Her Only Defense

by Kami Larke

  “Thanks,” he said, holding the door open for her. He watched as she walked down the hall and punched the call button for the elevator. She turned and gave him a little wave as the elevator dinged.

  “Abby? Are you ready?” he called as he stepped into the hall. A high-pitched yip drew his attention to the scruffy looking dog standing on the back of the couch, wagging its tail hesitantly at him.

  Swinging the door shut to keep the animal from escaping, he crossed over to it and spoke softly. “Well, hey there, fella. How are you?” He slowly offered his hand to the dog who sniffed, then licked it.

  “Oh, you’re a real killer, aren’t you?” Rob said as he scratched the dog behind the ears. In response, the dog made a tight, quick flip, offering her belly to him to be scratched. “Ah, you’re a girl, not a boy,” Rob said as he obligingly scratched the offered belly.

  “I see Peanut has made yet another conquest,” Abby said dryly from her bedroom door. Rob turned slightly and grinned at her, never pausing his scratching the ecstatic dog.

  “I’m a sucker for big brown eyes,” he said. Abby flushed slightly.

  “Are we ready?” she asked as she stepped toward the door. “Stay, Peanut.” She ordered the dog who immediately wiggled away from Rob and jumped off the couch, racing for the door. She comically stopped midstride when Abby spoke to her.

  Rob chuckled as the dog tipped her head appealingly to him. “Sorry, Peanut. Momma has spoken.” He ushered Abby out the door and down to the waiting car.

  “Jade told me you called to say where we were going. I love The House of Blues,” Abby told him.

  Rob chuckled as he slid into the car next to her. “To be honest, it was her suggestion. I had no idea where to take you tonight.” Other than to my bed, which I don’t think will fly on a first date, he added to himself.

  “Jade knows this is my favorite place. I love the variety of music, and the food is outstanding.” Abby fidgeted with the seatbelt as Rob pulled out of the garage and maneuvered them into traffic, headed for the popular night spot.

  Parking on the street after hours was a huge risk, even in this part of town. Rob pulled the car around the back of House of Blues and threaded his way through the quickly filling small lot attached to the building. Snagging a space not far from the side entrance, he grinned at Abby before cutting the car off and jumping out to come around to her side and open the door for her.

  Rob waited while Abby got herself situated and offered his arm to escort her across the lot. She flushed slightly at the old-school manners, but he could tell she liked it from the small smile that played around her lips at his gesture. It was endearing to see her react that way. It was something he hadn’t seen since his wife had died.

  The inside was just as crowded as the parking lot. They managed to snag a table and get seated well before the show started, however.

  “So, come here often?” Rob asked, almost laughing. The hostess had greeted Abby by name and asked if she wanted her usual table. After a quick glance at Rob, she had nodded, briefly.

  “I suppose you could say that,” Abby ducked her head behind the menu. She didn’t really need it, she always ordered the same thing, but it was a handy shield from Rob’s amused gaze.

  The waitress returned in no time with their drinks and took their order without using a pad. The variety of people passing through the restaurant was fascinating, but Rob was more interested in the woman before him.

  Her dark brown hair was pulled away from her face, and her eyes had been skillfully enhanced with makeup. Not that he felt she really needed it. He had seen her red-faced and sweaty at the gym and still thought her beautiful. This was just icing on an already delectable cake.

  “How long have you lived in Columbus?” he asked, trying to find a way to break the ice.

  Abby laughed a little. “My whole life,” she confessed. “My family still lives here too. My parents have been married since forever.”

  “Any siblings?”

  “I have an older brother. He lives just outside town. You?”

  “Younger brother and sister. Neither live near here though. One is in Vegas, the other lives in D.C.”

  “Sounds like your family scattered. What about your parents?” Abby shifted slightly for the waitress who returned with their appetizer. Rob watched as she hesitated for a moment, then shrugged. He dug in with gusto, figuring they could work off any excess calories the next day in the gym.

  “My folks passed a while back. It’s just the three of us now.”

