by Sonya Lee
Chapter 10
The guardian awoke early on Sunday morning. He had a lot to do. But first things first, he had to check on his yellow rose. The Guardian moved into the living room. His video feed was still strong. He checked the monitors. Katrina was still sleep, but Detectives Christian and Johns were awake. Det. Christians was in the kitchen making coffee. By his calculations the officers were more than likely on 12 hour shifts. Yes, he knew his law enforcement very well. It’s how he survived.
The Guardian went to take a shower. He’d stop and get coffee on the way. He had lots to do to prepare. Today would be the beginning of the end. His Katrina would be safe once again. Stealth was the key to achieving his goals. He drove to his work house. It was a small residence in a working class neighborhood. His neighbors believed he was a traveling computer technician. It’s what he’d lead them to believe. If anyone asked what he looked like, the description would have been far from his actual features. His neighbors would describe him as blonde, green-eyed, 5’11 with an expanding middle. He had many disguises. This was just one of many. Yes, he knew how to evade recognition. This was just one of his many talents.
It was just before early Mass. Some of his neighbors attended early morning Mass at the Catholic Church on the next block. The majority would attend the mid-day Mass. He stopped in front of his work house. It had taken him less than thirty minutes to make it there. He didn’t see any of his neighbors out and about. He checked the perimeter and pulled around to the garage. He preferred his work houses to have attached garages, but every now and then he wasn’t able to accommodate himself.
He neared his back door, checking for tell-tale signs of disturbance. He always kept his work houses wired. The police didn’t get the call in the event of a break in, he did. But he was too smart to rely solely on an alarm system. He got around them all the time. So he had invisible trip wires strategically placed around his houses. They were so sensitive that anyone who tripped them would never know that they had done so.
All appeared to be in order. The Guardian entered the work house. It was sparsely decorated. There were two bedrooms, a living room, dining room and a kitchen. The house had a basement in which he kept a washer and dryer, along with a pool table, bar and beer signs placed along the walls. The basement was a typical man-cave which he’d never used. He turned on the kitchen light. He proceeded down the hall to the first bedroom. He scanned the room, ever alert for tell-tale signs of disturbance. He noticed nothing amiss. He walked over to the bed and crouched down on all fours. He looked under the bed. There was a layer of dust. He reached under the bed and felt for the groove, when he located it, he pressed down. The compartment slid open. He checked off in his head the list of things he would need; night goggles with heat sensor, 9mm Glock with silencer and extra clips, grappling rope, and his M16 Snipers Rifle. He retrieved all of the items he would need. He pressed the groove and the compartment slid back in place. He stood up and examined the room. All appeared to be in place.
The Guardian exited his work house. His next stop was his prey’s house. He wanted to make sure nothing had changed. Yes, today would be the beginning of the end. But his prey didn’t know that yet.
Safe House Sunday Afternoon
Katrina was awakened by the smell of Applewood bacon. Somewhat disoriented, it took her a moment to remember where she was. She sat up in bed, trying to get her bearings. The room was in shadow. She fumbled out of the bed and began looking for a light switch. She found it near the far wall and turned it on. She barely remembered coming into this room last night. She examined the room once again. There was a full sized bed, an armoire, and a TV with stand. There didn't appear to be a closet. She guessed the police didn't want to leave any hiding places for any criminal elements.
She looked at herself. She had fallen asleep in her clothing. I must have been exhausted she thought. She picked up her bag and placed it on the bed. She wanted to take a shower. She rambled through her bag searching for an outfit. She had only one set of clean clothes left, but several sets of undergarments. She thought about what her mother once told her, “You should always have clean undergarments, you never know when you might end up in an emergency room.” That’s why her overnight bag had plenty of undergarments, but hardly any clothes. She wondered if there was a washer and dryer set on the premises.
She grabbed her bag and went in search of the bathroom. No one was in the living room. The monitors were on and she got a glimpse of the outside of the safe house. All appeared to be clear on the streets. She walked down the hall towards the back of the house. On her left there was a closed door, but on the right the door was opened. Katrina peered inside. She saw two twin beds. Vasquez was straightening up one of the beds. The room also had an armoire and TV with stand. The door behind Katrina opened, Katrina turned around. Officer Timms almost walked right into her.
“Excuse me, and Good Afternoon,” said Timms.
“Good afternoon,” said Katrina with a quizzical look on her face. “What time is it?” She began looking at her arm and realized she didn't have on a wristwatch.
“It’s 12:30,” replied Vasquez.
“Really,” she said in astonishment. She had never slept so late in her life.
“Yeah, you were pretty wiped out last night,” said Timms. “If you’re hungry, Christian cooked a mean breakfast.”
“The smell of Applewood bacon is what woke me up,” said Katrina.
“You could tell what kind of bacon it was by the smell?” asked Timms.
