The Christmas Stalking Read online

  Robby looked over at Holly. “Renee’s our choir director at church, and rumor is she has a secret plot for the Christmas Eve service this year.”

  “I’ll never tell.” She walked away, calling back over her shoulder, “Be a few minutes.”

  Holly picked up her hot chocolate. “Mmm. Smells great.”

  “And tastes delicious.” He blew on it, and then took a sip. “Best in town.”

  Holly did the same. “You’re right. Yummy-licious.”

  “So, what is it I don’t know?”

  “Oh, nothing. It’s not important.”

  “It sounded important.”

  She slipped off her ruined shoes and reached into the shoe box. First, she put on the warm wooly ski socks. They felt like heaven on her frozen toes. “You asked what I did for a living. I figured you probably knew.”

  “How would I know? I haven’t seen you in fifteen or twenty years.”

  “Eighteen to be exact. I was twelve the last time I was here.” She tugged on the hiking boot.

  “That long ago? Wow, time sure does fly. Why did you stop coming?”

  “After my dad died, my mom had to work. And she didn’t like me being home all day by myself while she worked, so I’d come up here in the summers with my grandparents. When I turned thirteen, she said I was old enough to stay at home without a babysitter. And besides, Grandma and Grandpa were getting older by then.”

  He nodded. “We had some fun, didn’t we? Do you remember the time you fell into the creek?”

  “I did not fall into that creek, Robby Trenton. You pushed me. And you know it.”

  His blue eyes twinkled as he laughed. “That’s not how I remember it. All I remember is rescuing you.”

  She laughed, surprised how safe she felt sitting with Robby.

  Renee walked over with a carafe and their food. “Need a refill on the hot chocolate?”

  “Hit me,” Robby said, but Holly put a hand over her cup.

  Rene stared at her for a moment, and then said, “Are you sure I don’t know you? You sure seem familiar.”

  “I don’t think so. I spent summers here, but that was almost twenty years ago.”

  “Then that’s not it. I’ve only been here for ten.” She shrugged. “I guess you must remind me of someone.”

  Holly sure hoped not. “I must have one of those faces that everyone thinks they know.”

  “I guess.” Renee walked away.

  With an inward sigh of relief, Holly speared a bite of pancake and stirred it in the maple syrup before popping it in her mouth. Delicious.

  They ate and talked about old times.

  After the last bite was gone, Renee slapped the check on the table. “Clean plates mean happy customers. See you later.”

  Not likely. This place made number one on Holly’s list of places to avoid. She couldn’t take the chance of Renee learning her identity. Holly reached in her purse for money, but Robby picked up the check.

  “My treat. Especially since you helped the local economy by maxing out those credit cards of yours.”

  She laughed. “I didn’t say I did. I said maybe I did. Thanks, Robby. I better get going.” She picked up her boot box and stood.

  “The church is having their Christmas program tomorrow night. It’s always fun with all the kids acting their little hearts out. You might enjoy it. Want to come?”

  She should say no. The point of coming here was to stay hidden, but she would go stir-crazy in that cabin. “Sure, why not?”

  “It starts at seven. I’ll be out to get you at six thirty.”

  She pulled on her stocking cap and gloves. “Sounds good. Back out into the frozen tundra. See you later.”

  3

  Robby opened the car door, and Holly stepped out in front of a little white chapel, its front door decorated with pine boughs and pretty, silk red and white poinsettias.

  She stood staring at the church, not moving. This was the church she’d been baptized in on a hot summer day long ago. She’d not stepped inside a church for a long time—too long. Guilt wrapped around her heart.

  “You OK?”

  She nodded, not sure if her voice would work.

  “Are you sure you’re feeling all right?” Robby held on to her arm as he led her up the steps.

  Thankfully so, because Holly wasn’t quite sure she wanted to visit her past. She took a deep breath and nodded as they stepped inside.

