Page 44 of Risk Assessment
“You’re right, honey, it is. But we’re going to do this right so he can’t bug anyone else again, okay? I’ll look after you. Promise.”
She nodded, so grateful that Dylan believed her and he was helping her figure this out.
“Now, I’m going to be right over there.” He pointed at an empty table a stone’s throw a way. “I’ll have my eyes on you the entire time. Will you be okay while I make the call to Gabe?”
“I guess.” Her fingers were icy. It didn’t matter that it was sunny and hot; she was freezing. “I’ll stay here in the chair. You don’t think he’ll come back, do you?” Her voice shook a bit, and she hated herself for that. She was usually so strong, but this was different. She had been inches away from the man she believed had been terrorizing her.
“No. He’s drinking with some of his cronies over at the pool bar. He won’t risk it now. I’ll stay within sight. You’ll be okay.” He smiled and gave her hand a squeeze. “Promise.”
She flashed him a half-hearted smile, and he got up to make his call. Once he was gone, she frowned. She glanced back at the bar area. Sure enough, Clark was still chatting with some other local bigwigs. She looked away quickly. The last thing she wanted to do was make eye contact.
She watched all the people relaxing and enjoying themselves around the pool. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt carefree and worriless. It seemed like for the last few months her head was always on swivel, making sure no one could sneak up on her. She’d given away such a huge part of her life to her stalker. Clark had taken her freedom and, more importantly, her peace of mind.
How dare he take away her life? And what an idiot she’d been to let him! She’d allowed him to take her power, make her afraid. Well, no more. She glanced back at the bar. Clark was laughing at something his drinking companion had said. She had the urge to go over there and punch him in the nose.
Her hands had curled into fists.
Punching him would make her feel better temporarily, but it wouldn’t help her in the long run.
She would be the one who ended up in jail, and he would get off scot-free. No, she needed to prove what he was doing so she could take him down. She took a deep breath and relaxed her hands.
Her gaze fell on her bag, and she reached out and grabbed it. Her laptop was in there along with a pad of paper. She could review the pictures that Phil sent her earlier and start on the write ups. She should also check with Donna to see what else Lydia wanted for today. She needed to make a list of the influencers who had already featured the wedding on their social media. They couldn’t overdo it and she still wanted some press for the big day. Really, she just needed something to do to settle herself. After unzipping the bag, she started rummaging aroundfor a pen. Her hand hit an envelope instead. She grabbed it, then pulled it out of her bag. Her name was written on the outside in neat letters.
Puzzled, she flipped it over.
The back was blank, but the flap was sealed. Had Clark left her a note? That would be new. She hadn’t gotten any communication from the stalker before this. Direct wasn’t in his nature.
Maybe Donna had dropped off a note from Lydia? She tore open the envelope and pulled out the letter. All the oxygen was sucked out of her surroundings. Letters cut out of magazines. No, a font that looked like letters cut from magazines.
I am disappointed in you. You are not following the rules. You should know better. I will not tolerate you cheating on me. Dump the fake boyfriend or you will be sorry. I won’t warn you again.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Dylan wandered around for a minute, looking for somewhere semi-private where he could make his call without losing sight of Raleigh. There was a partially hidden doorway off the main path. It looked like it was a maintenance shed of some sort. He moved over to it and turned around.
He could see Raleigh’s back, but it would be enough to know if she was in trouble. He tried the doorway and found it was locked, but the smell of cleaning products hit his nose. Definitely a maintenance shed. That worked. No other guests would come from that direction.
He leaned on the door and brought out his phone. He dialed Gabe’s number and held the phone to his ear. He kept scanning the pool area just in case. Clark was still drinking by the bar. Was he really the stalker? Raleigh sure thought so.
“Risk.”
“Hey, it’s Dylan. I think I might have a line on Raleigh’s stalker, but I need help.”
“What’s going on?”
He took a breath and then filled Gabe in on the whole thing. He ended with, “Raleigh thinks it’s Calvin Clark.”
Gabe waited a beat. “What do you think?”
He hesitated. “Raleigh had been covering Lydia’s social events for a while now and since the Harris family is backing Clark, he would have a good idea of her schedule. That would allow him to go to her place without her seeing him. There’s no doubt he has a thing for her either. Man can’t keep his hands to himself.” Dylan ground his teeth at the image of Clark with his hand on Raleigh’s thigh. His fingers tightened around the phone: he still wanted to punch the guy.
“What aren’t you telling me? You have doubts.” Gabe was fast, and he picked up on things others missed. Still, Dylan was surprised that Gabe knew him so well already.
“I guess I just don’t see him as the stalker type. He’s wealthy and trying to be a power player. Stalkers tend to be more loners, no self-esteem. Clark has a huge ego. I just can’t picture him lurking, if you know what I mean. And I don’t think he has the skills to defeat Raleigh’s security system. She has cameras, not just deadbolts.”
“Well, stalkers tend to be loners, that’s true, but not always. They can be pretty good at putting up a front for the world.”
Dylan thought about Risk’s logic for a minute. “I guess. He treats his assistant Josh like dirt, always yelling at him, and he’s got a quick temper.”
