by Sonya Lee
*****
Her ears were ringing and the ringing was getting louder. Katrina finally shook herself awake. The ringing wasn’t in her ears, it was the suites telephone. She picked up the phone with a drowsy “hello”.
“Ms. Castillo, this is the front desk. We have a special delivery for you,” said the voice on the other end.
“A special delivery? What kind of delivery?” she replied sleepily.
“I’m sorry Ms. Castillo. I didn’t realize you were sleep. I didn’t mean to disturb you. We’ll just hold it downstairs until later on, you can pick it up at the front desk,” said the voice.
“No, you can send it up,” said Katrina finally awake. She looked over at the clock. It was 4:30 in the afternoon. The person on the phone said okay and hung up. She got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. She picked up a face towel and soaked it in hot water. She washed the sleep out of her eyes then she went to sit back down on the bed. She was about to get back under the covers when there was a knock at the door.
“Who is it?” she said as she looked through the peephole.
“It’s hotel concierge, I have a special delivery for you,” came the reply.
She shook her head to wake herself up, she had forgotten that fast that they were delivering something to her room. “Give me one second,” she said as she ran into the bathroom and grabbed the complimentary robe off the door and tightened it around her waist. She picked up her wallet en route to the door again. She opened the door. The gentleman stood before her holding a fresh bouquet of yellow stem roses, he handed them to her.
“Thank you,” she said as she handed him a tip.
She closed and locked the door. She walked over to the desk and placed the flowers on it. She immediately began searching for a card. She couldn’t figure out who might have sent her roses. No one knew where she was except for Allison and Mr. Peterson. She seriously doubted that either one of them would send her flowers. Yet, they were such a lovely gift. She finally located the card hidden deep down in the roses. The outside of the card simply had her name on it. She opened the card, it read:
I SEE YOU, YOUR HURT AND PAIN.
I’VE WATCHED YOU TIME AND AGAIN.
IN DUE TIME THINGS WILL COME TO PASS,
I’M YOUR GUARDIAN, I’M HOME AT LAST.
Katrina dropped the card on the floor. She started shaking. Who’d send me a crazy card like this, she thought. What did he mean he's watched me time and again. Could someone have been watching me and I didn't know it? She wondered. Stop jumping at shadows she told herself. She shook off the eerie feeling that was creeping down her spine and walked over to the bed. She was just about to lie back down when she remembered Detectives Christian and Johns. She was supposed to let them know how to get in contact with her. Katrina was reaching for her wallet when the phone rang. She stretched across the bed to grab the phone on the night stand.
“Hello,” Katrina waited a couple of seconds for a reply. The caller on the line said “Boo” Katrina hung up the phone. A chill ran down her spine. She tried to shake it off but it wasn't working this time. She quickly reached for her wallet again and retrieved the card Det. Christian had given her earlier that day. She picked up her cell phone, it was fully charged now, and proceeded to call Det. Christian.
“Hello,” said Det. Christian.
“Hi, this is Katrina Castillo,” she said.
“We’ve been waiting to hear from you for a while Ms. Castillo, is everything okay?”
“I’m a little spooked right now. But I was just calling to let you know that I checked into the Morae Hotel. I’m staying in room 2426 in case you or Det. Johns needs to speak to me again.”
“Det. Johns and I are on the way there now. Is everything okay?" asked Det. Christian noticing the tremor in her voice.
“I received some yellow roses today and someone just called and said, "boo." It kind of freaked me out. It's probably just my overactive imagination considering the events from last night,” said Katrina.
“I can understand a call bothering you, but it was probably some kids prank calling. But why would getting flowers make you nervous?”
“I don’t know who sent them. I don’t know how they knew where to send them? The two people who know where I am aren’t likely to send me flowers,” she said.
“Was there a card with the flowers?” asked Det. Christian. He signaled Johns to speed up.
“Yes, it had this little poem, which is why I’m a little spooked.”
“What did the card say?”
