Free The Stares of Strangers by Jennifer L. Jennings Page A

jog. Even the moon in the sky seemed shrunken from the cold.
    “ Why don't you take a nap,” Carter suggested. “I'll keep watch for a few hours until I can't keep my eyes open. Then we'll switch.”
    “ Are you sure? I can make some coffee to stay awake.”
    “ There's no point, Sarah. I can handle this. Besides, I didn't let you take a nap earlier so you need it.” He winked at me as a reminder of our roll in the hay.
    “ Well, if you insist.” The bed was just a plain mattress with no sheets or pillows, but I didn't care. I folded up my jacket, placed it under my head, and made myself comfortable.
     
     
    Chapter 12
    Tuesday, December 9
     
     
     
    When I opened my eyes, the sunlight was pouring into the bedroom and I almost forgot where I was.
    “ Morning, sleepyhead.” Carter's voice sounded groggy.
    I sat up and rubbed my eyes. “Did I sleep through the entire night? What time is it?”
    “ Almost six-thirty. Penny just left for work.”
    Carter's eyes were a little puffy and he needed a shave, but he seemed wide awake.
    “ You stayed up all night?”
    “ Yep. I popped a few caffeine pills right after you fell asleep, so I'm still wired.”
    I moved to the edge of the bed and stretched. My body felt stiff and achy. “I guess nothing exciting happened last night. Otherwise, you would have woken me up.”
    “ Pretty quiet. Just the way I like it.”
    My cell phone chimed once, letting me know I had a text. It was from Penny.
    Just got to my client's house. I'll be here until two, then I'm stopping at the grocery store. Be home by three.
    “ Penny got to work just fine,” I told Carter. “She plans to be back home by three.”
    “ Good. In the meantime, hopefully our stalker will attempt another visit to her home. I want to get this guy's mug on camera so we can nail him.”
    My stomach growled. “Whad'ya say we get some breakfast. My treat.”
    He rubbed his hand over his stubble. “I could definitely go for some food.”
    We packed up the equipment and headed over to the Hometown Diner and Carter feasted like he hadn't eaten in days. A four-egg omelet with bacon, home fries, wheat toast and a grilled blueberry muffin. I had two poached eggs on an English muffin with fresh squeezed orange juice.
    It was quarter to eight by the time Carter drove up the street to my apartment. “I'll drop you off and head back to my place for a while,” he said. “Maybe I can get a few hours of sleep before we go back to Penny's.”
    “ Good idea. I'll call officer Bouchard and see what he's got on Brandon Whitman.”
    Carter leaned over and we kissed. “Call me later, okay?”
    “ You bet.”
     
    Back home inside my cozy apartment, I enjoyed a long hot shower, letting the heat seep into my muscles. I got dressed, styled my hair and, when I returned to the kitchen, I noticed there was a voice message from Officer Bouchard on my cell phone.
    Sarah, I have some information on Brandon Whitman. Give me a call back as soon as you get a chance, please.
    The sense of urgency in his voice gave me hope. I dialed his number, and he picked up on the first ring.
    “ Good morning Sarah?” he said. “Thanks for getting back to me.”
    “ What did you find out about Brandon Whitman?”
    “ Well, he's never been arrested but, last year a temporary restraining order was filed against him by a woman named Amy Henderson. At the end of the ten day grace period, she apparently decided not to pursue the matter and let it go. I read the file but it didn't give much information. I'm emailing you a copy of Brandon's driver's license with his current address.”
    “ Sounds like Brandon could have been stalking this woman or, at least, harassing her. I wonder why she didn't go through with the permanent restraining order.”
    “ She'd have to go in front of a judge and prove why she felt Brandon might be a danger to her. It's a lot of work. Maybe after the ten days, Brandon left her alone so she decided he was no longer a