Forever In Time

by Charlie

  “And why did he come into this store in the first place?”

  “To buy some flowers—this is a flower shop after all.” She bit her lip and winced. Being sarcastic wasn’t a good idea. The police, while obviously misguided, were on her side.

  The officer raised his brows but just continued his line of questioning. “Do you know who the flowers were for?”

  “Yes… They were for me.”

  “For you? But you said he’d just met you when he came into the store. Why would he come into a store to buy flowers for a woman he hadn’t met yet?”

  “Well… It’s sort of silly, but apparently he saw me and wanted to meet me, so he came into the shop on Wednesday and asked Paula, my assistant, about me. Then he came in the next day to actually talk to me.”

  “And you didn’t find that strange?”

  “Strange? How so?”

  “I mean, do you often have men asking about you and buying you bouquets when they haven’t even met you?”

  “No! Of course that doesn’t happen all the time, but Jake was just… Well… He was just being nice… Romantic… I don’t know, but there was nothing wrong with what he did. He isn’t’ the person stalking me.”

  “And how can you be so sure?”

  “Because he already has me! I mean, I see him all time, any time he wants. There’d be no reason for him to stalk me or leave creepy messages on my refrigerator.”

  “You’re probably right ma’am, but we’re just trying to check all the angles. It’s just strikes us as curious that since you’ve met him, there’s been an incident each day. And the rash of break-ins across the town began just about the time that Mr. Sinclair moved here.”

  “They’re all just coincidences. They do happen, you know.” Stephanie could feel her temper rising and knew she was losing the battle to remain calm. What had happened to her usually placid personality? “Instead of worrying about Jake, you should be out there looking for real criminals. What about Jarrod Simpson? Have you found him yet?”

  “Not quite. We know he was last seen in Bellingham, a small town about three hundred miles from here. He’d been in a severe accident and hospitalized for quite a while. Afterwards, he had to undergo reconstructive surgery. Unfortunately, because of the surgery, we no longer have a clear picture of what he looks like. He’s still tall and of average build with blue eyes and black hair, but that’s the only sure thing we have. No one’s seen or heard from him in the past two years.”

  “So he could be right here in Weston and no one would know it was him.”

  “That’s correct, Miss Fields”

  Stephanie shivered at the thought. Jarrod Simpson could be anyone. He could have stood beside her in the grocery store or even been a customer in the shop and she wouldn’t have known.

  “We will have extra patrols going by this store until the stalker is found. Are you still staying at Mr. Sinclair’s?” She nodded. “We’ll have extra night patrols in that area as well then. As I said before, take care and be extra cautious. Try not to be alone if it can be helped.”

  “All right. Thanks for stopping by.” I think, she whispered to herself. Now she really felt creeped out. Jarrod Simpson could be anyone, anywhere. He could be wearing coloured contacts and have died his hair. Suddenly, all she wanted to do was go home and be with Jake. She almost laughed. Going home now meant Jakes’ apartment. Somehow she doubted she would ever view her little house as ‘home’ again.

  Paula came out of the back room. “I overheard. They really don’t trust Jake do they?”

  “Yeah and I can’t figure out why. He gave me his references, his old employers, the bank manager, satisfied customers… ”

  “Did you check them out?”

  “Well… I did call the bank manager, but afterward I felt silly and I didn’t check the rest.”

  “Maybe they’re bogus?”

  “Paula! How could you even think that?”

  “Just playing devil’s advocate. I don’t really think Jake is the stalker.”

  “Thank heavens or I’d have to look for a new best friend. Listen, I really don’t feel like working today. I kind of want to cocoon at home with Jake. What do you say, we make these three deliveries and close up early?”

  “Close early? You are upset, aren’t you?”

  “Mondays are never that busy. I’ll put a sign in the door asking people to come back tomorrow and I’ll put the answering machine on.”

  “That sounds like a plan. Woo hoo! A holiday! Not that I’m happy about the reason, but I never look a gift horse in the mouth.”

  Paula made up a sign and Stephanie turned on the answering machine. When Paula offered to make the deliveries, Steph let her. She was too anxious to get home to worry about taking advantage of her friend’s goodwill.

