Trigger Snappy (3 page)

"Does he live with you?"

Juliet shook her head. "Just every other weekend and half his vacations. He's a great kid. That's Robbie. The three of us went on vacation together last year," she said, pointing to a smiling photo on the mantel of a man and her, their arms both wrapped around a young boy.

"And that's his dad, your fiancé?"

"Yes. Rob. Rob Harvey. Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea?"

"No, thanks. I thought we'd go over your case in more detail. I'd like to get a better snapshot of your life."

"I'm not sure how it will help you. I'm a very private person. I don't have a lot of family, friends, or any exciting hobbies."

"It doesn't matter. Someone's messing with you, and for me to find out whom, I need to discuss your lifestyle. I might notice something that you’d consider insignificant."

"Okay." She nodded, seeming to find that acceptable as she took a seat on the couch, indicating I should sit at the opposite end. "What do you need to know?"

"Tell me first about your fiancé. How long you've known him, where you met. That kind of thing."

"Rob and I met four years ago at a work-related event. He was presenting a seminar, and really impressed me. He was just great. He's a handsome man, but it was something else... charisma, I guess. We started talking and eventually got a drink in the bar; and then he asked me to dinner the following week... and we've been ‘us’ ever since. We moved in together after eighteen months. Six months later, we bought this place."

"Where were you both living prior to moving in together?"

"I had a condo in Chilton, and he rented a place in Harbridge until he moved in with me. I inherited some money from my grandparents and that, combined with the proceeds from the sale of my condo, enabled us to buy this house with only a very small mortgage."

"That's a smart investment."

"Thank you. We liked where we lived, but this house has a yard for Robbie, as well as a larger bedroom, plus guest rooms. It just made sense."

"Do you like your stepson?" I asked, knowing what her answer would be. People smiled when they talked about people they liked; and Juliet smiled when she mentioned anything about Rob and Robbie.

"Yes," she said, "but more than that. I love him. He's the sweetest boy and we've always gotten along. I can't imagine life without him. He's going to be a great big brother."

"You're pregnant?" My eyes dropped to her belly as I realized the reason for her interest in Lily's pregnancy.

"Yes, but only two months so we haven't told anyone. Robbie guessed, but he's sworn to secrecy until we tell everyone in a couple of weeks. We're waiting for that 'safe zone' before we announce it," she said, making little air quotes with her index fingers.

"So, would you say you were happy?"

"Yes, very. That's why I can't understand why anyone would do something like this to me."

"Sometimes that
is
the reason. Some people cannot cope with other people's happiness. It's like a big finger in their face, forcing them to realize their own inadequacies."

"Then they must be very sad."

"Can you think of anyone who would be really upset about you being so happy?"

Juliet shook her head, and shrugged, looking puzzled as she said, "No."

"When did you and Rob get engaged?"

"He gave me the ring on the day we got the key to this house. The first thing we did after moving our furniture in was invite our friends and family for a big party, which we later told them was our engagement party. Everyone was thrilled!"

"Do you have the wedding booked?"

"Next month. We pushed it forward so I wouldn't have to show a big bump under my dress. The baby was a surprise, but a very welcome one."

"Did anyone have an adverse reaction to that?"

"I'm not sure I understand. No one knows about the baby so... the engagement? Or the wedding?"

"Both, or either."

"Then no, everyone seems really pleased for us."

"Okay, so what I see so far is you have a happy, supportive family and friends, you celebrated two big events recently, namely, getting engaged and moving here, and you have two more big life events coming up. One, your baby, which is still a secret; and the other, your wedding, which is public knowledge."

Juliet nodded. "Yes."

"How's your relationship with your fiancé?"

"Fantastic! He's the kindest, sweetest man I know. He would move heaven and earth for those he loves; and he loves me and Robbie. He's thrilled to be a daddy again. I feel so lucky to have him in my life."

"You mentioned earlier he thought the stalking could be stress-related?"

"Yes, he's not convinced I'm being stalked, but..."

"Go on."

"I don't think he's convinced I'm not either. I've noticed he's being more watchful, and more careful."

"How so?"

"Little things, like... checking his keys are always in the same bowl on the console several times in the evening and... making sure I know exactly where my purse is, and how much money is in it... oh! And he's added extra security lights to the house and a home alarm system."

I made a note of that in my notepad, careful to keep my expression impassive. Those were not the actions of an unconcerned fiancé and father, despite whatever he might have said to Juliet. Until I spoke to him, and investigated further, I didn't plan on frightening her, which I would have by suggesting he seemed to consider her stalker very real. I tried to react in a way that would not frighten her. Instead I said, "That sounds sensible."

"He's a very sensible, practical man. I guess that's why I didn't get so worried until recently. Rob always found a perfectly rational solution to the things that were happening."

I made another note with a large question mark next to her fiancé’s name. I didn't want to suspect it, but my training insisted that I did. Just because this Rob guy seemed like the perfect guy to Juliet didn't mean he wasn't insecure and controlling. Who really knew if he wouldn't stoop to terrifying a woman in order to dominate her? Again, it wasn't a thought I voiced to my client. He could also be just as concerned as she, and just as innocent. I hoped to confirm my original supposition about him that he was merely worried.

"How long have you held your job?" I asked, glancing at my folder. She listed her job as finance manager. I wasn't sure what that meant.

"Six years. Two years in the position I have now. I was promoted the same week we moved and got engaged actually."

