“Should I have called the police?” I asked, staring out the window at the driveway, half expecting Brian’s BMW to return.
“Oh, hell yes. Do it now. See if you can get a restraining order against him.”
I bit the side of my nail nervously, a habit I thought I’d kicked a long time ago. “But, maybe he’s finally gotten the hint?”
“Look, you told him three times you’re not interested and that didn’t stop him. For God’s sake, he thinks you two are meant to be; he’s not going to give up easily. I don’t want to wake up tomorrow and find both of your faces on the news. He’s obviously off his rocker and… hell, he might even go as far as to kidnap you.”
I felt sick to my stomach. That thought hadn’t even occurred to me. “I don’t think I can get a restraining order, since he hasn’t actually threatened me with violence.”
She sighed. “Maybe not, but you can, at the very least, call the police and see if they’d be willing to have a nice little talk with the asshole. Otherwise, he’ll be back. I just know it.”
She was right. It was better than just waiting around for him to pop up again. “Okay. That’s a good idea.”
“In the meantime, I’m coming over. You shouldn’t be alone right now. I’ll bring an overnight bag. Do you have to work in the morning?”
“No. I work tomorrow night. But, you don’t have to stay over,” I replied, although I had to admit that the offer made me feel much better. “I’ll be fine.”
“Right,” she said dryly. “I know you. I bet you’re still shaking like a leaf. That guy did a number on you.”
I stared at my hand. She knew me well. It was still trembling.
“Look, I’m coming over and there’s nothing you can say about it. I’ll pick up something to eat, too. Are you hungry?”
I let out a ragged sigh. “Not at all. I lost my appetite.”
“When was the last time you ate?”
“I had a bagel and cream cheese before I worked out.”
“Okay. Well, I’m still picking up some Taco Bell. I’m starving. What would you like?”
I had to admit, hungry or not, I could never resist the Bell. “You know what I like.”
“Okay.”
“Thank you. You’re such a great friend. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“You wouldn’t have that creepy guy bothering you. I shouldn’t have made you sign up for the dating site.”
“It’s not your fault. It worked awesome for you.”
She sighed. “Yeah. But, there’s always a risk. Anyway, I’ll be over soon. Call the police. Now.”
“I will.”
“See you soon.”
Fifteen minutes later, Deputy Jack Billings showed up at my doorstep. I explained what had happened and afterward, he gave me a funny smile.
“So, Brian Gunderson, huh? As in, the dentist?”
I nodded.
He scratched the side of his head. “I have to say, I’m a little shocked to hear it was him.”
I raised my eyebrow. “You know the guy?”
“He’s our family dentist. I always thought he was gay, so this is quite surprising.”
That caught me off guard. “Well, if he is, he’s at least bi-sexual from the way he carried on. He kept telling me that we were meant to be together. And the crazy thing is, we just met. So that really creeped the hell out of me.”
“Yeah. I’m sure you were pretty upset and frightened. I’ll take a drive to Brian’s cabin and have a little talk with him. Afterward, I’ll get back to you.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it.”
“In the meantime, keep your doors locked. Just in case.”
“I will. I do have a friend coming over.”
He nodded. “Good.”
6
Sophia
The deputy returned an hour later, looking a little bewildered. By that time, Marcy was over and we’d just finished eating our Taco Bell.
“Would you mind if I came inside?” he asked, standing on the porch.
I could tell by the look on his face that his interview with Brian hadn’t gone as expected. “Of course.”
I let him in, introduced him to Marcy, and asked if he’d like some coffee.
“That would be great. Thank you.”
I asked him how he liked it and then began making him a cup on my Keurig.
“So, what happened with Mr. Wacko?” Marcy asked.
“I honestly don’t know what’s going on. Apparently, Brian is in Hawaii. On his honeymoon. He was married last week to his longtime partner, Jerod Gates.”
Marcy gasped and my jaw dropped.
“You’re kidding?” I said, stunned.
“Afraid not. I spoke with the cleaning lady. She claimed that he’s been gone for the last week. He won’t be returning until next weekend.”
“But, that doesn’t make any sense,” Marcy said, looking as confused as me. “He told her that he was Brian Gunderson. The dentist. The one who lives here in Summit Lake. I highly doubt there are two of them.”
An idea came to me. One that made the situation much more frightening. “Unless, the guy I went out with stole Brian’s identity…”
“That’s what I’m wondering,” Deputy Billings replied. “Do you have a photo of the person you went out with?”
“No. I can show you what he looks like on the dating site, though. Let me grab my laptop.” I left the kitchen and grabbed it from my bedroom.
“This doesn’t make any sense. The dating site is supposed to screen their clients,” I heard Marcy say.
“If he stole Brian’s identity without him knowing about it, then there might not be any red flags,” he replied.
When I returned, I logged into my account and then pulled up Brian’s information. Unfortunately, his account showed that he was no longer a member. His photo and personal information had also been deleted.
“It’s like he knew we’d be looking for him,” Marcy said breathlessly.
“I’m sure we can contact the dating site and they’ll be able to pull up his old information,” Deputy Billings replied.
“Hey, pull up his dental practice,” Marcy suggested.
I brought up the website and clicked on “Meet Our Dentists.. When it went to the page, the photo of Brian Gunderson
