Kerry stifled a smile. Her mom always pushed to go to Janie’s when she came over. Glancing once more at the clock, she answered, “Sure, Mom. We can go out. Give me a few minutes to get ready.”
Running her hands through her short graying brown hair, Mary smiled. “Sounds good; see you downstairs shortly.”
***
Ryan was grateful for the brunch rush. It kept him busy enough to keep his mind off… well, everything. In the moment, Janie and her diner were all that mattered.
Until he saw Kerry and her mother walk through the door. Kerry caught his eye, a concerned look appearing on her face. He gave a quick jerk of his head, and she turned back to talk to her mom.
“Is everything ok, Ryan?” Janie asked, having noticed the exchange.
Forcing a smile, Ryan replied, “Everything is fine.”
A frown formed on the woman’s wrinkled face, but she nodded and moved to take care of the next customer.
Ryan watched Janie’s newest employee, Christy, bring Kerry and her mom to a table and take their drink order. Before she returned, he had to answer the phone. Expecting a take-out order, he grabbed a pad of paper and a pen. “This is Ryan, how can I help you?”
“Ryan,”—a man’s breathy voice came over the line—“I have an order, but I don’t know if you can handle it.”
Growing suspicious, Ryan answered, “If it’s on our menu, I can get it ready for you…”
“You, Ryan. I’m going to take you out of that diner.”
Dropping the pen on the counter, Ryan clenched his jaw, trying to hide his face from the view of the diner. “Who is this?”
“You know. And you know I will win. In many ways I have already won. How’s your love life, kiddo? You have any friends that you see more than every couple months?” The man’s voice grew harsh. “That’s my influence, kid. Your life is mine. All that’s left is for you to accept it.”
“Not gonna happen, you psycho…”
“Manners, Ryan,” the man snapped. “I know I didn’t have the benefit of raising you, but I hoped your Neanderthal father or uncle would have taught you something.”
“They did. And you never will, so give it up.”
Receiving no answer, Ryan hung up the phone and stared down at the counter, his fists clenched around the edge and eyes squeezed shut.
“Ryan?” Christy’s voice was hesitant, and she leaned toward him in concern.
Snapping his eyes open, Ryan spun toward the door. “I’m going on break. Tell Janie I’ll be back in an hour.”
He heard Christy sputter as he disappeared to the back to grab his jacket and keys.
Ryan didn’t notice Janie’s worried gaze watching as he pulled out of the driveway.
***
Janie would be upset. He left during a rush, and Christy wasn’t ready to handle everything by herself. But Ryan needed to get away from people and spending a little time with Hunter might help to calm his nerves.
The stalker called his workplace. That was a first. Everything else was similar. It was like a sick drama the freak needed to play out every few weeks. Ironically, Ryan spoke to him more frequently than most of his other friends—a fact Ryan hated. The crazy psycho who stole his parents from him was right; his life had been on a standstill since the killer struck. With every kidnapping attempt, or phone call, Ryan grew more fearful of letting people into his life.
What would happen if he did? Ryan already knew the obsessed killer wouldn’t hesitate to contact anyone in his life. He had proven that with the phone calls to Janie and Frank. And with the murder of his parents, the man had proven he wouldn’t hesitate to hurt someone to get what he wanted.
Sighing, Ryan went to grab Hunter’s leash. “Sorry, buddy,” he muttered. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with you while I’m gone. Maybe Frank will agree to watch you for a while.”
The big dog looked up at Ryan with a whine. “Yeah; walk now, worry later, right, bud?”
***
“What happened?” Janie cornered Christy. “What was Ryan doing before he left?”
Christy’s eyes opened wide, and she backed up a step. “He’d just gotten off the phone. He sounded upset.”
Wincing, Janie asked, “Did you hear any of the conversation?”
The new employee thought for a moment and nodded. “He called someone a psycho and said ‘it’s not going to happen, so you might as well give up’. That’s all I heard.”
