by L A Walton
“What are you talking about?”
“You heard me.”
“Hello? Hello?” Laci looked at her phone. The call had been disconnected.
“Ma’am are you okay?”
Still in shock, Laci looked up, “I’m fine. Thanks.” He gave her an odd look and walked away.
Then her phone dinged. It was a message. Laci looked at the phone number. It was from the same number that she had received the texts from the day before. It was a picture of her friend Kay in a coffee shop. It was taken from a distance and she was sitting alone and smiling into her mug of coffee.
“What the heck?” Laci whispered.
Another ding from her phone notified her of a second message. She read it and her knees almost buckled.
“Stay away from the cops. You wouldn’t want another dead friend, would you?”
Laci gasped, fear penetrating every fiber of her being. She looked up and could see her face again in the large TVs connected to the camcorder she was standing in front of. The look of horror was shocking and Laci couldn’t help but see the irony. This is exactly what her stalker wanted…her fear on display.
CHAPTER 11
Officer Joe Bishop looked at his partner Tracy Stewart who was putting her phone back on its receiver.
“What was that about?” he asked.
Tracy looked at him in disbelief, “You’re never going to guess.”
“I don’t want to guess. That’s why I asked you,” Joe smirked.
Tracy rolled her eyes, “That was Dr. Laci Cummings. She said she wanted to drop her complaint about someone following her.”
Joe, who had been leaning back against his chair, suddenly sat up, “What?”
“Surprising right? She was so adamant the other day,” Tracy began tapping her desk with her fingernails as she tried to figure out the reasoning behind it.
“We should charger her for wasting our time,” Joe muttered.
“It makes no sense.”
“What makes no sense?”
“Dr. Cummings. She was so shook up the other day. Even now she sounded frightened so why would she drop her complaint?”
“C’mon Tracy. We were going to tell her about the phone number being in her name. She probably wanted to back out of this attention seeking problem before she realized we were on to her sick games.”
“And what about the ring? Marie Ann Davis’s brother confirmed that was his sister's ring," Tracy reminded Joe.
“There were no prints on it. It’s possible that Marie Ann had lent it to Dr. Cummings before she died.”
“Women don’t lend out precious family heirlooms Joe. At least I wouldn’t. No, something isn’t right here.”
Joe leaned forward, “Are you thinking Dr. Cummings killed Marie Ann?”
Tracy scowled at her partner, “Would you mind being a professional and stopping your ‘I hate Laci Cummings game’ for a minute? I’m serious. It had crossed my mind for a minute but she wouldn’t have the strength to do that to her friend. I spoke with the ME and based on the wounds, it had to have been someone taller and stronger than Marie Ann. Marie Ann was taller than Laci.”
Joe shrugged, “Anything’s possible when you’re upset enough.”
“People don’t grow a foot and then shrink. No, something isn’t adding up here.”
Joe nodded, “Just admit it Stewart. You’re thinking Dr. Cummings is suspicious too.”
“No. Unlike you, I don’t hate her. I’m thinking maybe she really is being harassed.”
“Tracy, the phone was in her name!”
“Yeah but it was a pay-as-you-go account. Anyone could go to their local Wal-Mart and buy a phone card that most networks sell and set it up with a used phone and a Visa gift card online. I could even set up an account in your name if I wanted to.”
“That’s a bit of a stretch. It’s easier to go with the theory that she’s doing all of this herself and only wants attention.”
“Since when did we just follow the easy route?”
“Since it’s usually the right route,” Joe retorted.
Tracy sighed, “I’m not going to drop this just yet. I could’ve sworn that she still sounded scared over the phone.”
CHAPTER 12
Laci walked to the parking lot.
“Just my luck,” she muttered at the lack of people. She wondered if Eric, the security guard, was around. She clutched her pepper spray, still hidden inside her purse. She slowly walked forward, her red heels tapping against the hard cement. She was nervous and on edge.
A hand on her shoulder startled her. She screamed and turned around, quickly raising the pepper spray and hitting the nozzle.
“Arrghh! Dangit what the heck are you doing?”
Laci was still screaming even after she lowered the pepper spray. She watched in horror as the man continued to groan in pain in front of her. She knew him and this wasn’t going to be a pleasant confrontation.
“I’m coming!” an old man’s voice shouted. Laci looked up to see Eric, the security guard, scrambling towards them. “Dr. Cummings are you okay? Was this man trying to attack you?”
Laci didn’t know what to say. Part of her was shocked by what she had just done and another part of her wanted to laugh at the ridiculous situation she was in.
“Heck no I wasn’t trying to attack her! I’m a cop you old geezer!” the man shouted as he continued to stay in a doubled over position.
“Who’re you calling old?” Eric asked as he touched the small gun he had at his waist.
“Sorry Eric, I thought he was trying to attack me…but he wasn’t. It was just a misunderstanding.”
Officer Joe Bishop straightened himself and sneered at Laci. His eyes were red from the pepper spray, “Misunderstanding? Is that what you call this?” he asked pointing to his red eyes.
“Well you came up from behind and scared me!”
