Page 38 of Fight or Flight
“No, I was in the kitchen cleaning the dishes while you were out. But wait—I did jot down a note. I left the pad on the counter in the kitchen.” She couldn’t explain why she’d written down the number from the burner phone, then deleted it. She knew how silly it would sound, especially to a psychiatrist. Katherine still had the number in her pocket. She doubted there was a connection to Karrie or her Friendlink page. What would that matter now? Surely a wrong call on a burner cell from a number she didn’t recognize wasn’t linked to this break-in. It all seemed absurd.
“Let’s check your desk,” Tyler said.
“Why?”
“Possibly whoever was here also took something from your desk. I assume it’s where you do all your writing. It could be someone knows who you are.”
Katherine didn’t like being put on the spot. This Karrie situation wasn’t any of Tyler’s business.Shewasn’t his business. Katherine didn’t want to go into a full-blown explanation. He’d really think she was a loony toon.
“I don’t see how anyone could even know where I live. I’ve managed to get by all these years without any problems,” she said. It was odd that just now, when she’d decided to make drastic changes to her lifestyle, her identity may have been discovered. She thought there was more to this than being a well-known author or some deranged person prying through her possessions. Her gut instinct was kicking in, as it used to all those years ago.
Tyler stood and jammed his hands in his jeans pockets. Katherine found him devastatingly handsome; she’d bet all his patients fell just a tiny bit in love with him.
“Let’s go downstairs and see if anything is missing,” he said again.
She took a deep breath, feeling anxious. “All right,” she said, heading downstairs, both dogs at her heels. “I want to check my alarm system first.”
Once downstairs, she set the alarm in the kitchen and then turned the outside security lights off. If anyone were lurking on the property, let them do so in the dark. “I should be able to see if anyone was outside. The cameras are backed up on a website.” Then she headed into the dining room. She instantly knew someone had been there. “This is not how I left my desk, dammit!” Beyond alarmed, she explained to Tyler, “I left my computer on.” Her laptop was now closed, and several handwritten notes that had been beside her computer were gone, too.
“Hang on,” she said, pushing papers around the desk. “The flash drive I use to back up my work isn’t here, either.”
“You’re sure?” Tyler questioned.
“Of course, I’m sure! I always use a flash drive, a new one for every book. It’s not here.” She searched her desk again to ensure the flash drive wasn’t hiding underneath anything. “I use different colors. This one is fluorescent pink. It stands out.”
She chewed on her fingernail, debating if she should call the police. Let them have a look around the property. Whoever did this could ruin her if word of who she was were to be made public. Any reporter who could dig deep would discover her secrets. Her life as she knew it now would never be the same. Her family tragedy would be a headline again. Adam, too. And other things she could not allow to become public. Such as it was, she didn’t want her reputation ruined. “I’m going to call Doc. He has a friend that might be able to look into this.”
“This isn’t my business, but if you’re in trouble, I want to help. If you’ll trust me,” Tyler said.
“Tyler, this isn’t a question of me not trusting you. I have issues from my past. I’ve isolated myself from the world because of them. I can’t talk about it all yet. I know I sound crazy. But I’m not in the kind of trouble you’re thinking.” She spoke in a harsh whisper, not caring how it came out. Someone had been in her home, and she wanted to find out who was brazen enough to do it.
“Then call Doc Baker. Tell him I’m here, so he’ll know you’re safe,” Tyler added, speaking gently.
She felt a second of remorse for her rudeness. But he’d have to get over it; he was a doctor, after all. He should be used to crazy people.
Katherine nodded, focusing her attention on her cell phone to make the needed call. But she stopped when she heard glass shattering and pounding footsteps on the deck.
Frozen in place, holding her finger to her mouth, Katherine motioned to the stairs with a quick tilt of her head. She took the stairs two at a time, Tyler and the dogs racing behind her. She locked the door as soon as they were back inside her bedroom with the dogs. She leaned as close to Tyler as she could, whispering in his ear, “I think they’re on the deck.”
His blue eyes grew serious with concern. “I can hear them running.”
Katherine mouthed, “Follow me.”
When they were safely inside the adjoining primary bathroom, she locked the door. The scent of her orange-blossom shampoo lingered in the air. Water droplets rivered down the glassed-in shower, evidence of her preparation for the evening. It had not turned out as planned.
Still whispering, though this time she didn’t step in as closely as before, she said, “The computer at my desk was off, and I have the settings adjusted so it doesn’t shut down automatically. Someone must’ve turned it off when I returned to the kitchen.” Her hands trembled, her throat tight from fear. “They had to have been in the house for a while.” Just the thought made her sick to her stomach.
Tyler nodded but didn’t speak.
“I’m still afraid to call the police,” she whispered. “I’m going to call Doc. He’ll know what to do . . . he has a connection.” She took her cell phone out of her pocket, glad she’d put Doc on speed dial. He answered on the first ring.
“What’s up, kid?”
She told him about the break-in, asking if his CIA friend could help. “I don’t want to call the local police. I want to keep this as private as possible. We think someone has been in the house, and they’re still on my property.” She knew he wouldn’t question her about the details until they were face-to-face.
“We heard glass breaking and footsteps.” She spoke as quietly as possible, although she wanted to scream as loudly as she could. Katherine knew if she didn’t get her act together that maybe next time something like this happened—and she prayed there wouldn’t be a next time—she might be alone.
“I’ll call Ilene and see if she’s available. Stay put, don’t touch anything, and don’t move until I get there,” Doc ordered.
