by Cheri Lewis
I have to work a few minutes over to finish entering the new client’s information, which works out great because I have an appointment for 6 p.m. at Hands and Hooves to get my nails filled in and my waxing done.
When I leave my appointment at the nail salon, I leave with strawberry margarita polish on my fingers and toes and less hair everywhere. It is a little before eight and the sun is setting fast. I’m starving so I decide to run through and pick up a sub to take home to eat. When I turn onto my road my heart drops. I see Tank’s SUV, a cop car and another truck I don’t recognize in front of my house. I pull into my driveway and Tank is there to open my door before I even get the car parked. “What’s going on?”
He rubs his hand through his hair then rubs the back of his neck with his hand. “He came back.”
My heart drops. “Did you catch him?”
“No. No, we didn’t catch him.”
“What happened? What did he do?”
I try to step around him but he catches my arm. “You can’t go in there right now not till we figure out what all has gone on.”
“What do you mean what all has gone on?”
I turn when I hear a voice I vaguely recognize. He is talking to the police officer as he comes around the corner of my house. It’s the big man from yesterday, Alexander, and he looks pissed and sounds even more so when he says, “There’s an attic entrance in the storage shed in the back. It comes out into the hallway. The motherfucker crawled all the way across the house in places that were about eighteen inches wide.”
I look at Tank even more confused. “What happened? How do you know he was here? I thought the alarm company would call me if the alarm was triggered?”
Tank asks Alexander, “Is it okay to go inside now?”
Alexander puts his hands on his hips and sucks on his bottom lip in deep thought and now I’m scared shitless thinking about how hot it is for that man to be sucking on his lip. I come back to reality when Alexander starts speaking, “Yeah, she can go inside.”
I know I sound like the biggest chicken shit but I look at Tank and practically beg, “Would you come inside with me?”
I see Alexander give Tank a nod and I’m sure that is secret code for something but right now I don’t care enough to ask. I’m not sure what I was expecting when I walk into my house but what I got wasn’t it. Everything is still in its place. Nothing seems out of order. I walk into the living room and Prima is curled up asleep on the couch. She stretches and meows when she sees me. I go to my bedroom and flip the light on. Same in there. I go through every room in the house and flip the lights on. Everything is the same; I even open the fridge, nothing. Tank is in my foyer waiting on me. “How do you know he was here? Nothing’s been moved. Did he leave a note or something?”
Tank leans down and lifts a leaf on the plant and there is a little box and a little black round thing with a piece of my zebra print duct tape on it. I stare at the tape. Tears start filling my eyes. He grabs my hand and tugs for me to follow. When we make it into the living room I almost collapse when I see the zebra print on my iPod docking station. Tank grabs my arm tighter for support and I stammer. “He—he’s making fun of me.”
He walks me to the couch and I sit on the edge. “Why do you think he’s making fun of you?”
“Because I put that exact tape on all my windows and doors trying to catch him. Trying to figure out how he was getting in the house.”
I know he’s fighting back a smile and that doesn’t help my mood any. I lean over and place my head into my hands. He sits beside me and says, “I won’t lie to you, you’re probably right about it being a message that he is toying with you. But I really think the overall message was directed to me and Alexander. He made all the cameras we installed inoperable and we didn’t get anything of use on cameras, and he also bypassed the alarm system.”
I can’t help but half laugh in disbelief I look up at him and shake my head “You know if that was meant to make me feel better, you sucked at it.”
He stares at me a moment, his hazel eyes seem to be studying my face, then he quietly asks, “I need to talk to Alexander a minute, I will be right outside. Will you be alright?”
I sigh and mumble, “I’ll be fine.”