“I’m a police officer!”
Laci ignored that comment, “How was I supposed to know that? Why did you call me down here? To accuse me of lying again?”
“I needed to talk to you.”
“So you know this man?” Eric interrupted.
“Yeah she does…so go back to being a rent-a-cop,” Joe didn’t want an audience to the conversation he was about to have with Laci.
“Don’t talk to him that way!” Laci couldn’t believe that Officer Bishop could be so rude to everyone he came into contact with.
“Don’t worry Dr. Cummings. Young punks like him don’t bother me. Are you sure you’re okay being alone with him?” Eric asked.
Laci nodded, “I’ll be fine Eric. Thank you.”
“Not a problem.” The old security guard turned to look at Joe, “I’ll be watching you through the cameras.” Before Joe could respond, Eric began walking back to his security booth.
“What was that about?” Laci asked, “Why were you so rude to him?”
Joe shrugged, “Does it matter? Listen, we need to talk.”
“Actually, we don’t,” Laci began to walk away when Joe grabbed her arm. “Let me go.”
“I want to know why you dropped your complaint.”
“That’s it? You came all the way over here to ask me why I stopped reporting that I was being stalked? Didn’t you accuse me of lying?”
“Look…I’m only asking because my partner made me feel guilty. She said I was being a jerk and no woman would feel comfortable making a report to me if I treated them the way I treated you.”
Laci shook her head, “You’re unbelievable. Is this your way of apologizing?”
“Well what do you expect? You say someone is stalking you and sending you strange messages. Imagine our surprise when we find out the number is registered to you!”
“What did you say?”
“Don’t make me repeat myself, Laci. You know the phone number is registered to you.”
Laci stared at Officer Bishop, “No it’s not.”
“You can stop pretending now. I know that’s why you d
ropped the complaint. Stewart already said she’s not going to pursue it but wasting police time isn’t exactly okay.”
Laci didn’t understand how anyone could register her name for a phone line, “How is that possible? I mean how could someone use my name to get a phone?”
He gave her a suspicious look but answered, “That’s easy. They just need your social security number and a date of birth. That information is getting easier to find.”
“My social security number and date of birth?”
“If you’re saying it’s not your phone then that would mean someone opened a phone in your name. Aren’t you going to ask me to look into it? Don’t you want me to find out who used your name?”
“No!” She answered a bit forcefully and much too quickly for Officer Bishop not to be suspicious.
“What’s going on? If you didn’t open the phone someone did it in your name. That means they have your social and date of birth. You don’t care?”
“What does it matter to you? I’m just a liar that wants attention, isn’t that right?”
“Look that isn’t the only reason I came by to see you. I’ve been thinking about why I've been too hard on you.”
Laci didn’t bother to respond. She was still thinking about the fact that her stalker had her personal information. She was making a mental note to call the credit bureaus. She wished Officer Bishop would stop talking to her. He wasn’t her favorite person in the world and she just wanted to get home. She wasn’t really paying attention to what he was saying until he began waving his hands in front of her face. She took a step back and swatted his hands away, “What are you doing? Stop that.”
“Are you even listening to what I’m saying?” he asked.
She wanted to scream, “No, I could care less about what you have to say!” Instead she counted to five in her head and asked, “What were you saying?”
Joe ran his hands through his hair and repeated himself, “I said I need your help. Please.”
Now she wished she had been paying attention. She didn’t miss the irony of the situation. He needed her help. He even said the word please. She couldn’t help but give a bitter laugh, “Why should I help you? When I asked you for help…you accused me of being a liar.”
“Look I know we didn’t start off on the right foot, but I’ve been thinking about things.”
“Yes?”
“Even though I still don’t believe that you have a stalker…I shouldn’t have been so rude to you.”
Laci chose to ignore his veiled accusation that she was liar and cocked her head to one side, “Who are you and what have you done with the real Officer Bishop? Are you actually admitting you were rude and that you made a mistake?”
Joe sighed, “I deserve that. Look…forget it. This was a stupid idea anyway.”
Laci watched him start to walk away. “Wait.” She had a resigned tone in her voice which meant she was probably going to regret helping him, “What did you need help with?”
“Last night I was up thinking about you.”
Laci took a step back.
“Not in a creepy sort of way,” Joe explained, “I was thinking about why I disliked you so much.”
“Are you going to get to the point anytime soon? Because you’re really making me regret hearing you out.”
“Listen, you’re friends with my ex-girlfriend.”
Laci didn’t believe him. None of her friends would date such a jerk. “I’m sorry but I don’t remember any of my friends dating you.”
“It wasn’t that long just a few weeks but I really thought I loved her.”
Laci was still confused, “Why are you telling me this?”
“I want you to help me get her back.”
“I’m sorry…say that again.”
“Help me get my girlfriend back.”
“Why would I do that? You’re not exactly a nice guy Officer Bishop.”
“I’m only like that with you… well, and my brother…and now Eric.”
“Okay fine! I’m not a nice guy but that doesn’t mean I don’t deserve a second chance. I thought you shrinks were supposed to believe in helping people.”
