Chapter 9 - The Stalking
Bringing Lucas home should have been a moment of triumph. Instead, the house felt like a fortress under siege. Daniel hired a private security firm to install state-of-the-art cameras, motion sensors, and reinforced locks.
A week after Beatrice was released on bail, the stalking began.
It was subtle at first. Sarah would see a familiar black Mercedes idling at the end of their cul-de-sac. The mail would arrive opened. Hang-up calls plagued their landline at 3:00 AM.
Beatrice was trying to intimidate them into dropping the charges or fleeing. She wanted them paranoid and exhausted.
One afternoon, while Lucas was playing in the living room, a rock shattered the front window. Attached to it was a note written in elegant cursive:
May you like
“You should have left when you had the chance.”
Sarah didn't scream. She swept up the glass, handed the note to Daniel, and said, “She thinks we’re prey. It’s time we remind her who holds the evidence.”