  “Your siblings aren’t married?” she asked, curious.

  “No, at least not yet. My sister just got engaged, so I suppose that will change things soon.”

  Abby laughed. “It changed things for us when my brother got married. He now is up to his neck in kids.”

  Rob let the subject drop. They chatted about music and movies, debating if certain actors really deserved the top billing they always seemed to get when they starred in a movie. Before they knew it, the meal was over and they were being subtly urged to leave. Rob looked around and grimaced ruefully. While they had been talking, the restaurant had emptied.

  “How long have we been here,” Abby asked, also suddenly aware of the lack of patrons in the restaurant.

  “Almost three hours,” Rob replied as he signaled the relieved waitress for the check. He stuffed some bills into the folder she brought him and apologized to her for taking so long to finish their meal.

  They rose and made their way back out of the restaurant into the slightly chilly night air.

  “I have to say, I think that is the longest dinner I’ve ever had,” Abby laughed as they headed to the car.

  “Yeah, but the conversation was stellar,” Rob assured her. He pulled the key fob from his pocket and beeped the car open.

  “You’re still going to insist on my making it to the gym tomorrow, aren’t you?” Abby said after he pulled out of the parking lot.

  “Yep. You gotta work off all those calories somehow. I don’t see being stuck behind a desk as getting them worked off all that well.”

  “You’re right. I suppose that’s how I got into the wonderful shape I’m not in now. Too many calories and not enough activity.”

  “You’ll find the right balance, don’t worry.” Rob assured her. “But I am going to work you extra tomorrow to make up for this.”

  “Deal,” Abby said. The rest of the ride was accomplished in silence. As they pulled into the parking garage at her building, Abby unsnapped her seatbelt and looked over at him.

  “You know, this hasn’t been that bad of a date,” she said.

  “Damned with faint praise,” Rob laughed, turning in his seat to face her. “Until tomorrow then.”

  “Tomorrow,” Abby nodded, her hand on the door handle. Before Rob could blink, she was out of the car and making her way through the door into the building. Cursing himself for a missed opportunity to kiss her, he shoved the car into gear and drove home to a lonely, cold shower.

  Chapter 8 ~ abby

  What the hell is wrong with me? I need to concentrate, Abby berated herself for the tenth time after Rob had dropped her off. It wasn’t even that stellar of a date.

  Sighing, she shoved her keyboard tray back under her desk and stood. If she couldn’t concentrate on work, she might as well go through her mail. Strolling into the living room, she picked up the mail off the hall table and settled on the couch to go through it.

  My darling Abby

  Abby’s fingers froze. It was another letter from him, her stalker. Taking a deep breath, she rose on shaky legs and almost ran back to the office to get her cell phone. Trembling fingers punched in Jade’s number.

  “Hello?” Jade’s sleep muffled voice came over the line.

  “Ja-Jade, he sent me a-another one,” Abby managed to gasp out.

  “What?” Jade was instantly awake. “Was it hand delivered again or did he go through the post office?”

  “There’s, there’s no post mark on t
he envelope, no-no address ei-either,” Abby could hear the stutter in her voice but couldn’t help it.

  “Okay, babe. Make sure the door is locked and the windows, and I’ll be there in a jiff.” Abby heard rustling clothing and knew Jade was getting dressed. A muffled man’s voice in the background sounded and Jade came back on the phone.

  “Listen, I’m on my way, but Dario is coming with me.”

  “Okay,” Abby replied, still in too much shock to say much more.

  “Have you called the cops?”

  “I called you.” Abby said in a small voice. Jade sighed.

  “All right, I’ll call when I get there.” The line went dead as Jade hung up. The sudden silence was too much for Abby to handle and she jumped up from the couch. She hurried to the door and made sure it was locked as Jade requested. She didn’t understand why Jade was so worried about the windows, she lived on the fifth floor. But to make her happy, she checked and made sure all the windows were secured.

