She turned the television on, checking the weather channel for the latest forecast. While a commercial was on, she considered going to stay with her mom, who had found a gorgeous apartment in town. Things were improving in her mother’s life. As soon as she had put the house up for sale, she received an attractive offer.
What was even better was her mom’s date—a man named Michael Castleman who lived in town—had turned into a steady relationship almost overnight. She looked happier every time she and Tara met for coffee, or to shop for things for the new apartment. Maybe this could be the night Tara took her mom up on her offer to stay over.
The meteorologist came on the screen for the detailed forecast. She turned it up to hear what he had to say.
We’re in for our first bitter cold night, with temperatures dipping to 25 degrees. Expect some snow to move in after midnight. Temperatures could drop down into the high teens by nine o’clock. We are looking at up to two feet of snow for various parts of Washington, anywhere from Forrest Hills and heading south. This could be the biggest snowfall the area has seen in over six years. Bundle up out there, because we’re in for a doozie.
She turned the television off. It was already after eight at night, so she decided to stay put. She walked to the fireplace and placed some logs in the hearth. It was the perfect night to warm up beside a cozy fire. She had it going quickly; there were perks to using kindling and a lighter. It was something Kevin would have gawked at, knowing she enjoyed building a fire the old-fashioned way when they were out camping. She sighed aloud, wishing she could be with him.
As the weather had been mild before, she had not been using the furnace. With the impending drastic drop in temperature, it was best to turn it on. She went to the thermostat to adjust the settings, and listened to see if the furnace would fire up. When it didn’t, she remembered something about furnace instructions on the note Jeff’s dad had left in the kitchen. She found it and took it with her to the basement.
The pale yellow light that illuminated the room offered very little to keep Tara’s mind from imagining something horrible happening. It was the kind of basement most people would shy away from entering, especially at night. The dirty walls did not help. They cast shadows from the dim light, so much that Tara considered doing without the extra heat. She had never been down there before, and had no reason to, before this cold spell.
She went to the furnace and flipped the switch as the instructions had indicated. She wasn’t sure what she needed to wait for, but there was no sound to suggest it had turned on. She touched one side, to see if it was warm. She felt nothing. She looked around the furnace, and her gaze wandered to the back where water was dripping down from a pipe coming out the side. She groaned. It didn’t look good.
She headed back up the stairs, and that’s when she saw a mouse running across the basement floor.
“Eeekkk,” she hollered, and ran upstairs two steps at a time until she was safely in the hallway. “I just want this night over with,” she mumbled, panting breathlessly.
Back in the living room, she spotted her phone on the coffee table. Staring at it, she considered calling Kevin. She needed heat. What if the pipes froze? She shook her head. She didn’t want Kevin to think she needed him. She wanted to do this on her own. But how?
Finding Reggie’s business card, she stared at it, a bit apprehensive. He did tell her to call whenever she needed help. He might not even know how to fix it. But I guess it’s worth a try. She dialed his number, still feeling strange about it.
“Hello?” he answered.
“Hey, Reggie, it’s Tara...Tara Matthews.”
There was a long pause in which she speculated that he didn’t remember her. They had only seen each other a few times since he had welcomed her to the neighborhood, but each time they had exchanged cordial waves. She opened her mouth to say something, but he spoke up first.
“Yes...Tara. How’s it going?”
“I’m fine, thank you. I was just wondering if you knew anything about furnaces.”
“Why? Is it not turning on?” he asked.
“Yeah, something like that. I see water coming from a pipe. I’m not sure if I have a leak. I was hoping I could persuade you to come take a look.”
“Sure. I’ve been down in that furnace room before to help another winter tenant a few years back. I’ll be right there.”
“Thank you.” She hung up the phone and paced back and forth. I did the right thing. She did her best to convince herself she was simply asking a neighbor for help. But why do I feel so guilty? She knew the answer. Kevin.
She heard the doorbell only minutes later. When she opened the door, he was standing there holding up a toolbox.
“Hi. I wasn’t sure if you would have tools.” He smiled, relaxing her.
“Good guess,” she replied, laughing. “I’ll show you where the furnace is.”
They headed to the basement stairs. The light was still on.
“Be careful. I saw a mouse down here.”
