Erica followed Sebastian into the mall, trying her best to push away the concerns that lingered in her mind.She didn’t want to ruin the evening, but the message seemed to hang over her like a dark cloud, threatening to drench her with its implications.She trailed behind Sebastian as he made his way to the grocery store, his hands casually in his pockets.He seemed so carefree, so oblivious to the weight that pressed down on Erica’s shoulders.As they walked through the aisles, Sebastian loaded up the cart with a variety of foods: fruits, meats, vegetables, and even some bottles of wine.Erica’s brow furrowed as she watched him.“Sebastian…” she started, her voice tentative. “Why are you buying so much food?”Sebastian turned to her, his expression still relaxed.“Well, I was thinking we could have a little dinner at my place tonight.” he replied.“Just to celebrate our relationship. Just the two of us. I thought you might like the idea.”Erica wasn’t feeling up to dinner, but she di
“What is it, Erica?” he asked, his voice tense.“Is everything okay?”Sebastian’s brow furrowed, the tenderness in his expression fading into a look of concern.Erica swallowed hard, the truth catching like a lump in her throat.“No.Everything’s not okay,” she began.Erica bit her lip, searching for the right words.“I...I got a message today,” she began, her voice trembling slightly.“It was...not good.”Sebastian’s brow furrowed. “What kind of message?” he asked, his tone turning serious.Erica took a deep breath, steeling herself for the conversation she was about to have.“It was a message from someone...warning me to stay away from you,” she said, her eyes not meeting Sebastian’s.“They said that you were ‘theirs’ and that I should stay away or else they’d make my life a living hell.”Sebastian sat back, his face a mask of confusion and shock. “What?” he asked, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.“Let me see the text message.” he requested. Erica handed her phone over
Sebastian brought a board out and took a marker and began writing somethings on it.Erica sat down and looked at what he was writing.“So….we have Mark as one of our possible suspect.” he said, as he wrote Mark’s name on the board.Erica leaned forward, her keen eyes focused on the board as Sebastian scrawled the suspect’s name.She sighed, running her fingers through her hair in frustration.“Mark’s a piece of work, but even he’s not dumb enough to make himself look this guilty, right? Unless he’s trying to throw us off the scent.”Sebastian tapped the marker against his teeth, his expression serious.“Or maybe someone is using him as a shield. The person who is behind all these might not want us to know they are behind it, and so they push Mark in front to make him the prime suspect to take the fall.”Erica’s eyes widened as she considered Sebastian’s theory. “That would make sense.We know Mark’s not the sharpest tool in the shed, but someone with half a brain could easily use him
The next morning, Sebastian tried to bring her breakfast in bed, Erica wouldn’t have it. She insisted on making the breakfast herself, and under Sebastian’s watchful gaze, she fumbled around the kitchen, burning herself on the toaster and spilling orange juice, until she had breakfast for both of them on the table.“Wala!” as she presented the food.“Wow….this looks nice.” Sebastian complimented as he sniffed the aroma of the toast.“It smells delicious!” he said, a bright smile on his face.“Well then, dig in.” Erica gestured as she sat down at the table to eat.He nodded and picked up his fork, cutting the toast.He took a bite, “Mmm, delicious.” he smiled as his mouth moved.Erica excited expression. “Really?”Sebastian nodded. “Yeah, it’s so good. You really are a pro, Erica.” he complimented again as he took another bite enjoying the delicious taste.Erica's smile faltered, her heart sinking as she watched Sebastian eat the burnt toast with enthusiasm. She couldn't believe he was
By the time the California police arrived, Erica had recovered herself and insist on making coffee for the two police officers.“Thank you for going through the trouble to make us coffee.” One of the patrol officers said, as he collected the cup of coffee from Erica."Not a problem at all," Erica replied, her voice still shaky from the earlier incident. "I...I was glad to hear the sirens. It was very comforting to know that you were on your way."The other patrol officer, taking a sip of his coffee, nodded. "We're glad we could get here quickly. Now, Ms. Erica, can you please tell us what happened tonight?"Erica hesitated for a moment, her hands trembling slightly as she grasped the coffee mug."I...I'm not entirely sure. I was walking in the hallway when I heard the front door open.The other patrol officer was on the phone the entire time before he returned to where Erica and the second patrol officer were.“There’s somebody coming from the station house. I think ou should talk to
“So were you able to catch the stalker?” Erica asked, her voice filled with fear.Detective Jake looked at Sebastian and then back at Erica. “Um…it’s not my place to say it. So I’ll leave you two to discuss that.”“But do you think it’s the same person?” Erica asked, her tone inquisitive.“Well….I don’t know yet since I don’t have a lot of information yet. So I can’t make a concrete conclusion yet.“But what do you think about this?”And detective Jake knew that there must be a lot of things she might be hiding or she doesn’t know.“Um.. your case is not…..unusual.” Jake said, as he puts his notepad into his coat.“You mean this happens a lot?”Erica’s hands clenched together as she looked at detective Jake.“Not all the time.” taking a seat across from her.“But it happens. I run….rather I am the threat management unit on our force; I deal all the time with something called the stalker phenomenon, people who obsessively follow or contact other people sometimes men stalking women, but
“I’m gonna make some calls and then we set that up.” Detective Jake said, as he brought out his phone to make a call.He step out of the sitting room where Erica, Sebastian and the other two patrol officers were to make the call.Sebastian who was looking at him the whole time, decided to go and see him.“I’ll be right back, Erica.”Erica looked at him a frown in her face. “Where are you going?”"I'm just going to check on Detective Jake," Sebastian said, giving Erica a quick pat on the shoulder before walking towards the doorway. "I want to make sure he's got all the info he needs."Erica's frown deepened, a hint of concern in her voice. "But Sebastian, we're supposed to stay together. Shouldn't you wait until he comes back?"Sebastian shook his head, his expression resolute. "It'll only be a minute, Erica. Trust me, I won't be long."Sebastian stepped out into the hallway, following the sound of Jake's voice down the corridor until he spotted the detective standing by an open window
“Sarah brought these to you, you said? She could be the one behind all this, you know.Maybe she’s not over the divorce and she wants you back so desperately and so used a stalking means to get to you and Erica to split you two up.” Jake said, as he looked at the pictures.Sebastian looked very serious. “Then why will she bring the pictures to me if she was the stalker? Don’t you think that would make her the suspect?”“But don’t you see? That’s the brilliance of it.” detective Jake argued, gesturing wildly with the pictures in his hand.“If she’s the one who gave you the photo, it makes her seem trustworthy. She ‘s making you think she’s on your side, but she’s the one behind the stalking all along!It’s the perfect cover.”Sebastian leaned back, looking worried as he thought about what Jake said.“Hmm…maybe. But it would mean Sarah could so something like this. Do you really think she’s that sneaky?”“She might be.” Jake replied, his voice low and intense.“People can surprise you,