A Pursued Heart

by Elaine Manders

  I have no trouble distinguishing the true from false in the natural world. Why can’t I see the obvious in the spiritual? -Rebecca Atkins

  Conference meetings kept Rebecca glued to the office the next several days. Ben sent her a text, inviting her to lunch, but she had to decline. Since she sat on the panel taking overseas calls, lunch was called in. If she’d remembered Darcy had a date tonight, she would have invited Ben to dinner. By the time the conference ended, he would have gone home, and she wouldn’t ask him to return to the city. Besides, he had to pick up Jamie from the sitter.

  Probably just as well. Nothing would scare him off better than her cooking.

  She got a sandwich and fries from the corner diner. After changing into lounge pants, she turned on background music and went over her notes from today’s conference until her eyes started burning.

  Enough of that. Time to embrace the best part of the night. Taking a shower, getting into her pajamas and reading. No disruptions, no demands, just perfect peace. Before she headed to the bathroom, she flopped on the curved sofa of the living area. It faced the floor to ceiling windows and Rebecca loved viewing the night skyline.

  This was the best perk of her new job. Making enough to afford a luxury apartment in the heart of the city.

  Most nights she just sat here and enjoyed the view, meditating and praying, but not tonight. Her thoughts kept drifting back to Ben. He was seriously concerned for her. Something deep inside the womanly side of her liked that. But Ben had too much baggage, she reminded herself…and a son. She simply couldn’t imagine being a mother.

  If only she could be a mother like hers had been. But what an unhappy life Mom had had, all because of Dad’s abuse. Running from city to town to city. He always found them until the day he’d died of cirrhosis of the liver from a lifetime of drinking.

  Ben certainly wasn’t an alcoholic, but he had problems all the same, problems she didn’t want to deal with. His experience with his fianceé had left him bruised emotionally. Too cautious. Too protective. He might smother her.

  At least he was a Christian. Jason wasn’t even that, as she’d found out almost too late. Her father had been a Christian, too, when he’d married Mom, or so Mom had thought, before he took to drinking. Even before that, he’d been legalistic, ruled by the law instead of love. That’s why she looked with suspicion on the men in her Sunday School class and shied away from forming a relationship with any of them.

  Until Ben.

  The city was beautiful tonight. How would she like living in the suburbs, in Haven? With Ben and Jamie.

  Why even think about it?

  The romance she’d been reading lay on the table calling her. Time for a bath. Jammies.

  She made her way to the bathroom and took her earrings out. Get the water running before undressing. She pulled the shower curtains back and froze in terror—

  For a moment she couldn’t move. With heart pounding, breaths coming in and out, she stared at spiders covering the shower stall. Running all along the wall, each bearing a red dot. Black widows. What she saw was impossible. She had to get out of here. Now.

  She stumbled to the door and ran back through the living area, across to the opposite wall, her eyes fixed on the bottom of the door in case one of the demons crawled out.

  Please God, not a panic attack. Help me.

  Rebecca didn’t know how long she stuck to the wall before managing to grapple for her cell in her jeans pocket.

  With shaking hands, she swiped Darcy’s number, then let her head fall against the wall, sending up a prayer that Darcy had returned from her dinner date.

  As she waited for her friend to answer, another horror hit her. Black widows didn’t just show up like that. They were solitary spiders, weren’t they? They wouldn’t appear in mass.

  Unless someone planted them.

  “Hello.”

  “Darcccy.” Rebecca realized she shivered. “Are you home?”

  “Sam just dropped me off. What’s up?”

  “Come up here now, please.”

  “Rebecca, what’s wrong?”

  “Come…now…please.”

  “I am on my way, Rebecca. Stay on the phone. What happened?”

  “Yooou’ll see.”

  Rebecca slid along the wall to the front door and unlocked it for Darcy. She darted back to her far corner, unable to get in enough air. That familiar feeling of suffocating assailed her.

  No, don’t hyperventilate. Hold your breath. Darcy’s coming.

