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Walking up to the passenger side of the car, I handed her things to her and then extended my hand. “I need to call the police. Someone could still be inside.”
She shook her head. “You don’t understand. I’ve called the police a lot in the past, and nothing good comes of it. My stalker isn’t dumb enough to wait around for them. And all it does is risk one cop getting wind of who I am… or who my mother is, and the paparazzi will be all over this.” She looked up at me. “You don’t want media swarming around me, which then means around Black Mountain Academy, any more than I do.”
She was right about that. I was paid a lot of money to make sure the students were shielded as much as possible from the limelight or any scandal of any sort. I most certainly couldn’t be the one responsible for bringing the rag hags to our doorstep. There was an important Board of Directors meeting tomorrow, and the last thing I needed was a media circus outside the doors of the school during it.
“What do you mean by stalker?” I asked.
She swallowed hard and looked down at her hands which were clutching the strap of her bag.
“Is this something that has been happening multiple times?” I added.
“I’ve been a victim of many sick people in my past,” she said softly. “Comes with who I am, I guess. But yes, ever since I arrived at Black Mountain, I’ve felt like someone’s been watching me. He comes to me every day.” She paused and studied my face before continuing on. “You might think I’m crazy, or that I’m lying, but I swear to you, I’m not.”
“And this person comes into your house? Have you seen him? Has he touched you? Harmed you?” Rage bubbled inside as I fisted my hands to try to control my tone of voice. Who the hell would torment a poor girl like this?
“I’ve never seen him. I’ve seen his shadows. I’ve heard him outside. But no, I don’t think he’s ever been inside the house until today. I’m usually really good at securing the alarm and making sure all the windows and doors are locked.”
“This is why we need to call the police. If there’s some crazy man stalking you, then they need to know about it.” I reached out my hand again for the phone.
“They know. Trust me, they know,” she said, her voice raising in frustration. “I’ve had them out to the house more times than I can count. By the time they get here, there’s no sign of anything. Some of the police are sympathetic, and others get angry and accuse me of calling them for attention. The last cop actually said he would call the news next time I called since I clearly wanted all eyes on me.” She shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. “Even with you here, there’s no good that will come from the cops coming.” She looked back up at me. “Please, Mr. D. I’m scared, tired, and I don’t want to deal with police and reports and… please.”
“I can’t just let you go back in there,” I said, pointing at the house as if I were accusing it of a filthy crime. “There’s no way I’m going to feel comfortable leaving you here even if I go in there and check every single inch of that house multiple times. He could come back after I’m gone.”
“There’s a bed and breakfast up the street I’ve stayed at before when I’ve gotten too scared to be alone. Would you mind taking me there?”
“And what if this stalker follows you there? What if he knows you go to that place for refuge? Corrine, this isn’t safe!”
She flinched at my tone, and I took a deep breath to level out my emotions.
I hadn’t meant to raise my voice, but the situation was becoming too much. I knew I should call the police. I knew I should do something, but at the same time, I knew how little the police could truly do if there was no real evidence of anything other than some open doors.
And it wasn’t like we could get ahold of her goddamn mother!
I glanced back at the house and then at Corrine who suddenly seemed very small and vulnerable in my car. She was putting me in a very difficult situation. I couldn’t just leave her here. I should call the authorities and at least report this. But I also knew that the people in Black Mountain were different than those in Oakland. I had to handle this differently.
“You’re coming home with me to stay tonight. Tomorrow, we figure out how to reach your mother, and how to deal with this fucker who’s messing with you.”
