by Charlie
“But you’ve just told me your plan, so now I won’t be impressed on date number four. I’ll know what you’re up to.” She pointed out what she felt was a major flaw in his master plan.
His eyes danced with amusement. “Ah… But now you’ve agreed that there will be a date number four.”
She tried to look affronted. “Oh, now that wasn’t nice, tricking me like that.”
“All’s fair… ” He answered smugly.
The waiter appeared and they placed their orders. Jake asked about her day and she told him. “The only real problem all day was that my name tag went missing.”
“That little brass one you had on when we went for coffee?”
She nodded. “Uh-huh. It isn’t worth much—just sentimental value really. I bought it for myself the day I finalized my mortgage and the shop was officially mine.”
“Could it have fallen on the floor?”
“Paula and I searched all over. I don’t know where it could have gone. It’s not like the thief would have taken it or anything.”
“I’m sure it will turn up.”
“You’re probably right.” She took a sip of wine and turned the focus of the conversation onto him. “What did you do today?”
“I checked out some office space and started to make some contacts.”
“So you’re really going to set up shop in Weston?”
“I told you I would.”
“I guess I just can’t see why anyone would choose to come here. I mean, it’s a nice town and all but… ”
“I already told you why I’m here—you.” He reached across the table and took her hand in his. Stephanie stared into his eyes, not sure what she was searching for… Sincerity? Love? There was something about the way he looked at her, like he knew her, really knew her…
Their food arrived and the moment was lost. At first talk was general about books, TV, and the weather. She asked his opinion about getting a new air conditioner. He inquired how her cold was today and she reminded him it was allergies. They laughed and argued over the diagnosis, but finally agreed that it didn’t matter since she hadn’t had any sniffles all day, even without taking the allergy pills. She questioned him about his travels and he spoke of countries he’d visited. It turned out Jake was interested in history and could give amazingly detailed information about the places he’d been, painting pictures with his descriptive words and anecdotes. Yet he never made her feel less important for her own limited experiences, instead drawing her in and asking her opinions. When the meal was over, Jake drove her back to the flower shop to get her car then followed her home again and walked her to her door.
“Do you want to come in for coffee again?” She asked him hopefully.
He brushed the back of his fingers against her cheek. “Do I want to come in? Yes. Will I come in? No.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I’d like nothing more than to go inside, but if I do, I won’t want to leave and you aren’t ready for that yet, are you?”
“Oh… ” She felt confused as the idea of him staying had great appeal. His arms around her, his body pressed tightly to hers while his lips roamed over her… But at the same time, her mind sent up warning signals. If they started, would she be able to go through with it or would old fears and memories raise their ugly heads?
“See what I mean? You’re not sure. Soon, but not quite yet.” He brushed his lips lightly across hers then stepped back. “Lock the doors Steph, and I’ll call you tomorrow.”
She locked the door and wandered into the kitchen, her mind focussed on Jake. He was so nice and he made her feel… Well… She wasn’t sure what, but it was something. This must be that tingly, giddy feeling the heroines always talk about in my books, she told herself. Looking around, she wondered where Coco was. It was way past her supper time and the cat should be whirling around her ankles, complaining about being neglected.
“Coco? Dinner time.” Hitting the edge of the can with a spoon, she figured that would have the beast running into the kitchen. When the cat didn’t appear, she set the food down on the floor and went looking for her, checking all of her the favourite hiding spots. She looked under the sofa and chair, then behind the washer and dryer—no cat. Heading down the hallway, she checked the spare room and then looked under her own bed. Still no cat. Turning, she slowly surveyed the room finally noticing that the closet door was slightly ajar.
“Coco! Come on out, Sweetie. It’s just me.” A faint rustling sound heralded the arrival of the cat into the room. The feline slunk out, her belly dragging on the ground. “Oh dear, what’s the matter, Coco?” Stephanie crooned and bent to pick up the cat, rubbing her chin and behind her ears, talking to her in a soothing voice. Of course the animal didn’t answer, but it did bury its face in her neck. Frowning, Stephanie carried her cat into the kitchen and set her down in front of her food, wondering what had spooked her. Once on the floor, Coco ignored her meal and immediately headed back towards the bedroom. Following the cat, Stephanie watched as it jumped onto the bed, pacing back and forth, sniffing the spread, her tail slightly fluffed.
Steph looked at the bed, wondering what the cat was doing. Coco began clawing at the bedspread that covered her pillow. There seemed to be a lump there and she wondered if there could be a mouse hiding under the cover. She shivered at the thought, but forced herself to walk towards the bed. Slowly and carefully she grabbed the edge of the sheet and mentally counted to three before yanking the cover back, prepared to jump away if a rodent was indeed hiding there. Instead, she saw her pillow, with her name tag on it, the pin part impaling a small photo of herself.