  In the distance she heard the elevator. What if it wasn’t Darcy? What if it was him? Rebecca twisted her head just far enough to see down the hall. Her breathing slowed a bit as Darcy flung open the door and pounded the polished hardwood.

  “Rebecca, what happened, honey? You’re white as a sheet.”

  “Spiders in the bathroom.” Rebecca forced her breathing to slow.

  “Come show me.”

  “No, no.” Her breathing sped up.

  “All right. Try to calm yourself, Becca. Spiders can’t hurt you.”

  Darcy knew about her phobia but had never seen a demonstration. “They’re black widows, Darcy, dozens of them.” Dozens was probably an exaggeration, but there were a lot.

  Patting her cheeks smartly, Darcy nodded. “I know…you’re afraid of spiders. But I’m not.”

  “No, Darcy.” Rebecca grabbed her friend in a vise grip. “You don’t understand. Someone had to put them in there. He may still be around here.”

  “He? Who?”

  “I don’t know.” She shook her head. “Ben was right. Someone is stalking me, using spiders to torture me. I can’t go back in there, Darcy. If you’ll let me, I’ll sleep on your sofa tonight.”

  “Sure, if you’ll sleep better. Don’t panic.” Darcy’s tone said she wasn’t convinced. “Where are your nerve pills?”

  “In the bathroom, but they might be expired by now.” She hadn’t had to take anything for anxiety in a long time.

  “Okay. I’ll get your toothbrush.” Darcy forestalled Rebecca’s raised hand. “Then we’ll both go back to my apartment and figure what to do in the morning.”

  “Darcy…” Rebecca tried to hold onto Darcy, but she pulled away before Rebecca could stop her and, plucking a magazine from the coffee table, marched to the bathroom.

  Rebecca jumped when the smack of rolled magazine striking porcelain reached her ears—two, three, a dozen times. Then silence. After several seconds, a toilet flushing sounded, and Darcy ducked back out.

  “You sure were right. They were spiders, but they’re gone now. I grabbed your toothbrush. Let’s go.”

  It helped to be with Darcy and in her apartment, but Rebecca couldn’t get it out of her mind that those spiders were in the same building, just a floor above. But at least there was no mad man lurking in the shadows here. She hoped.

  Darcy double locked the door, insisted Rebecca drink some chamomile tea, and prayed with her.

  The sleeper sofa was a marvel, operated by remote control and a six-inch mattress. It was quite comfortable, but Rebecca was certain she wouldn’t sleep a minute. It was hard enough to keep her eyes closed. She gazed out the window and was comforted by the fact they were on the twenty-first floor.

  Slowly her heart rate returned to normal and the tea made her drowsy. Before she knew it, Rebecca drifted into the oblivion of dreamless sleep.

  Chapter 8

  Give us help from trouble, for the help of man is useless. Through God we will do valiantly. For it is He who shall tread down our enemies. -Psalm 60:11-12

  If a man can’t be an instrument of God to help the defenseless, what good is he? -Ben Lucas

  Better eat up, buddy. The bus will be here in a minute.” Ben wet a dishcloth and wiped the counter, working around Jamie. The little boy brought another spoonful of bran cereal mixed with his favorite sugared variety. Adding a bit of the sweet cereal was a concession Ben allowed to coax Jamie to eat. He’d already drunk his juice.

  “I’m glad
it’s Friday. Are you going to see Miss Rebecca again?”

  Busy stacking dishes in the dishwasher, Ben straightened, surprised at the question. Jamie hadn’t mentioned Rebecca all week. He’d wanted to call her for a date but held back. Something in the way she acted during their walk made him think she’d say no.

  “I don’t know. You wouldn’t have a problem with that, would you?”

  “No, I like her. She understands me and doesn’t talk to me like I’m a little kid.” Jamie jumped down off his stool and brought his cereal bowl to the dishwasher. “Mazy’s dad goes out with a lady. Mazy says he may marry her.”

  Mazy was one of Jamie’s classmates whose mother had died several years ago. “That’s good, isn’t it? Mazy may get a new mother.”

