Watching her leave, Ahri felt the rift from her old life. It was real. Sniffing, she bent to pick up a pair of ruined jeans and paused. The corner of a white photo album peeked from under a ripped blouse. She pulled it out. Their wedding album. She vaguely remembered tossing it over into the pile last night. Why hang on to pictures of a relationship that had died?
Ahri opened it and stared at them in their wedding clothes, so happy. Zed’s tall good looks, especially his bright gray eyes, had captured her attention the end of their freshman year in college. They’d gotten serious quickly, even though his mother hadn’t approved of himdating that Asian girl. Looking back now, Ahri wondered if a sense of rebellion had been part of the reason he’d been attracted to her.
As she studied the photos, it struck her how young Zed looked, so much more than he had the night he’d left. It was like he’d aged a decade instead of only three years.
Ahri flipped the page and blinked. Three photos were missing. She searched the other pages and even shook the album. The pictures were gone. Glancing around the room, she didn’t see them. Had Zed taken them? No. He hadn’t even remembered his toothbrush. Besides, he’d dumped her. Why would he want to take photos of them?
Her gut twisted. Had the person who’d done this taken them? She dropped the album and buried her face in her hands.
“We’re here, sir,”Bill Ryze said.
Rafe glanced up from his laptop and identified the building by the moving truck. The men carrying boxes from a second-story apartment meant they must be well along on the packing. He glanced at the driver.
“Privacy, please,” Rafe said.
She nodded and a divider went up between the front and back seats. Olaf had outdone himself. The vehicle had the outside appearance of a large model SUV while the interior was like a limo. His assistant’s sense of humor also played into the choice because it looked like the stereotypical black villainous cars used in action films. Rafe was going to miss that kid.
“Bill, you’ve had time to think about this weird situation. I’d like your assessment.”
“I read through the police report during the flight.” Bill’s gaze scanned from the movers to the other side of the street. “There were a number of other incidents in the general area, and the local police think it was probably a gang initiation or some teenagers being stupid.”
“What do you think of Ahri’s statement that she was being followed?”
“That I don’t have enough information on it. She reported that her husband left the day before and with a warning that people were after him. I checked. Meisner is an accountant who quit his job last week, evidently something his wife didn’t know. There’s a chance that he’s emotionally unstable, and his paranoid claims have frightened her enough to see things that aren’t there.”
“That’s possible, I suppose.”
Bill glanced at him with a frown. “But you don’t think so?”
“There’s the break-in.”
“That could be a coincidence.”
“Yes.” Rafe watched the movers, feeling an urge to find Ahri and make sure she was all right. “But I don’t think we should blow this off. I don’t know her all that well, but Kayn talks about her a lot. Nothing I’ve seen myself or heard him talk about fits the description of a woman likely to fall prey to delusions.”
“She might be emotional because her husband just left her.”
The man’s remark made Rafe cringe a little. If his mother had been there, she’d have had a hissy fit about it.
“That’s kind of a sexist comment,” Rafe said, “assuming a woman shouldn’t be believed because she’s overly emotional about something that happened to her.”
“I wasn’t suggesting she shouldn’t be believed because she’s a woman. My wife would kill me.” Bill went back to surveying the area. “I’d expect Kayn to be emotional too if he were married and his wife had just walked out on him. Anyone would be.”
“Fair enough, but this whole situation makes me uneasy, and I don’t know why. I understand from Kayn that Ahri’s very left brained. I don’t think she’s the overly emotional type. I can’t see her getting so spooked that she’s seeing bogeymen everywhere. I know I could be wrong. Sounds like she’s been through a lot lately with her husband. That could mess with anyone’s head.” Rafe had an irrational desire to punch Zed Meisner for putting her through this.
“I understand, sir. I’d already decided not to discount her concerns. I’ve also decided to request that Kayn have the truck deliver his sister’s possessions to a different location, in a different state.”
“A different state?”
“If someone’s after Mrs. Meisner, we don’t want the truck to lead them right to her. I’ll call Kayn about making the change while I check things out here.”
Rafe nodded, his stomach knotting. He reached for the door handle. “I’ll find her while you do that.”
“Sounds good.”
Rafe made his way up the stairs in between the movers and identified the apartment by the open door. He was about to rap on the doorjamb when he saw Ahri in the middle of a pile of stuff that must be meant for the dump. She held her face in her hands. His heart gave an odd twist. Maybe hehadunderestimated the emotional drain on her.
“Ahri?” he asked, striding toward her.
