.” He firmly met her gaze. “One thing I’ve got to say first.”
“Name it.”
“I need you to keep an open mind about whatever I find. You’ll want to avoid or refuse to believe things about the people you know, but that could put you in a very dangerous position.”
“I’ll do my best,” she said.
Honestly, he wasn’t convinced she would comply, and he had his work cut out for him in getting her to see that danger could be coming from people close to her. “I’d like to start by taking a look at your calendar for the last few months to see where you might have intersected with potential suspects so we can check them out.”
“Okay.”
“Also, as I mentioned, I’ll want to talk with the staff here. And, of course, after Lacy’s comments, I’ll be conducting a thorough interview with Nantz.”
She eyed him, her resolve apparent in the tilt of her head. “I’m okay with setting that up, but I don’t want to alienate all my coworkers so promise me you’ll be diplomatic.”
“Sure,” he promised, though if it came down to pressing one of these people or holding back, he’d err on the side of being pushy if it would gain him additional information. “I’d like to suggest we invite Archer to join us for lunch.”
“Archer? He’s the guy who tried to talk Craig down last night, right?”
Brady nodded. “He’s well versed in the characteristics of stalkers, and I’d like him to share his knowledge with us. That way, as I investigate, I can watch for these traits. You’ll be able to evaluate men you know in a new light, too.”
“Is that really necessary?” She sounded so weary he hated to continue, but her life depended on it.
“A normal person doesn’t break in and leave surprises, Morgan. Which means we’re dealing with an unbalanced individual who could take this to the next level in a heartbeat.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning he might try to end your life.”
Panic raced into her eyes as if she’d just realized the danger she might be in. Realized that, except for him, she was completely alone. And in that moment, he discovered just how much he hated the thought of her being so vulnerable to a dangerous attack.
* * *
Morgan adjusted her silverware, lining it up and making sure everything was perfectly spaced. Other diners and restaurant staff in the burger place were laughing while she sat there listening to Archer provide details about the man who could be stalking her. She not only didn’t want to hear the details, she didn’t even want to admit she had a stalker.
“Morgan.” Brady leaned closer drawing her attention. “Did you hear Archer? Is there a shy man in your life who might be afraid to face you and declare his affection?”
Was there? She ran through the men she regularly interacted with and came up empty. “No.”
“Maybe a client,” Brady continued.
She shook her head. “I don’t have that kind of relationship with my clients.”
“That you know of,” Archer said. “And I should point out that this guy isn’t likely shy. Someone who is timid is not someone with enough nerve to break into your home.”
“But you just said he could be shy,” Brady argued.
“No, I said if we weren’t dealing with a true stalker, he could be shy. But the break-ins suggest classic stalker mentality.”
“Which is what?” Brady asked, sounding testy.
He appeared to be as frustrated as she was about figuring out who was leaving the roses. She had no idea why it bothered him so much. Beside the fact that he seemed to feel responsible for protecting her. She sensed that he found her attractive, but she also got the feeling that something about her bothered him. What, she had no idea.
Archer faced her. “Maybe it would be helpful if I explained the three basic types of stalkers and you can think about men in your life who might fit the categories.”
Helpful, yes. Uncomfortable, yes. Necessary, yes.
“Go ahead,” she said, and prepared herself for what she was about to hear.
“Okay, so we have the antisocial, narcissistic and bully categories.”
Morgan shivered. “Just hearing the categories makes them all sound like people I wouldn’t want anywhere near me.”
“Trust me, if we’re dealing with a true stalker, you don’t want to meet him.” The gravity of Archer’s tone made her cringe.
Brady’s hand resting on the tablecloth tightened into a fist before he pulled out a notebook and pen from his jacket pocket.
“I’ll start with a few general characteristics.” Archer held up his index finger. “First, stalkers are usually above average in intelligence.” Up went the next finger. “Second, they have an obsessive personality and don’t display the discomfort or anxiety that people would naturally feel in many situations.” Another finger shot up. “Third, they’re loners and don’t have a relationship outside the stalking one. And last—” he raised the fourth finger and paused for added effect. “They usually have low self-esteem, though they work hard to hide it.”
Brady looked up from his note taking. “This sound like anyone you know, Morgan? Nantz, maybe?”
“I can’t rule him out based on these characteristics,” she said, hating the fact that she was casting suspicion on a man who—as far as she knew—hadn’t acted improperly. “But, honestly, my gut still says he’s not the guy. Wouldn’t he have made his interest known by now?”
