Afraid in the Dark (Stalker Series Book One)

by Rita Hestand

  "Am I that obvious?"

  "Pretty much. Well, hang in there, son, you might just make it yet." He smiled at him. "We're going to wrap this up, and you can tell Miss George we'll be talking to her before she gets out. I'm going to put a full-time policeman at her door, both here and at the hospital, while she is there. If anyone from the hospital is up to this, they might know how to finish her off with this stuff. Oh," he turned to Jesse again, "don't clean this up too soon son, we might need to have a few more go over it"

  Jesse nodded.

  "So, how is she?"

  "In a lot of pain, she is having dialysis now, giving her medicine and hoping for the best. They said they'd be inducing a coma and work on her that way. I sure hope they know what they are doing"

  "We all do, I can tell you. Tell her we are working hard to find these people, and we need her help. So, she better get well."

  Jesse nodded again.

  ***

  Dex had just woken when the phone rang. He grabbed it and mumbled, "Yeah?"

  "She's not here today. And I'd bet she's in a hospital somewhere…." The sultry voice said.

  Dex sat up on his bed, "You think."

  "Is she at her apartment?"

  "Not that I know of. I'll go over there today to make sure. Maybe we won't have to confront her after all."

  "If I knew what hospital we wouldn't."

  "I'll try to find out."

  "Good. Let me know. See ya later."

  "Yeah…"

  Dex stretched and got his clothes on. After shaving and fixing himself some breakfast he was about to eat when someone came to his door.

  Buttoning his shirt, he opened it to a couple of officers.

  He shot them both a comical look. Knowing he was under suspicion he played it cool.

  "Good morning," they said, staring at him as he finished buttoning his shirt. "Dexter Cooper?"

  "That's right, can I help you?"

  "We'd like to talk to you for a bit."

  "Sure, come on in. Just having some breakfast, can I fix you some too?"

  "No thanks."

  He sat down at the table. "Well, sit down officers. I hate sitting while everyone is standing."

  The Sarge sat down, the other officer looked around curiously.

  "To what do I owe this pleasure?" He asked with a slight smile.

  The Sarge eyed him, sizing him up for a minute.

  "We're investigating a case here at these apartments and wanted to ask you a few questions." The Sarge began.

  Dex didn't miss a bite, "Sure, what can I help you with?"

  "Melanie George is one of your neighbors, isn't she?"

  "That's right. Is she in some kind of trouble?" He asked nodding. "I haven't seen her for a few days, I hope nothings wrong."

  "We think so, yes. How well do you know her?" The Sarge asked.

  Dex put his toast down and stared at the Sarge with a straight face. "Let's put it this way, I know her."

  "Are you romantically involved with her?"

  Dex frowned, "Look, I'm not going to lie to you. I dated her several times. It didn't become too serious though. Why, what are you getting at?"

  The Sarge nodded. "She's in the hospital. Or didn't you know that?"

  "No, what's wrong?" Dex looked genuinely concerned.

  "She's been poisoned."

  "Poisoned. Food poison you mean?" He asked innocently.

  The Sarge shook his head, watching him nibble, "No, I mean someone has been poisoning her."

  "I had no idea. Have you caught them?" He asked.

  "No, but we will." He assured him. "I suppose you frequented her apartment many times as you dated her?"

  "A few, yes, but the last thing I wanted from her was to kill her." He smiled. The police weren't impressed so he went on. "I can't imagine anyone wanting to do that to her." He told them. "She's a sweet little thing."

  "How long has it been since you've seen her?"

  "Oh, almost a week."

  "Did she have any visitors that you know of?"

  Dex dropped his toast and looked at the Sargent, "She did have a visitor, I met him when I went to check on her. His name is Jesse, something, I don't know. He's been there the last few times I have been over there. You think he might be the one that's doing it?"

  "We're looking into all possibilities." The Sarge corrected him.

  "Oh yeah, sure."

  "You work at Mercy General too, don't you?" They asked him.

  "I do, been there for about three years." He told them.

