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"No" She shook her head "Definitely not a possible scenario"

"That leaves us with professional enelish Department at a university," Chloe said "None of my fellow assistant professors are the James Bond type In fact…" She smiled "My sister calls them Woody Allen–wannabes"

"Really?" He raised his eyebrows "That bad, huh?"

"Not bad," she protested "They’re very nice men"

"Hmm," he murmured, but didn’t comment further "So you have a sister?"

"I have two, actually"

"Either of them have a reason to follow or threaten you?"

"No" A swift h

"What?"

"I just pictured Alexie trying to stalk me She has no patience--she’d last maybe two minutes before she confronted me and told me exactly what she wanted"

"I think I like her" Jake’s lips curved in a srandmother Winifred’s character traits You said you have two sisters?"

Chloe nodded "Alexie is er than me by five years And before you ask…" She held up her hand to forestall his next question "Lily’s on a buying trip in Europe for her lingerie boutique And my mother’s with her, so neither of them could possibly be connected to this Not that there’s any possibility of that, anyway," she added "I have a nore life I have no idea why soht be"

"Maybe you have nothing to worry about," he said calmly "Have you talked to the police?"

"No What would I tell the me?" She frowned "They’d call in a psychiatrist and have et ht think"

"I’ they file them in the ‘paranoid’ folder" Chloe was unconvinced "I’d rather wait until I have so concrete to tell them before I call"

"What sort of evidence are you waiting for?"

"I don’t know" Chloe bit her lip, considering "So If I’d actually seen the person who’s following ate"

"But you haven’t noticed anyone unusual or out of the ordinary? No one who made you feel uncoht of the lasses outside David’s shop

"What is it?"

"Probably nothing"

"Tell me"

"The other afternoon I was in don Seattle, picking up a gift for randmother’s birthday I saw a h the glass But Iit I turned to speak to David and when I looked back, the one"

"Could you describe hie of the s she remembered

"Any distinctive features?" Jake asked

"No"

"Have you seen the man since then?"

"No"

"But you still feel as if so you" Jake’s words were more a confirmation than a question

Chloe stared at hirih thebehind her, Chloe shivered "You think I’ stalked You believe one pale as a ghost"

Chloe crossed her arht cotton sweater she wore over her sleeveless su you about it has somehow made it more real"

"I didn’t mean to scare you more than you already are, Chloe" Jake stretched across the table and took her hand, folding it between his palers and reached past the fear to stir the sexual awareness that always simmered just below the surface when he was near "We’ll find out who theyou and what he wants"

"But I didn’t know the h theI have no idea who he is or why he’d follow s first We should tell the police Even though you don’t have a lot of information, they can at least take a report and establish a file Who knows?" Jake shrugged "Maybe soer puzzle, since we have no idea what connection you have with this man"

"I have a one o’clock lecture, but after that I’m free for the rest of the afternoon I’ll drive don to the Seattle Police Department when I’m finished"

"I’ll make a couple of calls I’m sure they’ll send an officer out here to talk with you"

"I’d rather meet the officer off caues and students, if possible"