Obsession

Suspect: Chapter 30

"Why were you and Mr. Boyer searching for a SIM card along that stretch?"

They had been escorted to the police station in Shaw and shortly put into separate interrogation rooms. Julian's mobile had been ringing off the hook since they had arrived, but he hadn't been given the chance to respond. As soon as they had stepped into the precinct, Sherriff Morris had confiscated their mobiles and belongings as was procedure. All the missed calls had come from his sister and parents. Naturally, they simply wanted to know that he was alright.

The Stroups knew that Julian was innocent and there was no way he could be the so-called stalker. With things having taken a turn for the worse since S.A. leaked those photos and video to the public, Paul and Shannon Stroup had naturally inquired about those rumours and the gossip travelling around town. They knew the type of boy Gabriel was – quiet and reserved and he didn't say much if things did not concern him or hold his interest. Gabriel was quite a nice boy, as Shannon Stroup would describe him, and neither her nor her husband had had any qualms with their son dating him.

Gabriel having a stalker had taken the Stroup couple by surprise, and assiduously, they had listened to all their children conveyed to them about S.A. They knew that Julian would not do anything to intentionally harm the boy he loved, and it made no sense why Julian would send himself a threatening letter.

No. Paul and Shannon Stroup knew their son was innocent and they would bet their life on it. They were not surprised when the Sherriff had shown up on their doorstep looking for their son. They had spoken with Jeremiah regarding the investigation despite what the Sherriff had told both father and son about disseminating information to anyone, but since they had learned about the letter addressed to Julian, they figured – as parents to one of the victims involved, the people affected by this stalker – it was better to know something than nothing at all.

Paul, Shannon, and Rebecca simply wanted to know that Julian was safe, especially with a potential danger wandering around Shaw posing a threat to him. And one that might strike out of the blue since there had been no discernible pattern to when S.A. made contact.

"Did you call my parents, though?" Julian replied.

"Yes," Regina Morris supplied. "They know where you are. Now, I have answered your question. Will you answer mine?"

"Of course." Julian placed his hands, clasped, on the table and took a deep breath. "I was hoping to find something...anything that might help me find out who S.A. is. It hasn't been easy for Gabe these past few days. He's shut himself in, partly because you told him to beware, but it feels like more than that. It's like he believes he can't trust anybody and it's taking a toll on our relationship. I wanted to do something to show him that he doesn't have to battle this alone."

Regina nodded. It was not the answer she was expecting since she was searching for more technical replies to rule Julian out from her suspect list – or lack thereof. She had already questioned Rebecca Stroup even though she knew there couldn't possibly be any solid leads there or that the girl herself was the perpetrator. She had only done so out of formality and in hopes that something the girl might say would point her in a direction. She had gotten nothing.

She had questioned Chris Choi and Josh Hart, and both had turned up the same. Chris had no motive to become a stalker. He was raised in a nuclear family with both parents active in his life, and all round, he was a well-mannered young man who cared a lot about his friends, and he also seemed loyal to his current girlfriend. Josh Hart was the only one of the three who did not grow up in a stable family environment following the passing of his father overseas, his mother's suicide following her marriage to another man whom Josh had adamantly refused to speak about. However, Josh was certain to mention that Gabriel was a very good friend, kind of like a brother to him, and Regina had found nothing off-putting about the young man.