Sue (15 page)

“It was stuck in my door.” Sue bit
down on her glove to keep from screaming. “So whoever it was has been at my
place.
Again.”

“Are you home now?”

“Yes.
In my car.”

“Drive away from there, Sue!
Right now.”

“The detective is on her way. I
have to wait for her.”

“No, you don’t. I mean it, Sue. Get
out of there. It’s starting to get dark.”

Tendrils of fear coursed through
her as she turned in her seat and looked behind her. It was dusk and the streetlights
had come on, but there was no traffic. Most of the houses were lit but a few
remained dark. Many of her working neighbors were already inside their homes,
warm and snug against the chill night. Shivering, Sue mentally berated herself
for telling Melvin she didn’t need him to follow her tonight.

“Hold on a minute while I move the
car.” She laid the phone on the seat beside her, put the car in reverse, and
backed out of the driveway into the street. She parked a few houses from her
own. “Okay, I moved.”

“How far?”

“Down the street
a few houses.”

“Well, that’s marginally better, I
guess. I’m at my car now. I’m coming over.”

“I’m looking at the upstairs
windows and they’re dark. Apparently my neighbors aren’t home.” Her voice
caught in her throat. From this angle she could see her bedroom windows, the
dark blue shades illuminated from within. “Oh god, Melvin,” she whispered. “My
bedroom light is on. I’m sure I didn’t leave it on when I left this morning.”

Sue heard the sound of a car door
slamming and then Melvin said, “I’m on my way. Don’t hang up. I’ve got you on
speaker.” Sue heard the tires screech as Melvin peeled from his parking spot.

As Sue focused on her window, she
noticed something move across the blind. It was barely perceptible. She
squinted and stared so hard her eyes ached. There it was again, a slight
shadowy movement. “Melvin! Someone’s inside. I saw movement.”

A knock sounded on the window next
to her head. Sue jumped and dropped the phone into her lap, heart pounding in
vicious slams against her chest. She turned to see Detective Sanders standing
next to her car, motioning for her to roll down the window.

Struggling against the tide of
adrenalin, she lowered the window. “I’m so glad to see you. I think there’s
someone inside my apartment.” She lifted the phone. “Detective Sanders is here
now, Melvin. I’ll see you when you get here.” She disconnected the call.

“Okay, give me your keys and wait
here.” Sanders held out her hand.

Sue turned off her car and handed
the keychain to the woman. Sanders pulled her weapon, crept up to the apartment
door, and unlocked it. She disappeared inside and Sue waited in an agony of
suspense. Soon the detective reappeared, gun holstered, and approached Sue’s
car. “It’s clear.” She handed Sue her keys. “Let’s go inside where it’s more
comfortable, more private.”

She moved with purpose to her car,
which was parked behind Sue’s, and got inside. As Sue drove into the driveway,
Detective Sanders pulled in behind her. Before they’d reached the front door,
Melvin arrived. He jumped from his car and hurried up the walk.

“You know the routine by now, Sue.
Have a look around.” Sanders moved about the small living room, pulled the
shades back, and examined the windows. Melvin stood awkwardly by the door,
waiting.

Entering her bedroom, Sue realized
the shadows she’d seen against her blinds were caused by the movement of
shifting images on her screen saver. But, the computer should have been dark.
It was set to sleep after five minutes of non-usage. And she knew for sure she hadn’t
left the bedroom light on. Someone had been inside; she was certain of it. Yet
nothing seemed to be missing or out of place.

While Melvin talked quietly with
the detective, Sue emerged from the bedroom and quickly checked the rest of her
apartment. “Nothing,” she said when finished. “Everything seems to be the way I
left it.
Except for the bedroom light.
Oh, and the
computer’s screen saver was on when it should have been dark.”

“Give me a second. I want to get
someone over here to check for prints on the door, your keyboard, and the desk.
Don’t touch anything.” The detective made her call and looked back at Sue. “So,
let me see the letter.”

Shoving her hand into her coat
pocket, Sue produced the pages and held them out to the detective.