“Hold on a second let me get it.” Katrina walked over to the desk and retrieved the card. “The card isn’t signed,” she said. She read it to him. "I've never had the feeling that someone was watching me, but the card suggests that someone has and that creeps me out."
“Just stay calm we should be there in five minutes. We had some follow up questions for you anyway. If you’re uncomfortable just set the security lock on the door and don’t open it for anyone. Do you understand?” he asked.
“Yeah, okay,” said Katrina in a quivering voice. She walked over to the door to reset the security lock, she hadn't put it back in place when the bellhop delivered the flowers. “Det. Christian, can you stay on the phone with me until you get here?”
“Yeah, I can do that,” he said. Several thoughts floated through Det. Christians head, but the main one was, has this psycho found her already? He was trying to think of something that would get her mind off of the flowers and the phone call, but was at a loss.
Katrina was on the other end, holding the phone tight. She wanted to ask exactly how Kim died, but didn't know if she really wanted to know. Suddenly there was a scraping sound at the door. Katrina jumped and focused on the door. She whispered into the phone. “Someone’s at the door.”
“Is the security lock in place?” he asked. “Johns hit the siren!” yelled Det. Christian.
“Yes,” she said at the same time.
“Do you happen to have any hair spray or perfume in your bag?” asked Det. Christian.
“Why are you asking me about perfume and hair spray?” asked Katrina in fear and exasperation.
“If the perp happens to get into your room, you can spray him in the eyes with it.” said Det. Christian.
“If he gets into the room, I’m going to do more than spray him in the eyes,” said Katrina angrily.
“Do you have any kind of self-defense training?” he asked.
“I have a black belt in Tae Kwon Do,” she replied.
“If he gets in, you need to take him by surprise,” he said. “Do you hear anything else?”
“No, it stopped.” said Katrina.
“Hide in the furthest part of the room in case he decides to break the door down. Hide behind the curtains. Make sure that he can’t see you if he gets in the room. You don't know if he has a gun or not so you need the element of surprise.”
“What good is the security lock, if it can’t keep people out?” exclaimed Katrina moving behind the thick curtains in the room.
“They’re more for giving you a sense of security. If someone is determined to get into a room, nine times out of ten they can get in. We just pulled in front of the hotel. We’ll be at your door in two minutes.”
Katrina stood behind the thick black curtains listening for the slightest sound. The scraping sound began again. Her hands began to quiver. Her cell phone slid from her grasp. Frantic thoughts raced through her mind. “What if they don’t get here in time? Will I be able to take him?” A flash of Kim’s battered face flew through her mind. She started taking deep breaths. She needed to calm herself down. She started focusing inside, not letting the fear rule her.
Detectives Christian and Johns rode the elevator with impatience and concern on their
brows. They hoped Katrina was alright. Det. Christian had lost her on the cell phone, but they hadn't heard any yelling or screaming, so they assumed that was a good thing. The elevator finally arrived on her floor. They exited cautiously and examined the walls to determine which way her room was. They carefully looked around the corner, but saw no one in the halls. They sprinted to her suite's door.
Det. Johns stopped Det. Christian just shy of the door. Det. Johns pointed down and bent to pick up an object on the floor leaning against the suite's door. He came back up with a laptop. There was a post it note stuck to the top of the computer. It read: “Compliments of the Guardian.”
Det. Christian knocked on the door and yelled Katrina’s name. His voice snapped her out of the trancelike state she’d gone into. Katrina breathed a sigh of relief. She picked up her cell phone and walked over to the door on shaky legs. She peered through the peephole before releasing the security lock and opening the door.
Det. Johns stood in the door way with her laptop.
“That’s my laptop,” she said as she reached for it.
Det. Johns stepped back and said, “You can’t touch this, its evidence. It was laying in front of your door. My guess is, this made the scraping sound as it slid down to the carpet.”
