Page 93 of Forced Proximity

‘Tim Murphy, white male, age forty-two,’ Marcus says through the screen. ‘Formerly employed as a technical engineer with a company subcontracted to handle studio payroll accounts.’ He takes a sip from a mug. ‘No criminal record, but several hostile work environment HR complaints were filed against him before he was fired ten days ago.’

‘What does this have to do with Justin?’ I ask, drumming the pen against the desk.

‘He confessed to everything almost immediately,’ Marcus says. ‘He visited the studio last year as part of a platform upgrade and trained the HR staff on the software. While on site, he had a brief, friendly exchange with Justin. He soon exaggerated the intensity of their interaction.’

‘What does that mean?’ Jack reaches over me to grab a palmful of almonds from a bowl. ‘Exaggerated the intensity?’

‘Justin chatted with this man for several minutes.’ Marcus removes his bifocals. ‘Mr Murphy left that conversation thinking Justin was his friend.’

Jack exhales. ‘I see.’

‘As the HR complaints piled up, he was put on a performance plan,’ Marcus continues. ‘He illegally downloaded information from the studio database, including Justin and Zane’s addresses. Mr Murphy confessed that he obsessively followed the social media accounts of multiple paparazzi who followed Justin. Based on Justin’s patterns and people livestreaming when they saw him, Mr Murphy met Justin in person, again. Mr Murphy instigated a conversation with Justin, who had no recollection of their conversation from six months prior.’

And then, Justin didn’t remember him again, when we met him in the hallway.

‘This deeply agitated Mr Murphy, who thought they were friends. He claims he never intended to physically hurt him but thought if Justin thought he had a stalker, he’d hire him as part of the cybersecurity team to find the perp.’

‘Wow.’ I let out a low whistle. ‘So, he was pretending to be a stalker by being a stalker.’ This information is equally infuriating and sad. But Justin’s safe. After all these months, he’s okay.

‘Essentially, yes.’ Marcus grabs a pen and scribbles off screen. ‘So, guys, our contract was until we found this person, but this is still an active investigation. Until he’s in front of the judge and formally charged, you’re to remain on duty. But we feel very confident that no more threats exist. Any questions?’

Both Jack and I shake our heads.

‘One final thing.’ Marcus brings his face closer to the screen. ‘Excellent job on this one, Doc. I’m glad you’re safe.’

Undeniable pride laces his voice. And I accept it. For years, nightmares of repeating The Incident have plagued me. But I didn’t fail. Justin is safe because of me. I grin and curse my cheeks for warming.

Relief rains down on me, showering me like I was in a desert for months, and this is the accumulation needed to stave off a drought. It’s over. Finally. Even though Justin never seemed to take the threat seriously, I’m so happy for him. He can return to leading a relatively normal life. And soon, I’ll no longer be assigned to him, no longer compromise my integrity, no longer jeopardize his safety. After months of holding it in, to the point that I thought my insides would burst, we can finally have that talk that’s been brewing for months.

***

It’s nearing 1:45 a.m. when we wrap up everything. I try and stifle my yawns when they tear at my fragile lip skin. Cracking and rolling my neck brings temporary relief. I prop my elbows up on the kitchen island, close my eyes and rub my temples.

Footsteps enter the space. I pop up my head, drop my hands into my lap and force a smile.

Justin leans against the counter and taps his fingers on the ledge. ‘Erica’s coming at nine tomorrow, and she’d like to talk to you. You good with that?’

‘Yep.’ I breathe out the throbbing in my body. Christ, I forgot how much everything hurts after an altercation.

‘We’re pressing charges for the trespassing, and then she’ll walk me through the pending stalking charges.’ He digs around in a cabinet, pulls out an aspirin bottle and sets it on the island.

I love how he just knows me.

‘Good.’ I chase three down with a chug of water, then knead my eye with a palm. ‘Hey, if you’re good, I’m gonna head home and be back in the morning.’

He snaps the cover back on the pill bottle and frowns. ‘Why don’t you stay tonight?’

Stay overnight? Um … ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea.’ But it sounds incredible. Which is why it’s a bad idea.

‘In a guest bedroom.’ He grins. ‘You live like forty-five minutes from here. You won’t even get home until almost three. I understand you’re probably breaking protocol, but can’t you just tell Jack?’ He puts his hand on top of mine and swipes his thumb across my skin. ‘The driver’s off for the night, otherwise he could take you. I see you yawning. You’d be a danger to other drivers.’

I don’t have the energy to fight. Nor do I want to. I’m tired. And dirty. And desperately need a brutally hot shower. ‘Okay.’

‘Okay?’ His eyes brighten and he smacks his palms together. ‘I’ll head upstairs and get a few things prepped. You know where the main guest bedroom is.’

‘Perfect. I’ll clear this with Jack, and then I’ll be up.’ I stand and fight back the urge to rest my head against his chest. ‘And thanks for the offer.’

This is not what I want to say. I mean, not really. There’s so much more, and I see it on his face, too. Thankfully, he seems to be respecting my wishes to pause our conversation.