Reggie let out a deep laugh behind her, and she felt silly thinking he might be afraid like she was. She stood aside to let him pass, and he immediately got to work. She hung back to give him the room he needed, and listened to him pounding and mumbling as he talked to himself. Then she heard a more excited tone.
“I think I got it,” he said.
He stayed a few more moments, kneeling beside the furnace, and stood up when the motor started.
“Give it a little while, and you’ll be nice and toasty.” He put his tools back into the box.
“Really? Just like that?” she asked with bewilderment.
“It was just the secondary switch down there,” he pointed. “It’s on now, and you’ll only need a few more minutes for upstairs to warm up.”
“Thanks so much,” she said as she followed him up.
“No problem,” he answered. “It’s a good thing you called me when you did, because we’re looking at a monstrous snowstorm.”
“Yeah. I know. That’s why I figured I’d better check on it.”
She stopped in the hallway, wondering how to thank him.
“Can I make you some coffee before you go? Just to say thanks.”
He nodded. “It’s no problem at all, but sure, I’d love some coffee.”
He followed her to the kitchen and sat at one of the breakfast chairs while Tara turned on the percolator.
“Not to be nosey, but your boyfriend...is he out of town? I haven’t seen him lately.”
“I...no, he’s not here right now,” she answered hesitantly, not wanting to give too much away.
“I know it’s probably wrong of me to ask, so if you want me to shut up, just say Reggie...shut up.”
She laughed, turning to face him. “I’m not going to tell you to shut up. He’s just not here right now, that’s all.”
He laughed, tossing his head back. “Great, and you don’t need to say another word. But I will say he must be a damned fool if he lets a beautiful woman like you stay all the way out here by yourself.”
She turned back to the coffee pot, hiding her blush. It had been a long time since anyone, other than Kevin, flirted with her. When the coffee pot finished percolating, she poured two cups and handed one to him. She was about to take a sip when she heard her phone ringing. Kevin’s number appeared on the screen. She started to ignore the call, but then changed her mind.
“Speak of the devil,” she mumbled. She answered, unsure if it was the correct thing to do. “Hello?”
Reggie dismissed himself from the table so he could go to the restroom, and she waited impatiently to hear Kevin’s voice on the other end.
“Tara? I’m so glad you answered,” he said.
She sat at the table, relieved to finally hear his voice.
“Me too, Kevin,” she replied. She had wanted to phone him so many times but couldn’t bear to give him mixed signals. “How are you?”
“I’m okay, but I miss you so much,” he confessed.
&
nbsp; “Me too, Kev. Did you need something? Is it about your brother? Parents?”
“I just wanted to see how you were doing. Things have quieted down, Tara. I was thinking maybe I could come see you. I...”
“Tara, do you...” Reggie started to say something, but she put her hand over the phone. She didn’t want Kevin to think the worst.
“Who’s that?” Kevin asked.
“A neighbor,” she answered nonchalantly. “Hold on.” Turning to Reggie, she explained, “It’s my boyfriend. Hang on, let me finish talking to him.” She returned her attention to the phone. “Sorry, Kevin. What were you saying?”
“What’s your neighbor doing there so late at night?” he asked. Tara picked up on the jealousy in his tone.
“I couldn’t start the furnace,” she answered.
“And why didn’t you call me?”
“I didn’t want you to worry, and he lives right around the corner.”
“I know, but you’re not supposed to get by alone, okay? Tara, this is killing me, not being able to see you. We’re supposed to be best friends. And I love you,” he pleaded.
“I love you too, Kevin. Look, I’ll call you back, okay?”
“Tara, wait. Don’t hang up. We need to talk.”
“I have to go.”
“Look, I’m coming—” he started, but she ended the call.
“I hope I didn’t cause any trouble between you and your boyfriend,” Reggie said as she walked him to the door.
“No. It’ll be fine,” she answered. She didn’t want to have such an important conversation with Reggie in the room. “Thanks again for your help with the furnace.”
“No problem. Like I said...you have my number, call me if you need anything.”
“I will. Good night.”
He waved as he pulled his coat tighter around him and hurried to his car with the toolbox. It had gotten colder already.
I’ll call Kevin tomorrow. I’m not ready to tell him how I feel. She headed back to the living room to relax. Things would look brighter in the morning.