Prima weaves her way under my arms and I pull my hands away from my face. Her white face is about two inches from mine then she touches her wet nose to mine. I lean back and pull her to me stroking her fur, my mind blank as I continue to rub her. I look at the doorway when I hear Tank call my name, “McKinsey.” This time Tank, an officer I don’t recognize, and Alexander are walking in the room and I can tell by the look on their faces it isn’t good. “McKinsey this is Officer Johns.” The officer nods at me and Tank continues, “We’re going to file a report, it may not seem like good news but we now have proof somebody is messing around your home. He is going to document everything that has went on today and then we’re going to start from the beginning and start going over everything from the time you first started noticing anything. Even if it seems dumb and shouldn’t mean anything, I want you to tell us about it, okay?”
I nod, and then listen to Alex and Tank do most of the talking about the cameras and how the alarm system was bypassed. So much for having an alarm system that ran on a phone line. It didn’t even make it 24 hours of protecting me. The police officer writes everything down and then says he wants to talk to the sergeant about having the street patrolled more. Tank stands from sitting beside me and walks the police officer to the door. Then it’s my turn. I curl into the corner of the couch and lay my head on the armrest and begin my story. Actually I mostly ramble through everything from someone stealing my lunch to my panties being laid in the middle of my bed, to thinking it was Joel because of the texts. I look at Tank. “Were you able to track down who sent me the roses?”
“No, without you looking at the card or having them to examine, that’s going to be hard.”
We both look at Alexander who is sitting quietly in the brown recliner when he finally speaks, “Roses?”
Tank rubs his neck and stretches a little. “Yeah, she had someone send her some black roses. She thought it was her ex-boyfriend but—”
I have my mouth open to argue that Joel is NOT my ex-boyfriend but the look on Alexander’s face and his question stops me. “How many roses was it?”
“I have no clue. More than a dozen, it was a bunch. I grabbed them and threw them in the dumpster as soon as I got them.”
“How long ago?”
“I guess three weeks maybe four, Why?”
I keep looking between Tank and Alexander but neither is saying anything. Tank is also looking at Alexander waiting for him to say something, but he doesn’t. He quickly stands and pulls his phone out of his pocket and walks out the back door. I look back at Tank. “What was that about? And should I be more scared than I already am?”
He straightens from leaning against the wall. “I’ll be right back.”
I sit there a few minutes and take in the quiet of my home. Prima walks around the corner from the kitchen and pads her way across the living room and jumps into the empty recliner. I watch her knead the cloth of the chair before she finally plops down. I really need to go to the bathroom and then get something to drink. Once in the bathroom, I stand in front of the mirror a long time and look at myself. What does this man want with me? Did I cut him off driving one day? I mean they did make a movie about that. I saw it on Lifetime. Was it somebody from work that got fired? No that can’t be it, I don’t know any of the workers and they would go after Mr. Samford. A soft knock at the door interrupts my thoughts. “I’ll be out in just a minute.”
I take care of my business then go to the kitchen and pour myself a glass of tea. Sticking my head around the corner, I ask if they would like something to drink. Alexander declines but Tank says he would like something.
I hand Tank his drink and then I sit back on the couch when Alexander says, “I’ve got a phone call into a buddy where I used to work
and he is checking into the roses for us.”
I mean I appreciate his help but how would anybody that installs cameras know about roses? “You have a buddy who installs cameras and they know about roses?”
I look at Tank and he is wiping his chin where he has snorted his tea. Alexander doesn’t respond but Tank does. “McKinsey if there is something to know, he’ll find it out.”
I lean back and sigh. “I guess, but I don’t see how a camera installation man has connections.”
Tank shakes his head and rolls his eyes. It doesn’t seem to faze Alexander; the focused look on his face never changes. We sit in silence until the phone rings and then we listen to the one sided conversation. I’m okay until his face changes and he locks eyes with Tank. Then I feel pure fear. This isn’t good. Not good at all.
