“So how did he find you?” Arnold asked.
It was the one thought that kept replaying over in her head. He knew who she was, and he knew where to find her. Her hand went to the scar where he’d marked her. In his mind, she belonged to him, and he would take what was his.
“I don’t know.”
“Probably the same way I did—the TV,” Jarocki said. “We all saw Zo? gate-crash Laurie Hernandez’s crime scene on the news. He probably did too and recognized her, then went from there to track her down.”
“We never gave out Zo?’s name to the press.”
She remembered some Ben Franklin quote about secrets and that they could be kept only if everyone was dead. There was no such thing as an airtight seal when it came to secrets.
“You have some housekeeping to do, Inspector,” she said.
Ogawa frowned.
“I do have to correct you, Inspector,” Jarocki said. “You have a much bigger issue than how the Tally Man found Zo? tonight.”
Ogawa winced. “I’d prefer you didn’t use that name.”
“Catch him, and I won’t have to,” Jarocki said with a smirk.
“What’s the bigger issue, Doctor?”
“Keeping Zo? safe from him.”
Zo? didn’t know if that was possible. He’d proved he could get to her at any time.
“The doctors want to keep you in for observation tonight,” Ogawa said to Zo?. “You’ll have a police guard at all times.”
“And after that?” Jarocki asked.
Ogawa looked embarrassed. She guessed what was coming.
“You can’t protect me, can you?”
“The harsh reality is the SFPD isn’t in a position to offer around-the-clock protection. We can do something short term, but long term . . . ”
It isn’t like the movies, she thought. She made eye contact with each of the police officers. To their credit, none of them looked away. All they offered her was their condolences.
“So what do I do? Let him take another swing?”
Ogawa frowned. “No. You have to take precautions.”
“Precautions,” Jarocki blurted. “You’re the police. You’re supposed to be the precautions. Protect and serve. That’s your job, for Christ’s sake.”
Zo? liked seeing Jarocki lose his temper. She hadn’t been sure he was capable. It was nice to see he was human, after all.
Ogawa raised his hands in surrender. “I know it’s not good enough, but that’s the limit of our power. It doesn’t mean we won’t help you.”
“So what do I do?”
“Naturally, you can’t go home. Like you say, he knows where you live, and he’s proved he can pick a lock. We’ll put you up in a motel for the short term.”
“What’s the short term?”
“A couple of days.”
“A couple of days? Jesus,” Jarocki said.
“There are charities and private groups that specialize in providing support in these situations, and they can probably cover a week in a motel.”
“That sounds great, because you’ll have this guy in jail in a week, right?” she said.
No answer.
“Don’t do me any favors, guys. You know this guy is hell-bent on killing me, yeah?”
“Zo?, please. I understand your frustration.”
He didn’t, but she kept from telling him so. As Jarocki had drummed into her, lashing out solved nothing. Ogawa knew the situation sucked, and their powers were pitiful. She would eat her rage for now and use it when it was more practical.
“What do you suggest then?”
“Get out of town. Do you have family or friends you can stay with?”
“That’s the best you can come up with? Stay with someone and put them in danger?”
“You’d be surprised how effective it is,” Arnold said.
She doubted that. “So, I leave town. What about my job?”
“If he knows where you live, there’s a good chance he knows where you work too,” Ogawa said. “I would suggest you take a leave of absence.”
“You know where I work. It’s not the kind of job that comes with a leave-of-absence option.”
“I can talk to the mall and smooth things over. I’m sure they’ll be understanding.”
“You don’t know how mall security works.”
“So, you lose your job. It’s better than losing your life,” Dwyer said.
He was right, but it didn’t stop her from wanting to hit him with a palm drive to the sternum. Asshole.
“So, the upshot of all this is leave town, lose my job, and start over, while he gets to carry on doing his thing. That’s just what every victim wants to hear.”
Ogawa sighed. “I’m sorry, but that’s the way it is sometimes. It won’t be that way forever. You can come back after we catch him.”
“If you catch him. He’s been doing this shit for a long time. That means he’s good at it, and I could be living the rest of my life always looking over my shoulder.”