Katrina looked at the laptop. She read the post it note, realization dawned in her eyes. She slowly backed into the room away from Detective’s Johns and Christian. “It's the man that sent me the flowers, who is he?” she said in a whisper. “How does he know where I am?”
Detective’s Christian and Johns entered the room.
“It’s going to be okay. We’re here now,” said Det. Johns. He looked at Det. Christian. “We need to call the precinct and update the captain on the situation.”
“I’ll make the call now,” said Det. Christian. He stepped into the hall and placed the call.
“I need you to take a seat Ms. Castillo,” said Det. Johns in a soothing voice. He knew she was on the verge of losing it and he needed to keep her calm. Katrina moved over to the bed and sat down. Det. Johns scanned the suite. “How many bedrooms does this suite have?”
“One with two queen sized beds,” she said. “I got it for me and Allison.”
“Do you know when she’ll be returning?” he asked. He was trying to infuse a normal conversation into the situation. If he could get her to talk about normal everyday things she might able to pull herself together.
Katrina looked at Det. Johns. “She’s supposed to come back tomorrow. She only went for the weekend.”
“Have you talked to her since you’ve been here?” he asked.
“Yeah, I talked to her just before I fell asleep. She told me Kim’s murder made the national news. That was the gist of our conversation besides me telling her where I would be staying when she got back. I was pretty drained and needed to get some sleep,” said Katrina.
“What did you do after you left your apartment today?” asked Det. Johns.
“I pretty much drove straight here. I didn’t stop anywhere. I left my apartment and drove down Jackson Street until I hit Michigan. I knew I needed to check into a hotel, but hadn’t thought about which one, when I spotted the Morae. I thought about my neighbor, and decided to check in here.”
“You didn’t call anyone?’ inquired Det. Johns.
“No, my phone didn’t have any bars. I wasn’t able to charge it again until I got to the hotel,” she said.
“Did you notice anyone strange when you went to the apartment?”
“No,” Katrina thought back for a moment, “no one was around. I didn’t even see any of my neighbors.”
“A lot of them chose to stay with relatives after the fire this morning. How about as you were driving, did you notice anyone following you?” he asked.
“I wasn’t paying any attention. As I was driving I started thinking about Kim and I started crying. I looked up and saw the hotel. It was like a beacon of light. I knew Mr. Peterson worked here. I knew I’d see him while I was staying here. So I pulled into the hotel. I asked the valet if Mr. Peterson was working. He told me I’d find him at the concierge desk. Mr. Peterson helped me get my room. I came up and took a shower. Then I called Allison. I talked to her for about five minutes. Then I went to sleep.”
“Around what time was this?” he asked.
“I got in bed around 12:30,” she said. “I slept until the phone started ringing. The front desk called up to let me know I had a special delivery. I didn’t think anything of it until I read the card. Then I started wondering.”
“What were you wondering,” asked Det. Johns.
“Who sent me flowers? I never receive flowers unless my father sends them. He’s out of the country. He wouldn’t know where to find me now anyway. But the more pertinent thing would be the note that came with the flowers, it still puts me on edge just thinking about it. How could this guy know where I'm at already, the note said he'd been watching me. I'm beginning to think someone has really been watching me” she said.
"Let's not focus on that right now. After you read the card what did you do?" asked Det. Johns.
"I called you after the prank phone call, that might not have been a prank after all," said Katrina.
Det. Christian walked back into the suite and Johns decided the interview was over for now.
“The captain’s been updated,” said Christian.
“I need you to go and see who delivered these flowers. There isn’t a florist listed on the card. Our perp could have delivered them himself,” said Det. Johns.
“I’m going to question a couple of the bellhops while I’m at it. They would have noticed someone out of place hanging around the hotel,” said Christian.
“We’ll meet you downstairs in a couple of minutes,” said Johns. Det. Christian left the suite.
Katrina turned to Det. Johns. “You said we. Do I have to go with you?” she asked in exasperation.