CHAPTER FIVE
Living Arrangements
I grab another t-shirt from my closet as tears continue to stream down my face, Alexander’s words running through my mind. We think you’ve been targeted by someone the FBI has named The Black Rose Killer. I throw the t-shirt on top of the pile that is forming on my bed and wipe my tears. I walk to my chest of drawers, open them one by one scooping a big pile of different clothes out of each and throwing them on the bed, not paying any attention to what I’m grabbing. He sends roses to his next victim to let them know they’ve been chosen for his game. The light knock at my bedroom door brings me out of my thoughts. I quickly wipe more tears before I turn to see Tank standing in the doorway as he holds up my white suitcase with black paisley designs, showing me he has found it. I try not to sound pathetic when I speak, “Set it on the bed, please.”
He nods with a sympathetic look. “Is there anything else I can get for you?”
“Could you go out back to the storage room and grab the pet carrier, please?”
He pauses a moment and I know he just realized he’s not only bringing home one guest but a guest plus one. I wait for him to comment but he turns and leaves me to finish packing. I suck in a big breath and speak aloud to myself, “Pull it together, and quit crying. You don’t know for sure someone is trying to kill you. This is just precaution until we know for sure.”
I open my suitcase and pull the smaller suitcase and cosmetic case from inside. If only I had read the card. Why did I throw those flowers away without reading the damn card? I take the cosmetic case into my bathroom and start dropping in different items. When I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror I want to start crying all over again. My eyes are all puffy and red, my face is blotchy, and my nose looks like I could play the part of Rudolph in the annual Christmas play at church. What does it matter how you look? You should be able to look like crap, when you possibly have a serial killer after you. I sigh then look into my shower trying to decide if I should take my travel shampoo or all my big bottles. I remember the shaggy man I found when I first met him and decide to go with all my big bottles. Before I walk out of the bathroom I grab the air freshener and hand soap. Better to be safe than sorry.
I carry my cosmetic case back into my bedroom and see Tank coming down the hallway carrying the pet carrier. When he makes it to my door I point for him to sit it on the floor beside the wall, I begin folding my clothes and putting them into my suitcase. “Your cat bolted when I walked in the back door with the carrier,” Tank says quietly.
I look up at him and huff, sounding like a completely different person talking with my stuffy nose, “The only trip she takes in the pet carrier is to the vet, I’m sure that’s why. That means we’re going to have a lot of fun trying to catch her, because she hates going to the vet.”
Tank nods and stares at me a few seconds, I know he’s trying to think of something to say to try to calm me down but he obviously comes up with nothing when he says, “I’ll try to round her up while you finish packing.”
I don’t even bother telling him he won’t be able to find her and, if he does, good luck catching her. What Alexander said earlier replays through my mind again. From the Intel we have, there’s about two months from the time the roses arrive till the end of his game. Have you received any more gifts? No, I haven’t received any gifts. Doesn’t he think I would tell him if I had received any more gifts? And why wouldn’t he tell me what kind of gifts the other people received? I gaze at my pile of clothes then decide who cares if they are all a mess, Jessie isn’t here to boss me… Oh crap, Jessie I need to call Jessie. I pull out my cell phone from my pocket, sit on the side of the bed and dial his number; of course it goes to voicemail. My shaky, “Hey—” is all I manage; I break down sobbing into the phone.
I don’t know if he was nearby or heard me all the way in the living room. Tank is suddenly there. He pulls the phone from my hand and draws me up into his arms, hugging me close to him. I grab him tightly knowing if he lets go I would crumble to the floor. As I cry uncontrollably into his shoulder, he begins speaking to me in a soft voice, and I can feel his hand lightly caressing my back. Between the sound of his voice and his light touches I begin to calm and focus on the words he’s repeating over and over, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned—” I lift my head and peer into his sincere eyes and find myself lost in them. After a brief moment he looks away. I lay my head back on his shoulder not ready to let go and he continues to whisper those same soothing words and thankfully he doesn’t let me go until I’m ready.
****
We have to hunt for Prima for almost 20 minutes when we find her hiding in the dryer. That’s a new place for us both. I guess I’d left the dryer door open after my last load of laundry. Tank loads my luggage and a very vocal Prima into his SUV. I follow him out on the last trip and stop at my car. “What about my car?”
