Page 26 of Mountain Man Summer

"Are you okay? You sound weird." Her producer's intuition was too sharp by half.

"I'm fine," I assured her, though I couldn't suppress the slight breathlessness in my voice. "What's going on?"

"The stalker, Didi. He posted again last night."

My stomach dropped. "What did he say?"

"He wrote this creepy poem about following a star to a mountain lake. Said something about how 'even in Montana, I'll find my Midnight Star.'"

The room tilted slightly. I gripped the back of the couch for support. "Montana? He specifically said Montana?"

"Yes. Didi, I think he knows where you are."

The blood drained from my face. All the safety I'd felt moments ago evaporated. "How? I've been so careful."

"I don't know. Maybe he tracked your credit card purchases? Or he could have followed me? I'm so sorry, Didi, I've been so careful, but—"

"It's not your fault," I cut her off, trying to keep my voice steady. "We knew he was persistent."

"There's more," Jamie continued, her voice dropping lower. "Officer Vincetti called from Chicago PD. They think they've identified him from security footage at the station. His name is Preston Barrett. He's a marketing executive, mid-thirties. They're watching his apartment, but Didi... he hasn't been home in days."

The room seemed to shrink around me. Preston Barrett. My stalker had a name now, a face, an identity. That made him more real and more terrifying.

"What should I do?" I asked, hating how small my voice sounded.

"Vincetti suggests you contact local law enforcement. If this guy really is heading to Montana, they need to be aware."

I turned slightly, catching Noah's concerned gaze from the kitchen. A detective. Right here.

"I'll handle it," I said with more confidence than I felt. "Keep me posted if you hear anything else."

"Didi?" Jamie's voice softened. "Be careful, okay? This guy sounds unstable."

"I will."

I ended the call, my hand trembling slightly as I set the phone down. When I turned back, Noah was watching me intently, his detective's instincts clearly engaged.

"Everything okay?" he asked, though his expression said he already knew it wasn't.

I opened my mouth to deflect, to offer some vague reassurance as I had before. But the weight of Jamie's news pressed down on me, and suddenly, I couldn't maintain thepretense anymore. Not after what we'd shared last night. Not when my safety might be at risk.

"No," I answered, voice cracking slightly. "It's not."

Noah was beside me in an instant, guiding me to the couch with a gentle hand at my waist. "Tell me what's happening," he said, his tone balancing professional concern and personal care.

I took a deep breath, the confession I'd been avoiding for days finally spilling out. "I'm not just visiting Hope Peak for vacation. I'm hiding."

His expression didn't change. "I figured as much. From what?"

"A stalker." The word hung in the air between us, heavy with implication. "I'm a radio host in Chicago. 'Late Night with Didi.' It's a call-in show, mostly relationship advice, life stuff. I have a pretty loyal following."

Noah nodded, encouraging me to continue.

"About three months ago, I started getting messages from a listener who called himself 'ChicagoNightOwl.' At first, it was just fan mail—compliments about the show, that sort of thing. Then it escalated. Gifts at the station. Detailed accounts of what I'd worn that day. Photos of me entering my apartment building."

Noah's jaw tightened, but he remained silent, letting me tell the story at my own pace.

"The Chicago police couldn't do much. He was careful, always staying just on the right side of legal. Then last month, security cameras caught someone trying to get into my apartment building. He ran when confronted, but... it scared me enough that the station suggested I take some time off."

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