Spence crouched beside her chair. Touched her hand gently, and the swipe of his fingertips over the back of her hand made her shiver.
“You know that’s not true,” he said quietly. “He was in the grip of an obsession, and it’s lasted for thirteen years. He would never be able to focus his energy and concentration on a high-stress job.”
“Maybe not,” she said, staring at the stack of papers on the left side of her desk. Business she’d neglected since the first charm showed up. “But I’d like to think that if… no, when he’s caught, he’ll get the help he needs and be able to live a semi-normal life.”
From Spence’s expression, she knew he didn’t agree. But he’d been fine for several years. Until…
She turned to Spence. “Did you ever find out what the inciting event was that made him come to Seattle to find me?”
“No,” he said, standing up and pulling his phone out of his pocket. “Let me see if Mel has sent me anything.” He scrolled through his email and stopped after a moment. Stared at the screen. “She found a picture.”
He turned the phone and showed her the screen. Ethan was clearly older, but easily recognizable. He stared into a camera, his mouth curved up in a tiny smile. His hair was short -- maybe the same high and tight haircut he had now. If she saw him on the street, she’d know who he was.
“What do you think?” Spence asked. “Recognize him?”
“Immediately. Older, of course, but his face is the same. His hair was longer in high school, but everyone’s hairstyle is different now than it was thirteen years ago.
“Any other emails from Mel?”
He scrolled through his mail. Stopped. Read something. Finally looked up at her, his mouth a tight line. “His mother died several months ago,” he said. “Cirrhosis of the liver. Davies took a leave of absence from his job at the IGA in a small town in central Illinois to take care of her, started working there again right before she died. After she passed away, he stayed in the house for a while, then sold it and took off. Most likely in his mother’s old Subaru Outback. White. License number AWF 103. No one at the store knew where he went or why.
“Mel called his old boss at the grocery store. The guy had nothing but good things to say about Davies. He was helpful, worked hard and was pleasant to the customers. Never missed work. The manager was sorry to lose him when he moved away.”
Zoe frowned as she stared at Spence. “Do you have any theories about why he took off? What happened to make him sell his house and head for Seattle?”
“No clues in what Mel found.” He took her hand in his and held it tightly. Twined their fingers together and brought her hand to his mouth. Pressed a kiss to it. “But I’m guessing it had something to do with you. Either he found where you were living or found something in his house that made him think of you.”
“The charm bracelet,” Zoe said, tightening her grip on Spence’s hand. “He wouldn’t have had it at the psychiatric facility -- they wouldn’t have allowed it. I bet his mother threw it in a drawer and never thought of it again. And maybe he found it when he was cleaning out her house.”
Spence nodded slowly. “You might be right,” he said. “Finding the bracelet could have been his trigger for digging until he found you. When he did, he sold the house and headed for Seattle. But it could have been something else. Maybe his mother saved his report cards. Or some of his tests from school. That could have reminded him of you, too.” He shrugged. “We’ll probably never know.”
“And it doesn’t really matter why he’s here,” Zoe said, withdrawing her hand from Spence’s. “We just have to make sure he’s stopped.”
“I’ll do that, Zoe,” Spence said. “I promise.”
She studied him for a long moment. Finally smiled. “I know you will,” she said. “I trust that you’ll protect me. And catch Ethan.”
“He’ll make his move sooner or later. Probably sooner. Obsessed people don’t have a lot of patience. We’ll stop him, Zoe.”
“I know.” She pressed a kiss to his cheek, then sat back in her chair. “I have work I need to do,” she said. “The last two days were pretty much a bust as far as work, and I have to catch up.”
“Good. I have stuff to do, as well,” he said.
They both worked until five or so, then Zoe saved her work and shut her laptop. “Are you about ready to leave?” she asked. “We missed lunch today, and I’m hungry.”
“Two more minutes and I’ll be good to go.”
Five minutes later, Spence closed his computer and shoved it into his briefcase. “You set?” he asked.
“Yeah.” She put her own computer in her briefcase, then stared down at it. Spence had arrived a few days ago, but she was already bored and antsy with the routine of going to work and coming home. Hanging around her condo.
On the other hand… a thrill of anticipation shivered through her. They had lots of ways to keep busy at her condo now. And she looked forward to discovering every one of them with Spence.
But she normally went out to dinner a few nights a week, meeting friends or co-workers to unwind from her stressful job. And she remembered something her HR director, Ron, had told her, about a great band at the local Irish pub. Amazing musicians, fun to watch, a good time.
That would be a nice change of scenery, if they could do it safely.
“Hey, Spence, what would you think about going out to a pub tonight? Having dinner and listening to some music.”