Page 39 of Secret Stalker

“Hell, no. I want you to press charges against her for attempted murder.”

“But she wasn’t trying to kill me.”

He gave her an incredulous look. “She shot a rifle at you.”

She shook her head. “If she was trying to kill me, I’d be dead, wouldn’t I? Marcia was an amazing shot even back in high school. If she says she was just trying to scare me, I believe her.”

He shook his head. “You’re saying you don’t want to press charges.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

He shook his head again. “Unbelievable. Fine, I’ll tell the chief. Back to the grocery store investigation. I’ve got some questions for you. But first let me explain a few things. I probably shouldn’t be telling you any of this. Well, no probably about it. The investigation is confidential, and I need your word that you won’t share these details with anyone else.”

“It’s not like I’m receiving social invitations in this town. Who would I tell?”

“I’m serious. Your lawyer, a clerk at the bank, anyone at all. Not a word.”

“Okay, okay. I won’t tell anyone.”

“When you and I talked at the diner, you told me that one of the gunmen said Reggie told them a woman was heading toward the checkout. That set off alarm bells for me. It sounded like the gunmen had inside information, someone inside the store, maybe an employee, letting them know when it was the right time to come inside.”

“The right time? Like when there weren’t that many customers?”

“More like when you were inside.”

“Me? You really were serious earlier when you said I might have been the target?”

He slowly nodded.

She listened in stunned disbelief as he told her about a cashier named Reggie who’d partnered with the gunmen. Her hand shook as she pulled the afghan closer. “You’re saying that someone is trying to...kidnap me? They want to force me to...confess?”

“According to Reggie, yes.”

“Well. I guess we know who’s behind that. It’s Mr. Caldwell, Bobby’s father. Has to be.”

He nodded. “Makes sense. That’s the first person I thought of, too. He’s got plenty of money, owns thousands of acres of farmland in this county, and his family comes from old money up in Chattanooga. Plus, he’s made no secret over the years that he always thought you did it. After all, you and Bobbie had a...history.”

She frowned and was about to dress him down when he held up a hand to stop her.

“I’m not blaming the victim here. I know he stalked you during your senior year. History was the wrong word.”

“You think? Yet another reason I’m no fan of your boss, by the way. He didn’t do anything to stop Bobby. No one did.”

He winced.

She immediately regretted her outburst. “Except you. I know you tried to help me, got yourself in trouble more times than I can count by going after him.”

“Fat lot of good it did. His father’s security guys tossed me on my butt just about every time before I could get close to Bobby. I’m really sorry, Bex. I’m sorry I didn’t do more. I know it was a really tough time for you.”

“Tough?” She fisted her hands in the afghan. “No one could help me—not the school, not my mom, not you, not the police. I was miserable, Max. My life was a living hell that year.” She sucked in a breath and looked at him, too late wishing she could recall her words. “I don’t mean that you and I—I mean, it was also the best year.”

“After Bobby was found,” he continued, as if she’d never spoken, “his father kept lobbying Thornton to arrest you. But, like you said, there was never enough evidence. So after that initial forty-eight hours in the cell, he had to let you go.”

“Yeah, nice guy. Holding a terrified teenager in jail after ignoring her calls for help for nearly a year.”

“Bex, that was a long time ago. Looking back, can’t you see there was more to it than that? He was also protecting you. From Bobby’s father. Those two days were a cooling-off period for everyone. Thornton feels terrible about failing you, not being able to do anything about the stalking without proof. He was determined to protect you from the fallout.”

“Let me guess,” she said. “He told you that? Because he sure hasn’t ever said anything like that to me.”

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