is at hiding. I’ve got a few ideas about that. Did you ever meet her parents?”
“No. Like I said, we weren’t really ever that serious. She talked about her mom and dad though. I guess her dad is a doctor and her mom is an administrator at the hospital where she works.”
“That’s right. Ms. Lomeli graduated from nursing school a few years ago, and after her last legal matter, she moved here and took a job at her mom’s hospital.”
“Makes sense, I guess.”
“Well, it would except for the fact that she lost her nursing license when she was convicted of felony stalking, aggravated assault, and theft.”
“If she doesn’t have a license, how is she working at the hospital?”
“I’d bet her mom has something to do with that. Maybe her dad too. I’ve taken the information I found about Ms. Lomeli to the officials at the hospital, and I believe they’re taking the matter very seriously.”
“Shit, she is just fucking problematic wherever she goes, isn’t she?”
“She’ll also be brought up on charges of practicing without a license. People’s lives could have been in danger while they were under her care. It’s only a misdemeanor for her first offense, but that’s at least something.”
“I know I’m asking a lot, but will you let me know about the hearing? I’d like to know if I can go home and try and salvage some of my belongings - at least my clothes. I have to know if I need to keep hiding.”
“I’ll call you from the hallway outside the courtroom. You’re not asking too much, Mr. Harper. Most breakups are annoying. They give you some heartache, there are annoyances - maybe you’ve got to quit going to that restaurant you like because you know the other person goes there often. Manageable stuff.” Detective Lake shook his head and looked toward Harley sitting on the steps behind me. “But stalking, especially to this extreme, can ruin the victim’s life. In some cases, they’re even killed. You came damn close today. When people think of stalking, they almost always envision the woman as the victim. Sometimes men don't go to the police because of pride or because they think they won’t be taken seriously. Some of them aren’t taken seriously and that’s a shame. It’s in our nature to believe a woman over a man when it comes to things like this. It’s the protector in us all.”
“I’m a proud man, but I’m also strong enough to know when I need help. And with this shit, I definitely need help.”
“There’s a place here in town that helps people in your situation. The woman who runs it, Kari Duke, is a great person. If I call her she might be able to . . ”
“I know Kari through the guys that own the garage where I work. I thought about asking her for help, but then I remembered that Robin had talked about volunteering there a few times. She’d know the ins and outs of the place. After that bomb bullshit, I feel like I’d be putting a whole apartment complex full of people in danger.”
“I have no idea how she knew where you were tonight.”
I shrugged. “I just don’t know. It’s not like there’s a tracking device on my Jeep she could have followed.”
“If you need any help with the insurance company, let me know. They’ll cover you in red tape and do what they do best - deny, deny, deny.”
“You have some experience with insurance companies I guess?”
“My teenage daughter left a dishtowel too close to the burner on the stove and it caught fire. It got out of control pretty quickly, and we had to call the fire department. The kitchen was gutted, but things like that are why we have insurance, right?”
“You’d think so.”
“Three years later, the kitchen is fine. We rebuilt it and my wife finally got the dream kitchen she’d always wanted. I’m still arguing with the insurance company as they don’t want to cover the costs because of a little sentence stuck somewhere in the middle of the contract that talks about water damage.”
“But it was from the fire.”
“It’s still water damage.”
“That’s low right there.”
He laughed bitterly. “At this point we’ve already repaired and remodeled, but it’s the principle of the matter. Anyway, I’ll help as much as I can.”
“Thanks.” I smiled. “That’s the best news I’ve had all day.”
Detective Lake laughed for a second and then reached out to shake my hand with a sigh. “The clouds have to