Page 47 of Finding Forever

“What about now?” I replied.

Riley checked his watch. “It’s nearly eleven o’clock.”

“We’ll be at Alex’s home before midnight.”

“What am I going to tell Mom?” Riley groaned.

I thought it was obvious, but Riley knew his mom better than I did. “The truth?”

“I can’t wake her and say, ‘Mom, a crazy stalker’s recreating the scenes in Eric’s books and we think he broke into the cottage.’ She won’t go back to Indianapolis without me.”

At the risk of being raked over hot coals, I said, “That’s not a bad idea.”

Riley’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not going back to my mom’s house.”

Alex snorted. “You won’t win that argument, Eric.”

I sent Alex a glare reserved for psychotic criminals.

“Save your bad cop look for another time,” Alex told me. “We’re in a stressful situation, and we’re doing the best we can. Do you want me to take Sherlock in my truck when I leave?”

I glanced at the furry black shadow sound asleep on the sofa. “He’ll be okay with me. Can you take some of Riley’s art supplies with you?”

“Sure.”

Riley stood, his blue eyes focused on me. “I hope we’re doing the right thing.”

“Staying here would be worse.” And for the first time, I was one hundred percent certain we had to leave.

thirty-five

RILEY

Kathleen folded her clothes and placed them in her suitcase. “I don’t understand why someone would be stalking Eric.”

“Neither do I,” I told Mom. “But Eric and Alex think it’s best if we leave the cottage.” I hadn’t told her the whole truth about why we were leaving. She didn’t need to know about the warehouse or that the chance of something else happening was extremely high.

“After I go home, how long will you stay with Alex?”

“No more than a few days.”

Mom stopped packing and looked at me. “How will you know when it’s safe to return to the cottage?”

I’d been wondering the same thing. “When the police arrest the stalker or at least identify him.”

Mom pursed her lips, her worry deepening. “That doesn’t give me much comfort. Come home with me to Indianapolis. We have to pack your paintings and art supplies, anyway. We could leave them in their boxes and ship them to my house.”

“I want to stay in Sunrise Bay,” I said firmly.

“Why?”

“I belong here. I love everything about living in a small town.”

“Including the person who posted the article on social media?”

I handed her a jacket. “It was Jenny. She didn’t know that I wanted to stay out of the spotlight.”

Mom frowned. “I’ve known her for years. She should have asked if it was all right. And what about Eric? He sounds as though he’s just as focused on writing his next book as you are on your paintings.”

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