Then she did something she wasn’t sure if she should.
She texted the picture to Clay.
Within seconds, her phone rang in her hand.
Why he was calling so fast over that shouldn’t have made the tears fall, but they were cascading down her cheek.
“What happened?” he asked.
“I found this when I got home. It came through the front window.”
“Are you in the house?”
“Yes.”
“Get out! Go sit in your car and pull away from the front of your house. Touch nothing in the house.”
She nodded, her pulse speeding through her body over his firm tone. “I can’t keep the window like that. Anyone can get in.”
“I’m on my way. I’ll take care of it. Get out. Do you hear me?”
“Yes.”
Clay hung up with her before she could tell him not to bother.
She turned and left though. She didn’t feel as safe as she had when she called him thinking it was Fredrick. Now she wasn’t so sure what was going on.
She wondered if she would ever feel safe in here again now.
“What happened, Meredith?”
She turned to see Karl getting out of his car. He was dressed up more, telling her he went into his office. Wherever he worked.
She just realized she didn’t know that. Only that he had some job in insurance.
He was almost rushing toward her now, his arms out to pull her in for a hug.
She stepped away to avoid it.
“I came home to a rock thrown through my window.”
“That’s horrible,” Karl said, his hands going to her arms and rubbing them instead. She got the heebie-jeebies over it but didn’t want to be mean. It felt as if her father was caressing her or something. “Of all days, when I went into the office. I would have heard it if I were home. My office is in the front upstairs. I could have seen it and stopped whoever did it.”
She’d been in his place a few times. Just on the first floor. It was exactly like hers.
Living room in the front, dining, then kitchen in the back with a half bath. There were two bedrooms and a full bath upstairs. Primary bedroom in the back.
His place was always so neat and almost staged that it felt sterile to her. Or maybe it made her think she was a slob when she knew she wasn’t.
“I wish youwerehome today,” she said. Karl’s smile grew over those words. “The sheriff is on the way. I have to report it.”
“I don’t blame you,” Karl said, patting her arm again. “Do you think it was some kids?”
“Your guess is as good as mine.”
Karl lowered his voice as if he thought someone might overhear when there was no one around. “It couldn’t be Fredrick, could it? I never liked him.”
“So you’ve said many times. I called and he said he’s been at work all day.”
