CHAPTER 7: THE WATCHER ACROSS THE STREET
CHAPTER 7: THE WATCHER ACROSS THE STREET
Three nights had passed since the incident at The Copper Lantern.
For the first time in months, Maya slept in her childhood bedroom.
The house where Elena had raised her suddenly felt like a fortress.
Every door was locked.
Every curtain was drawn.
Yet Elena couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching.
At 2:17 a.m., she looked through the narrow opening between the curtains.
The same black SUV remained parked across the street.
Its headlights were off.
Its windows were too dark to see inside.
It had appeared shortly after sunset.
It hadn't moved once.
Elena quietly reached for her phone.
Detective Marcus Hale answered on the second ring.
"I think they're here."
Hale didn't ask who.
He already knew.
"I'm sending a patrol car," he replied.
"Stay inside."
Within ten minutes, a marked police cruiser rolled slowly down the quiet neighborhood.
The officers approached the SUV cautiously.
As soon as the flashing lights reflected across its windshield, the engine roared to life.
The vehicle sped away.
"No pursuit," Hale ordered over the radio.
"Just get the plate."
Minutes later, the answer came back.
"License stolen."
Hale wasn't surprised.
Professional.
Prepared.
Patient.
Whoever had been sitting outside Elena's home wasn't acting alone.
The following morning, Maya finally agreed to speak openly.
"I kept thinking if I stayed quiet," she whispered, "everything would get better."
Elena reached across the table and squeezed her daughter's hand.
"It wasn't your responsibility to fix someone else's choices."
Maya nodded slowly.
For the first time, she wasn't apologizing.
She was beginning to believe she deserved to be safe.
Across town, Hale reviewed traffic camera footage.
The SUV disappeared into an underground parking garage.
Then vanished.
No exit footage.
No additional cameras.
Someone had planned every move.
May you like
"This wasn't intimidation," Hale muttered.
"They were monitoring us."
