You Belong to Me – 18

 

 

The tall, dark-haired, model-perfect officer introduced himself as John Turner, which Corey had already figured out from the name tag on his shirt. The other one, who was rather average-looking in comparison to Turner, said he was Officer Moore.

 

Taking out a notebook, Officer Turner asked, “What did the thief take, Mr. Byrne? A complete list, if you’ve made one.”

 

“Only one thing,” Corey replied. “A watch. A very expensive one,” he added.

 

Officer Turner nodded. “Describe it, please.”

 

“It had a plain black face with gold hands and a gold-and-silver band. I know it was expensive because I checked it out a couple of times, wishing I could afford it.”

 

“So it was a gift?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Are you certain you haven’t just mislaid it?” Officer Moore asked.

 

Corey sighed. “Quite certain. I’ve never worn it. It was still in the box it came in, in the back of my dresser drawer.”

 

“May I ask why you never wore it?”

 

“It… umm… was given to me anonymously, so to speak.” When Office Moore asked, Corey explained how it had shown up at the shelter.

 

“And you have no idea who gave it to you?”

 

“Didn’t I just say that?” Corey asked a bit scathingly. Then he apologized. “Whoever it was, they, well…. Okay, this probably sounds weird, but they sent me a Christmas card of sorts a couple of days later with a message saying ‘I’m hurt. You haven’t been wearing my gift.’ Then a day or so after that, there was a message slipped under the door that said pretty much the same thing.”

 

Officer Moore frowned. “Have there been any other communications from this person?”

 

Hesitantly Corey nodded. “I got a phone call. The person whispered something about my belonging to them.” He wasn’t about to tell them the bit about being called a slut. “And then there was another one along the same lines. I tried calling the first one back. It came from a payphone, as did the second according to the caller ID. Well, actually the fifth one. I got three I didn’t answer because they were from payphones too.”