The Christmas Stalking (4 page)

His hand topped hers. “That’s good to hear.” He pulled into a driveway.

A white farmhouse was at the end of the lane. A barn and several other outbuildings were scattered behind it.

“Leonard lives on a farm?”

“Not just any farm. Don’t you recognize it? It’s my old house. I sold it to him a few years ago after my parents died.”

“Oh, Robby. Both of them?”

“Yes.” His voice held a thread of old pain. “A car accident. Anyway, as the chief of police, I needed to live closer to town. And Len liked the idea of living on a farm so it worked out for both of us.”

“So, that means my cabin is through those woods.” She pointed at the trees beyond the farmhouse.

“Good sense of direction.”

“A computer genius and a farmer?”

“Not really. He rents his fields out to another farmer. He has a few horses and maybe a chicken or two, but mostly cats. Everyone drops them off here, and he takes care of them.”

“Is he married?”

“He’d have to date a woman before he could get married. He’s not very good with women.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Don’t get me wrong. Len’s a great guy and any woman would be lucky to have him. He’s just so focused on what he does, he forgets work isn’t everything.”

“That makes sense. I’m the same way. Especially when it’s time to record. I eat, sleep, and drink my music. And truthfully, I’m not all that much fun to be around.”

“I find that hard to believe, Holly.” He winked at her.

Warmth blossomed in her heart like a flower bud in the spring. Coming to Serenity might be the best thing she’d done in a long time.

Robby opened her car door and held out a hand.

Clasping his fingers with her gloved hand, she walked towards the white farmhouse.

7

Holly stared at her breath as they walked up the steps. She longed for the heat and green grass of Nashville. This place was too cold for her southern bones. She stood beside Robby as he rapped on the door.

Footfalls on wooden floors pounded and the door opened.

Leonard stepped onto the porch. His gaze settled on their clasped hands, but he made no comment.

Holly pulled her hand away from Robby’s.

Leonard’s gazed traveled upward. “Holly Stone. It’s been a long time.”

Leonard hadn’t changed much since the last time she’d seen him—eighteen years ago. Still skinny and wearing glasses, but taller. She smiled at the man who might be able to save her. “It’s been a long time, Leonard.”

He smiled. “It has been. Come on in. It’s freezing out there.”

“See, he knows it’s cold.” She pointed at Robby with her gloved hand. “Your friend here seems to love the winter weather.”

“Well, he can enjoy it.” Leonard motioned them in. “I’ll stay where it’s nice and warm.”

She walked inside.

Leonard wasn’t kidding.

The room was stifling hot.

She pulled off her purple stocking hat and then the gloves.

“It’s like an oven in here,” Robby complained. “That can’t be good for the computers.”

“Don’t care. I might live in upstate New York, but I don’t have to freeze while I’m doing it.”

The scent of cinnamon and apples made her forget she’d already eaten breakfast. “It smells good in here.”

“Just made some apple fritters. From my own apple trees. Want one?”

“Sure.”

“Follow me.” He glanced back and gave her a shy smile. “I love to cook and bake. It helps me relax.”

“That’s nice.”

He led the way to the kitchen. Picking up a plate, he held it out to her.

Choosing the smallest of the huge icing-covered apple fritters, she smiled. “If it tastes as good as it looks, I could be in trouble.”

“It does, but you could eat a ton of them. You’re in great shape. I mean you have a great bod—well, you don’t have to worry about your weight.” His cheeks flamed red.

Holly hid her smile.

Leonard handed the plate to Robby. “Here have one. I’ll get some milk. Then we can talk.”

They sat around the kitchen table.

“Robb tells me you have a problem. It’s hard to believe the police can’t figure out the source of the e-mails.” Leonard looked at her.

“It surprised me, too. But Mark—that’s my manager—said each time they get close, the guy shuts down the e-mail address and disappears.”

“Computers are like people. They always leave trace evidence. You just have to know how to follow it. Let’s see what I can find out.”

“I don’t have my laptop with me.”

“That’s OK. I don’t need it.”

“Really?”

“As long as I have your e-mail address and passwords, that will get us started.”