Chapter 16
Without warning, while Tara was reading a book beside the fireplace, all the lights went out. This can’t be happening tonight. She walked to the kitchen with the lighter she had used to start the fire. She was positive she had seen some candles in one of the drawers. In the dark room, only pale moonlight flowed in through the window. Going by touch, she searched each drawer and found two small tea lights among some knickknacks. She lit them both, leaving one in the kitchen. The other, she took with her upstairs so she could change into her pajamas and find some warm blankets. It was going to be a cold night, but at least she had the fireplace.
On her way back down to the living room, she left the second tea light in the hallway at the bottom of the stairs, and settled in on the sofa closest to the fireplace. Her thoughts drifted to Kevin. She wondered what he was doing right now, and if his family was okay. More than anything, she hoped he was not too upset with her for shutting him out. She had fought so hard to ignore his calls, and now that she had heard his voice, all she wanted was to be with him. A text would be an easier way to connect. God, I wish things could be different.
She took her phone from the end table, and began to reply to his last message, when she heard a loud scraping sound outside. It was almost like claws on metal. She paused, listening to it again. Her heart pounded hard in her chest. It was not the living room window, so she walked into the hallway and took the tea light with her to check the front door. The sound grew louder. This time it was like chains crashing against glass. She hesitated, listening again before she peered out the front window.
Her heart caught in her throat. A white van was parked on her street. The windows were tinted, so she couldn’t see inside. She backed away from the window, her heart rapidly palpitating.
“Jake?” she whispered, continuing to think about the van.
They said he was in a black sedan. Or was it a green Volkswagen? Knowing how resourceful he had been thus far, she went back to the door to make sure it was locked and the deadbolt was secure. When she was satisfied it was, she continued looking for where the sound was coming from. She stopped when she reached a window where the branch was scratching against the pane. She sighed.
“That’s it,” she mumbled. “I’m being paranoid. And now I’m even talking to myself.”
She put the tea light back on the hallway counter and returned to the sofa to resume her text to Kevin.
“Who are you phoning?” Tara nearly leapt out of her own skin at the sound of Jake’s voice coming from the corner of the dimly lit room.
“Jake! What are you doing here? How did you get in?” she shouted, jumping out of her seat with her phone in hand.
“That’s not the way to greet the man you said you loved on Halloween,” he chastised her. “How about ‘hello honey’?”
“Jake, you need to leave right now,” Tara demanded, stepping back to put some distance between them. “The police are looking for you and Kevin will be here any minute.”
“Ahh, I don’t think so, Tara,” he answered. “Kevin’s at home, just like he’s been at home these past few days, instead of with you.”
“How would you possibly know that, Jake?” she asked, and then remembered. “Wait, have you still been following me?”
“Kevin’s never been the right man for you, Tara. I’ve only been watching over you to make sure you’re okay.” He moved toward her as she continued to back up. “That’s what a good boyfriend does for his woman, isn’t it?”
Terror ripped through her mind and body as she evaluated her options to get away from Jake. He had killed so many people, there was no way to know if there was any reasoning with him anymore. Fight or run? She was not dressed for going outside, but running would have to do. She had to take her chances. As she looked at him, his eyes bore no resemblance to the person she knew as Kevin’s dear brother. All she could see was some delusional stranger with the capacity to end her life there and then.
“You’re not my boyfriend, Jake,” she shouted, continuing to back into the hallway so she could improve her chances of getting out the front door. “Now, I’m going to ask you one last time. Please, just leave now. You’re scaring me.”
“Oh, I’m leaving all right,” he agreed. “But you’re coming with me this time. I’ve waited long enough for you, Tara. Now it’s our time.”
“Just leave me alone, Jake!” she screamed.
In her panic, she tripped on the carpet and lost her footing.
“Let me help you, Tara” he said, rushing to her side and raising her off the ground with care. “Come on, don’t be afraid of me, honey.”
Tara stood and clawed desperately at his arm as she tried to pull away, but it was too late. A white cloth pressed over her mouth and nose, and as much as she tried to fight, there was no resisting the sick feeling in her stomach and the dizziness that overcame her, before everything faded into blackness.
~To Be Continued~
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