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I nodded and watched as the nurse opened the door and let him in, keeping it cracked when she left. I recognized the detective from the night at Sicily and Daniel's engagement party. I was surprised to see him after he, too, had become a victim of the stalking psychopath. "You are much braver than me, coming back into all of this."
He smiled. "Well, it's not every day that one of your closest childhood friends ends up with a stalker. I don't think we've officially met. I'm Carter."
I lifted my non-cut arm and shook his hand gently. As I did, I saw the remaining marks on his wrists where he had been bound. "It seems you know the pain of a crazy person obsessed with duct tape."
He chuckled. "That I do. The glue takes forever to come off your skin. I didn't get mine off until my brother recommended lava soap. They use it in auto shops. Doesn't smell the best, but it'll keep you from having to rub at it for centuries."
"Good to know," I said with a slight smile.
He pulled a chair up next to me and pulled out a pad of paper. "I need you to start with the beginning of your day, leading all the way up until you were knocked out, okay?"
I took a deep breath, staring up at the ceiling. "I woke up. I decided to work from home because of all the media calls. I said goodbye to Ryder…."
"About what time?"
I did my best to remember all the details, but everything was still swirling around in my head. I told him about the note, the vase, and the knife and felt a prick in my neck before passing out. He wrote everything down. "Yeah, the doctors said you were given a pretty heavy sedative. Amazingly, you woke up when you did."
"I think it's still messing with me a bit," I said, rubbing the side of my head. "I guess I also hit my head at some point…I don't know. After he stuck me, everything went black, and I don't really remember until I was in Ryder's arms in his lap and he asked me if I was hurt."
Carter nodded. "We think you might have hit your head when he dragged you to the closet and tried to prop you up. There's a mark on the wall. So, you have a bump on the head, a broken ankle, a gash on your arm from the knife, and anything else?"
I snorted, feeling the pain in my body from being dragged through the condo. "Existential permanent trauma damage to my psyche. A fear of tape. And for some reason, I keep dreaming about a loud crash."
Carter lifted both brows. "You didn't hear about that? Apparently, the killer rigged Ryder's vintage bike. We think he managed to loosen the bolts in the ceiling by just hanging on the thing. He then tied a rope to the embrasures, which were barely hanging on, and when Ryder hit it with his leg, it was enough to bring it crashing down. We think he did all of this before you got there. We don't know how long he had been in the apartment."
"That's creative," I said, shaking my head. "Though I guess he got something that Ryder really loved."
"Two things."
"Huh?" I said, looking over at him.
Carter pointed his pen at me. "You said something. He actually got two things Ryder loves. You and the bike. Though I think you might be above the other as his fiancé."
I smiled. "I hope."
Carter took a deep breath and closed his book. "From the fact that he's been here for the last nine hours checking on you, hanging around outside, I would say you win that one."
My heart fluttered in my chest, but I pushed back the feeling. As I looked up, I saw Ryder walk past the room's window and slowly open the door. He stuck his head in and immediately smiled when he saw me. My heart — sunk. Not because he was there, but because after all of that, I knew I couldn't keep doing what we were doing. I knew I had gotten myself in far too deep with all of it, not just him.
"You need more time?" he asked Carter.
Carter shook his head, standing up. "No. Just call me if she remembers anything else at all. And if you could, grab that picture that was sent to you and the letter at the house and bring them over after you leave here. Try to use gloves, just in case. I just want to get your statement while it's fresh in your mind."
Ryder shook Carter's hand. "I will. I'll be by soon. Thanks, man."
Carter nodded at me and left the room, closing the door behind him. Then Ryder came over and sat on the edge of the bed, pulling a plastic bag from behind his back. "I figured you might want some deodorant and a change of clothes. Sorry, I just bought some stuff while I was waiting on you. There are also some chocolate-covered peanuts. Your dad said you like them a lot."
I nodded as he set the bag to the side. He took my hand and kissed the back of it. "How are you feeling?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. What did Carter mean when he said to bring the picture and the note by?"
Ryder's eyes shifted, and I knew he was trying to keep something from me. "Ryder. Tell me."
He took a deep breath. "The person who did this sent me a picture of a fairytale at work. He hinted at home, as in my home. So, the first thing I did was go to your house, but you weren't there. There was a note there, though."
My heart sped up. "The psycho was in my house?"
Ryder nodded. "The police dusted for prints but nothing. I have both of the letters at Guy's house. I dropped them there with my clothes while I was waiting for you. I was covered in blood from your arm, so I wanted to change first. Your father has a cleaning crew at your house right now, and he has cameras installed. The security system rebooted with a new passcode and everything."
