Ryan
It took less than two minutes to drive to Maya’s house.
On the way, Lola shared how her and Maya were at each other’s house almost every night during the summer months. When they were in school, they spent every weekend together.
“She moved here when I started Kindergarten.” She grabbed the handles on her purse. “We sat together on the bus and when we were old enough, we walked home.” She laughed. “We decided which house to walk to by who’s mom made dessert the night before.”
“Wow, you both are very smart.” I glanced over to Lola and smiled.
“Exactly.” She turned in her seat to face me. “Our mom’s loved to make desserts. Sometimes, they both made something the night before, so we had to pick which one we wanted more.”
“You were serious about your sweets.” I laughed.
“You have no idea.” She winked.
I pulled into the apartment complex. “Let’s go find out if Billy noticed anything unusual.”
Maya flung the door open right as our feet hit the bottom step that led up to her apartment. “Finally.” She waited until we reached the door and then grabbed Lola’s hand to tug her inside. “Thank you for staying tonight.”
“Of course.” Lola wrapped her arm around Maya’s waist. “Anything new to report?”
“No, not yet.” Maya’s shoulders slumped. “I’m starting to feel like I made it all up because there’s no sign of a stalker anywhere.”
“I wouldn’t say that.” Billy was in the hallway walking toward us. “I just noticed something outside I need to go check.” Maya had sliding glass doors that led out to a small outdoor patio. She had a cafe table and two chairs sitting on the cement landing. “I’ll be right back.”
As the door closed behind him, Lola turned to face Maya. “So, how are you doing?”
“Seriously, what are the odds my old crush is the lead detective assigned to my bizarre case?” She rolled her eyes. “I can’t make this shit up.”
“Maybe it’s fate.” Lola squeezed Maya’s hand and did a little dance.
Maya groaned. “Have you noticed, that man looks so bored.”
“Are you sure about that?” Lola playfully nudged her shoulder against Maya. “I watched him at my parent’s house. His eyes told me another story.”
“Yeah, right, he was probably feeling bloated or something.” Maya shrugged her shoulders. “Hopefully it passed.” I didn’t mean to laugh but it was funny.
Billy slid the door open. “Found something.” He held up a piece of paper.
“What’s that?” Maya reached for it. Her eyes went wide. “That’s the receipt from the restaurant we went to a few nights ago.” Her eyes were locked onto the small sheet of paper. “He paid for our dinner.”
“Such a gentleman.” Lola teased.
“Right?” Maya agreed. “When they brought the receipt, I remember he shoved it into his pants pocket.” She glanced over at Billy. “Where did you find it?”
His face looked solemn. “In a bush below your bedroom window.”
Maya gasped.
“Hey.” Lola reached forward and pulled Maya against her chest. “I’m not leaving you alone until we find the piece of shit.”
“You promise.” I noticed how her body visibly relaxed against Lola and she rested her head on her shoulder. “This sucks.” She let out a frustrated sound. “I promise here and now I will never ever try to find a boyfriend online.”
“You promise, eh?” Lola tighted my arms around Maya. “Good.”
Billy cleared his throat. “I definitely want to stay the night and set up surveillance in your bedroom. That seems to be the main area where he has been watching you.”
“Um, okay.” Maya seemed visibly shaken.
“We’ll all be here.” I rested my hand on her shoulder.
“Thanks, Ryan.” Maya smiled, straightened, and turned toward Billy. “Go ahead and set up whatever you need.” He nodded and left the apartment to probably grab a few things from his car. Once he was gone she turned toward us. “Thank you both for all your support. I’ve honestly felt like I was going crazy.”
“Um…” Lola turned her head to the side like she was thinking.
“Hey.” Maya gasped and placed her index finger against Lola’s mouth. “Hush woman. Billy has confirmed I am in fact not crazy.”
“Oh, Billy has confirmed, eh.” Lola laughed.
They both stopped talking when Billy walked back into the apartment holding two large cases most likely for his camera and computer. “Maya, I think he’s back.” He set the cases down. “Can you confirm for me if it’s his car in the parking lot.”
AUTHOR NOTE:
Huh, I guess it wasn’t all just a dream; Maya really does have a stalker. Thankfully, her friends and the sexy detective are there to protect her. Wait, is it the stalker in the parking lot, or is Billy wrong?