"So this is the napkin you were given in the restaurant?" Officer Dean Winters asked Alexis as she sat to the side of his desk at the local police station. His voice was almost drowned out by the din of the other officers talking to one another.

"Yes, I think he's been stalking me," Alexis answered.

"Stalking you?"

"Yes, stalking me. I got an e-mail with the song from the Police...you know...that song, I'll be watching you. It's the exact same lyrics. It's exactly something a stalker would say."

Officer Winters sighed as he placed the napkin on his desk." Listen Ms. Reyna-"

"Doctor Reyna," she corrected him.

He took a moment to smirk before saying, "Doctor Reyna, you write an advice column for the local newspaper and you have a radio show. It's not unusual to have some strange fans. Have you seen any unusual characters around your home? Has anyone been following you?"

"No, nothing like that."

"Has he called you? Gone to your workplace? Or threatened you in front of your colleagues?"

"No, not a direct threat." Alexis bit her bottom lip, wondering if she had overreacted by coming to the police station. She was beginning to regret her decision.

Officer Winters handed the napkin back to Alexis. "Until you have some evidence that actually shows someone is stalking you, I can't help you." 

He swiveled his chair away from Alexis and began typing on his computer, dismissing her.

"Is that it? Is this a joke?" Her eyes narrowed. "I'm telling you that I feel unsafe and you're telling me that's not good enough?"

Dean's face hardened as he looked at Alexis. "Ma'am, you're telling me someone is stalking you. I asked you for some proof. You told me you got some weird e-mails and a napkin but none of them have any semblance of a direct threat. You work in a position that puts you in the public eye. From what I can tell, you don't have a stalker. You have a crackpot who wants attention. For now, my hands are tied. I cannot help you."

Alexis wanted to scream but she silently counted to five before turning around and leaving Officer Dean Winters to his work.

Dick's Famous Burgers were known for their creative menu. They had a turkey and cranberry burger stuffed between two dinner rolls that went viral during the holiday season. It was a favorite spot for Deandra who was tapping her fingers against the metal table she was sitting at, waiting for her order.

"The Bob Barker? Who had the Bob Barker?"

"I did," two voices said in unison.

Deandra Ward and a handsome man she wished she knew spoke at the same time. 

They looked at one another and laughed.

"It's okay. You go ahead," the man told her with a smile.

Deandra smiled back as she felt his eyes on her.

"I got two Bob Barkers!" the worker behind the counter shouted.

Both the man and Deandra stepped forward to claim their food.

"I wouldn't take you as the type to eat fast food. You look like you're really in shape," the handsome man told her.

Deandra couldn't help but giggle despite thinking his pick up line was horrible. "I have a weakness for burgers."

"Me too. I was hoping to get a quick bite to eat before I went to watch a movie," he said.

"With your girlfriend?" Deandra asked hoping it was subtle enough to find out if he had a girlfriend without seeming too interested.

"Actually, I was going by myself. That kind of makes me sound like a friendless loser, doesn't it?" He grinned and shook his head.

"Of course not. Going to a movie sounds like fun, even if it's by yourself."

"It would be more fun if I had a beautiful woman going with me."

Deandra laughed. He was cute. Too cute.

He cleared his throat. "I don't suppose you would like to go with me?"

Deandra grinned. "Well it depends."

"On what?"

"On what movie you wanted to see."

He chuckled and answered, "I'll watch whatever you want to watch. My name is Jake by the way."

"Hi Jake. I'm Deandra."

"Deandra? That's a very unique name. I like it."

Deandra blushed. "Thank you, Jake. I was named after my grandmother."

The two ate their Bob Barker burgers and then went to the movies where they watched some chick flick about a woman falling in love with a rich man who ended up being her boss. After the movie, the two of them went for a walk at a local park.

"So, I see you keep fiddling with that ring you're wearing, Deandra. Is it special to you? Are you secretly married?" He was laughing as he asked but Deandra stopped walking.