“Anyone who has spent time in a kitchen can tell the difference,” replied Vasquez. “I know your wife does all the cooking just by that comment. I’d be surprised if you could boil an egg.”
“People boil eggs,” said Timms with a chuckle.
“Get that child some food, before I prove that you can’t even make a bed,” said Vasquez.
“The kitchen’s this way,” said Timms.
“I need to take a shower first,” said Katrina. “I’ll eat after I’ve had a shower. I can find my way around a kitchen,” she chuckled.
Timms walked back to the living room and took up his post at the monitors. Katrina took a shower and washed her hair. She returned her bag to the room and met Vasquez in the kitchen having a cup of coffee.
“I thought the captain was sending someone to relieve you,” said Katrina.
“He did, you were sleep when Roberts and Williams came last night. We’ve been placed on twelve hour rotations. We relieved them about an hour or so ago,” said Vasquez.
“What about detectives Christian and Johns?” asked Katrina.
“They’re on sixteen hour shifts being the leads on the case. They stayed all night. They left when we returned. Neither one wanted you to wake up to strange faces staring back at you. They went home to freshen up. They’ll check in at the precinct and head back this way,” she said.
“Do you know how long I’ll have to stay here?” inquired Katrina.
“We’re just playing it by ear right now. It’s obvious that you’re in danger, but we don’t know from whom. Until we can get some leads, we’re keeping a close watch on you,” said Vasquez.
“I have to call Allison, she’s coming home today,” said Katrina.
“Does she have any family she could stay with?” asked Vasquez.
“Yes, she has a couple of cousins who live in Hyde Park. She’ll probably stay with them,” said Katrina.
Katrina finished her breakfast, while Vasquez regaled her with stories of her son’s antics as teenagers. Once she finished eating breakfast, she decided to call Allison. Vasquez told her not to mention anything that happened since the last time she had spoken with Allison.
“Just tell her she
needs to stay with relatives for about a week. You can tell her you’ve been placed in a safe house, but don’t tell her where it’s located,” said Vasquez.
Katrina went back to her room and searched her bag for her cell phone. It was dead. She’d forgotten to plug it up last night when she got to the safe house. She located a socket and plugged in her charger, then connected the phone. She called Allison.
“I’ve been calling you all morning! Where have you been?” shouted Allison.
“Sorry, I’m okay, no need to yell. The police placed me in a safe house,” said Katrina.
“My parents are freaked out, they don’t want me to come back today,” said Allison.
“Why not?” asked Katrina.
“Because of Kim’s murder. The news is reporting that some crazed serial killer murdered her,” said Allison.
“I haven’t heard anything like that,” said Katrina. “Of course I haven’t watched TV in about 36 hours.”
“They said she’d been tortured before she died,” said Allison in a disheartened tone of voice.
“The officers guarding me never told me exactly what happened to Kim," said Katrina.
“Do they think he’s coming after you?’ asked Allison.
“I think so. Or at least the police do. I wondered why they brought me to a safe house so quickly. Maybe your parents are right, you shouldn’t come back today,” said Katrina.
“Yeah, like Professor Samson is going to let me get away with not teaching his class this week. The only reason he gave me this internship was because he needed someone to cover his classes while he did his Hawaii Lectures and I was the only one who could actually do it,” said Allison.
“Yes, but still, said Katrina before Allison interrupted her again.
“No buts about it, I’ve got to cover him,” said Allison.
“If you’re coming back, where are you going to stay? With your cousins?” asked Katrina.
“Yeah, my parents talked to Ron and Gary already. They’re the only reason my parents are actually letting me come back. My dad threatened to hire me a body guard. If they knew you were placed in a safe house, they’d never let me return,” said Allison.
“Are you going to tell them?” asked Katrina.
“Of course not, I’ll be fine with Ron and Gary,” said Allison.
“I hate to cut this conversation short, but I just wanted to check in with you. I’ve got to go. Call me when you get in okay,” said Katrina.
“Okay,” said Allison.
Katrina ended the call. Talking to Allison about school reminded her of her own priorities. She wanted to get her mind off this nightmare and working on her research was just the thing to do it. She knew she needed to contact her professors and work on her papers. She hadn’t seen any computers on the premises, so she doubted the house had internet service. So she couldn’t get her papers from her e-mail. She went in search of Vasquez to see if she could get her laptop back.
Vasquez was in the kitchen on her cell phone talking to Det. Johns. She looked up when Katrina entered. Katrina got her attention.
“Hold on,” said Vasquez. “Ms. Castillo did you need something?”
“Yes, do you think it would be possible for me to get my laptop back?” she asked.
Vasquez put the question to Det. Johns.
“He said, he’d see what he could do,” she said.
Katrina thanked Vasquez and went back to the room. She looked around, realizing she didn’t have anything to do, she turned the TV on. She decided now was as good a time as any to get lost in a made for Lifetime movie.