Silent Harbour

Chapter 19: The Search for a Stalker

Henri recited the plate from memory. I jot it down and grab my food. He follows me back to the car. We drive home in silence. My mind races as I try to mentally list off the possible reasons why someone would be following Henri. It could be a misunderstanding, or something more serious.

We pull up to the driveway and I turn towards him. "We'll figure this out together," I reassure him. "Let's get you settled in for tonight, and tomorrow we can sort it all out."

Henri nods his head, a mixture of gratitude and apprehension in his face. I fluff up the cushions on the couch in the living room and bring down a couple pillows and a comforter, trying to make it as cozy as possible. "Here you go, Henri. Make yourself at home," I say, gesturing towards the couch.

Henri offers a weak smile of thanks as he settles onto the couch, his eyes betraying his unease despite his attempt to appear calm. I retreat to my room just as I get a text from Erin.

Hey, I'm going to stop by your place tomorrow morning to check on the repairs.

I send her a thumbs up and cross-check my calendar app to see that Tommy's supposed to be in at ten.

Realizing that the presence of two strangers in the house might come as an alarming surprise to my new house guest, I return to the living room where Henri's already settled in. He's absentmindedly flipping through a magazine I'd forgotten I'd left on the coffee table: Garden Gazette: Taking Your Home Garden to the Next Level.

I clear my throat so as not to startle him. Henri looks up, surprised.

"Sorry to bother you this late, but I just wanted to give you a heads-up that we might have some visitors tomorrow." I continue, "As you can probably tell from the state of things around here–I'm having a bunch of work done on the house to get it up to speed for the sale, so my agent and contractor are going to be coming by tomorrow morning."

Henri frowns slightly, but nods his head in understanding. "No problem," he replies softly. "Thanks for letting me know."

I pause sensing his discomfort. "They have their own keys, so they'll be letting themselves in–they're old classmates of mine," I add, hoping to give him some reassurance. "They should be gone by the time you're back from school, anyway, but just in case they're still here, they'll be out of your way."

He nods again.

I grab an extra blanket from the linen closet and place it at the foot of the couch. "In case you get cold," I say. "The furnace has been acting up lately and it can get a bit chilly."

**********

The next morning, my alarm wakes me up at six. It's still dark outside and I want nothing more than to retreat further into the blanket and go back to sleep.

Then, the events from the previous night come rushing back and my thoughts turn to my new house-guest. The boy must have been terrified to have confided in me about the alleged stalking after having been so quick to brush off my help in the past.

I make my way down to the kitchen and find Henri already there, hunched over the counter, drinking what I assume to be coffee, out of a mug.

"Morning Henri," I greet him quietly. His head shoots up and he looks startled, but only for a moment.

"Good morning E–er–Miss P," he manages before taking another swig out of his mug. "I already put the kettle on, I didn't think you'd mind," he stammers.

"Oh no–not at all. I just wasn't expecting you to be up this early is all," I say gently, trying to conceal the look of surprise that must have creeped onto my face. "You're free to help yourself to whatever you need here," I assure him.