  “Yes, she’s excited. Are you going to get me a new mother?”

  Ben had given no thought to how to answer that question. He put a hand on Jamie’s shoulder. “I hope so, but it’s too soon to say who that’ll be. We need to think about it.”

  “I already do, and I’ve been praying you’ll go out with Miss Rebecca again.”

  Before Ben could think of a reply, a horn sounded. “The bus.” He made wide strides to the chair where Jamie’s book bag lay and fitted it over the boy’s arms. With a hug, he opened the door, and Jamie ran to the yellow bus just driving up at the end of the drive.

  He’d taken Jamie to school for a while after Kelly’s death, but he had to ride the bus home and get off with the Yancy children who lived next door, so it made sense for him to start taking the bus in the morning.

  As he turned to finish cleaning up the kitchen, his phone chirped. Who could be calling at this time of the morning? He instantly thought of his mother. His dad had taken a tumble a couple of weeks ago, but as far as Ben knew, he was doing well. “Hello.”

  Her voice came through frantic. “Ben, you were right. Someone is stalking me.”

  “Rebecca, what happened?”

  “I found a mass of black widow spiders in my shower stall last night.”

  “How could anyone get in? Have you called the police?”

  “The police? No, I called security and management. They’re up there investigating now.”

  “Up there? Where are you?”

  “I’m with Darcy. I couldn’t sleep in my apartment last night.”

  No, he didn’t suppose so. “I’ll stop by. I want to hear what they found out, but I think you should report this to the police. Obviously, if the spiders were planted, someone had to have been in your apartment.”

  “Obviously. You don’t have to stop by. I’ll make you late for work.” Her breathless tone revealed the state of her mind more than her words. “Darcy went up and got my clothes. Would you believe, I’ve shaken them and turned them inside out five times and still don’t have the nerve to dress.”

  It was suddenly urgent that he see her, assure himself she was all right. “Listen. Go ahead and get ready for work. I’ll pick you up in…” he glanced at the wall clock, “about twenty minutes. Besides, it’s on my way.” And he didn’t want her driving in.

  “I’ll be all right.”

  “It’ll give us a chance to talk on the way.”

  “Ben, the Lowell building is just three blocks over. I usually just walk.”

  He let his head fall back, having forgotten that. “So it will take longer driving. We’ll have more time to talk. I’ll pick you up out front to save time.”

  Her soft laughter told him he’d won her over. “Okay. I’ll see you in twenty minutes.”

  In fifteen minutes, Ben drove into the apartment building’s front drive. Rebecca was standing outside the main entrance doors. She opened the passenger door, hopped in, and clicked the seatbelt. “I like a man who’s ahead of time.” Her light tone clashed with the terrified woman he’d heard on the phone.

  “So what did the building management say?”

  “They won’t have a full report until this afternoon, but they assured me the place would be fumigated. From what I heard from the other tenants, they’ll have to do the whole building. They’re going to put a new lock on my door.”

  “Does that satisfy you?”

  “Of course not. I’m creeped out. I want to know how anyone could get into the building, much less my apartment.”

  “The culprit might live in the building.” He stopped at the red light and caught her startled expression. Apparently, she hadn’t considered that.

  “What am I going to do?”

  “You need to come up with a list of suspects and report it to the police, even if they brush it off.”

  “What good will that do? The police won’t take action without evidence. I don’t even know who’s doing this. I have no enemies.”

  “Did your former boyfriend have a key?” He hated the implication, but she had to consider every angle.

  “Yes, I used to have goldfish, and when I was on business trips, Jason would feed them for me.”

  “Why not Darcy?”

  “She didn’t move in until two months ago.”

  “We need to talk to the doorman. Since he knew Jason, he might have let him in.”

  “I suppose. We?”

  He went through all the reasons why he should be involved and came up empty, except that he felt led to help this woman. “I’d like to help you, Rebecca. You need friends at a time like this…and I know a little about how stalkers operate.”

  “Thank you, Ben. I can’t argue with your perception.” He wouldn’t argue with her sarcasm.

