He said they were both outside, but it was just him. He has the key to the house. He was alone. He has a view of my room.
“Can I use your phone again?” I ask. “I want to call my mom now.”
“Sure thing.” He taps on the phone a few times and hands it to me, turning back to the window. “No sign of the police yet.”
I walk slowly into the foyer, and Carol walks toward the back of the house. “Tea’s almost ready. When the police come, I want to talk to them, too. Let them know what I’ve seen.”
I step around the corner, by the front door, out of sight and tap on the gallery icon. I scroll through all the pictures of Ace, Carol, and a few of birds, but nothing else.
I tap out of the pictures, but another icon appears on the screen with a camera on it. I tap it and a gallery of photos of a bright room appear, framed by a window.
My bedroom window.
Me with a towel wrapped around me. Me standing in front of the mirror with my top off. Me, walking into my bedroom wearing my black teddy with Stevie following behind. Me in my new red plaid pajamas.
“What the hell?” I whisper, my body vibrating with the shakes.
Footsteps come toward me, and I tap out of the app as Alex rounds the corner.
“Police are here,” he says.
I hand him the phone back and walk to the door. “I’m okay going on my own,” I mutter and open it. I can’t even look at him. “Come on, girl.” Stevie follows me out to the porch.
“Okay, see you back here,” Alex says in a distant voice, or maybe I just can’t focus.
I walk up my path, meeting the officer at the front steps, feeling like I’m in slow motion.
What is going on? Has it been Alex all along? Has he been taking pictures of me since I moved in? How many more does he have of me—doing what?
“Lynda McGowan,” the officer says, a different one than I saw before.
“Yes,” I say, coming back into focus and leaning against the railing for support. “I came home, and there was a car parked in front of the house that’s been here often. I feel like they’re following me, and I called the police, and Officer Corden came, but I haven’t heard back, and I just—” I tear up. “I don’t know what to do anymore.” My breath catches in my throat and he takes his hands off his hips. “The—the door was open. The back door. I never leave it open. Upstairs, there’s fake blood from my costume on the floor, like they used my dog’s toy to mess around with it on the floor, and in my bed…” Tears spill down my cheeks as I open my mouth to say something about Alex.
“Ma’am, I saw you had another call in tonight. I radioed that officer and they’ll get back to me as soon as they can. Would you feel more comfortable staying over there at your neighbours while I do a walk-through?”
“No,” I say quickly. “I’d like to come with you and see for myself. Just to—make sure…”
“Make sure you’re alone and safe? We’ll definitely do that, Ma’am.” Another officer joins us on the porch before they open the door and we step inside.
I follow them and Stevie follows after me. The first one I spoke to says something into his shoulder radio speaker as he flicks on the living room lights.
“Are you here alone?” the officer asks as we walk into the kitchen. “Living alone, I mean.”
“My mom and her boyfriend own the house. They’re on vacation in Maui. I’m here alone. I thought I was alone.”
“Do you have anywhere else you might want to stay, or someone you can call to come and stay with you?”
“Yes.” I finally do. Stokes made it clear he wants to be here for me. “I’ll call him now.”
He nods and the other says, “I’m going upstairs to check things out.”
I nod and follow him up the creaky steps. I must have dropped my bag in the hallway. I grab it and dig my cell phone out as the other officer examines the bathroom.
“This is the blood you used for your costume?” he asks.
“Yes, corn syrup and food colouring.”
“Yeah, it’s not real.” He stands and radios something in like the first one did.
I tap Stokes’s name and press it to my ear. Please don’t be drinking. Please pick up.
“Hey Lyn, everything okay?” His warm, familiar voice makes me well up.
“Where are you?” Tears cloud my vision as the officer walks in front of me into my bedroom.
“Just finished dropping everyone back off. Lyn, what’s wrong?”
“Can you come over?”
“Of course. I’m about twenty away, okay?”
“Thank you.” I hang up and the officer passes me on the way to my mom’s room. “I have a friend coming.”
He nods and continues as Stevie walks into my room. “No girl.” I tap my leg and she walks back to me. I peer into my room and I can see Alex’s office window, the light still on.
I should tell the officer about Alex—the photos he’s taken of me. Why haven’t I told him yet?
The officer comes back to the top of the staircase and I meet him there.
“Everything is secure up here.” I follow him downstairs with Stevie behind me, and the other officer closes the hall closet door and meets us at the front door.
“When I checked the back door, I saw no signs of forced entry. Does anyone else come and go from here?”
“Just my mom and her boyfriend.”
He rests his hands on his hips with a frown. “Does anyone else have a key?”
I nod, trying to speak but my breath is caught in my throat again and another wave of nausea rocks through me as I remember the pictures he took. “The neighbours, Carol and… the man over there, Alex. I went over, and I used