  "Do you have lunch with her there?"

  "Who?"

  "Melanie George." The Sarge asked his patience growing thin.

  "I did, for a while. Look, we are no longer dating, not since that Jesse guy showed up at least." He smirked.

  "You think this Jesse might have done it?" The Sarge asked.

  "He's had the opportunity." Dex told them. "How bad off is she?"

  "She's in critical condition." The Sarge told him.

  "Where?"

  "Where what?" The Sarge asked.

  "Where is she now?"

  "At an Emergency clinic."

  "I'd like to visit her."

  "Well, unfortunately, she's got a lot of machines hooked up to her right now, so it wouldn't be wise. I'd wait until she returned to her apartment, if I were you."

  "Oh, well, I wanted to take her some flowers."

  "She won't even know they are there." The Sarge told him. "They talked about putting her into a coma to treat her."

  "Is she going to die?" Dex shrieked.

  "We don't know." The Sarge told him.

  "Please tell me where she is, so I can go see her. She means a lot to me. I need to tell her that." Dex told them, his sincerity dripping from his voice.

  For a moment, the Sarge was quiet then he relented, "She's at the ER clinic on Martindale Dr. I wouldn't wait too long…."

  "My God, she's that bad?"

  "I'd say so." The Sarge cleared his throat. "Well look, we'll be getting hold of you again, later, but we've got to go now."

  "Alright, thanks for stopping by, and for telling me where she is."

  The Sarge nodded. "Don't tell anyone else though, she doesn't need a lot of visitors right now."

  He nodded and closed his door as they left.

  He waited a good thirty minutes then made his call.

  "She's at the clinic on Martindale Dr. They may put her in a coma to work on her."

  "Wonderful, how did you find out?" The sultry voice on the other end asked.

  "The police were just here."

  "You’re a suspect?"

  "That'd be my guess. We gotta hurry and get this done."

  "Don't fret, you handle Norma. I'll handle Melanie." She told him. "It won't be long. Another thing, if you withdraw too much at a time, the bank will report it to authorities and the IRS. So obviously, we will have to do this in increments. This will take time. And I've got to get to Melanie and take care of her once and for all so we can get the money out. Make sure you have a debit card, that will be easier."

  "Great, see you soon."

  "I should hope so," she purred.

  They hung up, and he smiled. The police might be on to him but he'd be out of the country before the week was out and it would be their loss. The plan was working. Now he had to go see Norma.

  When he knocked on her door, he didn't expect to see her in a thin night gown. His libido did a double take. Women always turned him on. It didn't matter who, just as long as they were female. Julia accepted him for what he was. She was the only one he knew that would. But killing anyone didn't sit well with him, not even Melanie.

  "You're early," she said a hand going to her wayward hair. He pushed the door open and went inside.

  Norma was pure gold to Dex. She was so naïve she bordered on being Melanie's twin when it came to that. She had a heart like gold, and a brain that wasn't operating on all its batteries. But she was beautiful, young, and sexy as Julia in a d
ifferent sort of way. While Julia was a tigress, Norma was easy to control. He liked both.

  "Get dressed, the police are on to me and I want to get this over and done with." Dex told her.

  "What's the hurry?" she asked not bothering with a robe, but flopping on the couch with him to listen.

  "They were just there in my apartment, asking questions."

  "Did my name pop up?"

  "No, why would it?"

  "Just wondering."

  He looked at her, Norma was as beautiful as Melanie, and she had an enticing figure too. She wasn't as big busted as Julia, but bigger than Melanie. The gown didn't cover her pretty pouting breasts much, and his gaze stopped to admire her.

  He looked into her eyes.

  She stared back. "How big a hurry are we in?" She asked staring at him.

  She saw his glance slide to her gown.

  "You tell me," her voice softened. "I didn't realize there would be added benefits."

  "We've got a little time," he murmured bending toward her to kiss her soft pink lips. Norma was always hot because her man had left her. And Dex would always take the time to oblige her.