Squeezing her eyes shut in dismay, Janie didn’t say anything for a full minute. Christy shifted uncertainly, tapping her fingers against her leg as she waited for her boss to say something. “He said he’d be back, right?” Janie questioned finally.
Nodding, Christy said, “Yeah. He probably just went to walk his dog.”
“Thank you, Christy. You can get back to work now.” While Janie was concerned about Ryan, she couldn’t neglect her business. However, she did make a mental note to call Frank later and discuss the stalker situation.
He was apparently growing bolder, and that didn’t bode well for Ryan.
FOUR
Ryan pushed his anxiety down enough to get through the rest of the day at the diner. It was not easy to do since both Janie and Christy were shooting worried looks toward him all afternoon. He had never been so glad to see the end of a shift, and dragged himself to his apartment to prepare for work at the bar.
Staring at himself in the mirror, Ryan noticed that he appeared a bit tired, but otherwise seemed pretty normal. Amazing how inner turmoil could stay so well hidden. Flashes of blood pools and lifeless eyes tormented him. He tried picturing happy memories with his parents like he was told to by his therapist, but every memory was overlaid with clouded eyes and torn flesh.
Entering his living room, Ryan picked up a picture of his parents, enjoying the view of their smiling faces for only a moment before reality sank in yet again. “I’ll find him,” he vowed, his voice loud in the silent room. Hunter stood and walked to Ryan’s side.
Absently stroking the dog’s head, Ryan asked brokenly, “Why can’t I picture them alive?”
The dog had no answer, but pushed his head against Ryan’s leg. The nudge was enough to push Ryan out of his thoughts. “Right; work time.”
***
Ryan looked like death warmed over Kerry noted as the young man walked through the door of the bar. “Hi, Ryan,” she attempted.
“Hi, Kerry. How are you tonight?” he asked, glancing around the bar in a distracted manner.
“Good. Are you okay?” Kerry winced. He would say he was fine, and once again she’d be shut out.
Sighing, Ryan surprised her by answering. “I’m a little bummed, actually. The friend of mine who was going to be watching Hunter for me had to back out. Now I don’t know what to do with him while I’m gone. Hey,” he asked, “do you have any suggestions?”
“Let me think about it and get back to you,” Kerry answered. Her first thought was offering to do it herself. It would be a great way to get on Ryan’s good side and would give her an ‘in’ with him, but dogs terrified her—especially dogs as big as Hunter.
The night passed uneventfully, and both Ryan and Kerry were relieved to see closing time. “I’ll call you if I figure something out for Hunter,” Kerry said as they locked up the bar.
“Thanks Kerry,” Ryan answered with a tired smile. “Have a good night.”
As Ryan walked toward his car, Kerry hesitated, shook her head slightly, and called, “Ryan, wait!”
He paused, turning to half-face her. “Yeah?”
“I could take him,” she offered, her eyes closing as she made the impulsive choice.
Narrowing his eyes, Ryan asked, “You sure? It’s kind of a long time to dog-sit.”
She found herself nodding, feeling surer about her choice by the minute. “Yeah; I live on a farm, so he’d have lots of room to run. It would probably be a decent vacation for him.”
Ryan smiled. “I know you’re scared of dogs, Kerry. You have been since
we were kids. You don’t need to do this, but if you decide you still want to try this after you get some sleep, then you can come over tomorrow to meet him. I work a half day at the diner, so come around one, and I should be there. Thanks.”
“I’m working on trying to get over my fear. Maybe this is the way to do it. But if you want, we could make this more interesting,” she added playfully. “I’m scared of dogs. You’re scared of horses. I’ll make you a bet, Ryan Parker. I think I can get over my fear of dogs before you get over your fear of horses.”
Scoffing, Ryan stepped forward. “Really, Hendrix, you think so?”
“Well, yeah. If I take Hunter, I pretty much guarantee I will be over my fear before you get back from the academy. You, my friend, will have to wait to deal with your horse fear until you get back.”
Snorting slightly, Ryan narrowed his eyes in mock anger. “Kinda stacking the odds in your own favor then, aren’t you?”