“Not necessarily,” Archer said. “He could be testing the waters to see how you feel about his approach. And he could even be doing this to make you turn to him for help and support.”
“I suppose it’s possible,” she admitted reluctantly.
“It would help if you told us more about each group.” Brady held his pen at the ready.
Archer nodded. “So, let’s start with the antisocial male. He’s impulsive, reckless and can’t postpone gratification. In that respect, he thinks of other people as objects he can manipulate to help him find gratification. He’d have very little conscience. No empathy. He operates outside social norms. Lies a lot. Of all the categories, this guy is the most aggressive and violent.”
Brady looked at her. “This sound like Nantz?”
“Thankfully, no.” She sighed out a breath of relief. “Not at all.”
“Fit Preston?”
“I thought we’d ruled him out because he’s out of town.”
“You may have, but I didn’t,” Brady said. “He could have hired someone to do this.”
“That’s kind of far-fetched, isn’t it, bro?” Archer asked.
Brady lifted his chin. “How so?”
“True stalkers don’t hire others to do the work for them. They take joy and satisfaction in their actions.” Archer leaned back in his chair and looked at Brady.
Morgan couldn’t help but compare the two. Brady was tough and rugged looking. Archer was more refined, yet not any less powerful. He looked more like the kind of guys she’d dated. His clothes were expensive while Brady’s were more practical and budget friendly. Archer would fit in with her family. Brady would stand out like a sore thumb. Despite it all, Brady was the one who made her heart beat faster—and he was also the one who made her feel safe.
She shook off her thoughts in time to hear Archer say, “If this Preston guy is stalking Morgan, then he’d most likely be leaving the roses and pictures himself.”
Brady’s jaw tightened. “Fine. We’ll forget about Preston for now, but if anything changes, we’ll reconsider him again. Let’s move on to the narcissistic type.”
Archer sat forward. “He feels grandiose and self-important. He’s arrogant and haughty. He’s firmly convinced that he’s unique and likely exaggerates his accomplishments, talents and skills. He requires excessive admiration, attention and affirmation.”
As the description sank in, Morgan’s heart constricted. Archer could easily be talking about Nantz. As much as she hated to admit it, she would. “This sounds more like Nantz.”
“Then we have our first official suspect.” Brady’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
Morgan looked at him. “Remember you promised to go easy on all the staff when you talk to them.”
“That was before I heard this. Now, I’ll do whatever it takes to find out if Nantz is involved.”
That’s what Morgan was afraid of. “I love my job, Brady, and I don’t intend to lose it because you decided to play hardball with Nantz. If you want access to him, you’ve got to promise to take it easy in the initial interview. Then we’ll talk about what you discover and go from there.”
“I’ll try. Unless, of course, he confesses.” Brady grinned. “That’s a whole other story.”
She could see how much he loved his job, and she suspected he was very good at it, but she hoped he wouldn’t destroy her wonderful working environment in the process.
He turned his attention to Archer. “And the last guy? The bully.”
“As you’d expect, bullies feel inadequate and compensate with violence. Not just physical, but verbal and psychological. They’re a lot like the antisocial personality in that they are insincere, haughty and lack empathy. They also treat people as objects to help find gratification. But a bully differs in that he is ruthless, and blames others for his failures. He has low frustration levels and gets bored easily. These guys are immature and real control freaks. But they’re more socially adept than the other categories and they can be fun to be around. You have to spend some time with them to see their dysfunctional personality.”
“That’s totally not Nantz,” Morgan said.
Brady looked at her and held her gaze. “Archer’s made it very clear that this man is in your life, Morgan. Don’t miss seeing these characteristics just because you don’t want to see them.”
He kept staring at her, and she shrank back at his intensity. Gone was the sweet guy who’d talked of caring for a calf and was sad when it was sold. The gentle guy who held her earlier. This man staring at her was the rock-solid guy who could easily pull the trigger on his rifle.
The sight scared her as much as it made her feel safe.
“I’m sorry I sound so doom and gloom,” he said. “But you don’t have to worry. I won’t leave you alone. I’ll be with you as you go through the rest of your day.”
“Make sure you don’t stop at considering the men you know by name,” Archer added. “The stalker may be someone you interact with or simply see on a regular basis, but don’t really know.”
“I see a lot of men in the course of the day.”
“Exactly,” Brady said gravely. “Which is why we need to look at all men within your circle. And do it quickly. After hearing these characteristics, we can’t waste any time finding him.”