Xo

“Not traceable. They might’ve been destroyed or the perp’s taken the batteries out. Or who knows, maybe he just bought a bunch to keep us busy and he’s got another one here to make more calls.”
    Dance then turned to Kayleigh. “Now, some basic stalker rules. You probably know them from Darthur Morgan and your lawyers but remember you have to have no contact with him at all. Nothing. Even threatening him or telling him to leave you alone gives him a high—any contact at all is positive to him. If he approaches don’t say anything, just walk away.”
    “Okay. Fine with me.”
    “And I want to know more about him. We need to find this former girlfriend. Sally.”
    “Lopez, you handle that. Have her call Agent Dance.”
    “Sure, Chief.”
    The head detective then added, “We should identify other possible victims, don’t you think? Keep an eye on them. Who’d be at particular risk?”
    Dance said, “Probably first is anybody he sees as a romantic rival.” To Kayleigh: “You and Bobby dated?”
    Apparently this wasn’t public knowledge. Kayleigh blushed and Alicia turned to her with a hint of frown. Dance wasn’t much interested in the delicacies of disclosure. She lifted an eyebrow, tacitly repeating the question.
    “Well, yes, a while ago. Just casually. It wasn’t a big deal. How’d you know? I wasn’t even performing then. It didn’t make the press.”
    Because, Dance thought, when I saw you with Bobby yesterday I noticed a decrease in the angle of your shoulders when you were speaking, signifying relaxation and comfort. Bobby’s leaning forward slightly when he spoke to you, indicating that what he was saying was meant for you and you alone. A faint smile at the reference to the word “amplifier,” which had become a code word for some private joke between the two of you. The way his eyes dwelt on your face, the message abundantly clear that whatever had gone on between you two was not, to him, completely over.
    Kinesics, in other words.
    But what she said to Kayleigh was, “A hunch.”
    Crystal Stanning said, “So anyone that Kayleigh ever dated or men she was real friendly with are at risk?”
    “Yes, possibly, though women too. Stalkers are extremely jealous. Remember, they have a very skewed sense of reality—even casual friends could be perceived as threats.” Then she eyed the young singer again. “But you’re not seeing anyone now?”
    “No.”
    “Also, a stalker’s likely to target anybody who’s a threat to you, or even offended you. He’s taking real seriously his role as a protector; I could see that yesterday. Can you think of any enemies you might have that he’d know about?”
    Kayleigh looked around. “Not really.”
    Alicia said, “She’s a good girl. She doesn’t get into cat fights with other artists.”
    Dance continued, “Well, keep in mind, he could also consider goingafter critics who’d dissed you. Or fans who were critical of your work. Then, next, he could target anyone he saw as keeping you two apart.”
    “Like Darthur?”
    “Yes, him. But it could also be your lawyers.” She glanced at Alicia. “Or you. You seem very protective of her.”
    The broad-shouldered woman shrugged. “ Somebody’s got to be.”
    A sentence with many possible implications.
    “And it could also be us. The police. Truly obsessive stalkers have a different sense of right and wrong. In extreme obsession cases, the stalker’s murdering a policeman is no worse than killing a fly.”
    “My family? The crew?”
    “Generally, family and nonromantic friends are only at risk if they try to protect the object from the stalker, though we’re not dealing with hard-and-fast rules. Stalkers’re unpredictable. I talked to some of the crew about what they’d seen yesterday but I think I should interview all of them. Assess if they’re at risk.”
    Or potential perps, Dance thought, but didn’t say aloud.
    “The crew’s at the convention center now,” Kayleigh said, then added, “The band’s in Nashville still, finishing up some studio work for our new album. They won’t be here till Thursday or Friday.”
    That was good news. Fewer potential victims to worry about. Fewer suspects too.
    Dance added, “Finally, there’s the Hinckley scenario. Killing someone of some notoriety to impress Kayleigh.”
    She reminded them that John Hinckley, Jr., was obsessed with Jodie Foster. “He figured that by assassinating Ronald Reagan he’d be linked forever to the