“But the notes eventually stopped?”
“After I moved. But now he’s doing it again.”
Margolis twirled the pen before reaching for the file he’d originally brought into the room. “After you called, I had the Charlotte police e-mail the report about Cassie Manning’s death; I’m still waiting on the report on Laws’s initial arrest. I haven’t really had the chance to dig through it all in detail, but from what I did read, it’s clear that Gerald Laws killed Cassie Manning. Furthermore, you didn’t make the decision that allowed him to plead to a misdemeanor in the first place. It was your boss – am I correct?”
“Yes.”
“Then why do you think the Manning family blamed you? Or, in Lester’s case, viewed you as ‘dangerous’?”
“Because I was the one they were dealing with. They were counting on me to convince the DA to go for the more serious conviction. And in Lester’s case, he’s obviously ill… like I said, he ended up in a psychiatric hospital.”
Margolis nodded. “Okay. Let’s say you’re right about all of this, and that Lester Manning is indeed responsible for everything that’s been happening to you.” He leaned back in his chair. “Even then, I’m not sure that there’s anything I can do.”
“Why not?”
“You haven’t seen him. No one else has seen him. You don’t know who bought the roses, other than that it wasn’t your boss. No one saw Lester put the roses into your car. All you know about the guy who ordered you a drink was that it was a young man wearing a baseball hat. Nor did you recognize the guy who delivered the roses as Lester. In other words, you have no proof that it actually is Lester.”
“I told you that the note used some of the same phrases!”
“You mean when compared to the notes you don’t have anymore? Again, I’m not saying that you’re wrong. In fact, I think there’s a good probability that you’re right. But as a former prosecutor, you know what the phrase ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ means. And right now, there’s not enough for an indictment under the stalking statutes.”
“He’s been following me, watching me, and monitoring my actions. That meets the course of conduct required in the law. He wrote a note that terrifies me. He slashed my tires. That constitutes harassment. His actions have caused substantial emotional distress, which is why I’m here. He’s clearly stalking me and that’s a crime.”
Margolis raised an eyebrow. “All right, Miss Former Prosecutor. But if he denied writing the notes once, he’ll just deny it again. And then what?”
“What about the pattern? Notes, flowers, following me around, dead flowers. He’s mimicking what Laws did to Cassie.”
“The pattern is similar, but not the same. Laws sent letters and identified himself. You received short, unsigned notes. Laws spied on Cassie at dinner and made sure she knew he was there. Someone bought you a drink at a club, anonymously. Cassie knew that Laws had sent her flowers. You don’t even really know for sure who sent you the roses.”
“It’s close enough.”
“To you, maybe. But in a court of law, it’s different.”
“In other words, because he’s been careful, he’s going to get away with it? You’re not even going to talk to him?”
“Don’t get me wrong. I’ll try to talk to him.”
“Try?”
“You’re assuming that he’s still in town and that I can find him. On the other hand, if he’s in Charlotte or another city, I’ll probably have to turn it over to a detective there.”