Page 35 of Protected
“I'm on my way. Darci, hang up and call the police now.” He ended the call without saying another word. She called 9-1-1 and reported the break-in. Next, she dialed Michael's number. It was nice to have a friend on the police force. She was treated to a string of expletives when she told him what happened.
“Wait downstairs for the uniforms to arrive. I’ll be there as soon as I can, but I’m on the opposite side of town.” He ended their call with a warning not to go back into the apartment without an escort.
By the time she finished her phone calls, she had reached the ground floor.
“Miss Sanders, are you alright?” the doorman asked. “You're as white as a ghost.”
“Some... someone was in my apartment.” The adrenaline was wearing off, and her voice shook as the gravity of what happened sank in.
“Have you called the police?”
“Yes, they’re on their way.” Darci was pacing, and the doorman looked nervous, unsure of what he should do next. This wasn’t the sort of apartment complex that got broken into. He excused himself to call the property manager.
A car pulled up to the curb. Bradley jumped out. He rushed into the building and pulled her into his arms. “Are you OK?” His voice was full of concern.
“Bradley, I'm all right.” She rested her head on his shoulder. She couldn’t ignore the sense of calm that washed over her as he tightened his hold.
The police arrived a few moments later and asked for her key. “I’m not sure if I locked it,” she said as she handed them her keyring.
They asked her to wait downstairs while they went to check and make sure the apartment was empty. Bradley led her to a couch in the lobby. “Darci, you're shaking. Sit down.”
She did as he asked, not realizing until then that her whole body was trembling.
“I don't understand how anyone got in here,” she whispered after several minutes.
“You're not staying here tonight.” It wasn’t a question.
“Bradley don't. I'm sure whoever it was won't come back.”
“Don't argue with me on this, Darci.” He sounded like he had more to say, but a police officer returned, cutting him off.
“It's all clear, Miss Sanders. We need you to come take a look at the place and answer a few questions if you would.”
“You're sure it's safe?” Bradley asked.
“Yes, sir. You can come with her if you would like.”
She stood and looked down at him. “You don't have to go with me.”
“Don't even think about it,” he warned as he rose to accompany her. She shook her head but didn’t argue. It would be a comfort to have someone with her.
“It looks like the intruder only went into your living room and office, ma'am,” the officer said as they made their way upstairs. “We'll need you to tell us if anything is missing.”
Darci took a deep breath as they stepped into the apartment. The officer stayed close while she studied the living room. “As far as I can tell, nothing was taken.”
She entered her office and looked around. The drawers of her desk and filing cabinet were empty, and the contents were now scattered on the floor. The intruder must have broken the locks. “I'll need time to go through my files to determine if anything is missing, but nothing obvious is gone.” She bent to rifle through the files scattered on the floor, but it was impossible to tell if everything was there in the chaos.
As she straightened, she glanced at her laptop. The screen was on. She had it set to go to sleep after an hour of no activity, and she hadn’t been in here at all today. “Did either of you touch the computer?” she asked as she moved closer to inspect the machine.
“No, ma'am,” the officer replied. When she saw what was on the screen, she felt the blood drain from her face.
“Darci, what is It?” Bradley was at her side in an instant. On the screen, her word processor was open. Pasted into it was a photo of her with the girls at the pub. Underneath in big red letters it read:
NOTHING CAN KEEP YOU SAFE.
Detective Michael Silas came bursting into the apartment. “Darci! Are you OK?”
“I'm fine, I promise.” She paused a moment and looked at him anxiously. “It definitely wasn’t a random break in, Michael.” He looked at the screen and then turned to glare at her.