Sanders slipped on a pair of gloves
before taking them. As she perused the words, she frowned and looked up at Sue.
“Is there anything in here that only Zeke would know?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t think of
that when I read it.”

“Well, read it over again please.”
Detective Sanders handed the pages back to Sue. “Look carefully.”

Sue read the vile words once more,
her lips pressed together. Melvin and Sanders watched her closely. Shoulders
hunched in resignation, Sue refolded the sheets and laid them on the coffee
table before dropping onto the sofa.

“Sue?” Melvin’s eyebrows were
raised in query.

“No. There’s nothing specific. I
suppose it could have been written by anyone. Any disgusting pervert, that is.”

Detective Sanders lifted the papers
and slipped them into a plastic bag. “I’m pretty sure there won’t be any prints
on these, but we’ll see what we find.” She chewed her lip thoughtfully for a
second or two. “Okay, Sue. I need you to think really hard. Is there anyone
else you can think of who would want to scare you?
A classmate?
Coworker?”
She shot a glance at Melvin.
“Anyone?”

Sue shook her head as a knock
sounded at the door. Detective Sanders peered through the window and then let
in an officer carrying a small case. After showing him what she needed, she returned
her attention to Melvin and Sue.

“Melvin, would you mind waiting
outside?” The detective’s tone was polite but firm.

He shrugged. “No problem. I’ll sit
in my car.” He donned his hat and left, stepping around the officer who was
dusting the door for prints.

With a puzzled look, Sue turned to
Sanders. “Why’d he have to leave?”

“I want to go over these incidents
with you privately. Where was Melvin when each one happened?”

The officer moved past the two
women and disappeared into Sue’s bedroom.

Sue flushed.
“Oh
no.
I see where this is going. But you’ve got it all wrong, Detective.
Melvin didn’t do any of these things.”

“Humor me.” Sanders pulled out a
small notebook. “In January, you had a break-in. Where was Melvin?”

“I don’t know. He came when I called
him. Anyway, you caught the kids that did it. Didn’t you?”

“Maybe, but remember, they denied
breaking into your place.”

“Did they deny any of the other
break-ins?”

The detective looked unhappy over
the question. “Yes.
Two others.”
She cleared her
throat. “Okay, next you get a poem in the mail. It could have been sent by
anyone.”

“Not Melvin.”

Sanders gave a casual toss of her
head. “Just bear with me here, Sue. The next thing that happens is a valentine
on your windshield. Where was Melvin that time?”

“He had just come over. In fact, he
was the one who noticed it.”

“Of course he did.
Then the daisies.
Did he know the significance of that
particular flower?”

“Well, yes. It’s in my file at the
agency.”

“Now this.”
Sanders looked Sue in the eye. “And right on cue, Melvin’s here.”

Sue jumped to her feet. “You’re
wrong. He’s not like that. And anyway, why would he do this to me?”

“As you pointed out, he works for
Falstaff Agency.”

“And?”

“Maybe job security, I don’t know.
Maybe he keeps the pot stirred so you keep paying him.”

“That’s just ridiculous.” Sue
crossed her arms over her chest and paced back and forth. “No, I don’t buy it.”

The officer stepped from the
bedroom and nodded. “I picked up some prints but that was pretty much a
certainty, given the locations. We’ll have to check them against the records.
Is there anything else, Detective?”

“No. Thank you.” She smiled at him
and he departed.

Sanders snapped her notebook closed
and prepared to leave.
“My motto.
Leave no stone
unturned. Just be careful who you trust, Sue. You’re focusing so hard on Zeke,
you might miss something.”

“Like what?”

“Like the real culprit.” Detective
Sanders opened the door. “I’ll be in touch.”

Sue stood stunned in the center of
her front room. She heard the crunch of the detective’s shoes on the gravel
drive as she stepped away from the porch. Moments later, Melvin came inside and
closed the door to the brisk night wind. He removed his hat, leaving his hair
askew.

Sue took a long look at him.

He lifted his brows slightly.
“What?”

“You won’t believe what Detective
Sanders suggested.”

He chuckled. “I bet I would. She
thinks I might be the stalker, right?’

