“What?” she gasped. Stunned and a little sick, she pressed her hand to her stomach. “Oh my God.” She swallowed back the bile rising in her throat. “I can’t believe…” She choked back the words. Of course she knew this was about her. She couldn’t deny it. Especially now. “It’s him, isn’t it? My stalker is the same person attacking these women.”
“Yes. It seems that way. Though he didn’t go after you. He’s using surrogates. That’s a hunch, because of the pattern we’ve found in these three attacks.”
She made an educated-by-Datelineguess. “They all look like me.”
“Smart girl. Yes.”
A chill ran down her spine. “What does it mean?”
“This guy is dangerous. He’s not going to stop. His attacks are more aggressive with each victim. Be vigilant. Don’t go anywhere alone. Keep your dorm room locked at all times. If a stranger approaches you, be careful.”
“Right.” Sound advice, but useless. If this guy was determined to hurt her, nothing would stop him. And from what she could tell by his online messages and notes, she knew him.
He’d been in her house. That still disturbed her on a deep level.
“We have a vague description. The guy’s about five-nine, five-ten with a slight but strong build. He wears latex gloves and a black knit ski mask.”
“So absolutely no help.” And it was so vague she couldn’t eliminate enough of her friends, classmates, and acquaintances to point the finger at anyone. “Well, thank you for notifying me. I’ll let you know if anything else happens.” Like that had done her any good so far, but at least she had it all on record. If it was the same guy, he hadn’t done anything more disturbing than following her around and taking pictures of her. The gifts were all things she loved. Creepy, but not menacing.
But if it was the same guy, he’d attacked three women and nearly raped one of them.
She felt terrible for those poor students.
“Maybe you should think about going home for a few weeks while we investigate this latest attack.”
Not an option. And it would probably only make things worse. Her stalker could just follow her home. “I’ll think about it, but I’m not safe there either. He knows where I live. He’s been in my house.”
“Being on campus gives him more opportunity. At home, you could be safer, more easily protected.”
At this point, she didn’t think anyplace was safe enough. “Maybe. I’ll let you know what I decide.” Brooke hung up and sank down on the step, trying to ignore the desperate and overwhelming urge to run up to her room and lock herself inside. Forever. If her stalker came for her, she wasn’t safe there. She wasn’t safe anywhere. The bastard left her notes and gifts at her room, in her classrooms, and had them delivered to her in the library and out in the quad by unsuspecting delivery services. He used burner phones to place the orders. He paid cash or used gift cards to pay for everything, so nothing could be traced back to him.
The whole thing was frustrating and maddening.
She refused to give in to this guy’s terror campaign and move back home. Besides, she couldn’t do that when Cody was getting ready to marry Kristi. She didn’t want to ruin that for him.
But she should tell her mom. Just in case something happened.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, opened her eyes again, and dialed her mom. Cody should be at work, but she still prayed he wasn’t there. Her mom answered on the fourth ring. It had been months since she’d been to the ranch, or returned her mother’s phone calls without leaving a message when she knew her mom was busy.
“Brooke.” The relief in her mother’s voice squeezed her heart with regret. She should have spoken to her mom sooner.
“Hi, Mom. How are you?”
“I’m fine, honey. How’s my girl?”
“I’m okay.” She was, too. The morning sickness had subsided now that she was in her fourth month. She hardly ever woke up only to throw up.
“We missed you during your spring break. I’d hoped you’d come home.”
“I’ve been trying to get some things done here at school. I have term papers due at the end of the semester, and I want to get a head start on them.”
Lame excuses, but the truth. She’d spent spring break doing research for two classes that she had papers due for in June before finals. She’d also had a doctor’s appointment for a check-up that she didn’t want to cancel or move. The baby was more important than going home.
“You mean you didn’t want to come home and see Cody.”
“He has his own life, and I have mine. Here. At school. For now, anyway.” Just like he’d said in his message to her.
“Well, maybe it’s for the best, honey. They’ve grown very close. Closer than I’ve ever seen them.”
