What I needed for Juliet, though, was the ultimate security system, something that would record all the rooms in the house, as well as alerting law enforcement if the stalker tried again. I thought it was highly likely they would; after all, Juliet was a sitting duck thanks to her bail conditions and the ankle bracelet keeping her under arrest. It was highly likely that the stalker now knew exactly where to find Juliet at all times and that thought was very worrying.

"Can you watch over them a while longer?" I asked.

"Sure. I'm enjoying it."

"Nothing happened."

"That's not the point. I'm putting my skills into practice. This is invaluable experience."

"For what?"

Mom beamed and tapped her little digital camera. "For the next time you ask me."

"There might not be a next time," I told her as gently as possible.

"There will," Mom countered. "You're always getting into some kind of trouble. This way, I can help get you out of it."

I was too tired to argue. I could only hope the hours of inactivity would numb my mom toward offering further help. Not that I was ungrateful. I was very grateful that she stepped in to help when I was not just short-staffed, but empty-staffed. As I sat with my mother looking at the house, I wondered if the surveillance would pay off in another way. Perhaps the stalker would spot my volunteers and be deterred from anymore activity.

I tried calling Delgado but his cell phone was switched off. That meant he was off-duty and probably at my sister's. "I'm heading over to Serena's. Do you know if she's home?"

"Yes, she is, and so is Antonio. She told me she had a lot of paperwork today and would be home all day, except for when she took Victoria to daycare. I think she has a date with Antonio tonight. I'm babysitting."

"That's nice of you."

"I look forward to babysitting for you one day."

"I'll remember to call on you often," I said, rather than arguing about my mom's favorite topic, namely, the unoccupied territory that I called my uterus.

"You need to get on with..."

"See you later!" I climbed out of her car and walked over to mine, depositing the lamp in the trunk before sliding into the peaceful, quiet driver's seat with a deep sigh. I drove to Lily's bar on my way to Serena's, figuring I could use a coffee and someone to bounce ideas off. I found Lily at the bar, arranging the bottles in some order that only she knew.

"What's happenin'?" she asked as I slid onto a barstool.

"Juliet's house was broken into."

"Ohmygosh! Is she okay?"

"Yes, she and Rob were asleep in bed when it happened, but Juliet is pretty shaken up."

"They broke in while she was asleep? Ugh, that's so creepy."

"Tell me about it. Did you see anyone strange hanging around the house when you watched over it?"

"Not really. I took notes," said Lily, pulling a small notepad from her bar apron. "Let's see... um... Juliet's neighbor came by, and I saw Rob mowing the lawn out front; and I think he spoke to either a neighbor or a gardener. The neighbors got a furniture delivery. Probably the ugliest sofa I've ever seen! The best friend, Penelope, came by, but she didn't stay long. I think that was it. Oh, no… here I wrote that a couple of people walked past, but they didn't go near the house. Is that any use?"

"Maybe. It could mean that the stalker knew they had guaranteed access so waited until later. It's probably someone who's been in the house before."

"The creepy factor just keeps rising."

"Can you remember everyone who's been in your house?" I asked, wondering if I could do the same.

"Not while the builders were renovating, but pretty much everyone after. We haven't had many people over."

"I've only had family, including you, and Solomon. Maddox. My neighbors. Half of MPD. That's a lot more than I thought."

"Your house is practically a party house."

"Where do you keep your spare keys?"

"In the drawer where I keep the flatware."

"Me too. When do you ever use them?"

"Hardly ever."

"When did you last see them?"

"Is this an interrogation?" Lily pulled her keys from her pocket and turned on the mini flashlight on the chain before shining it in her face. "Ready! I'll tell you anything!"

I tried again, this time, barely holding in a giggle as Lily waited, "When did you last see your spare keys?"

"No clue."

"That's what I figured. I think Juliet will say the same. Or, even if she knows where they are now, I'll bet there was a time when she wasn't so sure, and couldn't say when she last saw them."

"You think that's how someone got into her house? They took her keys?"

"Potentially copied them too." I wondered if the stalker had a chance to copy the house keys when they lifted her car keys at the coffee shop. If they did, I had to assume that they still held copies of both.

"Did the alarm wake them?"

"No, it didn't go off and Juliet swears she set it. I think someone has access to their house code too."

Lily shivered. "Super creepy."

"I know."

"Before you ask, the only people that have access to my house alarm besides me, are Jord, you, and your parents. What are you going to do about your client?"

"Install a super-duper alarm system and keep watching the house until we catch the person." My cell phone sounded, Solomon flashing onto the screen. "Shoot! I was supposed to call Solomon about going over his notes."

"Isn't that cheating?"

"No." I hit answer and held the phone to my ear. "Hi."

"Hey. Where are you?"

"At the bar."

He paused. "Kind of early."

"Not drinking! I stopped by to see Lily on the way to Serena's."

"I heard Juliet's house was broken into overnight."

"How did you know that?" Sometimes, I wondered why I asked the dumb questions. Slapping my palm to my forehead, I could already guess the answer. Of course, Solomon had a surveillance team too, and one that was a lot more professional than mine. That meant he knew I'd been there.

"I have them under surveillance."

"I should have known." I wondered why I hadn't spotted them either. Probably because I was too busy wondering if my mother was as concealed as she could have been.

"They're keeping an eye on your mom too." I groaned. "She's doing very well. She's taking notes and photos."

"Of anything useful?" I wondered out loud.

"Not that's been reported."

"Is it too much to ask that your team were watching the house overnight?"

"They were, but before you ask, no, they didn't see anything."

"You only have a team on the front?" I guessed again.

"Correct, so your thief came in via the back is our best guess."

"How come you're not watching all the entrances? Isn't your client paying enough?"

"They're paying enough, but we're watching Juliet, we’re not looking for break-ins."

"She could have escaped out back."

"Wearing an electronic ankle bracelet?" asked Solomon.

"Point taken. Can I come read your notes soon?"

"Yes, I'm waiting for you, but I had to go to my house, so meet me there. Call me when you leave Serena's."