I slammed the lid of my laptop closed and placed a hand over my heart as I tried to breathe through the panic welling up inside my chest. Each breath was harder than the last. I ran to my dresser and pulled out the first pair of leggings and T-shirt my hands touched, and I pulled them on and slipped into flip flops.
I hesitated before reaching for my laptop, but I had to. And I needed to be fast. I wasn’t sure if the images would disappear, or what happened when I closed the laptop, but maybe if I hurried to the police station, they could track them or something. The only knowledge I had of tracing cybercrimes came from television shows, and I didn’t know if those were accurate or dramatized for television purposes. I only hoped they could make this stop before anything else happened.
I grabbed the laptop with shaking hands and grabbed my purse on the way out the door. I sped the entire way to the station, not caring that my wet hair was curling against my temples and a wild, tangled mess in the back. I didn’t care that I had never been seen in public in such disarray in my entire life. I slammed into a parking spot and got out of the car before running into the station and stopping at the front desk, completely out of breath.
An older man in an officer’s uniform sat behind the desk, his large, round belly pressing against the edge. A mug of coffee was off to the side, sitting next to a fast food bag. Two men in plainclothes were standing near the desk, leaning against a wood-paneled wall, talking and looking over a manila file folder. I didn’t know who to ask for, but I needed someone to help me.
The man behind the front desk looked me up and down, and I saw him dismiss me before I even said a word. “What can I do for you?” he asked in a monotone voice. His gaze was directed at me, but he was looking right through me.
“I was getting out of the shower, listening to music on my laptop…” I took a deep breath as tears threatened, but I was determined to hold them at bay. My nose stung. “Pictures of me and a message popped up. Pictures of me naked,” I whispered and glanced at the two men off to the side, who were now staring at me and watching this interaction.
“Pictures you posted online?” the officer asked.
I shook my head. “No, someone was taking pictures of me while I was getting out of the shower, then they sent them to me and sent a message.”
“How did they send them? Were they pictures you had previously sent this person?”
I ran a hand through my wet hair. “No, I’ve never sent pictures like that. I don’t know who this person is. I don’t know how this happened. They just…appeared. It wasn’t email or anything like that. They popped up all over my screen, and the message they sent looked like what coders use. You know? The black window and green font? At least that’s what it is on TV,” I muttered. “I sound crazy.”
“What did the message say?”
Bile rose in my throat. I shook my head and took a second to gain my composure. “You’re so beautiful. If you don’t do what I want, these go on the internet.”
The chair squeaked under his weight as he leaned back and put his hands behind his head. “Miss, I’m very sorry. I hate to tell you this, but there wasn’t a crime. Cybercrime is very complicated, and without a direct threat of harm, there’s nothing we can do.”
“Nothing you can do?” I asked quietly. “So someone can take pictures of me inside my bedroom without my permission and there’s nothing you can do?”
One of the men standing off to the side took a step toward me. “The laws haven’t caught up with technology yet. Come here.” He motioned me away from the desk.
I stepped up to him, glancing back at the man behind the front desk. His attention was already on the computer, and he was taking a sip of coffee. I’d been dismissed. A hysterical laugh bubbled up in my chest. I placed my hand on my forehead and shook my head. “This can’t be happening,” I whispered.
“The laws haven’t caught up with technology yet,” the man repeated. “But you can hire a private company to trace the messages and file a restraining order. I will take a police report of this incident so if anything does happen, it’s on record. I hate it as much as you, but right now there’s nothing we can do. I can recommend someplace you can go. They’re friends of mine and will take care of you. I’m Maddox. Let’s take a seat and fill out a report, and then I’ll send you over to MarxMen.”
I nodded and followed him to his desk. He walked me through a police report, slowly encouraged me, and sent me on my way to MarxMen with a promise that they would be expecting me.
I parked on the street in front of the sleek black building and nondescript logo of the MarxMen offices. The windows were black and I couldn’t see anything inside, but I strode up to the door and yanked it open. A cool blast from the AC hit me and caused me to shiver. My hair was still partially wet, and I didn’t even want to know what the bird’s nest looked like in a mirror or how long it would take me to brush through.
I stopped in the middle of the lobby as Kiernan turned around and grinned. “Usually it’s me stalking you, Dr. Conroy. What are you doing here?”
7 Kiernan
I strode to the lobby of MarxMen after ending the call with Maddox. He’d sent someone from the police station who wanted to hire