Chapter 10
By the time Jake arrived back at Stephanie’s house, the police were already there. At first, they weren’t even going to let him in, but then one of the officers recognized him from the previous night and ushered him inside. Stephanie was sitting on the sofa cradling a cup of coffee, while a female police officer sat beside her asking questions.
“Steph?”
She glanced up and immediately held out her hand, half rising, her eyes appealing for his help. “Jake, I’m so glad you’re here.” Her voice was trembling and her face was pale.
“I came as soon as I heard your message on my voice mail. What’s going on?”
The police woman interrupted. “Sir, if you could just wait a moment, I’d like to finish taking her statement.”
He was about to protest but Stephanie nodded. ‘It’s okay, Jake. I’d just like this to be over.”
Sitting beside her, he gripped her hand tightly and listened as she related the events. “So after I found the cat, I brought her into the kitchen, but she wouldn’t eat, she just went back into the bedroom, jumped on the bed, and started sniffing around. I saw a lump in the bedspread and thought it might be a mouse so I pulled it back and that’s when I saw it.”
“And what exactly did you see, ma’am?”
“A picture of myself on my pillow and my missing name tag. The pin part was stabbed into my face.”
“And where is the name tag usually?”
“I usually wear it at work. I keep it there too. But I couldn’t find it today. There was a break-in at the flower shop last night and this morning the tag was gone.”
“So to the best of your knowledge the name tag went missing at work and somehow ended up in your bedroom. You didn’t accidentally bring it home.”
“No. I never do that. Someone must have taken it from the shop, broke into my house, and put it on my pillow, along with the picture.”
“Do you know how this person got in?”
She shook her head. “The front door was locked when I came home. I didn’t check the back door or windows… ”
The policewoman looked at another officer who was standing in the doorway. He nodded and left only to return a minute later with a report. “Same MO. The lock on the back door was picked.”
“Is anything missing? Jewellery? Money? Electronics?” The police woman prodded, her pe
ncil poised ready to make a list.
Stephanie glanced around the living room. “No. Nothing in my bedroom looked different. The dresser drawers were all closed just as I’d left them and I only have costume jewellery. No one would mistake it for the real thing. I don’t own anything valuable and there was no money in the house. My TV is still here and the computer is over there in the corner. There’s nothing else worth taking.”
“All right. So no robbery occurred. Do you recognize when or where the picture was taken?” The picture was now housed in a plastic evidence bag and the officer held it up for her to see.
“No, not really. I didn’t look that closely at it, but I hate having my picture taken so I should remember but… ” She shook her head.
“Okay, so we can assume it was probably a candid shot, taken without your consent or awareness. Do you recognize anything in the background of the photo? Something that would give us a hint as to when or where it was taken?”
“No… Well… Wait, there’s something sort of yellow behind me in the picture, like the one sunflower poster on the wall in the flower shop… Is that any help?”
“Possibly. At least it’s a start. We’ll have the boys in the lab enlarge the photo and go over it.” The woman made a few more notes, and then closed her book. “That will be all for tonight. If we need anything else, where can we contact you?”
“She’ll be at my place.” Jake interrupted. Both Stephanie and the officer looked at him. “You’re not staying here by yourself.”
“But Coco… ”
“She can come too.”
Steph stared at him for a moment before squeezing his hand and nodding. “Thanks. I really don’t want to spend the night alone in this house, knowing some strange person has been wandering around in it while I’m at work.”
Jake gave the police officer his number and then put his arm around her shoulders, hugging her gently as they waited for the police to finish their jobs.
*****
Back at his apartment, Stephanie wandered around, touching the sofa, looking at the paintings on the walls. He watched her for a moment then spoke. “I rented it fully furnished. Not much of this stuff is mine.”
“I wondered. Beige sofas and cheap reprints don’t strike me as your style.” She wrapped her arms around herself then stood looking out the balcony doors.
He walked up behind her and gently laid his hands on her shoulders. Giving them a squeeze, he eased her back so that she was leaning against him. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not really. I mean… I guess I do, but I don’t. Does that make any sense?” She glanced over her shoulder at him.
“Not really.” He gave her a half smile and led her to the sofa. “Care to explain?”
She clasped her hands tightly together and starred at her laced fingers. “I really don’t want to talk about it—I want to forget that it even happened—but I can’t because it did happen. Who wants to think about some sicko out there stabbing your picture? Why would someone do that? Why pick me?” She looked up at Jake, her voice faintly trembling with fear.
“Because he saw your name tag when he broke in and thought it would be fun to scare you. People like that don’t operate on a level that we understand.” Jake clasped his warm hands over her cold ones and rubbed them.
