"No, there's a different look to you. I know you, Sheldon. I've been inside of you. You're different." One of his eyebrows lifted. "Maybe more mature?"
I rolled my eyes at the tease. "How is it that you're here again?"
Denton laughed as he stood up. "I know what that tone is telling me. It's telling me to get the hell out, so I'm going, Sheldon." When he got to the door, he paused and looked back. "You do look good. The bruises will fade. I'm not talking about that. You look strong."
When wasn't I strong? I could tear anybody up. Yeah, right. "Can you tell Mena that I asked about her? I know Grace would like to know too."
"Grace should already know. She's gone to visit Mena three times this year," Denton informed me before waving. "See you around, Sheldon. I doubt this will be our last run-in. It's good to see you're okay."
Grace had never said anything about visiting Mena. Three times? Why would she lie about that?
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The next morning, I was cleared to return home. As I packed the change of clothes that Grace dropped off earlier, I felt someone in my doorway. Officer Sheila gave me a small wave and grin.
It didn't look like she had good news. I sat and waited.
"I went to your house. It was trashed."
Oh. That wasn't what I had expected. "That's from the party."
"I've seen parties and I've seen parties gone bad, Sheldon. This wasn't either of those. All of your glasses were in pieces of the floor. Plates looked like they'd been thrown across the room. Your liquor was dumped and the bottles were in pieces too. Your bedding was ripped, as if someone had taken a knife to them. Your clothes were on the floor. A knife was taken to them too. The car tires were slashed. Someone used a poker on your couches. We couldn't find a place to sit down in that house, and you have a very large house." She folded her hands in front of her and heaved a deep breath. Her flat eyes seemed even flatter that morning. "Someone wants to hurt you."
That hadn't even happened from my first stalker. Holy… "I don't know what to say…"
"Do you have insurance?"
"I…yeah, but…" Someone hated me that much.
"I thought Bryce would go back to your place. He's not staying with you?"
"Um…he is, but he stayed here with me last night." Why did I lie for him? "After that, I don't know. He might've gone to find Corrigan."
"What about Corrigan? Where does he live now?"
"At a fraternity house."
Officer Sheila snorted. "Corrigan's in a fraternity? Why does that not surprise me?" She sighed and sat beside me. "Look. I'm just going to give it to you straight. I know you'd want nothing less. You have a stalker, and it's a female. Some bitch really hates you, and she's going to keep making your life hell. She's going to do small petty shit like this. I've seen other female stalkers and they're all the same. She's probably obsessed with Bryce, and you took him away from her. That's what she's thinking. Could that be true? You got beef with anyone else over Bryce?"
A dry laugh escaped me. "Before he became a jock star or after?"
"Has someone been sending him creepy letters? Or did he…did he cheat on you with anyone?" She held off whatever else she wanted to ask. The silence seemed so heavy.
With a sigh, I lifted my head. "I don't know. Maybe." He'd had six months. He could've done anything with anyone and I wouldn't know. "He hasn't said anything about creepy letters, but I'm sure he gets them. I know you want me to give you names, but honestly—I have a lot of enemies. It could be anyone."
"You're not the father!"
Officer Sheila glanced up at the television when the talk show erupted in screams. She grunted, "I was watching one of those gossip shows before." At my look, she held up her hands. "It was only because I was forced to. There was a story on you and Bryce in there. They're saying some model from Spain is here, Guadalajera or…"
"Guadalupe." I was starting to hate that bitch.
"Does she seem crazy and obsessive?"
I closed my eyes, grateful she hadn't asked the obvious. "I don't know. We exchanged words a few times in Spain before I left, but that was it. She was at the club yesterday trying something with Bryce. It looked like he was holding her off."
"Okay." Officer Sheila stood up and ran her hands down her jeans. She scratched the back of her neck and looked out the window. "I'll, uh…I'll find out where she's staying and go have a chat with her. I'll keep you posted. Tell me anything about anyone if you think of it."
I nodded. I still couldn't understand why this was happening again.
"Middle of the night, you can call me. I mean it. I'll be awake." She chuckled to herself. "That's how sad my life is. Take care of yourself, Sheldon. You got someone coming to pick you up?"
"Yeah, sure."
When she left, I grimaced as I grabbed the small bag and headed out. No one was coming to pick me up. No one knew that I was cleared to go home, but now I couldn't go home. So I called the one person I never thought I would call in my life.
Bryce's agent answered with a suspicious hello.
"Mathias, I need a favor."
"What kind of a favor? Thanks for not scratching Guadalupe's face, by the way. I know her agent. She would've ripped me a new one."
"What hotel is she staying at?"
"What? No way. No way, Jose. You stay away from her, Sheldon."
"Relax."
"You relax. I'll tell Bryce. I'm hanging up right now to call him."
"Stop!" I rolled my eyes. He was such a pansy. "I know you don't want any trouble from me, but I want to apologize to her. I won't even see her. I'll leave a note at the front desk, but I need to know which hotel so that I can do that."
When he started to argue some more, I groaned. "Come on, Mathias. I don't trust anyone else to do this. You know how things end up in the media's hands. Just give me the name. That's it."
There was a long silence, but he asked, "Are you sure? That's all you're going to do."