"How did you know?"

His face paled. "You're married? I was just joking! Oh man...I'm sorry. I would--"

Deandra's laughter stopped him from continuing.

"Very funny." He shook his head.

"Sorry, but of course I'm not married. I wouldn't have gone to the movies with you if I was."

Jake sighed at her admission,."I'm sorry. I once dated a married woman but I didn't know she was married."

"Are you serious? What happened?"

"Let's just say her husband found out about it and it wasn't pretty."

Deandra laughed. "How horrible!"

"It was. I can laugh about it now but at the time it was a disaster. So what's the deal with the ring?"

Deandra lifted the ring to be at eye level with her face. "It's beautiful isn't it? It was my grandmother's ring."

It was white gold with a red ruby and opal stones surrounding it.

"The grandmother you were named after?" he asked.

She nodded.

"It's beautiful and unique," Jake said. "Just like its current owner."

The park they were at wasn't overly crowded. Jake pointed to a cluster of trees. "Did you know that behind those trees, there's a pond with some ducks?"

Deandra shook her head. "No, I can't say I normally come to the park."

"Do you want to see it?"

Deandra couldn't help but be drawn into Jake's handsome face. "Sure. Why not?"

He grabbed her hand and dragged her behind the trees. Deandra was laughing until they were hidden from the other park-goers.

She looked around, frowning. "There's no pond here."

She didn't see him lifting a rock before slamming it into the back of her head. She was knocked out cold. He removed her ruby ring and lifted it to the moonlight. It really was unique and beautiful. He placed it in his pocket and pulled out a multipurpose knife he carried. It would be difficult, but he knew he could use it to get the job done.

He leaned forward and whispered into Deandra's ear, "I'm sorry about this...but you really should have picked better friends."

The following day, Alexis was sitting across the kitchen table from her brother Nicholas when her phone rang. Alexis recognized the caller immediately.

"Chace?"

"Hi Alexis. I'm sorry to bother you over the weekend but I just wanted to call and thank you again for the other night. You really helped me out of a bind."

"No problem."

"Okay...well I guess I'll see you tomorrow at work."

"Right. I'll see you tomorrow, Chace." Alexis disconnected the call and turned around to see her brother Nicholas clucking his tongue at her.

"What?" she asked him.

"A guy calls you and you give him the cold shoulder. That's cruel, sister."

"What are you talking about? He just called me to thank me."

"And you call yourself a psychologist. How can you ignore the signs that are right in front of you?"

"Nicholas, don't even go there. Dr. Ryder is my colleague and that's it."

"Riiight...and I'm Saint Nicholas."

"Whatever you want to call yourself is your business, brother."

The sound of a really old TLC song filled the air.

"Is this the stone age? Change your ringtone!" Nicholas teased his sister.

"Shut up you scrub!" 

Nicholas started laughing and she answered the phone to a frantic Gabby.

"Alexis!"

"Gabby, what's the matter?"

"It's Deandra. Oh, Alexis!" 

Alexis was having a hard time understanding her friend Gabby. She would speak a few words and then break into tears.

"Okay, Gabby. I'm going to need you to take a deep breath."

"It's Deandra."

"What about Deandra?"

"She was mugged in the park."

"What? Is she okay?"

"Oh Alexis. It's terrible."

"Gabby! Get a hold of yourself. What happened to Deandra? Tell me slowly."

Alexis could hear her friend sniffling on the other end of the line. "Her brother called me today from Arizona. The police had contacted him because her ID was on her...but they took her money and her jewelry."

"They left her with her ID though?"

"Yeah it's like they wanted the police to know who she was."

"Well, how is she? Is she at the hospital right now?"

"She's not at the hospital. Well, she is but we can't see her."

"Why not?"

"Because Alexis...whoever did this...they didn't just mug her."

"Dammit, Gabby, how is Deandra?"

After a moment of silence, Gabby finally answered, "She's...she's dead."