Josh followed Elizabeth to Charlie’s side. Elizabeth sat cross-legged on the floor next to Charlie and stroked her head. Charlie lifted her head and wagged her tail. Josh went to the kitchen and searched through the box he brought in from the truck. He pulled out a bag of dog treats and brought one to Charlie. Charlie rose to her feet and chewed on the crunchy treat as Josh knelt at her side.
He said, “Randy will figure all this out. He’s good at his job.”
Elizabeth leaned down and kissed Charlie’s nose. Charlie lay back down on the pillow, and Elizabeth scratched her belly. She looked up at Josh and said, “I don’t have a stalker. I’m an author, not a movie star. I’ve never had a stalker. Randy is wrong.”
Josh rose and stared down at her for a minute. She could feel his gaze on the back of her head like a hot sun blazing down on her. Elizabeth rose and faced him with a defiant look on her face.
Josh held her gaze and said, “Just how do you think the fox got under your deck? Do you think Charlie shot it with an arrow and then stuffed in under there? On the other hand, maybe Amy accidentally shot the fox one day while practicing with a bow. Only she doesn’t own a bow, and has probably never shot one in her life. Or maybe it’s some renegade campers who got bored, made their own bow and arrow, shot the fox, and stuffed it under your deck as a practical joke on someone they didn’t know?”
Elizabeth glared at him. Her eyes narrowed, and she spoke with venom in her voice, “I have no idea how that fox got there. Perhaps it crawled across the yard after it was shot and tried to hide under the deck. I have no idea, but I’m telling you right now I do not have a stalker. I am a psychologist; I know all the signs of a stalker. I know all the behaviors of a stalker, and I understand the risks. There is no one stalking me, and I’m not going to discuss this any further.”
Josh held his ground and added, “You are so stubborn and sure of yourself that you are willing to risk your personal safety. I get it. You’re a big girl, and it’s your decision. Let me ask you this, are you so confident no one is following you that you’re willing to risk Charlie’s life or worse yet, Amy’s life? This stalker wasn’t trying to hurt you; that bear wasn’t meant for you. You were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. That bear was intended for Charlie.”
All the anger disappeared from Elizabeth’s face. She stepped backward reeling from Josh’s words. She stammered, “No, it was an accident.”
Josh took a step closer and reached out to steady her. He lowered his voice and said calmly, “It wasn’t. I’m sorry, Beth.”
She glanced down at Charlie whose head rested on her front paws. She stared back up at her. Josh closed the gap between them and gently took Elizabeth in his arms. He said, “You can’t ignore this; it’s not going to go away. We have to deal with this. This person has gone beyond surfing the net and following you around. They invaded your home at least twice. They set a very dangerous trap for Charlie that could have killed you or Amy in the process. They are beyond rational thought, so we have to find them and stop them.”
Elizabeth leaned against him in surrender. “What should we do?”
Josh kissed her forehead and said, “Come stay with me for a couple of weeks. That alone might discourage them enough to pull back.”
“Or it could encourage them to become bolder,” Randy’s voice came from the kitchen as he opened the door for Amy and Kilo to enter the house. He added, “Let’s not pretend this is going to go away overnight.”
Josh flashed Randy an irritated look and added, “I agree, but we’ve upset the girls enough for one day. Let’s open a fresh bottle of wine for the ladies, and I’ll grab some beers from the fridge in the basement.”
Kilo lay down beside Charlie. Josh disappeared through a door in the kitchen and headed downstairs. Randy headed to the box on the counter and pulled out a bottle of wine. He popped the cork and filled Amy and Elizabeth’s glasses with the golden liquid. Josh reappeared with a six-pack of beer. He opened two of the bottles and handed one to Randy.
Josh sat down next to Elizabeth on the L-shaped sofa. Randy and Amy sat at the far end. Josh put his arm around Elizabeth’s shoulders and said, “Why don’t we turn in early tonight and get up with the sunrise. I know a great fishing spot on the far end of the lake. We can relax and see what’s biting for a couple of hours. If we pack a lunch, we can pull into a cove then do some waterskiing and head back into barbecue for dinner.”
Randy smiled and added, “Great idea, I brought some steaks we can grill. We can throw on some corn on the cob and baked potatoes for dinner. You girls can just relax and let us cook. Then we can take a sunset cruise on the lake later.”
When Josh took Elizabeth upstairs to the Master Bedroom, her head was swimming from a bit too much wine and a very long emotional day. Kilo trotted to the end of the hall and settled down for the night. Josh opened the bedroom door to reveal a room twinkling with candles. A King-size, four-poster bed, stood in front of a wall of French Doors. Elizabeth smiled and dismissed the details of her day as she fell into his arms.
Josh kissed her with savage passion. The stalker’s carelessness could have cost them more than Josh was willing to risk. Josh immediately pulled Elizabeth’s shirt over her head and removed his own. As their naked flesh touched, Elizabeth felt the heat of his body sink into hers. Josh undid her capris and slid them down over her hips. Elizabeth stepped back and slid her panties down to land on the floor next to Josh’s jeans.
Josh slid one arm around her waist as the other cupped her breast. Elizabeth gasped as his kiss moved to her neck and began to trail down to her breasts. His hands explored her soft curves as their entwined bodies fell onto the bed. The rest of the world faded from their thoughts as they surrendered to their desires.
************
Randy sat up abruptly as the lights went out. They had fallen asleep on the couch, and a storm had apparently moved in across the lake. Randy gave Amy a quick kiss and said, “The power is out, it must be the storm. I’ll take a look outside and lock up the house.”
Amy rose and draped a thin blanket over Charlie’s sleeping body. Randy closed the back windows and moved to lock the back door. Amy headed to the kitchen with the empty wine glasses, set them on the counter, and began to search the drawers for candles or a lighter. Randy turned the deadbolt as he glanced out the window. The night was chaotic with the wind surging through the tall trees that lined the shore, whipping them back and forth viciously, causing leaves and debris to skip across the growing waves of the lake. As the moon slipped out from behind a large cloud, Randy paused to gaze at its rippling reflection on the dark sparkling water of the lake. The rain spread across the lake like a thin mist, giving it a mystical look.
Randy was about to turn and head to the front door when a tall shadowy figure appeared out from behind the trees and ran swiftly across the open grass on the far side of the pool. Randy shot a startled look at Amy and said, “Lock the door behind me!”
Amy’s heart raced as she rushed to the door and slipped the deadbolt into place. She glanced back at the stairs wondering if she should call Josh. She turned to look through the window in search of Randy. The rain began coming down in sheets, and the wind slammed it into the window so hard Amy could no longer see the deck. She turned to glance back toward the fireplace; surely, there were matches there. It was then that she noticed the front door was standing slightly ajar. Amy didn’t hesitate. She ran across the room and shoved the door closed. Slowly she turned back to scan the house. Did the wind just blow that open? Her heart jumped into her throat. She glanced around in the darkness then rushed back to the kitchen and pulled out a large carving knife from the drawer next to the stove.