  She was pure putty in his arms. She moaned in her throat when he made love to her lips. She laid back on the couch and he covered her with his body. He was warm and his kisses were hot and passion rose like a lion in him. He didn't expect her to be the same, but she was a little tigress in his arms today. Obviously, it had been a while since she had sex.

  "I've wanted you from the start, you know that, don't you?" He asked his voice going husky.

  "What will Julia say?" She asked softly.

  "We aren't married, you know…" He whispered as his lips tantalized he ear. "Besides, I'm not sure if she's playing me or not yet."

  "Don't you think you should find out?"

  "I will, later. Doesn't mean we can't have a little fun. You're a beautiful woman Norma, I've always thought so. Your husband was crazy for leaving you. Crazy."

  For an hour, they played each other until they could stand it no longer, then clothes flew all over the room and he took her.

  She let out a guttural sound as he plunged himself deeply inside her enjoying the little kitten that suddenly filled with passion.

  "Wow, you're big." She sighed happily.

  He smiled. "I got a feeling you can handle it."

  "I have a feeling you are right. Compared to my husband, you're a giant. And I won't lie, I need this. Trouble is, you stretch me out like this, I might have to have a lot of seconds."

  He smiled, she was honest, he liked that.

  She wrestled him until he was on bottom, then she smiled sexily at him, "I'll show you just how much I can handle it." She purred and rode him like a wild stallion. Her dark brown hair flew almost to her waist in curls, and the lust on her face made him horney. He'd never seen her come alive like this, he liked it.

  He moaned and suddenly they orgasmed together.

  After they rested, he lit a cigarette and she borrowed it and took a puff too. "That was fantastic." She purred.

  "I never knew you could have so much passion."

  "It's been a while, and you've got a terrific body." She smiled at him. "I've been turned on more than once when I've been around you."

  "Thanks, so do you."

  She tweaked his nipple. He jerked. "Easy or we'll have to have another go of it."

  "That's alright with me," she told him, giving him a sexy grin.

  "You're on babe." He said and pulled her onto his lap. He played with her breasts as she let him have his leave. He entered her backside slowly, testing, and finding a hot welcome waiting for him. He began to pump her and she laid her head back and enjoyed the ride.

  He hadn't expected this either. Norma was a treat for him and he wouldn't mind seeing her on a regular basis. Julia was good, but she didn't care for this kind of sex, Norma didn't seem to mind at all. He liked his women just a bit kinky.

  Much later, they got dressed and she put on the wig, then she turned to him and asked, "What do you think?"

  "You look like a twin."

  "It's uncanny isn't it." She laughed.

  "It's great news for us all."

  She stared at him, coming closer, she kissed him, "You know we could just leave after I get the baby. And we get some money. It doesn't have to be a lot for me. I'm not greedy."

  Dex stared into her eyes, considering her offer. "She'd kill us. Found out today we have to take the money out a little at a time. Seems the banks report large withdrawals to the authorities. We'd have the IRS on us and maybe even the law."

  "That sucks. How much can we take at a time without them reporting us?"

  "Under ten thousand is the limit so we've got to do this a little at a time. Nine thousand at a time would be good. But, hey, I'll think about taking you with me. You see, I think Julia might be seeing that doctor she was sweet on a while back. And if she is, she might be thinking of running off with him. I wouldn't put it past her."

  "You don’t trust her?" Norma frowned.

  "I did. But people tend to get greedy when it comes to money. You don't know Julia like I do." He kissed her nipple that tempted him. "I found out from a former lover of hers that she likes variety in men. That's why she's never been married."

  "You're kidding. As good as you are, you aren't enough for her?" Norma kissed his chin.

  "She's a nympho Norma. She can't get enough. She could easily wear an Adonis out." He laughed.

  "It's funny, you'd never suspect something like that from her. I mean, she's so sophisticated."

  "Yeah well, a lot of those really sophisticated women are ravenous." Dex told her. "I should know."