"I promise." Why did people always ask that of me? Did they not really know me? Of course I was lying.
I rolled my eyes at the tease. "How is it that you're here again?"
Denton laughed as he stood up. "I know what that tone is telling me. It's telling me to get the hell out, so I'm going, Sheldon." When he got to the door, he paused and looked back. "You do look good. The bruises will fade. I'm not talking about that. You look strong."
When wasn't I strong? I could tear anybody up. Yeah, right. "Can you tell Mena that I asked about her? I know Grace would like to know too."
"Grace should already know. She's gone to visit Mena three times this year," Denton informed me before waving. "See you around, Sheldon. I doubt this will be our last run-in. It's good to see you're okay."
Grace had never said anything about visiting Mena. Three times? Why would she lie about that?
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The next morning, I was cleared to return home. As I packed the change of clothes that Grace dropped off earlier, I felt someone in my doorway. Officer Sheila gave me a small wave and grin.
It didn't look like she had good news. I sat and waited.
"I went to your house. It was trashed."
Oh. That wasn't what I had expected. "That's from the party."
"I've seen parties and I've seen parties gone bad, Sheldon. This wasn't either of those. All of your glasses were in pieces of the floor. Plates looked like they'd been thrown across the room. Your liquor was dumped and the bottles were in pieces too. Your bedding was ripped, as if someone had taken a knife to them. Your clothes were on the floor. A knife was taken to them too. The car tires were slashed. Someone used a poker on your couches. We couldn't find a place to sit down in that house, and you have a very large house." She folded her hands in front of her and heaved a deep breath. Her flat eyes seemed even flatter that morning. "Someone wants to hurt you."
That hadn't even happened from my first stalker. Holy… "I don't know what to say…"
"Do you have insurance?"
"I…yeah, but…" Someone hated me that much.
"I thought Bryce would go back to your place. He's not staying with you?"
"Um…he is, but he stayed here with me last night." Why did I lie for him? "After that, I don't know. He might've gone to find Corrigan."
"What about Corrigan? Where does he live now?"
"At a fraternity house."
Officer Sheila snorted. "Corrigan's in a fraternity? Why does that not surprise me?" She sighed and sat beside me. "Look. I'm just going to give it to you straight. I know you'd want nothing less. You have a stalker, and it's a female. Some bitch really hates you, and she's going to keep making your life hell. She's going to do small petty shit like this. I've seen other female stalkers and they're all the same. She's probably obsessed with Bryce, and you took him away from her. That's what she's thinking. Could that be true? You got beef with anyone else over Bryce?"
A dry laugh escaped me. "Before he became a jock star or after?"
"Has someone been sending him creepy letters? Or did he…did he cheat on you with anyone?" She held off whatever else she wanted to ask. The silence seemed so heavy.
With a sigh, I lifted my head. "I don't know. Maybe." He'd had six months. He could've done anything with anyone and I wouldn't know. "He hasn't said anything about creepy letters, but I'm sure he gets them. I know you want me to give you names, but honestly—I have a lot of enemies. It could be anyone."
"You're not the father!"
Officer Sheila glanced up at the television when the talk show erupted in screams. She grunted, "I was watching one of those gossip shows before." At my look, she held up her hands. "It was only because I was forced to. There was a story on you and Bryce in there. They're saying some model from Spain is here, Guadalajera or…"
"Guadalupe." I was starting to hate that bitch.
"Does she seem crazy and obsessive?"
I closed my eyes, grateful she hadn't asked the obvious. "I don't know. We exchanged words a few times in Spain before I left, but that was it. She was at the club yesterday trying something with Bryce. It looked like he was holding her off."
"Okay." Officer Sheila stood up and ran her hands down her jeans. She scratched the back of her neck and looked out the window. "I'll, uh…I'll find out where she's staying and go have a chat with her. I'll keep you posted. Tell me anything about anyone if you think of it."
I nodded. I still couldn't understand why this was happening again.
"Middle of the night, you can call me. I mean it. I'll be awake." She chuckled to herself. "That's how sad my life is. Take care of yourself, Sheldon. You got someone coming to pick you up?"
"Yeah, sure."
When she left, I grimaced as I grabbed the small bag and headed out. No one was coming to pick me up. No one knew that I was cleared to go home, but now I couldn't go home. So I called the one person I never thought I would call in my life.
Bryce's agent answered with a suspicious hello.
"Mathias, I need a favor."
"What kind of a favor? Thanks for not scratching Guadalupe's face, by the way. I know her agent. She would've ripped me a new one."
"What hotel is she staying at?"
"What? No way. No way, Jose. You stay away from her, Sheldon."
"Relax."
"You relax. I'll tell Bryce. I'm hanging up right now to call him."
"Stop!" I rolled my eyes. He was such a pansy. "I know you don't want any trouble from me, but I want to apologize to her. I won't even see her. I'll leave a note at the front desk, but I need to know which hotel so that I can do that."
When he started to argue some more, I groaned. "Come on, Mathias. I don't trust anyone else to do this. You know how things end up in the media's hands. Just give me the name. That's it."
There was a long silence, but he asked, "Are you sure? That's all you're going to do."
"I promise." Why did people always ask that of me? Did they not really know me? Of course I was lying.
