The FBI? This was much more serious than I realized. The steep chill on my spine deepened.
“I’ve received an envelope like this too,” he said. “Several, in fact. They contained newspaper clippings about Jace’s accident, the two of us at the Art Institute, a mention of you in conjunction with the opening of Willowgrass. The first one arrived while we were broken up and you were sick. I told you I was going out of my mind with worry then and I was. Because you were sick, but also because I was so afraid that something was going to happen to you. And you wouldn’t see me or talk to me.”
I looked at him and my heart shattered. I’d had no idea. I couldn’t imagine what kind of hell I had unwittingly put William through then.
“And I’ve received photos taken of me” He gestured to envelope I’d brought. “I didn’t have these pictures taken. Whoever is watching me is also watching you.”
My cell began to ring again, and I ignored it. “So I’m in danger? There’s some creep out there who might hurt me to get to you?”
But he wasn’t looking at me anymore. He was staring at my bag on the couch behind us. “You’d better answer that.”
I blinked. “What?”
“Your phone. It’s been ringing non-stop.”
Concerned now, I grabbed my bag and rifled through it until I found my phone. I saw on the screen immediately that the caller was Minerva. My heart clenched in my chest. Why would Minerva call me? I felt William take my hand and realized I was shaking. But he was beside me. He was giving me the strength and support of his love.
“H-hello?”
“Catherine? Thank God. Where are you?” Her voice was high and shrill and I felt the first stirrings of panic creep in.
“I’m at William’s. What’s wrong, Minerva?”
“It’s your apartment. Someone broke in.”
“W-what?”
William’s hand clenched over mine. He must have heard Minerva’s voice carry through the phone.
“The police are here, dear. You had better come home right away. They want to talk to you.”
My entire body shook now, and I was so cold my teeth were chattering. “O-okay. I’ll be there in a few minutes.” I glanced at William. His face reflected dread but also determination. I knew without a doubt he would do anything to keep me safe.
“Do hurry, dear,” Minerva said. “And, Catherine, there’s one other thing.”
My hand clenched painfully around William’s.
“We can’t find Laird.”
I ended the call with Minerva and looked up at William. I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing now, and he pulled me into his arms as I sobbed. I was so scared and overwhelmed by how things were quickly spiraling out of control. And Laird. Laird! I looked down at my watch and it was nearly six. It was dark out. Laird wore a reflective collar with ID tags, but the nighttime Chicago streets in winter were no place for my dog. I needed to start looking for him. I pulled back from William’s embrace and wiped my sleeve across my runny nose. “Listen, can you have George drive me home? I need to talk to the police, then I need to start looking for Laird. The sooner I can start walking through the neighborhood, the sooner I can find him. My cell number is on his tag, so if someone finds him first, maybe they’ll call me—”
“Catherine.” William looked down at me. “I’ll take you to your condo so you can talk to the police. And I’ll help you look for Laird. But you can’t stay there.”
“What do you mean I can’t stay there?” I looked up him and he wore a stern expression. “Where else am I supposed to go? That’s my home! I’m not going to let some stupid break-in scare me off. Minerva didn’t even say if anything is missing.”
“Catherine,” William said again, this time in that dark and dominating tone that meant he was determined to have his way no matter what. “I love you and there is no way in hell I am letting the woman I love spend the night in what is currently a crime scene. No way, no how. We’ll go over there and talk to the police. Then you can pack a bag to bring back here. Then we’ll look for Laird. No arguing.”
I stared back at him, my gaze hard on his, and let out a deep sigh. He was right. He was only thinking about my safety and my well-being. He loved me. And I loved him too.
“Ok,” I said. “Let’s get dressed and go.”
“See, was that so hard?” he asked as he grabbed my hand and pulled me along to the master suite to find our clothes.
I sat on the edge of William’s bed buttoning up my blouse and watched as he pulled a heavy cable-knit sweater over his T-shirt. He’d already put on a pair of tight faded jeans that did wonders for his ass. He starting talking while he was lacing up a pair of rugged hiking boots. “I’ll talk to George and ask him to pick up the envelope and proof sheets and have them analyzed. We’ve already sent all of the other stuff I’ve received to the lab, but so far it’s all come back clean. No prints, no identifying markers. Maybe we’ll get lucky with yours.”