“Well, let’s get out of here,” Detective Springer said. “You’re not safe out here in the open. The guy could be anywhere…watching.”

Dani looked to Harper for direction and she nodded. “Yeah. We should go. Lieutenant Mize was on his way in.” Harper then turned to Reid. “You follow us, okay? Close.”

“You got it.”

Harper hesitated, glancing back toward the window where the clown had been, wondering if it was worth sending out a forensic team. He’d had white gloves on. His nose was the only thing that touched the pane.

“What is it?” Reid asked.

“Nothing. Let’s go.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

“I get the feeling that you don’t really trust your lieutenant right now.”

Harper glanced over at Dani. “Besides Reid, I don’t trust anyone right now.”

“You don’t think your lieutenant—”

“No, I’m not saying he’s involved, but besides us, he’s the one who has been privy to everything. He’s the one who set up both safe houses.” She looked in the mirror, feeling somewhat comforted knowing Reid was right behind her. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s somebody close to him.” She knew that didn’t make sense though, seeing as how Dani had brought her stalker with her.

“It’s all kinda…surreal, isn’t it?”

Harper nodded. “Yes. You’re being awfully calm about it, though.”

“I don’t know how else to be. I’m too scared to think, really.”

“It’s going to be okay, Dani.”

“You think so?” Dani wrapped her arms around herself. “How does he keep finding us? He was staring in the window. He knew where we were. He was just watching us.” She turned her head to look at Harper. “A creepy clown. We’ve got a creepy clown chasing us.”

“We’ll get him. Don’t worry.”

“It’s hard not to worry. I don’t want anything to…well, I dragged you into this. I don’t want anything to happen to you.” She held her hand up. “And don’t say it’s your job. All of this…” she shook her head. “This is not your job. It’s turned into babysitting, something you feared at the beginning, right?”

“It’s turned into a protection detail, yes, but it’s still my job.”

“You haven’t let me out of your sight since the moment we met. You took me to your home. You let me share a bed with you because I was scared. Is all of that your job?”

Harper wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Dani was right, of course. She was going way above and beyond. And for a moment there, she had actually considered disobeying Mize’s orders. For a moment there, she’d considered taking Dani and going on the run to try to lure the clown to them. So she could then what? Kill him? Arrest him?