“We can call them, make a report, and get it recorded. They could do a search around the property, although I doubt they’ll find anything. I think this person’s just trying to fuck with you, Noah. I’ve seen stalker cases like these, and they either end up with the stalker getting caught or burnt out. Usually, once they see law enforcement is getting more heavily involved, then they step back.”

There was the stone-faced and logic-spewing Eric I’d come to love. He cracked his knuckles and glanced at the door.

“Okay, let’s call them.” I went to grab my phone but froze as I leaned over the couch. “Actually, Jake, can you call them? I still don’t want to grab my phone.”

Jake immediately had his phone in hand and 9-1-1 dialed. I could hear the dispatcher on the other line, asking about the problem and promising to send out a car in the next few minutes. I settled back into the couch, accepting that this was going to be a very long night.

* * *

I was right. Last night had been one of the longest of my life. The police arrived and talked to us outside so that we didn’t wake anyone else up. We handed over the message and watched as they did a full sweep of the surrounding property. It was two older guys who must have been Blue Ridge natives with how they navigated around the tree-covered and sloping land with nothing but their flashlights.

They came back with neutral news: no one was there, and they couldn’t find signs of anyone having been there recently. It wasn’t great that they didn’t find anyone, but it also let me feel a modicum of comfort over the fact that no one was standing out there and watching me through the heavy shadows.

Still, sleep wasn’t happening for me. Jake fell asleep sometime around two in the morning, but I continued to stay awake, staring at the ceiling, rolling around and trying my hardest not to look into the dark corners of the room. I kept going through a mental Rolodex of people I knew in my life, wondering who the hell would have such an obsession with me. I kept landing on Franky, but then I’d start thinking about his wife—she knew my name, she likely knew our history, and she was upset at how that meeting with Jake and Franky had gone. But was that all enough to make her want to destroy my life? Couldn’t she just leave me the hell alone?