  True to her word, Jade was at her apartment door in no time flat. Abby knew it was at least fifteen minutes from Jade’s place to hers, but she didn’t think that much time had lapsed. She was still sitting on the couch, staring at the hand-addressed envelope like she expected it to jump up at any time and attack her. Peanut was whining and trying to wriggle into her lap when Jade used her key and opened the door.

  Abby didn’t move as Jade and Dario entered the apartment. She barely acknowledged when Jade knelt next to the couch and hugged her.

  “Don’t touch the envelope,” Jade instructed Dario quietly. “Help me get her into the bedroom. She’s going to want to be dressed when she talks to the officer who gets the call.”

  Dario easily picked Abby up and carried her into the bedroom, setting her down gently on the bed. Jade smiled up at him, then sent him out of the room with instructions to call the police on the non-emergency line and use her badge number to make sure someone came that night, rather than pushing it off for a few days.

  Twenty minutes later, Abby was seated on the couch again, this time with Jade next to her while Peanut whined and scratched at the door from the bedroom.

  “Did you witness the letter being delivered?” the uniform asked. Abby mutely shook her head.

  “Have you opened the letter?”

  “No, I called Jade as soon as I saw it,” Abby said softly.

  “Then how do you know who it is from?” Abby jerked as if she had been hit.

  “Because it’s not the first one she has received, and it’s the same handwriting as before,” Jade answered for her.

  “May I see the other letter?” the man asked. He had received enough glares from Jade and Dario to know better than to continue with his condescending tone.

  “It’s in evidence,” Jade said.

  “Your people have it,” Abby said at the same time. Her voice was hushed. Jade held her hand as they continued to answer the officer’s questions. It took more than 20 minutes to finish the report. Abby felt as if she had been through the wringer by the time they finished.

  As the officer left, Dario brought Abby and Jade a couple shots of whiskey. “Well that was certainly something,” he said as he downed his own shot. Abby gave a mirthless laugh before she downed hers. Gasping, she handed the glass back to Dario, silently asking for another. Jade also tossed hers back quickly but declined a second shot. She had a feeling Abby would need her to stay the night and wanted to keep her wits about her.

  Without being asked, Dario let Peanut out of the bedroom. The dog made a beeline for Abby sitting on the couch. Abby gathered the dog close to her, burying her face in the scruff of its neck.

  “Do you think they believed me,” Abby asked.

  “They will if they know what’s good for them,” Jade told her.

  The three of them sat in silence for a while. Finally, Dario rose and took the glasses back to the kitchen. When he returned, he looked at Jade.

  “I’m going to head out now. I think it’s best you stay the night.”

  “I agree,” she said. “Abby, do you have something I can sleep in?”

  “Yes, I do.” Abby rose from the couch and went to the bedroom to get the night clothes for Jade.

  “Do you want me to stay in your room with you,” Jade asked as Abby sat back down.

  “If you don’t mind,” Abby said in a quiet voice. She hated how pathetic she seemed at the moment, but she couldn’t help it.

  Jade hugged her. “This isn’t your fault,” she whispered fiercely.

  “Why has he fixated on me?” Abby asked.

  “I don’t know, honey. It’s on my list of things to ask once we catch him.” Standing, Jade walked Dario to the door and locked it securely behind him.

  “Come on, let’s go to sleep. You’ll feel better in the morning.” Jade pulled Abby off the couch and ushered her into the bedroom. She stepped into the bathroom, changed, and came back into the room, not really surprised when Abby still hadn’t moved from where she had left her standing next to the bed.

  “Girl, you have got to snap out of this. You’re getting Peanut all upset.” The dog jumped onto the bed and sat back on her haunches, using her forepaws to bat at Abby’s limp hands.

  “He got in the building. Again. What’s next? Him getting in the apartment?” Abby shivered.

  “He’s not going to get in the apartment. He’s just out for the thrill.” Jade didn’t tell Abby what the note had said. She didn’t think it would be wise to upset her friend further.

  “He said last time he was watching me, that I was his.”