  Her step faltered. She could almost hear God saying, Welcome back, My child. A long time had passed since God spoke to her.

  Once they were seated, Robby pulled out his mobile phone and frowned at the text message written there. “I’ll be back in a moment,” he whispered.

  She was alone with her thoughts and her guilt—and with God. She stared at the old wooden cross at the front of the church. Her eyes filled with tears and she knew something was happening deep inside. She had a choice to listen to that still, quiet Voice.

  Or ignore it.

  ****

  The children’s voices lifted and held a note until the young woman standing at the front of the stage lowered her hand. A moment of silence, and then the applause started.

  Holly clapped with the rest of the audience. Robby had been right. The program was the cutest thing Holly had ever seen.

  As the kids exited the stage, she looked around the church for Robby. He’d missed the entire program. He’d never come back after he received that phone call. Hopefully there wasn’t a serious problem.

  She stood, not sure what to do. Robby had brought her, how would she get back to the cabin? Did she wait for him? Meet him at the police station?

  “Well, I see our ornery chief has deserted you.”

  Holly whirled around.

  Renee.

  The one person in town she needed to avoid.

  God certainly had a sense of humor.

  “I guess that’s the price I pay for coming with the chief of police.”

  Robby sauntered down the aisle towards them. “Are you saying bad things about me?”

  “Everything OK?” Holly smiled.

  “Fine. Only a fender bender. I’m back just in time.”

  “Hardly. You missed most of the program. You’ve got to learn to turn off that phone of yours when you’re at church,” Renee admonished.

  “Can’t do that. This town would fall apart without me. You know that.” He winked and added, “Not.”

  “You said it, not me.” Renee laughed, and then glanced at Holly. “The kids did great, don’t you think?”

  “Adorable. The cutest thing I’ve seen in a long time.”

  Renee held out her hand. “We didn’t have a proper introduction the other day. My name’s Renee.”

  Suddenly uncomfortable, Holly wanted to run in the other direction. Instead, she shook the offered hand. “Holly Stone.”

  “I still think you look familiar.” Renee shrugged. “Oh, well. It will come to me. So, are you moving to town, Holly? ’Cause if you are, the church choir could always use another member. Do you sing?”

  “Renee’s always trying to recruit new singers.”

  Singing was not a topic she wanted to discuss. “I’m only here for a few days. Sorry.”

  “Well, if you’re here, make sure you come for the Christmas Eve service. This year’s going to be extra special.”

  “Do tell, Renee,” Robby teased. “I keep hearing that, but nobody’s sharing the details.”

  “You’re the detective. Find out for yourself.” Renee laughed and gave a small wave before walking away. “Nice to meet you, Holly.”

  “She’s a character,” Robby said. “You ready to go home? Or can we go for something to eat, or a cup of coffee?”

  “I think I’ll pass. It’s been a long day.” She needed to be alone. Her thoughts were a jumble. Being in God’s presence made her mind go where it hadn’t been in a long while. Time to make some changes in her life.

  She was tired of being alone all the time. Her most meaningful re
lationship was with her manager. How sad was that?

  God had reminded her tonight life was about more than that next hit song.

  When they reached the cabin, she turned to Robby. “Thanks for tonight. The program was adorable. I’m sorry you missed most of it.”

  “It happens, but they video it. I’ll still get to see it, anyway.”

  “I really appreciate you taking me there tonight. It’s been years since I’ve been to church.” She put a hand on his arm. “It meant a lot—more than you know.”

  “Why haven’t you been to church? Don’t you believe in God?”

  She looked at him sharply. God was not a subject discussed very often in the music world. “Well, of course I believe in Him.”

  “Then why don’t you go to church?”

  His blue eyes searched her soul.

  “It’s complicated, but when you put it that way, I’m not sure why.” Another uncomfortable topic. “I guess life got busy and after a while I stopped thinking about it.”

  “There’s no such thing as being too busy for God.” He reached for his door handle.