Laughing, Kerry waved. “See you tomorrow, Ryan.”
***
Kerry rang the buzzer for Ryan’s apartment just after one the next day. There was no answer, so she stood outside the door and waited. Before too long, she heard a car pull into the parking lot. After parking, Ryan got out, footsteps crunching through the snow. “Ryan, hi,” she said.
“Hi,” he said as he got his keys out to open the door. “Sorry I’m late.”
Kerry shook her head. “No problem, I just got here a couple minutes ago,” she said as they walked into the hallway.
Ryan led the way to the elevator, and hit the ‘up’ button. The doors opened immediately, and after they stepped in, Ryan pressed the button for the third floor.
“So,” Kerry started nervously, fiddling with her keys as she spoke, “does Hunter get along with new people?”
Ryan could tell Kerry was anxious and strove to put her at ease, “He’s a very calm,” he assured her, “and gets along well with just about everyone. He would never attack anyone I introduce to him.”
She nodded, but still looked a bit nervous. “You know, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” he reminded her.
Kerry shook her head stubbornly. “No. I told you I’d watch him, and I will. Unless he tries to kill me or something—then I reserve the right to back out. Otherwise, I’m watching him,” she insisted.
“Wait,” she glared at him. “You’re just trying to get me to back down from the bet, aren’t you? Nice try, but I’m not giving you an excuse to get out of your part of this bet.” Turning her face away from Ryan’s view, she smiled. It was nice to get Ryan out of his head once in a while. Getting him to joke around wasn’t easy.
As they left the elevator and got to Ryan’s door, he could see that she was bracing herself as if she were about to go into battle. “Relax,” he said. “Dogs can sense when you’re nervous, and it makes them feel nervous too.”
Kerry nodded and tried to relax. She heard a bark from inside the apartment as Ryan’s keys jangled in the lock. He pushed the door open, and led her in. “Welcome,” he said a bit awkwardly as he gestured around the small apartment. “This is where I live. Have a seat on the couch if you’d like. I’ll go get Hunter.”
Kerry sat on the couch as Ryan went into what she presumed was the bedroom to get his dog. She looked around the room and saw that there were very few pictures on the plain white walls, and only a couple with his family. There was some unopened mail on the coffee table, and some movies on the shelf by the TV.
A short time later, Ryan came out leading a large mostly black German shepherd.
“Kerry, this is Hunter,” he introduced. “Let him smell you before you pet him and he’ll get used to you faster.”
“Well, you’re a big guy, aren’t you,” she said softly to the dog. Kerry backed away nervously as he moved toward her, while Ryan went to get the dog’s leash.
“He’s… nice,” she said.
Ryan’s eyes crinkled in amusement. “Hey, you wanted to get over your fear of dogs; this is one way to do it.”
He clipped the leash to Hunter’s collar and handed the loop to Kerry.
She stood with her mouth open and shook her head quickly as she spoke. “Oh, no; I can’t take him for a walk by myself. He’ll drag me around the block!”
“Relax; I wasn’t going to make you. I’ll come with you.” Ryan laughed at the relief that was obvious in her brown eyes. She tried to hand him the leash, but Ryan shook his head, “Nope. You get to lead him around. I’m just there for moral support.”
Kerry glared at him, but couldn’t hold it for long under his amused gaze and she smiled. “Okay, but if he starts dragging me, it’s your fault.”
Ryan agreed and he threw on his leather jacket as they walked out the door. Kerry tentatively led Hunter around the block. To her surprise, she found walking with Ryan and the dog comforting.
“So,” Ryan said as they returned to his apartment, “Did you find anyone to take him? Like I said before, I won’t hold you to it.”
Kerry shook her head, looking down at the dog. “I’ll take him.”
“Seriously?” Ryan asked.
“Yeah, he seems pretty nice, and I think I’ll be able to handle him for a couple months. It might be easier when I have him at my house where he can just run around without the leash.”
“If you’re sure you want to; I mean, I appreciate it but are you sure?”
