I ran down the hallway. Clara was already in the hall. She was holding Liam. Her eyes were wide with terror. Stay in the bedroom. I whispered. Lock the door. She didn’t argue. She ran back into the room. I heard the deadbolt click. I crept down the stairs. The house was silent. The sun was just starting to rise. Gray light filtered through the windows. I checked the kitchen. Nothing. I checked the living room. Nothing. I walked to the front door. The living room window was shattered.
Glass was scattered across the hardwood floor. A cold draft was blowing into the house. I looked outside. The street was empty. Daniel’s truck was still parked across the street. But Daniel was standing on my porch. He had his hand on his holster. He was looking down the sidewalk. I opened the front door. What happened. I asked. He shook his head. Someone threw a brick through the window. He said. I didn’t see anyone. It happened fast. I looked at the floor. Lying in the middle of the glass shards. Was a piece of cardboard. I picked it up carefully. Written on it in thick black marker. Was a single word. LIAR. My stomach dropped. I handed the cardboard to Daniel. He looked at it. His jaw tightened. He is escalating. Daniel said. He is getting sloppy.
Or he is getting desperate.
Call the police.
I said.
I want a report.
I want it on the record.
Daniel pulled out his phone.
He made the call.
While he talked to dispatch.
I went upstairs.
I unlocked the bedroom door.
Clara was sitting on the bed.
She was pale.
Is it over.
She asked.
I nodded.
It was just a brick.
Nobody is inside.
She let out a shaky breath.
She looked at the cardboard in my hand.
I saw the word.
Her face twisted in anger.
He is trying to scare me.
She said.
He wants me to run.
He wants me to take Liam and disappear.
I am not going to run.
I sat next to her.
I know you aren’t.
I said.
But we need to be smart.
This changes our strategy.
How.
He just committed a crime.
He violated a court order by harassing us.
We need to use this.
I nodded.
You are right.
Get dressed.
We need to call Sarah.
An hour later.
Sarah was sitting at my kitchen table.
She was looking at the piece of cardboard.
It was sealed in an evidence bag.
This is good.
She said.
It proves he is unhinged.
It proves he is a direct threat.
But it doesn’t prove he threw the brick.
Vance will argue it was a random vandal.
He will argue it was a prank by neighborhood kids.
We need more.
We need to catch him in the act.
How do we do that.
Clara asked.
We use the house as bait.
Sarah said.
We set up hidden cameras.
High definition.
Night vision.
Motion activated.
We make it look like you are still here.
We leave your car in the driveway.
We leave the lights on.
But you and Liam stay here.
At your father’s house.
If Evan comes back.
We will have him on video.
Clara looked at me.
I don’t want to leave my house.
She said.
I know.
I said.
But it is the only way to end this permanently.
She thought for a long moment.
Then she nodded.
Okay.
Let’s set the trap.
PART-14: The Trap
We spent the next two days preparing.
Daniel and Miller installed six hidden cameras around Clara’s house.
One was hidden in the birdhouse I had built.
One was hidden in the gutter.
Two were hidden in the landscaping.
One was in the doorbell.
And one was inside the living room.
Pointed directly at the broken window.
We made sure the feeds went directly to a secure cloud server.
And to Daniel’s personal tablet.
On Friday afternoon.
We executed the plan.
Clara packed a single bag.
We left her car in the driveway.
We left the porch light on.
We left the living room lights on.
We even set a timer for the bedroom light.
It looked like someone was home.
We drove back to my house.
I felt a knot of anxiety in my chest.
I hated leaving her house vulnerable.
But it was necessary.
That night.
We sat in my living room.
Daniel’s tablet was on the coffee table.
We were watching the live feed.
The screen showed the dark, empty street.
The wind blew the branches of the oak tree.
Nothing else moved.
This is boring.
Clara said.
She was sitting on the couch.
Liam was asleep in her lap.
Good.
I said.
Boring means safe.
We watched for three hours.
Nothing happened.
At midnight.
Daniel called.
I am going to walk the perimeter.
He said.
I need to stretch my legs.
Copy that.
I said.
We watched the screen.
Daniel walked into the frame.
He checked the back gate.
He checked the side windows.
Everything was secure.
He gave a thumbs up to the camera.
Then he walked out of frame.
I leaned back in my chair.
Maybe he isn’t coming.
Clara said.
Maybe the judge’s order scared him off.
I wish I could believe that.
I said.
But men like Evan don’t scare easily.
They just get quieter.
At two in the morning.
Clara fell asleep.
I carried Liam to the guest room.
I put him in his crib.
I went back to the living room.
I sat in the dark.
I watched the screen.
My eyes were burning.
The coffee was cold.
At three-fifteen in the morning.
The motion sensor tripped.
The tablet chimed softly.
I sat up straight.
I turned up the volume.
On the screen.
A figure stepped out of the shadows.
He was wearing a dark hoodie.
The hood was pulled up.
He was wearing gloves.
He walked slowly up the driveway.
He stopped at the bottom of the porch steps.
He looked around.
He looked directly at the hidden camera in the birdhouse.
He didn’t know it was there.
But he was cautious.
He pulled something from his pocket.
It was a large glass bottle.
He walked up the steps.
He stood in front of the living room window.
He pulled his arm back.
I held my breath.
He threw the bottle.
It smashed through the glass.
The sound was muffled on the camera.
But I knew what it sounded like.
The figure stood there for a moment.
Then he reached into his pocket again.
He pulled out a can of spray paint.
He started spraying the siding of the house.
I grabbed my phone.
I dialed Daniel.
He is here.
I whispered.
Front of the house.
I am on my way.
Daniel said.
I heard his truck engine roar to life.
I watched the screen.
The figure finished spraying.
He turned to leave.
But then he stopped.
He reached into his back pocket.
He pulled out a rag.
He soaked it in something from a small jug.
He placed it against the front door.
He pulled out a lighter.
My blood turned to ice.
He was going to burn the house down.
With my daughter’s belongings inside.
I screamed into the phone.
He has a firebomb.
Daniel.
Stop him.
I heard tires screech on the audio feed.
Daniel’s truck pulled into the driveway.
The headlights blinded the figure.
The man dropped the rag.
He turned and ran.
Daniel was out of the truck.
He had his weapon drawn.
Police.
Get on the ground.
The man didn’t stop.
He ran toward the side yard.
Daniel fired a warning shot into the air.
The sound was deafening even through the tablet speakers.
The man kept running.
He vaulted the back fence.
Daniel didn’t follow.
He ran to the front door.
He kicked the burning rag away.
He stomped it out.
Then he radioed dispatch.
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.
The house was safe.
But the game had changed.
Evan wasn’t just stalking anymore.
He was trying to destroy everything.
