"And to tell people. If the stalker is part of their network, he or she won't be able to resist attending when they get the invitation, and that's when we draw them out," said Solomon.
"Not only that, but they'll try and ruin the celebration. It's their last chance to get what they want; and when they do, we'll be there too, waiting for them. We can have members of the team posing as guests, and cameras everywhere to monitor their every move... so long as they work," I added, remembering the disaster that happened the previous evening. We should have caught the stalker then and didn't.
"They'll work. Delgado went over every inch of cabling and found a loose wire. It tripped up the whole system. It won't happen again. Have you mentioned this plan to Juliet and Rob yet?"
"No, I literally just got the idea."
"They might not be on board," pointed out Solomon.
"Right now, I think they'd do anything to end this. We can offer enough evidence to prove a stalker accessed her computer and sent those emails, and typed her texts. That, coupled with the break-in last night, will force the police to take the stalker seriously. We have enough to show Detective Donahue."
"It's enough to make them consider another person is setting Juliet up," agreed Solomon.
"Exactly!"
"I need to speak to Lancaster Friedland."
"And I need to speak to MPD."
"We need to talk with Juliet and Rob."
Chapter Eighteen
"I don't think anyone lives here."
We were parked across the street from the address issued on Juliet's missing parcels. The house lay on the outskirts of Harbridge, and looked like it had been vacant for several years. The front windows were boarded up, and the door had the remains of crime scene tape fluttering across the architrave, something that didn't strike me as a positive sign. A fat, ginger cat sat on the stoop, licking its paw. Getting to its feet, it meandered down the steps before quickly disappearing into the thick undergrowth.
"Someone might live here," said Solomon. He lowered his camera and quickly checked through the series of photos he snapped. "People live in all kinds of conditions. Not everyone is house proud."
"This doesn't look like the residence of someone who steals credit cards to order Tory Burch purses," I clarified. "Perhaps they just use it as a free mailbox."
"Stay here and I'll find out."
"But..." I started.
"You promised you would stay in the car."
"I..."
"Lexi," warned Solomon, with a pointed look to my wound.
"Fine. I'll stay in the car." I watched Solomon climb out and stroll across the road, pushing his way through a chain link gate. Meanwhile, I wished I’d asked him to look out for any nice purses lying around, along with criminals. He peered through the windows and walked around the side of the house, temporarily out of my view. I waited a few nervous minutes for him to reappear before his silhouette appeared in the windows and he knocked on the door. No one answered. He waited another minute, then retreated back to the sidewalk, walking over to the nearest neighbor's house. I couldn't see who answered, but he seemed to speak to someone. He nodded and strolled back to the car, like we were in no hurry to catch my gun-stealing assailant.
"The neighbor says it's empty," he confirmed, climbing back into the driver's seat. "Apparently, it's just been sold. Before that, she said someone came by every couple of weeks to check on the place."
"Our stalker?" I asked hopefully. "Did she see her?"
"She said it was a guy from a real estate agency."
"Was he carrying a nice purse?"
"She didn't say."
I deflated. "Probably not our stalker... unless he has a secret fashion fetish."
"Don't let your ideas run away with you. I asked if she'd ever seen a woman around Juliet's height and build, and she said no."
"We could stake out the house."
"There's no point. We should assume the stalker knows we're combing Juliet's financial records and would find this address, if not now, then very soon. Plus, with the house now sold, she won't come back here."
"How can I tell Juliet another lead went dead?"
"Don't mention it. Focus on your fantasy wedding plan instead while I double-check the realtor's background."
"Do you think he knows our stalker?"
"Could be. Someone knows about this vacant house, and accepts deliveries here without arousing suspicion."
"If you can take me to my car, I can head over to Juliet now."
"Sure thing."
"Meet you at my house for dinner at seven."
Solomon gave one last, cursory check over the vacant house before pulling out onto the quiet street. "Want me to bring anything?"
"No, I have it all covered."
"Really? Everything?"
"Oh, ye of little faith. Yes, I have it all covered. I did all the grocery shopping and I have a meal plan."
Solomon nodded approvingly. "I'm impressed."
Me too, I thought, but I didn't say it since that would only have ruined my confident image. Far better to let everyone assume I had things under control. I'd have been a lot happier, however, not to be preparing food. I felt so sore from the stitches, and hated to think I was about to become the prime topic of conversation; but I offered to take over family dinner night, and I intended to follow through. I figured with the large number of people in my family, that meant my turn wouldn't come around again for a while, at least, not before my parents' kitchen got fixed. My only mission was to prepare a meal of a sufficient quality that my family would not only be suitably amazed, but also feel compelled to outdo me. Comforted by my fresh plan, and imagining several months of delicious, home-cooked meals to look forward to, I smiled all the way back to my car.
~
Juliet and Rob were playing chess in the living room. I knew how to play chess, but with nowhere near the level of concentration and apparent skills they both portrayed as they surveyed their next moves. "Who's winning?" I asked, taking a cursory, albeit clueless, glance at the chessboard.
"Hard to say," said Rob, "it could go either way."
"Oh, c'mon, it's obvious you're going to take my bishop. I’ll have to defend with my rook, which will leave my queen wide open!" said Juliet, squinting at the board, apparently far calmer than I would have been after her ordeal.
Rob laughed. "Now, it's obvious."
"Not anymore, buster! Now that I know your game, I can change it."
"Speaking of game changers," I said, wondering if I should hover beside them or just invite myself to sit down, "I have one for you."
Juliet glanced up. "Does it involve our house being invaded again? We already changed the alarm code, and I've been reassured the cameras all work properly now."
"They do," I replied, glancing over my shoulder and giving the camera a wave. A moment later, my cell phone beeped. "Delgado says hi," I told them. It beeped again. "He says not to keep looking at the cameras."
"It's hard when I know they're there," said Juliet. "I can't help it."
"Try to ignore them."