Laura quickened her steps, racing back towards the precinct as quickly as she could. Although the time out had clearly given her the clarity she needed to have the vision in the first place, she now almost regretted getting out of the car. There was hardly any time to lose. She had to find this place and get there before the evening came on, and there was so much to do before then.
If she missed it, she might never find him again. This was it. Her chance. She wasn't going to let him kill another woman.
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
He was standing in line at the coffee shop when he saw her. Of all the places to meet your muse, it had to be the most cliché and also the least obvious. He had never imagined that inspiration would strike in such a banal and mundane place as this.
But that was what inspiration was like. You never knew when it would strike. You never knew what form it would take, until it was right in front of you.
The truth was, this had been right in front of his face for a very long time. He should have seen it so much earlier. He should have recognized in her the inner beauty and grace that he had been searching for, for so long. He should have known that the thing he was seeking would be under his nose all along. It was like a movie, like a perfect script. And of course, that was exactly how it should be.
So, when he saw her in the coffee shop, he did not reach out or greet her. He let her pass by without noticing him, like they all tended to do. He knew he would be able to talk to her later, whenever he liked. But for now, he wanted to simply watch her, to bask in the pleasure of her perfection. He wanted to watch her, like he watched all of the others, learning from her and worshipping everything she did.
So, he had left the coffee shop without his hot beverage, or anything iced to keep him cool on this hot day.
He had walked after her, down the street at a respectable distance, tugging his cap down over his head whenever she thought of turning slightly or looking behind herself. He ducked into doorways and pretended to study window displays, always staying just far enough away that she would not be able to pick him out from the other pedestrians on the street so easily.
Ah, it had taken him so long to find her. It felt so sweet to follow her now, to watch her walk down the street towards her yoga class. He would wait outside, while she unfolded the mat she held under her arm, while she chatted with all the other people in the class, while she stretched and posed. And when she emerged, he would be able to follow her again.
He should have seen it earlier, if he had been thinking properly. There had been so many distractions along this journey. So many times that he had been taken in by someone who appeared to be perfect, but was really just a fake. A fraud. He had always thought that he had found the right woman, so many times.
He had always been wrong. And now he understood why. He had been wrong because the real muse, the right person for him, had been going overlooked. All of these times he had seen her, and he had never even thought to question himself as to whether she could be the one. It had only been the chance way that the light had fallen over her hair through the windows of the cafe that had clued him in at last.
And talk about divine intervention! Now that he had finally seen her, he knew he was seeing clearly. He felt like everything was falling into place at last. Like everything was starting to make sense. She went inside, into the building that housed not just the yoga classes but several other self-help groups and fitness and well-being classes, and he sought out a bench. Not right outside the building, because that would be too obvious. He didn't want to creep her out. No, he sat opposite on the other side of the street, taking out his cell phone and pretending to read something on it.
He was happy to sit there and wait for her. He would wait for her anywhere, for any length of time. Now that he knew she was the one, he would pay her all the respect she deserved, and that meant following her timetable instead of his own.
He passed the time by flicking through her social media profiles, examining the photographs and seeing how real they were. Seeing how genuine she was at all times, even posting pictures of herself without makeup, fresh-faced and glowing. He investigated her friends and read all about them, the ones he didn't yet know. And when, finally, she emerged, the mat tucked under her arm once more, he even knew the name of the woman she stopped to talk to in the doorway before waving goodbye and continuing her walk down the road.
He got up to follow her, watching her so closely that he forgot to check on his own steps. He almost walked right into a woman walking a dog, which could have been disastrous. If he had caused a scene, she might have looked up and seen him, and then the jig would be up. But it wasn't the end of the world. He only had to pull back quickly and tug his cap further down on his head, as if he was shy.
“S-sorry,” he said, and darted around the dog and away, keeping time on the other side of the street as she led him to their next destination.
&nbs
p; CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
By the time she had got back to the precinct, Laura had figured it out. The perfect way to not only find out where the vision had shown her, but also to create a lead that would be easy to explain.
She was only glad he had insisted on exchanging numbers, even if she hadn’t realized why at the time.
“Hello, Laura?” he said, answering her call as she stood just outside the doors of the precinct. Nate would already be in there, she knew. She could see their rental car parked in what was becoming their habitual spot.
“Yes, it’s me,” Laura said. “Listen, Caleb. I was wondering if you could help me with something. It’s for the case, and I think it might be within your area of expertise.”
“Yes, of course,” he said. “I’m not doing anything right now. Did you want to meet?”
“That won’t be necessary,” Laura said. “It will be quicker if I just talk to you now. I’m looking for a certain place. An auditorium, or a stage, or something like that.”
“Actually, this is kind of awkward,” Caleb said. “But, um… you’re standing in front of the precinct, aren’t you?”
“What?” Laura looked up and around in alarm. “Yes. How did you know that?”
“Well, you know that café I met you at before?” Caleb said. Laura’s eyes shot over the other side of the road and then down until she found it. The windows were visible from here. At one of the tables right by them, a male figure lifted a hand and waved in her direction.
“Oh,” Laura said. “You’re here already.”
“Yeah… I wasn’t being creepy, I promise. I just really like the coffee here,” Caleb said. “And last time, after you left, I had this amazing grilled cheese. It’s like nothing I’ve ever eaten. Anyway, my point is, I might as well come over there and talk.”