Beyond the Consequences: Book 5 of the Consequences Series (Volume 5) (8 page)

“Nope,” Nichol answered matter-of-factly. “She wants pancakes with lots of siwup.”

“Of course she does,” Tony laughed.

When 9:00 AM arrived, Claire, Tony, Nichol, Phil, and Taylor were all anxiously awaiting the opening of the
American Girl
store on Fifth Avenue. After a discussion with Eric, Phil, and Taylor, Tony decided to cancel his meetings and stay close to Claire and Nichol. Still blissfully unaware, Nichol bounced in her seat, excited to have her whole family see the store.

Phil watched the entrance for suspicious patrons while Taylor stayed by Nichol’s side. Claire had arranged for a personal shopper to help guide Nichol to the areas of the store that interested her most, and the nice woman was waiting for their arrival. As she ushered Nichol about, Tony and Claire followed closely behind.

With each new section of the giant store, Claire began to relax. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Just before they were to leave, Nichol tugged on her mother’s hand and whispered that she needed to use the restroom. They handed Sophie to Taylor who followed them into the restroom. As soon as Nichol and Claire entered a stall, the commotion began. It happened so fast that it was difficult to keep up.

The tile walls and floors only amplified the sounds as rants and crashes echoed throughout the bathroom. Nichol’s brown eyes grew to the size of saucers when she looked to her mother and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Shush, honey,” Claire whispered, hugging Nichol close to her thundering heart.

Saying a silent prayer, Claire moved her and her daughter to the back of the stall. Fighting the urge to close her eyes, she stared at the latch, held Nichol tighter, and listened as the commotion waxed and waned. Claire didn’t know what or who had started the racket, but soon she heard not only Taylor’s voice but also Phil’s. Almost immediately, the chaos brought others. Though multiple people shouted, it wasn’t until Claire heard the deep baritone voice that her world was made right and she even considered opening the stall door.

“Claire,” Tony called. “Are you all right? Come out.”

With trembling fingers, Claire opened the latch. Her heart found its steady beat as her gaze blended into the dark eyes. Walking to her husband, she turned just in time to see the back of a man being led away by store security, his wrists cuffed.

“…you don’t understand,” the man protested. “She needs me. I love her, and she loves me. I need to save her from him…” His words trailed away as Claire melted against Tony, who held Nichol tight.

“What happened?” Nichol’s usually strong tone shook with uncertainty.

With a smile on his face and concern in his eyes, Phil joined the group. “Everything is fine, Nichol. Remember, Taylor and I are here to keep you safe?”

Nichol nodded.

“Well, Taylor has something of yours.”

They all turned toward Taylor as she presented Sophie back to Nichol. “That man wanted to make a lot of noise. It’s a good thing I was here, because he didn’t get a chance to get near Sophie. But I think she needs you, don’t you?”

Pursing her lips together, Nichol nodded and said, “Thank you, Miss Taylor.” Reaching for Sophie, she held her tight, still safe within her parents’ embrace.

Once they were back in the limousine and on their way to the apartment, Phil began to share the information they’d learned. Apparently, a man in his mid-thirties had been waiting in one of the stalls. He opened the door, as soon as Claire and Nichol entered another stall. Of course, Taylor saw him immediately and was on top of him. “The man’s name is Rudolf. He has a history of delusional behavior. From his mutterings, it seems that he read Ms. Bank’s book,
My Life As it Didn’t Appear,
and has since devoted his time to an effort to
save
and
free
you, Claire.”

Claire shook her head. “Save me? Free me from what… the book?”

Taylor shook her head. “As Phil said, Rudolf is delusional. He’s been arrested before for celebrity stalking. They’ll do more detailed psychological tests, but it seems that he believed the circumstances of the book are current, not past. He believed that you’re currently in danger.”

Through clenched teeth, Tony proclaimed, “I hate that damn book.”

“What else did this Rudolf say?” Claire asked.

“He was very forthcoming,” Phil replied. “He’s been following you for a while. However, we still aren’t sure how he knew your schedule. I know your phones and computers are clean. I check them daily.”

“He had an earpiece in his ear.” Taylor volunteered. “You know, like a Bluetooth.” Her mind processed. “Phil, how long did he say he has he been following Mrs. Rawlings?”

“He said that he’s been
with
you
…” Phil looked to Claire. “…for weeks.”

“I’ve never seen him before in my life.”

Tony squeezed her hand.

“I still don’t know how he knew where we’d be. And what did he mean,
with me
?”

Contemplating the earpiece, Phil asked, “Nichol, may I see Sophie?”

Shaking her head, Nichol hugged her doll tighter. “No, she’s scared. That bad man scared her.”

Taylor and Phil exchanged glances. “Honey,” Taylor began, “you know that Mr. Phil and I are here to keep you safe, right?”

Nichol nodded.

“We also want to keep Sophie safe, just as I did in the bathroom. Can I please see her for a minute?”

Apprehensively, Nichol’s dark eyes turned to her mom. Claire nodded, unsure of Phil and Taylor’s new fascination with the doll. Nichol slowly held Sophie out to Taylor. “Mr. Phil, Sophie wants to go to Miss Taylor.”

Phil smiled. “That’s just fine, Nichol. Miss Taylor can make sure Sophie’s safe.”

“I’m going to look very closely at Sophie when we get back to your apartment. Is that okay, Nichol?”

“Don’t let her get hurt again.”

“Again?” Taylor asked.

“Yes, she got an ouchy on her back.”

“I won’t let anything happen to her,” Taylor reassured.

Claire squeezed her daughter’s hand and watched as Taylor’s soft blue eyes gave Nichol the comfort she needed.

“I’ve called ahead; our things should be packed for us to head home,” Tony declared.

No one disagreed.

