Page 7 of Shattering Dawn

“That list is worth a fortune to certain people. You just told me you are an investor. You might decide you could make money selling the list.”

“You don’t trust me,” he said. He did not seem to know what to do with that news.

“Nope.” She smiled an icy smile. “Just as you don’t trust me. Perfectly understandable. We don’t know each other very well, do we?”

“No,” he said, “we don’t. All right, tell me about the stalker.”

“It’s about time.” She leaned forward a little. “Three days ago I got that feeling you get when you sense that you’re being watched.”

“A feeling,” he repeated without inflection.

She ignored the interruption. “The first few times I turned around I didn’t see anyone, at least no one who looked suspicious. But yesterday afternoon when I came out of the grocery store I saw a man in a white delivery van in the parking lot. He was wearing dark glasses and I wasn’t close enough to get a good look, but I knew he was watching me.”

“Because you had a feeling.”

“Yes, Mr. Sweetwater. Because I had a feeling.”

“Go on.”

“I could not shake the sensation. Two nights ago I saw someone dressed for running access the gardens of my apartment complex and study the layout. I think the stalker was trying to identify my apartment and figure out the best way to get to me unnoticed.”

“Did he do anything threatening?”

“No. Probably because the jerk next door was having a party so there was a lot of activity on my floor. But last night I had a feeling the stalker would return. I turned out the lights in my apartment and went out onto the balcony to grab that aura shot. Then I realized he was crossing the gardens and headed toward the stairs that lead to my apartment on the second floor. I wanted to scare him off so I called down to him.”

Gideon’s brows rose. “You spoke to the stalker?”

“Yes. I warned him I was taking photos and he was in the scene. That stopped him cold. Then my friend Irene heard me and came out onto her balcony to see what was going on. Next thing I know, the jerk next door started yelling at Irene and me, telling us to be quiet. The stalker left in a hurry.”

“How did he leave?”

“He went out through the same gate he had used to access the gardens. The service lane entrance.”

Gideon was quiet for a moment. “A lot of stalkers are exes.”

“Not this one,” she said. “I haven’t been involved in a serious relationship for seven months.”

“That doesn’t mean some obsessive type from the past hasn’t fixated on you.”

“I think someone has fixated on me but not because of a past relationship. I’ve narrowed it down to the three most likely possibilities.”

Gideon looked surprised. “That’s very helpful.” He reached for the notepad and the pen on his desk. “I’m listening.”

Taking notes was a good sign, she told herself. They were getting somewhere at last.

“One possibility is that the stalker is a crank podcast fan,” she said. “Someone who has become obsessed with me and has managed to track me down here in San Diego. Unfortunately, we do attract a number of weirdos because of the paranormal slant we take on the various cases. We try to be careful when it comes to our personal information but you know how it is these days. They say you can find anyone if you look hard enough.”

“That’s what they say,” Gideon agreed. “Please continue.”

“The second possibility is that the stalker is connected to the people or organization responsible for the lost nights that my associatesand I experienced. Frankly, as scary as that would be, it would also be the best outcome.”

Gideon looked up at that. “Why?”

“Because theLost Night Filespodcast team is desperately in need of a fresh lead.”

“I see.”

Great. Now he was questioning her mental stability again.

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