“Great.”

“OK, then. I’ve got work to do, but I’ll come back out in a few hours to see what’s going on,” Robby said. “Holly, are you staying or going?”

“I don’t know.” She glanced at Leonard. “Do you want me to stay?”

His cheeks flushed red, and he wouldn’t meet her eyes. Robby was right about him being shy with women. “Whatever you want to do is fine with me. But I might need more information.” He shifted uncomfortably. “I can always call you, but...if you want to stay that would be nice, Destiny.”

“Then I’ll stay. And you can call me Holly. “

“Then it’s settled. I’ll see you later. Hopefully, you’ll find out who this creep is by the time I get back.” Robby left.

Leonard led Holly into the living room.

One wall had a huge computer desk with two different computers. There were several printers and a few other machines Holly couldn’t identify.

A huge flat screen TV hung on another wall with two recliners facing it. A stereo system was under the television. A wood-burning stove rounded out the room.

“Interesting décor, Leonard.”

“Call me Len. Everybody does, Destiny.”

“OK, call me Holly. Destiny is my stage name.”

“If it’s all the same, I’ll call you Destiny. I love your music, by the way.”

“Really?”

He went to the stereo system and held up a CD case. “Only music I buy. The rest I listen to on satellite radio or an mp3, but I always buy your CDs.”

The apple fritter she’d eaten was heavy on her stomach. Robby hadn’t known who she was, but Len did? That didn’t make sense. Robby said they were good friends. Surely, they would have discussed her at some point. “So, you knew I was Destiny?”

He sat down at the computer and hit some buttons on the keyboard. “Time to get to work. Let’s find that stalker of yours so you can get back to making beautiful music.”

“Len, you didn’t answer my question.”

He looked up from the monitor. “What question?”

“I asked if you knew I was Destiny before today.”

“Does it matter?”

A chill went down her spine. “Just curious.”

“Of course, I knew. It took me a little while to figure it out, but once I learned your real name was Holly, it didn’t take long to figure out Destiny was Holly Stone. No big deal.”

“You’re right, no big deal. So Robby knew I was Destiny?”

Len nodded, but looked confused. “Well, he didn’t know until I told him and even then he argued until I proved it to him.”

Disappointment coursed through her. Robby had lied—pretending not to know she was Destiny. Maybe she couldn’t trust him. She bit her lip and put the CD back where it belonged.

“You can watch TV while I work if you want.”

“It won’t bother you?”

“Not at all. I usually keep it on—or I listen to your CDs.” He’d already returned his focus to the keyboard.

She grabbed the remote and sat on the recliner. She turned the TV to some rerun but couldn’t keep her mind on the plot.

Robby lied. The question was, why?

She’d believed she could trust him—but now she wasn’t so sure.

The emotional part of her wanted to react. The logical sane part told her not to jump to conclusions, but to wait and ask him about it. There could be a perfectly reasonable explanation…maybe Robby hadn’t lied.

Another cold spike ran down her back.

8

Holly sat in the recliner pretending to watch TV. In reality, for the past two hours she watched Len as he worked. He was intent on what he was doing. Every so often he would sigh or mutter. He didn’t seem to be having much success.

Len looked up. “This guy is good. Every time I get close, the lead fizzles. “

Another dead end. Why couldn’t anyone find the stalker? Somehow, the person had found her in spite of all her precautions. Maybe she should let Destiny disappear forever?

“So, I guess that’s the end of that?” she asked. “Thanks for trying.”

“Not yet. I’m not going to give up until I find him. It’s the only way you’ll feel safe.”

What a sweet guy.

“Robby tells me you work for a New York business.”

He nodded, but didn’t look up. “I do. I go to New York, sometimes. Maybe the next time you’re there, we can...uh...you know get together. For dinner.”

“That would be nice. I’m surprised you wouldn’t choose to live in the big city.”

“Nah, I like it here with all the people I grew up with. It’s comfortable being here, going to the church I’ve always gone to. Speaking of church, Destiny. We’re having a Christmas Eve service.”

“I know. Robby invited me to go.”

