Page 68 of A First Sight
“Did anyone see what happened?” The cop turned to the people who stood nearby. A smaller group than it was a few minutes ago, but still about half a dozen people.
“I saw a tall guy with brown hair holding that rock.” A large, heavily-tattooed man stepped forward. “I didn’t see him busting anything up, but when he saw me, he dropped it and ran.”
That wasn’t a surprise.
I waited as the officer questioned everyone. No one saw anything. I didn’t think anyone was lying, though.
“All right.” The officer turned to me. “You said it was your ex-boyfriend. You got a name for me?”
“Dale Leighton,” I said. “And he’s notmyex-boyfriend. About a month ago, he assaulted his girlfriend in front of David Geffen Hall. I stopped his assault.”
The cop shot me a suspicious glance. “The woman’s name?”
“Maggie McCrae.” My chest tightened. “She works with him at the Philharmonic. I can tell you where Dale lives.”
“You know his address?”
“After she left him, I took her to his place to get some of her things. He was upset about that. Then today, I saw him here about twenty minutes ago.”
“You saw him?”
I nodded and jerked my thumb over my shoulder in the restaurant's direction. “I came to pick up a lunch order, and Dale came out as I was going in. We said nothing to each other, but our eyes met, so I know he saw me.”
“And you think he’s so pissed off that you helped his ex that he vandalized your car?”
I hoped the skepticism in his voice was a natural thing.
“I think a man who would hit a woman in the face with a violin case in the middle of the sidewalk is capable of anything.” I kept my tone even and polite. “There were charges filed for that.”
To my relief, the cop nodded before closing his notebook. “I’ll need you to come to the station to fill out a report. You’ll need it for insurance.”
“Aye, I suppose.” I took out my phone again. “I’ll give them a call. They’ll bring me a rental, then I’ll head to the station.”
“Okay,” the officer said. “I’ll take care of the rest.”
As he turned away, I texted Uncle Ben first, telling him lunch was running late. Even though Dale wouldn’t be arrested for this without witnesses, making a report left a paper trail with Dale’s name on it, even if only from my statement. Every legal document with claims of his violence and lawlessness would bolster any charges Maggie filed against him, both now and in the future.
As I dialed the insurance company, I knew this proved one thing. Dale wouldn’t let Maggie go without a fight.
FIFTY
MAGGIE
Spring wasin the air with warmer temperatures, and it felt like a good omen considering my plans for the day. New start and all.
I was on my way to The Ritz Plaza Apartments. They had an available three-bedroom with plenty of square footage and a list of amenities that looked well worth the cost.
My first apartment in Manhattan had been a small studio, but I wasn’t that woman anymore. I wanted a place that felt like mine, a home rather than somewhere to live.
I glanced at the street sign and then walked another block, smiling wide enough to hurt my cheeks. Except, as I reached the next street, something made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and my steps faltered. I stopped. People were all around, sometimes nodding and smiling when they saw me looking at them, but mostly ignoring me. Something felt strange, though. Like someone watching me.
My thoughts immediately went to Drake, since he had followed me and watched me once. But that time, I never felt the slightest inkling that something was off.
Maybe I was just feeling antsy at the moment, because I was taking such a big step. Besides, he had promised to stay away, and I had no reason to suspect he wouldn’t honor that.
I was being paranoid. No one was following me or watching me. It was all in my head.
Squaring my shoulders, I headed for the apartment building. I had a list of several places, but this was my first choice. At least, from the pictures, it looked perfect.