A FEW DAYS
later back in Iowa, Claire and Tony sat in their office as Phil and Taylor explained their findings. “There was a microphone, GPS, and transmitter hidden inside of Sophie. That’s how Rudolf knew where you were or where you were going.”

“Did it happen at the company?” Tony asked.

“We’re confident that it was placed post-manufacturing,” Taylor replied. “However, upon further inspection, a smaller, more sophisticated tracker was found in the doll sent for Nichol’s birthday. The FBI didn’t find it at first because it’s made of a new polymer that is radiolucent. So it didn’t show up in their initial tests and x-rays.”

Phil interjected, “We suspect that the tracking software was placed when Nichol left Sophie at the ice cream shop in Iowa City. I remember thinking at the time that I hadn’t seen the doll when we left the shop. If they still have their security footage we could confirm our suspicions, but I think Rudolf was there and stole the doll when Nichol and we weren’t looking. I didn’t recognize him at first, but now I’m beginning to think he seemed familiar. We believe he inserted the transmitter, GPS, and microphone and then left Sophie for us to find. When we retrieved her, we never thought to look.”

“Yes, that
ouchy
that Nichol mentioned was a small incision sealed with clear glue,” Taylor added. “I asked her when it happened and she said after Sophie got lost at the ice cream shop.”

Claire shook her head. “I don’t know if Nichol mentioned Sophie’s injury before or not. I don’t remember. I’d bet that if she did, I didn’t think anything of it.”

“The FBI confirmed that the DNA on the electronics in both dolls matched Rudolf’s.” Phil forced a reassuring smile. “There’s no reason to think he was acting in conjunction with anyone else. His history is of lone stalking. The FBI is also confident that he isn’t related to or involved with the sender of the
Rawls-Nichols
gifts. He never in any of his attempts at contact used the names
Rawls
or
Nichols
, always Rawlings.”

“Great, so one psycho down and another to go,” Claire said with a sigh.

“The most important thing is that you and Nichol are safe,” Tony reiterated.

“And you,” Phil added, looking directly toward Tony. “In Rudolf’s delusions, he foresaw
saving
Claire and Nichol, and setting them
free—
by keeping them with him and assuring that you were permanently out of the picture.”

Claire gasped. “Permanently? Does he have a history of violence?”

“No,” Taylor answered. “However, it’s well documented that criminals tend to escalate in their behavior. He was bolder with you than he’d been in his previously known cases. Taking Nichol’s doll was quite the risk. His success undoubtedly fueled his confidence. Through the software he placed in Sophie, he had up to the minute updates of personal family matters. His intimate knowledge helped to perpetuate his delusion.”

“Wouldn’t that intimate knowledge have helped to refute his need to save Claire and Nichol?” Tony asked. “After all, he heard us interact. There was never anything that he would’ve heard to make him believe that either Claire or Nichol were in danger.”

Phil cleared his throat. “As we’ve said, the man was delusional. Anything he heard, without visual confirmation, could be misconstrued in his mind. We know that the only real threat was from him, but he didn’t see himself that way.”

“I don’t think I want to know any more about him, other than he’s out of our lives,” Claire said. “Tell me that there’s no chance of him getting free and coming after us.”

“It should be open and shut. After all, he was caught in the act,” Tony added.

“It wasn’t just what he did at the store; the FBI confirmed Rudolf had an unlicensed gun in his possession.”

Claire shivered. “Thank God you two were there.”

“With his history, at a minimum he’s looking at being institutionalized. With the illegal audio surveillance and the firearms charge he’s facing much stiffer penalties. Mr. Simmons has already petitioned for a restraining order. Don’t worry. He’s not coming near any of you,” Phil replied.

“Confirm the timeline. When did Rudolf start his quest?” Tony asked.

“It seems as though it was near Nichol’s birthday,” Phil confirmed.

“That means that Nichol’s birthday gift, the doll, was from him?”

Phil nodded toward Claire. “Yes. The doll was addressed to
Nichol Rawlings
. The card, no. It was addressed to
Nichol Rawls
and had the female DNA.”

Tony wrapped his arm around Claire. “As you said, one down and one to go.”

“Mrs. Rawlings,” Taylor began, “it’s an ongoing investigation. The FBI has been working with Phil closely. As a matter-of-fact…”

Phil’s gaze shot toward Taylor.

“…we’re hoping for more information anytime now,” she continued.

“Is there anything else?” Tony asked, his gaze darkening as he looked from Phil to Taylor.

Phil and Taylor exchanged glances. “No, that about covers it,” Phil responded, as the two of them stood to leave the office.

“I know I keep saying it. Somehow it seems insufficient, but thank you for everything,” Claire said with a strained smile.

Taylor and Phil nodded as they both disappeared behind the door.

Once they were alone, Claire raised her brow and asked Tony, “Did you see that?”

“What? That they have something they’re not saying?”

“No. The way they looked back and forth at one another, and the way Phil said
we
.”

“Yes, I guess.” Tony wrinkled his brow. “Why? I have no idea what you’re asking.”

“I think Phil’s getting used to having someone else around. I mean, he’s pretty much been in control of all things security, and although he was instrumental with our hiring Taylor, I got the feeling he felt like she was invading his turf. It just seems like after this, well, she was able to be in the bathroom with us when he couldn’t. If she hadn’t been there, and he’d been outside, who knows what would have happened.”

“I don’t even want to think about it.”

Claire grinned. “I like it. It’s good for him. I think he spends too much time alone.”

Tony shrugged. “He’s got Eric.”

“I don’t think it’s the same thing,” she said with a smirk.

Shaking his head, Tony pressed his lips together. “Mrs. Rawlings, don’t play matchmaker. I want Phil and Taylor’s attention on you and Nichol, not on one another.”

“No one said they can’t do both.”