PART 3 — The Man Outside the Window
No one spoke.
Daniel slowly walked to the curtains.
He pulled them open.
The backyard was empty.
But fresh footprints crossed the wet grass.
Heading toward the woods.
"He was here."
My brother was already dialing 911.
Jane locked every door.
For the first time...
The four of us were on the same side.
Twenty minutes later...
Police officers searched the property.
One of them called from the backyard.
"We found something."
Buried beneath the trees...
Was a waterproof backpack.
Inside...
More photographs.
Maps of my daily routine.
A notebook filled with dates.
Times.
Addresses.
Every place I visited.
One page had tomorrow's date circled in red.
At the bottom...
Three words.
Take her tomorrow.
The detective looked at me.
"Did you know this person?"
I slowly shook my head.
"No."
He zipped the bag closed.
"You do now."
Hours later...
The investigation revealed the stalker had been using fake identities and rented apartments near every place I'd lived.
He wasn't connected to my husband.
Or Jane.
Or my brother.
He had chosen me at random.
And he'd spent two years quietly building an obsession.
The police arrested him the next morning less than ten miles away.
When everything was finally over...
I looked at Daniel.
"I'm sorry."
He smiled sadly.
"You don't owe me an apology."
"I do."
"You warned me."
"I called you paranoid."
Then I turned to Jane.
"I thought the worst of you."
She laughed through tears.
"You wouldn't be my best friend if I gave up that easily."
Finally...
I hugged my brother.
"I thought you betrayed me."
He smiled.
"I'd rather have you hate me..."
"...than lose you."
For months...
I had believed the biggest danger was the people closest to me.
I was wrong.
Sometimes...
The people trying hardest to protect you...
Look guilty.
And the real danger...
May you like
Is the person you've never even noticed.
SUMMARY
A woman comes home to find her best friend, her husband, and her brother in a situation that looks like the ultimate betrayal. Hidden beneath the bed is a thick envelope filled with hundreds of secret photographs of her, making her believe the people closest to her have been spying on her. But the truth is far more disturbing: the photos were collected to document an unknown man who had been stalking her for nearly two years. The evidence leads police to a dangerous predator who had been planning to abduct her. In the end, she realizes the people she suspected of betraying her were actually risking everything to protect her.