  "I'm not that way Dex. I'm true blue to my man. But I like the way you have sex with me. I like it a lot. And I’m lonely too. Stay with me Dex, I won't treat you wrong. She's going to murder that girl. They'll be after her once they figure it out, and you'll go down with her."

  "Maybe," He kissed her lips. "Listen, I'll tell you this, but if you tell Julia, it won't go down good for you."

  "What?"

  "I got the card."

  "You serious?"

  "Yeah, but I didn't tell Julia. I got the card and several things for ID. I thought we'd need it. And Norma, I don't like killing anyone for all of this."

  "Why didn't you tell her?"

  "Like I said, I think she's playing me."

  "Well…I'm not and I'll prove it…"

  And she gave him a fast blow job, but one he wouldn't soon forget. Norma rivaled Julia in the bed, Dex decided with a grin. He could make out well with her. She was up to anything, and she didn't play him either.

  He looked into her soft, glowing glance, "She'll kill us if she finds out we're together."

  "She'd have to find us first. We could go somewhere she wouldn't expect. That is after we get the baby."

  "You serious?" He asked.

  "I don't like to be played either Dex. You wanted sex with me. I can give you everything she can. You decide."

  "Why don't we forget the baby?" He suggested.

  "Forget it? It's part of the bargain I struck with Julia."

  "I'll think about it." He winked. She had him sold on it until she mentioned the baby. A baby would complicate everything and be a big risk.

  "You mean it?" She asked.

  "Sure, I mean it." He told her. "

  Dex thought about it. Norma was a beautiful young woman, a little younger than Julia. Not half as cocky and she hadn't done anything but try to steal a baby. Julia was going to kill Melanie. That was serious and she could be caught, then all their plans would go down the drain. With Norma, all they had to do was get the money and leave. It was a much cleaner plan. But could he convince her they could get a baby somewhere else? Besides, the cops were on to him, he needed to get out of here. Maybe he should cut his losses and go with Norma. They could take the money easy and then Julia would hunt them down. He didn't like that idea much.

  After dressing and getting
ready, they drove down to the little town of Lone Oak. Norma looked perfect. They walked into the bank and started for the teller when a middle-aged man came up to Norma. "Melanie, so good to see you. Heard you moved to Houston and got a nursing job. How do you like it there."

  Norma tried to sound natural, although she didn't know the gentleman, she tried to sound friendly.

  "I love it, thanks. My regards to your family."

  He looked miffed and walked off.

  They had found her savings account books, lots of ID too. With all this information, it would be easy for them to walk away with the money. Still they had to go through all the procedures correctly first. The teller was shocked that they wanted to withdraw the funds.

  He called the bank manager to handle it.

  "I want to transfer the money in my savings to my checking can you do that?" Norma asked.

  The manager checked the amount and looked at her, "Melanie, I've known you a long time, but you will still need several forms of identification to do so. And as you well know, you can only transfer five hundred dollars a day this way."

  "Oh, that's not enough. I'm thinking of going abroad, to Europe on a rather hefty vacation. I'm planning for it now, so everything will be ready when I leave."

  Dex's waited to see if the teller bought her story. "Well, let me get my manager and see what he says. I mean, it's your money."

  "Thanks," she glanced at this name tag as he was typing in information on his computer. "Leroy that's sweet of you."

  Leroy smiled.

  When he brought the manager over, he acknowledged Melanie too. "Well, since it's going for a vacation in Europe I guess we could allow up to nine or ten thousand. But you realize this is reported to the IRS if it's a dollar over ten thousand."

  "Sure, that's ok with me. Nine thousand is reasonable for now. I mean it's not like I need it tomorrow. If I start putting it in my checking now, then by the time my vacation rolls around I'll have plenty."

  "Alright, if you want automatic withdrawals for the next six months, that should give you plenty." The manager said.

  "Alright, let's do it. Then I won't have to come back to withdraw more, right."

  "That's right hon."

  He nodded, "Just fill out these forms and we'll get started." But he shot her an inquisitive look, "I thought you just started a nursing job in Houston."