Admire Me (Rough Edges 2)

Chapter 18

Liam

My worry for Harperhas increased since hearing about the nightmares because they appear too coincidental for them not to be pulling from a memory especially since it matches her injuries.

The nightmare explains that she knows this man from a previous encounter, and somehow she could identify him in a crime, which is the reason behind the assault and fire in the first place.

The man in her nightmare must be the man who killed her parents’ right? There’s no way it’s not connected. Someone like that will never give up until the person is silenced. Something has to be done—whether it’s her telling the cops about the nightmare—or the police finding a way to ID the guy. What faith are we supposed to have in the system if they can’t even get the identity of a guy who broke into a house, started a house fire, and tried to murder an innocent woman plus committed a double homicide? Let’s just say that mine is dwindling every day when they have no news to share. No new suspects or leads.

If this nightmare is a memory, then someone is out there to get Harper, but for what? Even more so now, she can’t tell us with all her memories wiped away. I understand the reasoning around not wanting to believe it’s real, but if it somehow helps the police find the person who is responsible for this and put him away then so be it. Harper just needs to be safe, and with the culprit still out there, she’s far from it.

I pull up to her house, and it looks like so many homes for me have before, mostly greyish black from the soot, and some parts completely sunk in from the devastation of the fire. There is no desire to come back here, nightmares have been taking over my sleep too, seeing Harper in that position, tied to a chair, almost every night. I couldn’t imagine how horrible it was for her when she slept every night.

The intact front door opens, and I step inside to where the bright blue walls were previously, and now just dark grey and covered in ash. The one good memory I have in this room, on the couch, on our third date. How could I ever forget that?. Could the new Harper fall for me like the old one did, so quick? With everything that happened to her, it would be unlikely, not knowing what’s truth or fiction. I shudder to even remind myself of that statement.

The spare bedroom door opens, and nothing is in there. The only things left are some random papers ungraded strewn about the floor. This can’t be right. Scott seemed sure there were salvaged items in this room, and now they are gone. My hesitancy takes over, and I dial Harper’s hospital room to speak to him.

“Hello?” Harper answers.

“It’s Liam. Can you put Scott on the phone for a second?”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

I can hear the worry in her voice. “It’s okay. Just put him on the phone, please.” The phone sounds as it hits the table while Harper gets Scott’s attention. The footsteps could be heard from the door to the phone.

“Hello?”

“Listen, I don’t want to freak her out, but there is nothing in this room. Only a few papers on the floor and that’s it. Can you call and check with the station?”

“Got it. Call back in five,” he says, hanging up.

Harper worries, and that is normal in her condition, but not need to alarm her unless we have to. Maybe Scott understood them wrong, and that is all there is left. Nevertheless, confirmation would make me feel better.

“It’s me,” Scott answers. “The paperwork shows there were a couple boxes of things left in there. Officer is on his way. Stay put.”

If there were boxes here when the last officer left, then that means someone has been in her home again after the assault and fire. This man keeps coming back for more and more, and it terrifies me. How are they ever supposed to ID this guy if there aren’t any fingerprints or anything to go off of. He might just get away with it, and never be found. That can’t happen. Harper would never feel safe without him behind bars.

My phone rings.

“Wanted to check in,” Aiden says.

“We’re working through it. Listen, can I call you back later?” I ask, a police car coming down the road toward me. “I’m trying to get some things done.”

“Yeah, talk to you later.”

The officer steps out of the vehicle and begins asking me questions as we make our way inside the house. He’s positive there were four boxes of items in this room when he filed the report. Someone has been here. I gulp, knowing that he will be coming after Harper again, but how can we stop it if neither have any clue who the man is?

“I’ll get someone down here to see if we can recover any fingerprints of who got in here.”

“Please keep us updated,” I say, getting into my truck. “Harper is going to freak when I tell her.”

The truck starts and I head back to the hospital to break the news. How is she ever supposed to feel safe anywhere if things like that keep happening? We need to figure out who this guy is and fast, because if it continues I worry about where it might be headed.

I want to protect her from whoever the evil man is, but it’s hard to do that when I don’t even know what to look for. He could be anyone. There are hundreds of hospital employees, officers, and even visitors of other patients coming in and out of this hospital.

I walk past Scott, and open the door. “I’m back.”

“What did you find?” she asks, smiling.