“Do you want to stay here knowing that some guy might be stalking you and knows where you are?” he asked incredulously.
Fear leapt into Katrina’s eyes. She was tired of being an emotional roller coaster. She hadn't gotten very much sleep and was missing too many important details for her own comfort.
“Look, I don’t mean to scare you, but this is serious. This guy is following you. We need to get you to a safe place,” said Det. Johns.
“No, it's okay. I'm just not as sharp as I normally am, due to lack of sleep and everything that's had happened in the last 24 hours. I’ll gather my things. Where are you'll taking me?” asked Katrina.
“We’ll figure that out when we get back to the station,” he said.
Katrina went into the bedroom. She picked up her bag and sat down on the bed. She tried to figure out what was going on, but couldn’t come up with a plausible idea. She was lost in thought when Det. Johns asked if she was ready. She told him she needed five more minutes. She got dressed and they left the suite. When they arrived in the lobby, Det. Christian was waiting on them. He said the hotel had removed the delivery information from the flowers. It’s hotel policy. The flowers had come from Anthony’s Florist. He had a patrolmen headed there now to see if the perp came in or ordered over the phone. With any luck the perp used a credit card and they’d have a lead. He told them this information as they headed for the car. They left the Morae Hotel and went straight to the precinct.
The Guardian
The Guardian watched them leave the Morae Hotel. The smaller detective had her laptop. It was wrapped in a plastic bag. He was upset that they were keeping her laptop. He retrieved it after the police and fire department had left the scene last night. He checked the laptop for damage before he returned it to her. He knew she needed it for her classes. That’s why he’d taken the chance and retrieved it for her. They need to giv
e it back to her, he thought. She had important work to do.
The Guardian touched the jump drive in his pocket. It was a good thing he had taken the jump drive out. He prided himself on being prepared. Katrina would still be able to continue her work. He would see to it. He'd kept her jump drive on the off chance they'd confiscate her laptop when they found it had been returned to her. He always thought of every case scenario. He had succeeded for now. The police were doing exactly what he wanted them to do. Safe house here we come he thought. He strolled right pass them. The detectives didn’t even glance his way. He overheard Det. Christian say the word “precinct”. The other officer’s nameplate read Johns. They appeared to be pretty sharp despite their lack of years on the force. He wondered if they’d be sharp enough to keep Katrina alive.
He walked to his car, the newly designed Dodge Charger. He loved cars with engines that purred. He opened the car door and got in. He sat there awhile contemplating his next move. He always had to be three moves ahead. He knew he had a little time before the next move. He decided to send Katrina a little present. And he knew just how to do it. She had papers to write after all.
The Guardian drove to State University’s library. The library was packed today. That’s the reason he chose State’s library. Students were busy working on mid-term projects or studying for mid-term test. No one would notice another body in the library. Besides, he was extremely proficient at blending in. He sat at one of the cubicles pretending to work on a paper. It took thirty minutes before a computer became available. He sat down and proceeded to e-mail Katrina the most recent documents from her jump drive. As he was leaving the library he thought of Katrina. The last thing that would be on her mind is checking her e-mail. He ran through several case scenarios and thought upon the perfect one. He still had that burner phone from last month.
The Guardian walked back to his car and opened the trunk. The phone was in his specialty bag. It still had a little blood on it. “I’ll have to clean this if I’m going to be using it in public,” he thought. He texted Katrina a simple message, “I’m here to help. Check your e-mail. You’ll find something important that you need.” That should allow her to complete her papers, he thought. He turned the cell phone off and got into his car.
With that move completed, the Guardian proceeded to the next step in his plan. He knew the police were going to place Katrina into one of their safe houses. That's what he'd do considering the state they found her friend in. He knew the location of all of CPD’s safe houses. They would want excellent security and the ability to see someone coming from a distance. Only two of their safe houses fit that description. The Guardian knew which one they would choose. Yeah, he knew police and how they thought. The Guardian is a man of many talents.