Page 78 of Lost on Ice
The mere thought makes me nauseous.
Jake returns to my side and our car arrives a couple minutes later. We don’t say a word during the fifteen minute drive back to Ivy Glen, but he doesn’t let go of my hand the entire time.
Detective Peterson is waiting for us when we arrive at the Ivy Glen police station.
“Thanks for coming, you two,” he greets us as we step out of the Uber. “Come on in and we’ll get formal statements and everything out of the way.”
Jake and I follow him inside and to his office. Peterson shuts the door behind us and moves to sit at his desk, pulling out papers from one of the drawers and picking up a pen.
“All right.” He looks up at us. “Now, tell me what happened.”
Jake and I go back and forth, giving Peterson as much information as we can, though it’s hard since neither of us actually saw anything happen. Just the aftermath.
“There’s a patient of Abbie’s that you should look into,” Jake insists at one point. “He was at the restaurant, and he seemed way too eager to get her attention. I’ve got a bad feeling about him. His name’s Stuart.”
“Why do you suspect him?” Peterson asks.
Jake shoots me a look. “He seems too eager around her. Too desperate for her attention. Plus, he was at the restaurant. We ran into him when we first got there.”
Peterson nods and types something on his keyboard. “All right, we’ll get his information and check him out.”
“I really don’t think it’s him,” I murmur.
Glancing up, Peterson gives me a sympathetic look. “It doesn’t hurt to look.”
I suppose that’s true. Still, something about this situation just doesn’t feel right. I can’t put my finger on why that is, but… it’s just a lingering discomfort in my gut.
“Okay, so here’s the deal.” Peterson drops his hands from his computer’s keyboard and sits back in his chair. “Since the restaurant is in Willow Creek’s jurisdiction, it’ll take a day or two to get through all the red tape and get the evidence they gathered sent over, but we’ll look over everything once we have it. We’ll also bring in this patient of yours, Abbie. Just for questioning.”
“I want some protection for my dad and Vivianne. Lilah has been staying with them.” My voice is sharper than I mean for it to be, but my panic comes back when I think of Dad, Vivianne, and Lilah possibly being in harm’s way. “Can you put a full-time detail on them or something?”
Peterson frowns and lets out a hesitant sigh. “Usually we only provide that when a murder’s taken place, but…I can pull a few strings. See what I can do. I can put one on you too.”
“No, that’s okay. The drive-by patrol is good enough for me. I just want to make sure my daughter is safe.”
Peterson regards me for a long moment, and I think part of him wants to argue the point further.
However, he just nods. “Sure. I can try and make that happen.”
“All right.” I sigh. “Thank you for everything, Detective.”
He looks between the two of us before saying, “Just be careful, okay? This guy’s escalating things and we don’t want to give him a reason to do something worse.”
Jake and I exchange a look and my heart twists painfully in my chest.
“We’ll be careful,” I promise Peterson, though my eyes never leave Jake. “I swear.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
ABBIE
Sitting on the bed,I watch as Jake packs for his overnight trip to Atlanta. It’s early Friday morning, and he has a game there tonight and then another tomorrow afternoon. My stomach is twisting with anxiety since it’s only been a couple days since his car was vandalized, but I do my best not to let it show.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come with?” he asks, glancing up at me as he packs sweatpants into his duffle.
I give him a reassuring smile, even though there’s a part of me that wants to jump at his offer so I don’t have to stay here by myself. I hold back, telling myself that I can’t be afraid to be on my own. There’s no telling how long it will take the cops to catch this stalker, and I can’t let my life just go on pause for months — or longer. Besides, I do have to go to work, and I’m not about to let the stalker keep me from doing my job.
“No, I need to stay,” I tell him with a sigh. “I can’t leave Dr. Westbrook high and dry.”
