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Everything was spiralingout of control, and I didn’t know what to do about it. I felt like the atmosphere had become pressurized, and I might burst out of my body.
“Shaun is picking up your car and bringing it here,” Nate continued, speaking to Liam. “We’ll test it for fingerprints and other trace evidence and canvas Grace’s neighbors to see if they remember any strangers in the area during the time you were in the cottage and the car was unattended.” He turned to me. “Meanwhile, can you compile a list of any enemies you might have, or anyone who might wish you harm?”
I nodded, the sensation of pressure lessening now that I had a task, but it left me cold. “That’s not going to be easy,” I told him. “It could be any fan who’s gone over the edge.”
He nodded, considering that for a moment. “Do the best you can. Any people you know personally, or anybody who’s sent you threatening or inappropriate correspondence in the past, or whom your security may have had to remove from a show. Do you have access to that information?”
“I can get my security company to send it through.”
“Tell them it’s urgent. We need it ASAP.”
“I will,” I promised, although I dreaded having to go through another conversation where Jeff would try to convince me to come back to Los Angeles. “We might be looking at someone who has targeted me both here and in L.A., which narrows the pool.”
“True,” Nate said. “I assume we can rule Blair out, unless you’ve had any problems with him before?”
“Not at all! He’s my brother.”
“Family is sometimes the most motivated to do someone harm,” he said. “I had to ask.” He got his phone out and navigated the screen. “I’ve run a background check on your buddy Aiden. Nothing popped, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t responsible. We’ll look into his whereabouts this afternoon. I followed up on the paparazzo who photographed you after your car was keyed. His company has told us they recalled him to L.A., but we haven’t had confirmation he’s boarded a flight yet. I’ll get someone to check.” He glanced at Mehrtens, who jotted a note. “How much do you know about Blair’s friend, Tyler?”
I frowned. “He and Blair met in high school, and he’s been around the family for years. They’re really close. There’s no way this was him.”
“Are you sure?” Liam asked, shocking me. “I think he has a thing for you.”
I laughed. “That’s ridiculous. He had a crush on me a few years ago, but I haven’t seen any hint of that in ages. Besides, he's crazy about his girlfriend.”
“That doesn’t necessarily mean anything,” Nate said.
I rolled my eyes. “What about the fact that he wasn’t here when that gift was delivered on Christmas Day? He was in L.A. The only reason he’s here at all is because Blair talked him into it.”
“He could have paid someone to deliver the gift,” Nate pointed out.
My stomach dipped for a moment, but then a thought struck me. “He was with Blair, on his way here, so he couldn’t have made the phone call.”
“Damn,” Liam muttered, his idea thwarted.
“Hmm.” Nate scratched his chin. “Good point. There are other angles to look at here though. The stalker isn’t necessarily in town. They could have paid someone to deliver the gift, vandalize the cottage door, key the car, and damage the Ute. Or the car incident might have been instigated by that paparazzo—we can’t rule it out. Alternatively, it’s possible someone else from L.A. is in town but lying low. We’ll check with the accommodation providers and see if anyone is willing to share their customer list, but most will be worried about privacy regulations, so I’m not holding my breath.”
“Can’t you get a warrant for that?” Liam asked, sounding frustrated.
“Not with what we’ve got to go on.” Nate’s tone was apologetic. “I wish we could, but no one would approve it.”
Mehrtens tore some pages from her notepad and passed them to me, along with a pen. “You can use this to make a start on the list,” she said. “If you think of anyone else later, you can send us their names.”
“Thanks.” I picked up the pen and stared at the blank page, hating what they’d asked me to do. I didn’t want to think of reasons why people might dislike me. After all, I didn’t cause drama, sleep around, or party, except for when it had been encouraged for the sake of my career. But that didn’t mean others didn’t resent me or that I hadn’t ever rubbed someone the wrong way. I pressed my lips together, steeled my jaw, and started writing.
Mehrtens left the room a few moments later. Liam put an arm around me, obviously sensing my discomfort, but he didn’t watch over my shoulder, which I was grateful for. He and Nate spoke in low voices. I tried to tune them out so I could focus on thinking of who might want to hurt me. I jotted a few names, feeling disloyal, then wracked my brain for more. Finally, I pushed the notepad toward Nate.
“This is all I can come up with off the top of my head, but I’ll have Jeff send you the details of any overly enthusiastic fans, and I’ll keep thinking.”
“Thanks, Kennedy.” He touched my hand briefly. “This will help us make the best start we can.”
There was a knock at the door. Nate stood, opened it a crack, then stepped back. Blair and Tyler spilled into the room.
Blair’s eyes were frantic as they landed on me. “Are you okay, Kenz?”
I hugged him. “I’m fine. Liam took the worst of it.”
Blair let me go and laid a hand on Liam’s shoulder. “Thank you.”
