Stalked
Chapter 5
Theo sits next to me and hands me my fresh latte.
"Thank you." I whisper as I take a sip.
"Aren't you supposed to be going back to work soon?" I ask.
"A half hour, yeah. Are you?" He asks as he sips his tea.
"Uh.. Yeah I have a half hour too.." I lie. I can't tell him I came here in the hope that he'd be here too. I would look weird. And desperate.
"So.." He says, leaning forward and looking over at me, smiling. I smile back, not quite sure how to start.
"What happened?" He asks.
"How do you know something happened?" I ask.
"I just.. Guessed.. You had my card out. And you look a little lost. And, you have a bruise on your head. Lots of clues.." He smirks, raising his left eyebrow.
"Ah. You're very good at your job." I joke. He laughs under his breath and stares at me. His stare makes me feel nervous.
"Well..I had my friend Lisa stay with me last night. We watched a movie and fell asleep on the couch. But then i heard something from upstairs. Like, a banging sound. We both listened from the hall and it sounded like someone was breaking in through my window. Then something smashed in my room and what sounded like someone falling outside. Lisa and I ran out but no one was there."
"Ok.. And after that?" He asks.
"I called the police. It didn't do any good. They didn't believe me. Said I had left a window open and the breeze knocked down my vase. I closed all the windows like you told me to. I know I did. I was actually doubting myself but I can remember doing it. Anyway they left and I stayed with Lisa last night."
He sighs and takes a sip of tea. I hold my cup, warming up my hands as i grasp it.
"What was your room like after it happened?" He asks.
"I don't know. I didn't go back up there. I grabbed a few things from the kitchen and went straight to Lisa's."
"So you don't know if the police touched anything? Do you remember their names, the policemen?" He asks as he takes out a small note book from his pocket.
"I don't know if they touched anything. I didn't even check if the window was still open.. Oh god.. What if the window is still open?" I ask, panicking.
"It's ok.l don't worry about it." He says, sitting his note book down and resting his hand on mine, gently squeezing it.
"He could be in my house.. All night.. Maybe I should call someone to check.. No I should check.." I mumble to myself as I grab my purse and my keys."
"Hey hey hey..." Theo says, taking my keys off me.
"But.." I say. "I need to.."
Theo shakes his head and touches my back.
"You're not going back there at this time to check. Not on your own. Wait till I get off work. I'll come meet you and make sure the house is clear. Got it?" His eyes stare into mine as if he's making sure that I understand.
"Ok." I whisper. It's hard to say no to those brown eyes.
"Hmm.. Ok.." He says caustously, slowly letting me go and sitting back, watching in case I make a run for it.
"What's your address?" He asks.
He writes down my address and takes another sip of tea. I watch him as he sits his cup down and slips his notebook back into his pocket. He is very well dressed. A blue shirt, navy blue tie, his badge pinned onto his shirt.
"Have you dealt a lot of cases, like this?" I ask. I wonder how experienced he is.
"A couple. All different but very relatable. Usually an ex boyfriend."
"Huh?' I ask. I never thought of any of my ex boyfriends to be like that.
"Yeah, hard to believe huh? Most of them have been ex boyfriends mostly from a long time ago. Either wanting to get something back or, maybe he was controlling and wants to see what she's up to now. Some like to scare them, keep them on edge. They like knowing that they can have that affect on them. Sick."
"You think one of my ex boyfriends could be doing this?" I ask, feeling weirded out.
He shrugs his shoulders.
"I don't know. Maybe. We'll go over that another time. I'll get a list of all your ex's.."
"A list? How many ex's do you think I have?" I ask laughing.
"Kind of rude to ask.." He says, smirking. "I'll get some sort of list from you, then.." He tries to make it sound kinder.
I giggle and take another drink.
"I gotta go. But I get off work at five. So, ill drive to yours and I'll meet you there? Don't go in without me!" He warns me.