  All too soon he drove into the parking deck at the Lowell building. Rebecca still sat in the passenger seat after he’d gotten out. He didn’t think she was inviting his assistance. More likely, she was too deep in thought to realize he’d stopped.

  He opened her door and she started. “Try not to worry too much. When I take you home, we’ll talk with the doorman and the head of security at your building.”

  “Fortunately, my job doesn’t allow much time for worry.” She flashed him a smile. “What about Jamie?”

  “The next door neighbor will take care of him until I get home. He gets off the bus at their house. Cheryl is very sweet. She says one more isn’t any trouble.”

  As they rode the elevator, he decided to take a chance. “Jamie asked me if I was going to see you again.”

  “Well, apparently you have.”

  “He meant socially.”

  “Oh.” The elevator door slid open at his floor.

  “We’ll talk later.”

  He had all day to think of a way to take her mind of spiders and stalkers and give him a chance to get to know her better.

  Chapter 9

  I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. -Luke 11:8

  Ben is determined to have a deeper friendship than I may be ready for, but I love his persistence. -Rebecca Atkins

  In the office, Rebecca decided the less she said about her private turmoil the better, so she went about her duties as usual. But it was harder than usual to read reports and stay focused. Oddly enough, fear of a potential stalker didn’t occupy her thoughts as much as Ben did.

  All things work together for good.

  Had God allowed this to happen so she and Ben would be thrown together? The workings of God were mysterious.

  Ben was going to help her. She hugged that thought all day. But she couldn’t just stand on the sidelines like a damsel in distress. She pulled up the personnel roster for Biological Research, thirty names, none of whom she knew except Davidson. After reading each bio, she knew little more than when she started. No one there could possibly hold a grudge against her—except Moran. She finally found the records of his time at Bay.

  He'd worked in Bio before, for ten years. In fact, the personal files didn’t show any move out of that department. Curious.

  She took out her notepad and wrote down the other suspects who might mean her harm.

/>   Jason. He was a snake and an egotist. One who didn’t take rejection well. Lyle Moran for sure. He had plenty of reason to hate her, illogical reason and logical. She even listed Cindy Wasselman.

  There wasn’t a shred of evidence linking them to the incidences, not anything she could take to the police anyway.

  Ben called her twice, both times she was preoccupied with conferences. She’d call him back before quitting time, which was fast approaching.

  She hadn’t eaten lunch. Her leftover lunch was still sitting in her refrigerator at home. Now her stomach rumbled in protest. “Margaret, I’m going to the café and get a Danish and coffee.”

  “Can I get it for you, Rebecca?”

  “No, I need to stretch.” She grabbed her coin purse and made for the door. “If Ben calls, tell him I’ll call him as soon as I return. Anyone else, tell them I’m out for the day.”

  The little café was situated across from the elevators and they’d be closing soon. In fact, the clerk was wiping down the counters when she strode up. “Do you have a Danish left?”

  “Yes, ma’am, apple and cheese.”

  “I’ll take an apple and a small coffee with cream.” She extracted the exact amount as the clerk filled her order.

  “Good afternoon, Ms. Atkins.”

  She jerked around to see a medium built, curly brown-haired man who looked somewhat familiar. But maybe that was because he looked like a young Garfunkel. “Good afternoon. Did you miss lunch, too?”

  He smiled affably. “No, I like a snack in the afternoon.” He laughed. “In the morning and night, if I’m honest.” He turned his attention to the clerk. “I’ll take a honeybun and coffee.”

  “I’m afraid I don’t know everyone on this floor, but you look familiar.” She’d probably recognize his name from the profiles she’d read, but she wouldn’t tell him that.

  “I work for Harold Davidson, Ms. Atkins. Well, directly under Lyle Moran. I’m Derek Gammon.” He turned back to the clerk. “That reminds me, Lyle asked me to get him some mint gum, any brand you have.” He shifted his attention back to Rebecca. “We interviewed for the research chief’s job, Miss Atkins. By the way, congratulations belatedly.”