“But how did he get a picture of me? And when?”
“Who knows? You’re busy in the shop all day. It would be easy for someone to have a small digital camera in their hand and snap a photo. It could even have been while you were shopping in the mall or at the library. You were just guessing when you said it was in the flower shop. With a zoom lens the person could actually have been quite far away.” Jake pulled her back so that she was tucked up beside him. He put his arm around her shoulders while his other hand held hers, stilling the nervous movements of her fingers. She sighed and leaned her head back against the cushions.
“I know and that’s even scarier. It’s like he’s stalking me. But why?”
“Steph, I know this is a silly question but… Did you ever do anything that got someone in trouble so they’d want to seek revenge? Maybe a car accident or pointing someone out in a line-up? Have you ever accused someone of a crime?”
“No, I’ve never done anything like that—my life isn’t that exciting.” She stared at the ceiling and shook her head. “This is just great. I come home from a wonderful evening out and the whole thing is ruined by some weirdo.”
“Was it a wonderful evening?”
She rolled her head towards him and reached up to caress his face. “It was. You make me feel… happy, excited—I can’t explain it, but it’s like I’ve been waiting for you all my life.”
“It’s that fate I’ve been telling you about.” He stroked her hair, and then closed his eyes as her fingers trailed over his mouth. The feel of her voluntarily touching him was almost too much. His body quivered and he drew in a ragged breath then abruptly stood up.
“Look, I’ll sleep out here. You can have the bedroom.”
“Jake, you don’t have to.” There was a longing in her eyes. He wanted to respond to it oh so badly, but not tonight. The police might be calling and he didn’t want to be interrupted.
“It’s not a good idea, Steph. If we start something tonight, I won’t be able to stop and you’ve had an upsetting evening. Come on, I’ll show you where the bathroom is and get you a towel. Did you pack a toothbrush? I’m afraid I don’t have any spares, since I just moved in, but we could share.”
“Thanks, but I think I have everything I need. What about Coco?”
“Her litter box is on the balcony and I’ll leave the door cracked open. It won’t hurt for once even if the air conditioner is on.”
“I’ll have to leave the bedroom door open; she usually sleeps with me, but who knows? She’s taken quite a shine to you. You might be lucky enough to have a cat walking over top of you all night.”
“I can hardly wait.” His voice was laced with playful sarcasm.
She laughed. “Thanks for putting up with me and my cat. You’re a nice man, Jacob Sinclair.”
“I’m glad you think so. Not everyone might agree with you.”
“I can’t imagine anyone on this planet disliking you but,” she laid her finger over his mouth, “don’t tell me about them if they do indeed exist. I’d like to keep my illusions for a while.”
He’d studied her for moment, thinking if she only knew how close to the truth she was. Then quirking a smile, he finished the grand tour of the apartment and bid her goodnight.
*****
Later that evening, Jake stood in the doorway, watching her sleep. Her honey brown hair was spread over the pillows and her pink lips were slightly parted. With his eyes, he caressed her cheek bones, the column of her neck, and the faint swell of her breasts just visible through the v-necked nightgown. She looked so peaceful, so innocent, sleeping in his bed.
His hand gripped the door frame and he fought an internal battle to stay where he was, when his body was urging him to join her. Closing his eyes, he recalled the feel of her body pressed to his, her hands on him, his mouth crushing hers, his fingers tangling in her hair…
He took a step forward, but then stopped himself. No, she had to come to him. There was no other way. Once he’d done it differently and it hadn’t worked. The end had been disastrous. If nothing else could be said about his existence, he learned from his mistakes. Patience did pay off and the pay off would be well worth the wait.
“Good night, Stephanie. Don’t keep me waiting too long.”
Chapter 11
Stephanie awoke with a start, momentarily confused as to where she was. She was facing an off white wall instead of the pale peach of her bedroom and the pillow case was green striped rather than floral… She sat up and looked around, brushing her tangled hair from her face. Having moved around so much as a child, she hated waking up unsure of where she was. Old insecurities rushed to the surface as her eyes darted around the room while he
r brain tried to make sense of the unfamiliar venue. Seeing her overnight bag and Coco’s carrying crate in the corner, things suddenly clicked into place and she gave a sigh, sinking back down onto the pillow.
She was at Jake’s. He had insisted that she spend the night after someone had broken into her house and left a picture of her, complete with her nametag stabbed into it. Staring at the ceiling, she tried to reason out what had happened. Who would do such a thing? So far, the rash of break and enters had been just that—robbery was the main focus but this… It was different. Nothing had been taken from her home. Why was the thief suddenly changing tactics and targeting her?