  “You’re absolutely right. And I realized it tonight. Being in church felt good—almost like being wrapped in a warm blanket.”

  “I don’t know what I’d do without my church family.” He smiled. “Ready to go inside?”

  “I can get into the cabin alone.”

  “I know you can.” He walked around to her side. He opened the door and offered a hand to help her out. “But my mother raised a gentleman.”

  “So I see.” She took the offered hand and stepped out.

  They walked towards the cabin hand in hand.

  Her feet slowed as she looked upward. “Wow. Look at those stars. They are beautiful.”

  “Yes they are, but not as beautiful as the star in front of me.” He leaned close to her, and she smelled a hint of something odd—unpleasant. Something she couldn’t quite identify. Not aftershave, more like paint or paint thinner.

  Maybe gasoline from the car accident.

  His lips brushed her cheek.

  She leaned against him, savoring his closeness and the feeling of safety. She longed for more, but she couldn’t afford to get involved with Robby. Her life was far from the tiny Village of Serenity and Peace.

  She stepped back. “Still pouring on the charm, I see.” She managed to keep her tone light and carefree, not wanting to hurt his feelings.

  He smiled. “Let’s get you inside before you freeze.”

  “Sounds like a good idea.”

  As they approached the door, she squeezed Robby’s arm. “The door’s open.”

  He stopped. “Get back in the car.”

  He dropped her arm, walked forward, reached under his jacket, and pulled out his gun.

  4

  Holly’s feet were frozen to the spot. She should have gone back to the car, but she stayed and stared.

  Robby approached the door, gun raised.

  This was her fault. Robby was in danger because of her. She should have listened to her security team and stayed in Nashville.

  He walked through the doorway and disappeared from view.

  Her stalker. It couldn’t be. She’d been so careful about making sure she wasn’t followed. Not the stalker. She’d probably forgotten to lock the door and the wind blew it open.

  Where was Robby? Why wasn’t he back?

  She stared at the door.

  An hour seemed to pass before he returned.

  Her knees weakened. She ran to him and threw herself into his arms. “Are you OK?”

  “I’m fine.” He caressed her hair.

  “I was so scared. I—”

  “I’m fine, but I can’t say the same about the cabin.”

  She stepped out of his embrace. “What do you mean?”

  “Someone vandalized it.” He grabbed her arm. “Come on. Whoever did it is long gone, but be prepared to see a mess.”

  Her jaw dropped when she walked inside.

  Robby hadn’t exaggerated.

  The cozy little cabin looked as if a hurricane had raged through it.

  The furniture was overturned, cupboards were opened, dishes decorated the floor, and the log walls had red paint thrown on them.

  They had left a message for her on the wooden table in red paint.

  Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow you die or the next day or the next... You can’t escape your DESTINY.

  She gasped. As she reread the words, tears welled up.

  He had found her once again.

  Robby laid a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Holly.”

  She swiped at the tears. “It’s silly to cry, I know. I haven’t even been in this place in years, but…” Her fingers touched the red message on the table. Still sticky. She took a deep breath to steady herself. “But my grandfather made this beautiful table himself. I remember my grandma boasting about how he’d made it for her as an anniversary gift. She loved it so much.”

  “And it will be beautiful again. I’m sure it can be restored.”

  She looked around at the destruction. What had she done to make this man so mad at her? Why wouldn’t he leave her alone? Her voice trembled. “I don’t understand. How did he find me?”

  Robby’s eyes narrowed. “You know who did this?”

  She wiped away tears. Not the time to fall apart. She had to keep it together. She took a deep breath. “Yes and no.”

  “That’s not exactly clear.”

  “It’s a long story.”

  Putting his hand on her back, he guided her to the sofa. “I’ve got the time.”

  She sat down, stifling the threatening sobs. She was afraid if she started crying now, she might never stop. “I suppose you do.”

