She was silent for a long time as her heart beat against her chest. And finally she forced herself to speak.
"H-he was… he had dark hair that looked like he hadn't brushed it in days… his clothes were torn and wrinkled. He had on dark jeans and a torn black sweatshirt and his eyes… Oh God, I'll never forget his eyes, I-."
She sobbed once again and Martin rose to his feet. "What else, Daphne? Tell me everything you can remember!"
"Dad, that's not important right now!" Frasier said.
"The hell it's not! This guy needs to be stopped, Frasier!"
"Dad, there's no need to rush into anything right now. Why don't you wait a little while until Daphne's had a chance to pull herself together?"
She looked at Frasier in amazement and she couldn't help but smile. "You mean… I can stay?"
Frasier smiled and hugged her. "Of course, Daphne. I don't know what I would do without you. I'm so sorry you had such a terrifying event. Can you forgive me for being such a fool?"
"You're damn right, you were a fool!" Martin snapped.
"Dad…"
"Well, Niles can you blame me for being angry? I knew that store was trouble and in fact I'm going to give the police headquarters a call and demand that they send extra security over there to guard that parking lot. Damn shame when people can't go to the grocery store without being attacked… or nearly attacked."
"Mr. Crane, that's not necessary. I'll be fine." Daphne said.
"You'll never be fine until this guy is caught!" Martin replied. "And I'm going to make damn sure that he is caught!"
She hugged him, smiling at the way he tensed against her touch but then she quickly drew back. "Oh no…"
"What's wrong?"
"Th-the receipt… It was in one of me grocery bags!" Daphne cried, suddenly unable to catch her breath. "Oh God… what if that man gets me credit card number or finds out where I live or…"
"It's all right." Niles said soothingly. "No one will hurt you. You're safe with us."
She leaned against Niles' chest crying quietly. "I'm sorry…"
"Don't do this to yourself, Daph." Martin said. "This isn't your fault! Now, I said I was going to get to the bottom of this and I am!" He left the room and headed into the hallway, leaving Niles, Frasier and Daphne alone.
"Well…" Frasier said. "I guess I should cancel my dinner party."
"No, Dr. Crane I can't let you do that." Daphne said firmly. "This was my fault and-."
"It's not your fault" Frasier said gently. "It's mine. You were right, Daphne. The Food Mart seems to be a much safer place to shop. But I can't possibly have my dinner party now. Not after what happened to you. I'll just reschedule for next Friday. Niles, you, Daphne and Dad are all invited. I'm sure Dad will decline my offer, but I owe him. Well, I'd better start calling people, so if you'll excuse me… Oh… you're both coming to the party, right?"
"Oh… That's awfully sweet of you, Dr. Crane, both of you." Daphne said. "But I'm afraid I'm not going to be in the mood for a party. I…" Her voice trailed away, leaving her with an empty feeling inside.
"I understand, Daphne." Frasier said hugging her. "But if you change your mind, and I hope you will, the invitation still stands. I'd be honored to have you as my guest."
Daphne blinked back tears. "Thank you."
"Well, I'll leave you alone. Dad may want help with is investigation."
"Dr. Crane, you really don't have to go to all of this trouble. It was just a man-."
"He frightened you, Daphne. And that's enough cause for concern." Frasier said.