“That’s interesting. I thought the same thing about police officers.” Her sarcasm wasn’t lost on Joe. “Listen, I’m not sure which of my friends you dated and quite frankly, I don’t want to know. I try not to get involved in their love lives unless they really need my help.”
“Don’t lie. Amber used to quote you all the time.”
“Amber? You dated Amber? Why am I not surprised? I don’t give her relationship advice. She tends to latch on to whatever I say during the radio show and runs with it. I’m not sure what she told you but you should talk to her if you want to get back together.”
“So you’re not going to help me?”
Laci shook her head, “No. I’m sorry but I don’t want to get involved. This is between you and her.”
Joe closed his eyes, still feeling the sting from the pepper spray. Laci was eager to get away from him and as she approached her car, she noticed another gold envelope tucked beneath a windshield wiper.
She looked around before pulling it out and opening it. A small message was scrawled on a plain white card.
“Don’t forget. No cops.”
Laci texted her friend Kay, “Let’s meet tomorrow.”
She got into her car and drove home only to see a stranger’s car in her driveway. She walked inside with apprehension which quickly turned into anger. Inside her living room was Declan with three of his friends watching a basketball game. They were drinking and eating McDonald’s.
“Declan can we talk in the kitchen, please?”
Declan could tell his sister was upset, “Hey guys, this is my sister Laci.” Laci was greeted with words, whistles, and catcalls.
“Idiots,” she muttered as she walked to the kitchen with Declan in tow.
“Before you get really pissed, I have a good reason for inviting the guys over.”
“It better be one heck of a good reason.”
“The Hawks are playing.”
Laci rolled her eyes, “You invited some friends over to watch a basketball game when you know what I’ve been dealing with? Couldn’t you have just gone to a sports bar?”
“I’m sorry Laci but Robert called and you know we’ve been friends forever. He and his girlfriend just broke up and he didn’t want to be at a bar.”
Laci couldn’t imagine any of the drunk guys in the living room as heartbroken, “I don’t know them Declan. What if they’re the ones stalking me?”
Declan began laughing, “Trust me they aren’t stalking you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she was irked at the way he said the word you.
“Nothing it’s just that you’re old.”
“Old!”
“Sorry…older. If you’re over twenty-five they won’t be interested. Besides you’re my sister. They wouldn’t mess with you.”
“You never know what people do behind closed doors Declan. It’s not good to make assumptions.”
“Fine. I’ll make sure they leave after the game. It’s almost over anyway.”
“They’ve been drinking.”
“Robert’s not drunk. He just always acts that way. He’s been drinking soda all night.”
“Fine.” Laci left Declan in the kitchen to go upstairs and take a shower. The day had been strange and stressful for her. She let the cool spray of the water wash over her and when she was done, she wrapped herself in a large fluffy towel. She walked into her bedroom and began looking for some pajamas.
“Laci?”
“What do you want Declan?”
“Laci?”
“What do you want? Say what you want and get out. I have to change.” Laci hadn’t bothered to turn around as she rummaged through her drawers for a pajama set.
“Laci.”
“What?” she yelled as she turned around expecting to see her brother. She was alone. She looked around and the hai
r on her neck stood up. “Declan?” She took a few hesitant steps forward, “Hello?”
When no one responded, she ran to the bathroom and quickly put on her clothes. She slowly opened her bathroom door which was connected to the master bedroom, and peeked out. She still didn’t see anyone. She stepped outside and looked around again. She didn’t hear anything.
“Did I imagine it?”
She walked out of her room and downstairs. Declan and his friends were gone. The sound of the front door opening, startled her and she let out a loud yelp.
“Laci? What’s wrong with you?” Declan asked as he closed the door behind him.
“Where were you?”
“I followed the guys home to make sure they got to Robert’s safely. They’re all going to crash there for the night. I just got back. Is something wrong? You look weird.”
Laci wondered if she should tell Declan. She opted not to, thinking it was just her imagination. “I’m fine. It’s getting late. I’m going to bed.”
“Okay. Nite.” Declan sat back on the sofa and continued to watch the sports channel.
“Nite.” Laci went back to her bedroom and walked inside. She didn’t hear anything. She was about to pull back her covers when it called out again in a whispering voice.
“Laci.”
Laci screamed and called out for Declan, who came running up the stairs, “What’s wrong Laci?”
“I think there’s someone in the room. I keep hearing someone whispering my name. Declan gave her a strange look but proceeded to look around her room.
“Laci, I don’t see anyone. Are you sure you heard something?”
She nodded.
Declan cleared his throat, “Is it possible you thought you heard someone? You’ve been under a lot of stress lately.”
Laci wasn’t sure anymore. She could’ve sworn she had heard someone. Maybe Declan was right. “Yeah you’re right Declan. I’m just exhausted. I probably just need some sleep.”
Declan stared at her for a moment, “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine. Go finish watching your show. I’m going to bed.”
“Well I’ll be right downstairs,” he said as he walked out of her room, “Just holler if you need me.”