"Ok, and I wont." We say goodbye and he goes back to work.
"Thank you." I whisper as I take a sip.
"Aren't you supposed to be going back to work soon?" I ask.
"A half hour, yeah. Are you?" He asks as he sips his tea.
"Uh.. Yeah I have a half hour too.." I lie. I can't tell him I came here in the hope that he'd be here too. I would look weird. And desperate.
"So.." He says, leaning forward and looking over at me, smiling. I smile back, not quite sure how to start.
"What happened?" He asks.
"How do you know something happened?" I ask.
"I just.. Guessed.. You had my card out. And you look a little lost. And, you have a bruise on your head. Lots of clues.." He smirks, raising his left eyebrow.
"Ah. You're very good at your job." I joke. He laughs under his breath and stares at me. His stare makes me feel nervous.
"Well..I had my friend Lisa stay with me last night. We watched a movie and fell asleep on the couch. But then i heard something from upstairs. Like, a banging sound. We both listened from the hall and it sounded like someone was breaking in through my window. Then something smashed in my room and what sounded like someone falling outside. Lisa and I ran out but no one was there."
"Ok.. And after that?" He asks.
"I called the police. It didn't do any good. They didn't believe me. Said I had left a window open and the breeze knocked down my vase. I closed all the windows like you told me to. I know I did. I was actually doubting myself but I can remember doing it. Anyway they left and I stayed with Lisa last night."
He sighs and takes a sip of tea. I hold my cup, warming up my hands as i grasp it.
"What was your room like after it happened?" He asks.
"I don't know. I didn't go back up there. I grabbed a few things from the kitchen and went straight to Lisa's."
"So you don't know if the police touched anything? Do you remember their names, the policemen?" He asks as he takes out a small note book from his pocket.
"I don't know if they touched anything. I didn't even check if the window was still open.. Oh god.. What if the window is still open?" I ask, panicking.
"It's ok.l don't worry about it." He says, sitting his note book down and resting his hand on mine, gently squeezing it.
"He could be in my house.. All night.. Maybe I should call someone to check.. No I should check.." I mumble to myself as I grab my purse and my keys."
"Hey hey hey..." Theo says, taking my keys off me.
"But.." I say. "I need to.."
Theo shakes his head and touches my back.
"You're not going back there at this time to check. Not on your own. Wait till I get off work. I'll come meet you and make sure the house is clear. Got it?" His eyes stare into mine as if he's making sure that I understand.
"Ok." I whisper. It's hard to say no to those brown eyes.
"Hmm.. Ok.." He says caustously, slowly letting me go and sitting back, watching in case I make a run for it.
"What's your address?" He asks.
He writes down my address and takes another sip of tea. I watch him as he sits his cup down and slips his notebook back into his pocket. He is very well dressed. A blue shirt, navy blue tie, his badge pinned onto his shirt.
"Have you dealt a lot of cases, like this?" I ask. I wonder how experienced he is.
"A couple. All different but very relatable. Usually an ex boyfriend."
"Huh?' I ask. I never thought of any of my ex boyfriends to be like that.
"Yeah, hard to believe huh? Most of them have been ex boyfriends mostly from a long time ago. Either wanting to get something back or, maybe he was controlling and wants to see what she's up to now. Some like to scare them, keep them on edge. They like knowing that they can have that affect on them. Sick."
"You think one of my ex boyfriends could be doing this?" I ask, feeling weirded out.
He shrugs his shoulders.
"I don't know. Maybe. We'll go over that another time. I'll get a list of all your ex's.."
"A list? How many ex's do you think I have?" I ask laughing.
"Kind of rude to ask.." He says, smirking. "I'll get some sort of list from you, then.." He tries to make it sound kinder.
I giggle and take another drink.
"I gotta go. But I get off work at five. So, ill drive to yours and I'll meet you there? Don't go in without me!" He warns me.
"Ok, and I wont." We say goodbye and he goes back to work.