  “That’s normal, obsessive fan talk. They never act on it.” Jade assured her again, turning the covers down and trying to urge Abby to bed.

  “This is the second time he’s made it into the building. Do you think they managed to catch him on video this time?”

  “I’ll find out first thing. The officers are asking everyone in the building if they saw anyone or anything suspicious today. You told them you didn’t check your mail when you got home, before or after the date. I know I didn’t see anyone here when I came over to help you earlier. It’s more likely the note was in your mailbox and you just didn’t see it until now.”

  “I don’t think so, Jade. I checked my mail pretty thoroughly when I brought it up. There was no letter from Creepy Stalker Guy.”

  “Creepy Stalker Guy?” Jade asked, fighting a laugh.

  “I have to call him something. That seemed appropriate.” Abby shrugged as she gave into Jade and turned the covers down on her side of the bed. She paused, looking down at her clothes. “I guess I should change.”

  Thirty minutes later, laying in the dark, Abby spoke softly. “I wonder what this letter said.”

  “I don’t know,” Jade replied.

  “I guess I could go down to the station tomorrow and find out,” Abby said, her voice sleepy.

  Jade didn’t reply. Turning on her side, Abby scooted in just enough to let Peanut jump up on the bed in front of her.

  The morning dawned grey and cold. Abby shivered as she hurried to the kitchen to start the coffee. Jade stumbled into the kitchen not long after her. Abby smiled and slid a cup of coffee across the counter. Jade gratefully grabbed the cup and raised it to her lips.

  “You are a Goddess,” she said after taking a long sip.

  “I try,” Abby said flippantly. She sipped her own coffee, which she had liberally creamed and sugared, in defiance of Rob’s orders.

  “So, are we going to the station this morning?” Abby asked as Jade finished her cup.

  Jade set the cup down. “Listen, Abby, they showed me the letter last night.”

  Abby looked at her expectantly. Jade shook her head.

  “You really don’t want to know what was in it. This guy is sick, really sick.” Jade sighed. “He’s not going to be content with what he’s done so far. He expressed an intent to….” She hesitated.

  “To what?” Abby asked.

  Jade looked at her friend. “He’s made t
hreats against you. The state is finally taking this seriously. They are considering it aggravated stalking. The problem comes in because he hasn’t signed the letters he has sent to you.”

  “So really, I’m stuck at square one.” Abby ran her hands through her hair in frustration.

  “Yes and no. Hopefully, something was caught on camera. You don’t pay what you pay for rent here and not have security cameras in use on the place.”

  “There’s also my personal security system I had installed after the last time.”

  “I was going to ask you about that. Does it record the whole apartment?”

  “No,” Abby blushed slightly. “I had it set up to record the living room and foyer only. And usually I have it off when I’m home.”

  “Do you remember if it was on yesterday before you left for your date?” Jade asked intently.

  Abby blinked, thinking. “I’m not sure. I don’t think so. It normally turns off when I deactivate the alarm, which I regularly do when I’m home.”

  “Can you think of any time you left and didn’t set it? Like maybe when you took Peanut out?”

  “It’s habit to set it,” Abby told her. She made a frustrated sound as she took the cups to the sink. “I just don’t know. Maybe the hall camera caught something.”

  “I’ll call to check and see,” Jade promised. Abby didn’t think she looked too hopeful that something would come up on the cameras.

  Lunch came and passed, and Abby started getting ready for her afternoon session with Rob. Much to her surprise, Dario showed up not long before she was ready to leave.

  “Jade, Dario is here for you,” she called as she started out the door. Dario grabbed her arm gently as she tried to pass him.

  “I’m not here for Jade, well, not entirely. I’m taking you to the gym. And home after.” His voice was firm.

  Jade joined her at the door. “All right, let’s go,” she said a little too cheerfully for Abby’s taste. Abby shook her head as she finally made it past Dario. Double checking the lock, she joined them at the elevator to head to the gym.

  “After today’s session, we can go by the police station to see what they found, if anything, on the video tapes from the building,” Jade told her.