“You can tell me to mind my own business, but I don’t care either way. You didn’t call that investigator from New York yet, did ya?”
“Shh. Please, Marie, don’t talk so loudly,” Stacy begged as she looked toward the screen door. It had become awfully quiet inside the house, and she hoped the men hadn’t heard.
“You’re right. This isn’t any of your business. However, I appreciate everything that you’ve done for me. I will call the investigator and find out what he wants later tonight. Right now I am working on this house, and I plan on finishing the outside of it by tonight so I can begin working on the inside of it tomorrow.”
“Millie said there were multiple women who filed suits of sexual assault against that scumbag boss of yours. Why didn’t you file one?”
“No one would have believed me.”
“So you don’t bother to try,” Marie retorted, sounding angry and, damn it, disappointed. Stacy hadn’t had that feeling of guilt placed upon her since before her father had died.
Tears stung her eyes, and in the background, Stacy could hear the phone ringing.
“You weren’t there!” Stacy began to say in a raised voice, and then she repeated herself in a softer tone. “You weren’t there, Marie. You didn’t see the way they looked at me. It’s a different world than this place,” she stated, waving her hand toward the house and the fields.
Stacy heard someone clear their throat, and when she looked up, she saw Ron.
“It’s Millie,” he told them. Marie looked at Stacy before she headed inside the house.
“I’m getting to the bottom of this. I won’t let anyone hurt you,” Marie stated before going into the house.
Max and Eric appeared as Ron followed Marie. Stacy ran her hand through her hair and tightened the ponytail holder.
“What’s the deal?” Max asked, and Stacy shook her head and raised her palm toward him indicating for him to say no more.
“Don’t. There’s nothing to know. There’s nothing to talk about,” she replied as she began walking away.
Max grabbed her hand to stop her, and she froze in place.
“Honey, something is up, so talk to us,” Max sta
ted.
She couldn’t move. She felt his hand squeeze her hand and loved the feeling of support and male comfort. She had been focusing on keeping busy and occupying her mind with forcing a new life and starting over. Every time Max or Eric touched her, kissed her, or pressed their bodies against her, they slowly broke her down. They were making her feel vulnerable and weak. That was something she couldn’t allow to happen. She tried to pull away just as Marie came to the screen door.
“You need to take this call,” she stated firmly.
One look at Max, and she could tell he was concerned. Then she felt Eric’s hand on her shoulder. “Take the call and then we’ll talk,” he told her.
She swallowed hard. This was stupid and getting blown way out of proportion.
“It’s no big deal. I’ll meet you over at the house, okay,” she stated, trying her hardest to act confident and blasé. They looked at her knowingly, and she hurried to take the phone from Marie.
Marie held the receiver as her eyes remained locked with Stacy’s gaze. “This is not something to take lightly, New York.” She let go and walked outside, giving Stacy the privacy of the kitchen.
* * * *
“I can’t believe that you didn’t call Investigator Pellot, Stacy. This is way more serious than you thought. Hell, it’s way more serious than I thought, too. I was scared after the attack and then those creepy boxes and notes, but this is insane.”
“Calm down, Millie, and tell me what the heck you’re talking about,” Stacy said. Millie was talking a mile a minute.
“The investigator really needs to speak with you. Apparently your boss is suspected of multiple counts of rape and attempted rape. Three of the four women who accused him of either rape, assault, or sexual harassment wound up dead. The fourth one dropped her charges and refused to help the police.”
“What?” Stacy asked, and immediately she was shocked. She plopped down into the chair and felt her whole perception of life and the situation with her boss rotate until she actually felt dizzy.
“It’s true, Stacy. He has an alibi for the murders, but the investigator thinks that Weiner is responsible whether he hired someone or did it himself. They are building a case. He also said that there were other victims going back a few years that he and his partner are talking with. They want your help, Stacy. They want you to press charges against your boss.”
“Are they crazy? You just said he killed women.” She raised her voice, and when she looked around the kitchen to make sure that no one was there, she saw Max standing in the doorway. Eric was right behind him.