Luke tipped his head and regarded Cara like he’d never seen her before. “I like this new, motivated baby sister. Let me know if I can help you.”
“Me, too. Though I’m not sure what I could do,” James added, not wanting to be outdone by his twin.
“I will.” Cara paused. “There is something I wanted to talk to both of you about before I leave. I need some advice for a friend.”
“Legal advice? You know I charge $800 an hour, right?”
“Are you serious?” James turned wide eyes to his brother. “That’s ridiculous.”
“What can I say?” Luke held his palms up. “Rich people deserve fair representation, too.”
“In other words, crime pays?” James shot back.
Luke’s face darkened, but before they descended into a full-fledged argument, Cara said, “I’m sure you can give me a freebie.”
After Cara helped the twins with the dishes, they went onto the screened porch that overlooked Anne and Bruce’s wooded lot. The early spring evening was chilly, but Cara didn’t want to risk Anne overhearing.
Before she had a chance, James pinned her with a stare. “Did you know this stranger you’re living with is a felon?” Cara’s jaw dropped. “I think you should move in with Luke until you find someplace else to live. This was really foolish of you.”
Luke nodded, his face set along stern lines.
“Did you run a background check on him?” Cara asked, not sure if she should be touched or annoyed.
Luke looked at her as if she’d grown another head. “Of course, we did. You should have before moving in. We found out some interesting stuff.”
Cara raised both of her eyebrows high. “You mean like how he didn’t serve time because of his plea deal?” The twins exchanged a look. “Why did you assume I didn’t know?” She hadn’t known, but she would rather die than admit it to them.
“So, youdidrun a background check?” Luke asked. Sometimes having lawyers for brothers made it difficult to hide things.
“Wes told me himself. He told me what happened. He was a young kid who made a terrible mistake and paid his debt to society. Is there something I’m missing?”
She could tell James wanted to argue the point. “It’s getting late, and I’m freezing. Can I just ask what I brought you out here for?”
Luke’s lips flattened into an unhappy line. “Let’s hear it.”
Cara cleared her throat. “I have a friend... someone I work with who has… an admirer. Not an admirer exactly because the whole thing is very creepy. I think it might be a stalker, but she doesn’t know who it is. I told her I’d ask you what she should do. If she should go to the police or just ignore it.”
“You’re going to have to give us a little more to go on,” James said when she waited expectantly.
Cara played with the end of her ponytail. “It started with weird comments on her social media. She blocked him. Then she received flowers twice, and whoever sent them called her all night. This morning she got a text from one of the numbers that called the night before, asking how she liked the flowers. She’s a little freaked out because they sent the flowers to her house and our work.”
Luke frowned. “That’s pretty classic stalking behavior. She has no idea who it is? She could call the florist.”
Cara shook her head. “She tried that. There was no florist on the note. And when she checked with security at the lot, they didn’t have a description. The delivery person had his hat pulled down over his face, so the cameras don’t help either.”
“And the security guard took the flowers anyway? Nothing suspicious about that kind of behavior!” James shook his head.
“That’s not good.” Luke’s face took on a serious expression, and Cara’s heart sank. Part of her was hoping they’d dismiss her concerns.
“She should file a report with the police,” James said.
“Has the stalker made any threats?” Cara shook her head, and Luke sighed. “Then, it’s unlikely they will do anything. Particularly, if she doesn’t know who it is.”
“That’s not true. I’m sure APD has an excellent cybercrime division,” James scowled. “They could trace the text message or the social media comment.”
“You think they are going to use their resources because she has received texts, phone calls and flowers?” Luke shook his head, his face folded into an angry frown. “She should file a police report, so there is a paper trail. Unless she has some idea who they should look at, or the asshole threatens her, they can’t do much.”
“What is she doing to protect herself?” James asked, not disputing what Luke said.