  “I’ll get the fire going.” He turned to the fireplace and stacked three pieces of wood. After putting some kindling under the logs, he blew on it, and a small flame jumped up out of the ashes.

  He turned back to her. “You ready to tell me?”

  “Ever hear of Destiny?”

  “Sure. The country music star. She’s one of my favorites as far as country music goes. Not that it’s my favorite type of music. Give me good old-fashioned rock and roll. But what’s that got to do with this?”

  Holly stared into the fire. If she told Robby the truth, would he overreact and place her into more danger? “Well, Mr. Rock-N-Roll, I’m Destiny.”

  His eyes widened, and then he squinted harder. “You don’t look much like her. Destiny has long blonde hair.” His voice was skeptical.

  “It’s the hair. As Destiny, I dyed my hair blonde, but I also wore a wig on many occasions.” Her fingers fluffed her newly cut short red hair. “I got my hair cut and went back to my natural color.”

  “Your picture’s been all over the TV the last few days.” His words filtered in.

  “What do you mean, my picture’s been all over the TV?”

  “Something about you disappearing and going into rehab. Some guy denied the rumor, but I don’t think they believed him.”

  “They never do.”

  He moved to the chair and sat. “So what’s going on, Holly?”

  “Somebody’s stalking me.”

  “And you think he did this?” Robby’s hand motioned at the mess in her cabin.

  “Who else could it be? My security team hasn’t been able to find him, nor have the Nashville police.”

  He put his hand on top of hers. “Sounds scary, Holly...Destiny...what should I call you?”

  “Holly’s fine. It started with some weird e-mails a few months ago.”

  “That should be easy enough to track.”

  “You’d think so, but it hasn’t been. Whoever sent them apparently knows computers and how to hide from the police.”

  “E-mails are harmless. They can’t hurt you but...” He motioned at the mess in the room. “But this is over the top. This shows how dangerous the guy is.”

  “I know. I tried to ignore it when he broke into my home in Nashv
ille.” Her cheeks flamed at the thought of the stolen undergarments. “Stole some…some stuff.”

  He nodded, but didn’t ask what.

  “So I went and stayed with my manager.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “But things got worse. The stalker sent me a dead cat.”

  Robby shook his head and rolled his eyes. “That’s how it is with these guys. First they love you and want to get your attention, but it always seems to escalate to violence.”

  She nodded. “That’s what Mark, my manager, said, too. So I cut my hair, dyed it back to its natural color, and came here to hide out for a while.” She fluffed her bangs. “Not that it did any good. As we can see.”

  “And you’ve got no idea who is doing this?”

  Holly shook her head. “On TV they always get the bad guy in an hour. I guess it’s harder than it looks.”

  “It is, but they should have been able to find the source of the e-mails.”

  “I guess he’s smarter than the police department’s computer geeks.”

  “No wonder Renee thought you looked familiar. She’s always playing your music at the diner. Why didn’t you tell her who you were? She’d be thrilled.”

  “Are you kidding? She could call one of the magazines or TV shows and make a bundle. Then they’d be crawling all over the town.”

  “Renee wouldn’t do that.”

  “If you say so, but I’ll take my chances that she won’t figure out who I am.”

  “Not everyone wants to profit from your problems, Holly.”

  She shook her head. “In my world, they do.”

  “That’s Destiny’s world. It doesn’t have to be true in Holly Stone’s world.”

  That’s what she’d believed, as well. She’d thought Destiny would be safe here in Holly Stone’s world. She looked around the trashed cabin, and then back at Robby. “It’s one and the same.”

  5

  “All set?” Robby asked.

  Holly avoided looking around her grandparents’ cabin. Just looking at it made her sick to her stomach—and angry. Better to stay focused on Robby. His presence seemed to calm her. “I know he’s out there somewhere. Waiting and watching. It doesn’t matter what I do; I can’t get away from him.” She was tired of running. “What if I stay here and face him, find out what he wants? At least, I’ll find out who it is.”