With a pained expression, Sue
nodded. “That doesn’t bother you?”

“No. If I were in her shoes, I’d
check me out too. It’s more common than you think for the perpetrator of a
crime to be in some kind of relationship with the victim.”

Sue tilted her head and asked
softly, “What kind of relationship do we have, Melvin?”

He swallowed hard, thrown by her
question. “I guess a work relationship, in that you are a client of the agency
I work for. Or at least your parents are clients. But I think we’re friends,
too. At least I hope we are.” His face reddened. He tried to smooth down his
fly-away hair but static rendered the effort useless.

He looked so vulnerable in that
moment that Sue felt a small tug on her heart. She had to rescue him. “Me too,”
she said with a small smile.

A look of relief crossed his face.

“But, don’t you ever get tired
of following me around to grocery stores, gas stations, and everywhere else?”

“Why would I?”

“For one thing, grocery
shopping is boring,” Sue teased.

“I could think of worse things to
be doing.”

Sue contemplated this statement for
a few seconds. “Want to hang around for awhile? I could use the company. Maybe
we could order pizza. Watch a movie?”

“That sounds good.” He unzipped his
coat and tucked his hat into the pocket.

While they waited for the food to
arrive, they sat on the sofa, not close enough to touch, but not too far apart
either. An invisible boundary had been crossed and neither knew how to proceed.
To fill the awkward silence, Sue began speaking.

“I guess you have a lot of
questions about what happened. You know, with Zeke and me.” She held up her
hand as Melvin tried to object. “No, it’s okay. It’s normal curiosity. I’d also
guess you’re afraid to ask me anything.”

“Sue. You don’t have to...”

“I want to.
Really.
It might help me to talk about it with a friend instead of just my therapist.
Lord knows I can’t discuss it with my parents.” She looked down at her lap.

Melvin shifted, looking very
uncomfortable.

“I met him at Re-Books. I couldn’t
believe it when he asked me out; I was so flattered. We fell right into a
relationship. At first, he was nice to me, listened to what I had to say,
complimented
me. Just the way he looked and the sound of his
voice...took my breath away. And he was so good at...certain things...”

“You mean sex?” Melvin seemed to
have trouble posing the question.

“I mean the whole package.
The touching, the words of love, the romance.
And yes, that other part, too.
I admit it. I fell hard for
him. He seemed to know just the right things to say and do.” She looked up at
Melvin and noticed the tortured look on his face. “Maybe I shouldn’t say any
more.”

“No, it’s fine, go ahead.” There
was a stoic set to his shoulders.

“Well, he had me so hooked that I
feared losing him. I thought that would be the worst thing.
If
I lost him.
Much later, I found out that wasn’t even close to the worst
thing that could happen. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the whole
thing, trying to figure out why I left town with him. He’d already starting
showing small signs that things weren’t right.”

“Like what?”

“Like the time he saw me talking to
a guy from my class. He got so angry. Grabbed me by the hair and twisted it. It
really hurt.”

“So he was jealous.”

“That’s what I thought, too.
But no.
It was worse. He said he didn’t care if I slept with
the guy; he just didn’t want me doing it behind his back. He said we could both
have the freedom to take other lovers, as long as we talked it out ahead of
time. I was awake almost all night trying to come to terms with that. I
should’ve broken it off with him then. But I was so stupid. He was like a drug
I couldn’t give up.”

Melvin pinched his lip, thinking.
“I don’t know what to say. I’ve never felt that way about anyone before.”

“Yeah, well I hadn’t either. I
guess that was part of my problem.
Lack of experience.”
A wry look crossed her face. “Not a problem I have anymore, thanks to Zeke. If
anything, I’m overly sensitive to the idea of getting close to someone.”

“Can I ask you something?” At her
nod, he continued. “Do you think you’ll ever get over him? I mean, can you get
past what he did to you and maybe want a relationship again?”

“That’s what I’m trying to do.”

Melvin changed the subject. “Bet
your folks are worried, with all this crap that’s going on.”

“You don’t know the half of it.
They’ve been pestering me to move home. Plus, I feel so guilty.”