He chuckled. “Of course, he did. He always goes after the pretty girls.”

She smiled.

“You know what would be a great idea? You could sing at the Christmas Eve service. I know Renee—the choir director—would love that. What do you think?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Len. I’m trying to keep a low profile.”

“But everyone would love it. With your voice, you’d sound like an angel. It would be a great surprise, don’t you think?”

She realized he was sincere in his invitation. “Probably not. Maybe another time, though.”

He looked disappointed, but nodded. “Yeah, you’re probably right about that. So, what’s it like? Being rich and famous?”

She patted his shoulder, feeling bad about not accepting his invitation. “It’s actually hard work most of the time. But there’s still time for some fun, too.”

She wandered to his stereo system, checking out the music. All her CDs were there—even the early ones.

“Yeah, I saw you on the Country Music Awards a while back. That looked like fun.”

“It was, but it still involved work. Had to rehearse and study my lines. And dress up. You can’t imagine what’s involved in looking like this.” She picked up her latest CD and pointed to the glamorous picture on the cover. “It’s not all fun and games.”

“That’s one of my favorite covers. You look so beautiful.”

“Thanks.”

“Robb should be back any minute.”

“How do you know—?”

A loud knock sounded on the door.

Len grinned. “I have secret powers.”

“So I see.”

He held up a cell phone. “The power of texting. Come on in, Chief,” he called out.

Robby had a grim look on his face. “Did you find anything?”

Her emotions had calmed during the past two hours. However, Robby needed to explain some things. But it could wait until they were alone.

“Not yet. The police are right. This guy is good, but I’m not giving up yet.”

“Good, keep looking. Things have taken an unexpected turn—for the worse. Seems somebody found out that Destiny is here in Serenity and apparently told the media. A news crew showed up in town.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Holly trembled.

“I wish I was. Nothing like a celebrity who is being stalked to bring out the media. “

She ran fingers through her hair, wondering why she’d even bothered cutting it. “This is exactly what I didn’t want to happen.”

“It’s not your fault.” Len patted her on the shoulder.

“Then whose fault is it?”

“Actually, it’s your manager’s fault.” Robby’s tone was dry.

“What? Mark? Why do you say that?”

Robby took his coat off and tossed it on a chair. “You must be burning up in here.”

Holly asked the question again. “Why do you think it was Mark?”

“He told me when I gave him a speeding ticket.”

“Mark is here? In Serenity? Are you sure?”

Robby nodded. “I saw his Nashville address on his license and asked him what he was doing so far from home. He admitted he was looking for you. And as we stood there a news van drove past. You put them together and it leads to Mark.”

“Where is he now?”

“Last I saw he was heading towards the hotel.”

Len turned in his swivel chair and looked at Holly. “I thought you didn’t tell him.”

“I didn’t tell him. I didn’t tell anyone. And as far as I can remember, I’ve never even told him about the cabin. Or Serenity.” She stopped pacing and stared at Robby. “I wonder how the media found me.”

“Maybe the stalker told them.” Len paced around the room. “After what happened at the cabin last night, we know the stalker knows where you are. So maybe he contacted the media as well.”

Holly shuddered. “Maybe, but why would he do that?”

Len shrugged. “Just to prove he’s the one in control. To show he has the power.”

“That’s a good theory, Len, but my money’s still on Holly’s manager.”

Holly sat down at the computer desk, turning so she could see Robby. “But I’m confused, how did Mark even find me?”

“It’s hard to hide these days with the Internet and social media,” Len commented. “Maybe someone in town recognized you and said something to someone online, and it just went from there.”

“It’s possible, but that’s not how he found you,” Robby replied.

“You know how he found me?”

“Mark admitted to putting a GPS tracker on your rental car.” Robbie sounded grim. “You rented it before that last concert, he said.”

Shock left her speechless for a few seconds. “Unbelievable.” Anger silenced her again as she contemplated the violation of privacy. Was there nowhere she could relax and get away from the world, even for a few precious days?

“I have a theory,” Robby said as he sat down in the recliner.

“What’s that?” Holly leaned forward to listen.

“I don’t think you have a stalker.”