“No, Emmy, it’s not fine. You have a history,” Chelsea said softly then her eyes snapped to the officer, pinning him. “She has documented reports from years ago. That history establishes intent. And under Title 18, federal law doesn’t require each incident to stand alone, it looks at patterns. She has reasonable fear, one backed by precedent.”
The officer shifted uncomfortably, looking up. His partner came to the rescue.
“I understand your point,” she intervened. “But we still need evidence that connects this package to aspecificindividual. Prior reports help with context, but they don’t replace current proof. Without something tying this act to a suspect, we simply can’t do anything.”
Chelsea’s eyes flashed. “Do you understand what you’re saying right now? You’re telling us she should wait until whomever shows up at her door again. That’s absurd! The law should protect victims before it gets that far and?—”
“AndI don’t disagree.” The officer adjusted her badge uncomfortably. “But our hands are tied until we can get a lead on something. We’ll file the report, but right now, it only counts as documentation.”
Chelsea threw up her hands. “Fuck this,” she cursed. “And Father and Mother wonder why I keep losing faith in law school.”
Emily squeezed her arm again. “Let it go.”
But deep down, she knew Chelsea was right.
The law probably wasn’t going to be enough to protect her from what was coming.
11
“Mrs. Re, are you sure this is the last of your belongings?”
Emily nodded to David who’d been sent over to help her with the move to Nicolas’s place. He’d been calling her that despite how she’d told him “Miss Pinault” or “Emily” was fine. It wasn’t like her surname had changed legally, but she just couldn’t convince the man.
“Yes, I’m sure.”
The timing of the move was perfect. With that package looming over Emily, the presence of more people felt like a blessing. Chelsea texted her constant check-ins. She only let up when Emily told her she’d be staying at a hotel for the time being.
The first name that came to both their minds was the old stalker’s, but he’d been out on parole for five months. They knew about his release on so-called good behavior. If he meant to hurt Emily, would he have waited until now?
She remembered her past co-star’s stalker who’d gone after her after getting out. No cooling-off period. Thankfully, nothing had happened before the police arrived.
Emily couldn’t help the late-night internet searches. She’d found case after case of the same pattern, stalkers reoffending within days or weeks of release, not months. The thought didn’t comfort her, but it did make her doubt he was the one behind this.
Still, Chelsea hired a private investigator to keep tabs on him. So far, there was nothing suspicious.
When she suggested telling their parents, Emily’s response was a firm no.She refused to lean on them.Besides, their parents had access to the same network of people for situations like this. It’d make no difference.
David broke her thoughts as he took the last suitcase and headed downstairs.
Emily trudged behind him, holding an oversized white teddy bear. It was a gift fromZariahwhen she got insomnia for the first time during her acting career. The stuffed animal helped to calm her nerves now as well.
The driver, a man she hadn’t met before, opened the rear door as David rounded to the passenger’s side. “Miss.”
“Thank you.”
She didn’t know if the ride to Nicolas’s place was far, so she filled the silence with small talk. “David, how long have you worked for Nicolas?”
“Six years, Mrs. Re.”
She flushed, her eyes glancing over to the driver. Was it okay for him to call her that in front of him?
“Michael won’t say a word.” David picked up her concern.
Emily cleared her throat.
Suddenly, she was overwhelmed with an urge to bombard him with questions. What this man must know about Nicolas should fill in the gaps of what she didn’t know already.
“If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your boss like?”
