“She’s fine, considering. She’ll have a heck of a headache, but the bruised ribs will probably be the worst.”

Jackson nodded. “You don’t realize how much you use your stomach until you have abdominal damage.”

“That’s the truth.”

Jackson stared at her for several seconds. “I hope this meeting is about the message I left you last night…”

“But you don’t think it is.”

He shook his head. “I guess I don’t. The timing of Corrine’s attack is a little too convenient. Given her work and your grandfather’s status, I know there’s probably a hundred other options, but I wondered if it all hadn’t run together.”

“It’s that coincidence thing again. I didn’t like it either, and the whole time Sergeant Boyd was telling me what he knew, then afterward when Corrine told me what had happened, I wondered. Then I got confirmation.”

Shaye told him about the decorator’s swatch in Corrine’s purse and her disguise when she visited Emma’s house. “No way that was an accident. Her credit cards and cash were in place. He didn’t take anything. He left the swatch.”

Jackson’s expression darkened. “That’s not good.”

“I know it’s him. But why Corrine? Why not go after me?”

“Maybe he’s showing you how smart he is. Maybe he’s attacking you at your weak spot. My best guess is because he wants to scare you.”

“Like he’s scaring Emma.”

“Yes and no. You’ve gotten in his way. He controls situations through fear. I think he’s trying to scare you away. It’s a sick, twisted game he’s playing. The problem is, he’s making all the rules, and you don’t get to pick if you play.”

Shaye blew out a breath. “You warned me that he’d come after anyone he perceived as getting in the way of his fun.”

“Yeah, well, sometimes I hate it when I’m right.”

“I know the feeling. Unfortunately, there’s way more going on than just the attack on my mother.” Shaye told him about the mice and the bracelet. “He’s getting more brazen. The security guard said his face never shows on camera, but he’s got footage of a man leaving those mice. Surely that’s enough evidence for the police to do something.”

“Wow.” Jackson leaned back in his chair. “That is some serious sick shit. What the hell happens to a person to make them that way?”

“I’m not sure we want to know.”

“Yeah, well, I think that’s plenty for the police to take her complaint seriously. Of course, they have the same limitations we do in locating the perpetrator, so while I definitely encourage Emma to report everything, I don’t know how much it will change things. As least in the immediate future.”

“I know I’m still her best hope to get information, but maybe if they assign someone to her case, I can turn over what I’ve got so far and someone more qualified can take over.”

“You’re doing a fine job. I mean that.”

Shaye felt a light blush creep up her cheeks. “Thank you.”

“You have a good mind for these things, and you’re a good judge of character. That goes a long way to being a good investigator. That being said, I wish you’d never taken this case. It’s not exactly the kind of thing you should be cutting your teeth on.”

“I know. It’s turned out to be something I never anticipated, but I can’t back out now. Emma needs me, and if I’m being honest, I want to be part of getting this guy. Especially now.”

Jackson nodded. “Now that it’s personal.”

“Yeah.” Shaye blew out a breath. “The thing is, I know David isn’t the stalker, but I can’t help but feel that it all circles back around to him. I talked to people at his job yesterday, but no one had much insight other than they thought he was creepy. One guy gave me the name of someone who served with David his last tour in Iraq. He’s still enlisted and stationed at Fort Polk. I’m going to try to run him down today. Did you find anything?”

“Not much. The Social Security number didn’t pop on employment records until he enlisted, so a little over eight years ago, but his age comes up as twenty-six, so that’s about right if he enlisted at eighteen.”

“What about birth records?”

“Nothing so far, but it didn’t sound like he came from a family with resources, so it could have been a home birth.”

“Or he’s not from here at all. We can’t take anything David told Emma as the gospel.”

“That thought crossed my mind as well.”

Shaye sighed. “I’m getting nowhere. He knows everything and I know nothing.”

“It certainly seems that way, but it’s not exactly true. You have a lead on the guy who served with him. Maybe he will know something. And I’ll keep looking. I can check records throughout the entire state. It just may take a while.”

“I really appreciate it.” She shook her head, trying to make sense of all the moving pieces, and then remembered her conversation last night with Emma in her mother’s hospital room. “Something else. Emma said an old boyfriend of hers from high school, Stephen Moore, was at the hospital yesterday.” She repeated Emma’s story to Jackson.

“Doesn’t sound suspicious,” Jackson said.

“Not on the surface, but I don’t like the timing. Also, I lied to Emma and said I couldn’t place him even though he’d taken part in some of Corrine’s charity events.”

“Now I’m fascinated. Why did you lie?”

“Because of something Emma said about his appearance. I asked her to describe him, to make sure I was thinking of the right guy, but the description Emma gave was completely different from the way he looked in high school. Emma said so herself. I’m certain I know who he is and what he used to look like, but now…”

“What does he look like now?”

“David Grange.”

Jackson whistled.

“I don’t think Emma has latched onto that yet, but from long, wavy, light brown locks to military short and dark is a strange choice for a guy to make, especially when I’m going to hazard a guess that it’s not the best look for him.”

“When was the last time you saw him?”

“A couple of months ago, and he looked like he always did.”

Jackson nodded. “You don’t have any reason to suspect a connection with the old boyfriend and David, do you?”

“No. Nothing like that.”

“Soooooo, maybe he wants back in with Emma, saw pics of David on the news, and thinks she has a type?”

“Maybe. I don’t know exactly, but again, it’s the timing that doesn’t feel right.”

“Okay. Do you want me to pay him a visit?”

“Oh! You can do that? I mean, without an official reason?”

“It doesn’t have to be official. I could just drop by and have a chat with the man…see if I can get a feel for him.”

Shaye tapped her finger on the table. On one hand, since she’d be at Fort Polk, she’d love the help, but on the other hand, she didn’t want Jackson doing her job, especially when it might compromise his own. On the third hand, she might have a hard time questioning Stephen herself since he knew who she was. “I don’t want you to get into trouble.”

“So I won’t get into trouble. What’s he going to do? Call and complain to my boss that I spoke to him?”

“He might. He’s an attorney.”

“Shit. That means I have to be polite.”

Shaye smiled. “Probably a good idea. If you don’t mind doing it, I have to admit, it would really help me out. I don’t know how long I’ll be at Fort Polk, and I really want to move on Moore as quickly as possible, if for no other reason than to eliminate him from the suspect list.”

“You mean the suspect list with no names on it.”

She sighed. “Yeah, that one. I don’t suppose there’s any chance you could get assigned to my mother’s case?”

“Not as long as I’m chained to Vincent. I suggested he ask for the assignment this morning and he acted like I’d just discharged my weapon in the men’s room. It’s probably just as well. If you got me, he’d be lead, so you’re probably better off with someone else. Given your grandfather’s, uh, prominence, the best detectives will be assigned to the case.”