“What makes you say that?”
“Sometimes, I swear a car is trailing behind me, but it’s never the same kind of car. One day it will be a black SUV. Another day it will be a blue compact. I thought I was being paranoid.”
“Where’s your office located?”
“We’re in the industrial area by the train tracks.”
“I know it.” I leave out the fact that I’m well aware of that area because I helped burn down one of Blackstone’s warehouses there last year. The prick had it coming.“There aren’t many people who work in that area, but it also doesn’t sound like it’s the same car every time. It could be a coincidence. Aside from that, have you noticed anything unusual at home? Anything that makes you feel like someone’s watching you there, too?”
Her eyes widen as if she’s just realized something important.“Yes! I used to always leave my curtains open, even when it got dark. But lately, I’ve been closing them earlier and earlier. It almost feels like someone’s peering in at me. It’s hard to explain.”
“Have you seen anyone suspicious lurking around your house or workplace?”
“No, not that I can recall,” Jessica replies, shaking her head.“But then again, I never really thought much about it until now.”
As we talk, I can see the fear building in her eyes. Whoever is stalking Jessica has already made their presence known by slashing her tire. It’s only a matter of time before they escalate to something worse.
“Listen.” I gently clasp her hands in mine.“We’re going to get to the bottom of this, all right? For now, let’s get you home, and I’ll do everything I can to figure out who’s doing this.”
“Thank you.”
“Of course. I won’t let anyone hurt you. That’s a promise.”
Her phone suddenly rings. She jumps before riffling through her purse to fish it out. She answers with a shaky,“Hello?”
Her face pales.
“Hello?” she asks again.“Hello?”
She pulls the phone away from her ear and stares at it.“This is getting spooky weird. No one was there.”
“Does that happen often?”
“Only recently. In the last few weeks. I didn’t even realize it until now, but yeah, it happens almost every day. I just chalked it to up overzealous telemarketers.”
“Do you leave your ringer on at work?”
“No. I always turn it off, so I’m not interrupted.”
“Can I see your call log?”
“Sure.” She hands the phone to me.
“It looks like you have dozens of missed calls every day during typical working hours.” I stop scrolling and study her.“You didn’t realize this was happening?”
“No. I never look at missed calls. If someone doesn’t leave a voicemail, then it can’t be that important. Besides, those telemarketing companies constantly call anyway, so even if I’d noticed, I would have assumed it’s them. But you don’t think it is?”
“No. They’re all coming in from a blocked number. Marketing companies use a lot of different phone numbers, but I don’t think they’re legally allowed to block the numbers from displaying on your phone,” I make a mental note to check with Matrix on that.
“I can’t believe I didn’t notice. I’m just so busy all the time. Between work, seeing friends, and taking care of my puppy, I don’t really pay much attention to my phone.”
“Normally, I’d say that’s a good thing, but not in this case. Has anyone else in your life noticed anything strange? Has anyone made any weird comments?”
“No.”
“Really? Not one?” I narrow my gaze.
“I can’t think of any.”