I looked up at the triple whammy good news. If someone were jealous of Juliet, her rush of good luck would definitely be seen as something despicable. It might have been two years ago, but someone could have let that jealousy fester. "Are you happy there?"

"It can be a tough job at times, but I enjoy it. Yes, I'm happy."

"Have you had any problems? An altercation with a colleague, for example, or your boss?"

Juliet shook her head. "No, I've always gotten along with everyone just fine. I was promoted after some very hard work and over-achieving, to the tune of two hundred percent above target."

"Was anyone else in the running for your job?"

"Yes, a guy called Olly. When he didn't get the job, however, he left and started his own firm."

"Do you think he became bitter about that?"

"Not at all. He became a huge success and just sold it for fifty million."

I dropped my mouth open. "Wow!"

"I don't think jealousy crosses his mind now, not while he’s sailing the Mediterranean on his mega-yacht," laughed Juliet.

"Poor guy!" I laughed along with her.

"I know!" Juliet paused, the worry returning to her face. "Lexi, is any of this helping?"

"It's a start," I told her truthfully, pausing my pen for a moment. "I'd like to speak to the people in your life. Perhaps they have some perspective that would prove useful to your case."

"You mean like Rob?"

"Yes, but also your family and close friends. Will that pose any problems?"

"Not at all but my parents are away on vacation in Europe until a week before our wedding and my brother lives in Canada so he can't help. They'll probably find it thrilling to talk to a real PI."

"Not everyone feels that way."

"Well, you're helping me, so I don't think anyone will mind. Everyone knows what's going on, and how much it’s worrying me. That is..." Juliet trailed off.

"Are they all being supportive?" I asked, my intuition telling me something was off.

"Yes and no. They listen, but what can anyone of them say? It's just... everything seems so little and insignificant, you know? Like, individually, it's easy to say 'I forgot this' and 'I must have not remembered that' or 'it was a technical error,' but put them all together... And some friends won't even return my calls! Lexi, I'm either going out of my mind, or someone is deliberately doing this to me." Juliet sat up a little, looking around me. I heard a car door slam, realizing she caught sight of something behind me. Whatever it was didn't seem to panic her. "Here's Rob. Sweetheart, we're in here," she called as the door opened.

"Hi," said the man who entered. He was six feet with dark red hair and a closely clipped beard. His eyes were warm green, and his face gentle. His suit looked expensive, as did his leather shoes.

Juliet reached a hand out to him and he took it, giving me a worried look. "Sweetheart, this is Lexi Graves, the PI. I asked her to look into things for me."

"Okay," he said, gazing from Juliet to me, apparently unsure what to say even if the news that I was a PI clearly came as no surprise. After a long moment, he held out his other hand and I rose to greet him, shaking it. "Sorry, I guess I was caught offguard. Juliet mentioned consulting someone. Are you able to help?"

"I think so, but I can't promise anything."

"How long will it take you to investigate?"

"That's not a question I can answer. I'm going to look into Juliet's background and I'd like to run some surveillance on you, Juliet... with your permission," I added, turning to her.

"Why on me?" she asked, frowning.

"I'd like to see what goes on around you when you're unaware. Perhaps I can match a face from the grocery store to someone skulking outside your workplace, that sort of thing."

Rob perched on the edge of the couch, next to Juliet and rested his arms on his crossed leg. "Forgive me for being so blunt, but isn't that kind of a crapshoot?"

"I never said it was going to be easy. Statistically speaking, most stalkers are known to their victims; but sometimes, it's a total stranger. Based on what Juliet told me, I think if she has a stalker, and there's enough strong, anecdotal evidence to suggest she does, then it's most likely someone she interacts with on a daily basis, or someone who sees her regularly. Whoever it is regards Juliet as very important and someone they are personally connected to, although they might be relatively insignificant in Juliet's world."

"So… it could be anyone?" Juliet asked, looking from me to Rob. "It could be a... a... grocery store clerk, or the man who walks the little dog past our house every morning... or... or..." she faltered.

"Here's what we'll do to start," I began before Juliet panicked. "I need you to give me a list of all the incidents you remember, including where they took place, and the date and time, as much as you can recall. Additionally, I'd like a list of your friends and family members, and your employer, if any incidents happened there, plus the names of anyone you might have had any altercations with. I'm going to start looking into those events and see if there are any connections."

"What about the surveillance?" asked Juliet.

"I'll start in a couple of days, after I've mapped the stalking events. We can try coordinating your activities with past incidents to see if that sparks anything else in your memory."

"Like retracing her steps?" asked Rob.

I nodded. "Like that."

"I can email you everything within a couple of hours. I already started keeping a log," Juliet told me. "I really appreciate you taking this on. I can't live like this anymore, not when I feel so suspicious of everyone. I just don't understand why this is happening."

"Don't worry about the why. Let me work on that. I'd appreciate the list as soon as it’s ready. You have my details."

"I'll walk you out," offered Rob. "Do you think this is serious?" he asked after Juliet and I said our goodbyes and he walked me to the curb. It was entirely unnecessary in a safe neighborhood like this, but he obviously wanted to talk out of earshot, and I couldn’t turn the opportunity down. Rob could have valuable insights, and I needed everything I could get. Juliet was right about her stalker being anyone, but I still hoped I could find some connections in the incidents that she reported.

"Could be," I said.

"That's not a yes or a no."

"My experience tells me Juliet isn't making this up. How someone is targeting her is the first thing I need to look into; and that should tell me who, and also why."