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Dinner was sumptuous. We let the awkwardness from earlier go, both agreeing to never bring it up again. We laughed and talked about anything and everything. I learned more about her background that didn’t include what I already knew about her in the brief.
She’s an only child, which I knew, but what I didn’t know is she hates it because she thought it was lonely and boring. If she has kids one day, she wants at least two, so they never feel the way she did growing up.
She’s close with her parents, which I also figured since they were the ones who brought me in. Through her stories I feel like I already know them. They sound like wonderful parents and pretty similar to mine.
I slow my pace as we approach the door, which gets Nora’s attention. She pokes her head around my back, craning her neck to see down the hallway. “What’s wrong?”
This will no doubt worry her, and it makes me hesitate to give her just a few more moments of peace. I’m close enough to identify what I already knew I’d find…a long dead bouquet of roses.
The stalker has upped the ante by getting this close. He’s growing more comfortable and more obvious, which is a good thing for me, but it will no doubt put Nora on edge. His acceleration also means he’ll grow more impatient and likely make a mistake.
Mistakes by a stalker can mean extreme danger, but that’s why I’m here.
He not only entered the hotel, which put him at risk of being seen on security cameras and by staff, he also had to obtain her room number somehow. If I can get security to allow me to view footage, it could give us more intel.
Before I even open my mouth, I plan to speak slowly and calmly. “I don’t want you to freak out because this is actually a good thing.”
“Do you know what the first thing a person does when you tell them to not freak out is? Huh?” When I remain silent, Nora answers for me. “They freak out!”
“Stay behind me. I need to clear your room. Your stalker paid a visit.”
She sucks in a choked breath and cranes her neck around my torso again. This time, she’s successful, her eyes locking on the object I see.
“That son of a bitch came to my room!” she yells as she tries to dart past me.
My reflexes kick into gear, and I catch her around her waist before pulling her back to my side. I tuck her safely behind me before scolding her.
“I told you to not freak out because this is a good thing. You need to stay behind me.” My tone is firm, but not angry.
She only nods in agreement, her voice dropping low so only I can hear her. “What does this mean? He’s never come to my hotel before.”
“That you know of,” I add quickly before realizing my mistake. Dammit.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
I sigh as we reach her door, knowing I won’t get out of this one. I assess the hallway quickly before pulling her around and gently guiding her to the side of the door.
I squat to inspect the dead roses. I’ve seen pictures, but this is my first time seeing them in person. I need to go into the room to get a bag to place them in. We need to send them off for fingerprints and DNA.
This guy isn’t smarter than us. He isn’t stealthier, and he sure as hell isn’t perfect. No one is. He must have made a mistake somewhere, and we’ll find it. He’ll lead us right to him.
“What do we do now?” Nora asks nervously as she toys with the ring on her finger.
I look up to find her eyes on me, but they’re clouded with apprehension. When I stand, it brings my body within inches of hers. I take her hand, stopping her obsessive twisting of the metal band around her finger. I give it a reassuring squeeze before letting go.
“Now, I go in and check the room. Then I get these flowers bagged and sent off to my boss. This guy is leaving us openings to find him. I promise we’ll get him,” I say earnestly.
“Bag them, huh? Like they do at a crime scene?” Her eyes concentrate on the flowers still lying on the floor, like she’s still trying to process the fact he came here.
The escalations are the hardest part of the job. The clients become somewhat accustomed to the established stalking because it’s familiar, and they know what to expect and how to react. However, when an escalation occurs, they lose any sense of the little control they thought they possessed. They lose their unsteady hold on reality as they are shoved into a new one.
“Yes, we’ll bag them and overnight them to Sacramento. My boss, Liam, has a lab he uses. They’ll look for fingerprints and any DNA. The lab is fast and trustworthy.”
I walk through our next moves step by step, breaking it down so she can concentrate on one step at a time. I’ve used this tactic before, and I hope it helps because I’m losing her to the panic and anxiety that always sets in with each victim.
“Right now, I’m going to open your door, then I want you to follow me in, but stay off to the side in the entrance corner. Can you do that for me?”
When she gives a shaky nod, I move quickly. I remove the Glock 19 strapped to my side and open the door. I raise the gun and let my training take over. My experience and my gut tell me he isn’t here, but I’d never take that chance with a client, especially Nora.