Kerry reassured him, and after deciding he would drop Hunter off at her house on Friday, she left so Ryan could get ready for work.
After she left, Ryan went to check his mail. When he returned, there was a text on his phone from a blocked number. There were only two words on the screen, and they made his blood run cold. NICE GIRL.
Ryan immediately tapped the call screen on his phone, but he wasn’t sure who to call. The cops had given up his parent’s case years ago, and they would have little luck finding the killer now. His uncle didn’t know the stalker was still contacting him. And Kerry…? Kerry didn’t know anything about what was going on, and Ryan wasn’t sure if she would be in danger or not.
Finally deciding, Ryan picked up the phone and called his uncle. “Frank,” he said. “I need to tell you something, and I’m not sure how you’re going to handle it, but I also need your help.”
Frank listened as his nephew told him about the continuing contact, which concerned him greatly. When Ryan mentioned the most recent threat, Frank said, “You’ve been working with Kerry for months now. Why bring her into it now?”
“I don’t know, Frank,” Ryan said. “The only thing I can think of is that today was the first she’s been to my apartment. I don’t know what to do, though. Kerry knows nothing about the stalker. Do I tell her or not?”
“Ry, you know you have to. The guy could be a threat to her, the fact you called me tells me you know that. I’m sure she’s not his target, but I’ll keep an eye on her. You need to tell her about the text message. She deserves to know if she’s in danger.”
“She’s taking Hunter while I’m gone,” Ryan added. “He’ll protect her. It’s in his nature.”
“Yeah, you mentioned that when you were talked me into letting you get him before you moved out. And he proved it with that gang last year.”
Ryan shook off the memories of the attack that were at the front of his mind after his run-in with Theo the other night. “Anyway, you’re right. I should call Kerry and tell her about the stalker. If I’m late for work that will be why, okay?”
“Okay, kid. I’ll see you when you come in, but we need to have a serious talk about this.”
“I am sorry I hid them from you, Uncle Frank,” he said.
His uncle didn’t respond right away. “We’ll talk about it later,” he said again. “See you.”
“Bye.” Ryan hung up the phone, not liking the feeling that he was being scolded. I’m a grown man, why am I apologizing to my uncle for making my own decisions?
Ryan shook it off and found Kerry’s cell phone number. He called and, t
hankful that she hadn’t driven far, didn’t waste any time asking her. “Can you come back to my apartment? …There’s something I need to tell you.”
FIVE
“Are you okay?”
Kerry nodded, but avoided eye contact.
“Look, I won’t hold you to this. There’s no reason you should do anything for me,” Ryan spoke softly, his eyes downcast.
“You said he’s never done anything besides send notes or make phone calls, why would he change now?” she asked.
Ryan threw his hands up, “I don’t know. This is the first time he’s sent something not only about me—at least that I know of. Frank didn’t tell me about most of the notes from when I was younger. I don’t know anything about the guy. He killed my parents! I don’t know why he killed them and I don’t know why he won’t leave me alone, but he won’t. I don’t want you to have to deal with that.”
Kerry shook her head as she spoke. “No. I said I’d watch Hunter, and I will. He can help be a deterrent just in case that guy actually does show up.”
Ryan put his hand over hers and said, “Thank you. I wish I wasn’t leaving so soon, I hate that I’m leaving with this going on…”
“Ryan, stop. I’ll be fine, don’t worry about it,” Kerry assured him, their eyes meeting intensely.
“Okay,” he finally agreed, dropping his gaze. “Just be careful, alright? If anything happens, call Frank. He’d probably get there faster than the police could, and I’ll keep in touch while I’m gone.” She sighed. “You don’t need to worry. What you need to do is learn everything you can at the academy so you can stop this guy. I will be fine. I have Hunter and Frank to look after me. But for right now, I need to get going, Ryan. I’ll see you Friday, okay?”
Ryan walked Kerry out to her Jeep, eyes scanning the vehicles parked near his building. Nothing seemed to be out of place, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched.
Fear Page 2