“I’m going to have Cootie bring it to my place in a little bit.”
“I can drive. I’m alright. I’ll just follow you.”
“He’s already on his way over and we need to stop at the store anyway so it would make it simpler if we both ride together.” He says as he sticks the last piece of luggage in the back of his SUV.
I give him a look of confusion. It doesn’t make the slightest sense that I can’t follow him but arguing with him isn’t worth it. I’m exhausted, my head hurts, and it’ll be nice not to be alone.
When Tank opens his passenger side door a loud sound echoes from inside his vehicle and I instantly recognize that loud cat cry. Prima is pissed. “Yeeoow, Yeeoow…”
Tank walks two steps then opens the back door and bends down to look in her cage, then stands, looks at me and points at Prima. “Does she always sound like that?”
I don’t know why I do it. He’s been nothing but kind to me and he’s trying to save my life but the sarcasm side of my brain speaks first, “Yes, she had an operation and her voice is permanently stuck that way. I promise you won’t even notice it after awhile.”
He doesn’t hide his apprehension very well but he also doesn’t say a word. He shuts the door and we climb into his vehicle and take off for the store.
By the time we pull into the parking lot, my ears ache and Tank’s white knuckle grip and gritted teeth are very hard not to notice. I must admit, I thought about stopping a few times and strapping down her kennel to the roof. My gosh that cat can holler.
I open my door and turn to Tank, “I’ll be right back.”
He already has his door open and is half out of the vehicle. “I’m coming with you.”
I nod then shut my door. “Hey, will you crack the windows a little? I know it’s not that hot this evening but I like knowing she has fresh air.”
He leans back in and puts the key back in the ignition, I smile when he winces at the “Yeeoow” that cries from the backseat. He lowers all the windows a few inches and then he mumbles to himself, “The damn Law is going to be called out here to check on a wild animal stuck in a vehicle.”
I think that’s the first time in ho
urs that I actually smile. “It won’t take me long, I need to go to the pet section for Prima and then I need to get… hey, do you have coffee and the stuff you need to go along with it?”
He reaches up and scratches his head and then looks in deep thought, which really worries me on a different level. The man doesn’t know what he has and there is no telling how old it is, “Never mind I have my favorites of that too, I’ll pick that up as well. You do have a coffee maker that works, right?”
“Yeah, it works.”
“Okay, great.”
I grab some breakfast blend coffee, various flavors of liquid creamer and hit the snack isle in case he doesn’t have anything at his house. I’d decided before we left my house to buy Prima a new litter pan and litter because I wasn’t in any mood to change and clean my old litter pan. “I can’t believe you would spend thirteen dollars on that little box of stuff when there is a fifty pound bag right here and it’s on sale for four dollars.” His foot kicks a pallet of cheap kitty litter.
I eye Tank. “Clearly you’ve never had an inside cat before.” He shakes his head. “If you had never seen Prima would you’ve known I had a cat?” He looks at me half crazy, and I sigh. “Let’s just put it this way, you will be thankful I bought the more expensive stuff.”
He shrugs and we finish my shopping. I can hear Prima when we walk out the door of the store. My poor baby is going to have a sore throat tomorrow.
Luckily we don’t have that much further to go and I’m shocked when we pull up outside of the old building where we had our first initial meeting. “This is where you live?” I ask stunned.
“Yeah.”
“You don’t have a house?”
His silence answers my question but after a moment he softly said, “I let it go back.”
It must have reminded him too much of his wife, but why not buy a new house? Why live in an office building? I don’t ask him. I just nod and grab Prima out of the back seat and we both begin taking everything inside. I make sure to pay attention to the brick that’s missing out of the step so I don’t fall and break my neck. Once inside I open the carrier to let Prima out. I pull her into my arms and sit in one of the chairs. Her little nose is working overtime trying to figure out where we are and her ears are laid back. She is still pissed. Maybe once she figures out we aren’t at the vet she will calm down.