  *****

  Jake wasn’t home when she got back to the apartment. Thankfully, he’d given her a key so she could let herself in. Once inside she fussed with Coco who was happy for the unexpected attention then sat down to watch TV. Nothing caught her fancy so she turned it off. Unsure of what to do with herself, her thoughts turned to work. Had she turned the answering machine on properly? She hardly ever used it and was always doing something wrong. Deciding to check, she dug through her purse for the instructions and her password, then set them on the coffee table beside the phone. She called the shop and waited for the message to play. It rang twice and then her own voice came on.

  “Hello, you’ve reached Fields of Flowers. I’m unavailable right now, but if you leave your name and number, I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks and have a nice day.”

  She waited for the beep, and then left a message. “Hi! Just doing a test—hope this works.” After hanging up she redialled to check if the message had recorded and if she could retrieve it. Yep, there was her voice but… Oh another message had been recorded as well. Might as well listen and see what work awaited her tomorrow. A raspy voice came over the phone. “Stephanie, I know where you are and I’m coming for you soon. Next time the blood will be real.”

  Screaming, she dropped the phone. Waves of hot and then cold washed over her. Her heart was pounding and she couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. Be calm, be calm, she told herself. Breathe like Jake showed you… Random thoughts ricocheted through her mind and she struggled to focus on even one of them. Oh God, he knew where she was! What was she going to do? She had to find Jake—but where was he? He hadn’t said anything this morning. Looking frantically around the room, she wondered if there was a business card with his cell phone number. There was nothing in the living room, but maybe in the bedroom. Hurrying into the next room, she scanned the night table and pulled open the drawer. A gun was laying there. She froze and stared at it—she hated guns, but lots of people had them for protection. Her hand hovered over it. Should she take it? No. She’d never even held a real gun, let alone used one. She’d probably shoot herself. But, once Jake was here… Well, he’d know what to do with it.

  Continuing her search, she checked on top of the dresser before starting to pull open drawers. Socks, underwear, T-shirts… Yes! There was large file folder. Maybe she’d find a letter head with his number on it. She glanced at the label and then did a double take. Her name was on the top.

  That’s strange, she said to herself, opening the file and randomly pulling out a page. Her own likeness stared back at her. Trembling, she sat down on the bed and began to look through the file. There was a copy of her birth certificate, the notice of her parents’ death, her high school diploma… Flipping over more pages, she found a stack of photos all of her and all taken without her knowledge. Her hands started to shake and she could barely pick up the pictures. There she was the grocery store, in the mall, walking down the street, unlocking her front door…

  Pushing the file off her lap she back away from the incriminating evidence. Oh no, oh no… Jake was the stalker! This couldn’t be happening to her. Not Jake… Please God, not Jake… It couldn’t be real… But it was. Wh
y else would he have all these pictures of her?

  Suddenly, she recalled the phone message and knew she had to get away before Jake returned, but where could she go? Paula’s house was the only place she could think of… And what about Coco? She couldn’t leave the cat here. What if he hurt her? And she had to tell the police. Grabbing her purse, she slung it over her shoulder and then stuffed Coco into her pet crate. As fast as possible she hurried down the hallway and into the elevator. The floor numbers seemed to move by so slowly. Five… Four… Three… Two… Main floor!

  Almost running across the lobby and parking lot, she headed for her car, the cat carrier bumping against her thigh and Coco yowling in protest inside. Once in the car, she quickly pulled out of the parking lot and onto the street. Just as she was turning the corner, she saw Jake’s car coming down the road.

  “Please, please, please don’t let him see me.” she prayed. Taking the corner too quickly, Coco’s pet crate slipped across the seat and another sad wail emitted from the cage. “I’m sorry baby, I’m sorry, but we have to get away.” Fumbling in her purse, she found her cell phone and called the police.

  “Hello? This is Stephanie Fields. Is Officer Carter in? No? Then can you give him this message? Tell him I called and there was another threatening message, this time on my answering machine at work. The stalker is Jake.” She thought she’d choke on the words. Another turn was coming up and she was going too fast. She dropped the phone, needing both hands on the wheel to manoeuvre the corner. Glancing into the rear view mirror, she didn’t see anyone behind her. Possibly Jake hadn’t noticed her car. Maybe she was safe, after all. A shiver swept over her—somehow she doubted that.

  Chapter 17

  Jake headed for home both frustrated and excited. The frustration stemmed from the fact that several leads he’d been following had turned into dead ends. With all of the experience he had in hiding information and creating bogus identities, he’d erroneously assumed his task would be easy. He had been wrong and it didn’t sit well with him. His hands flexed on the steering wheel as his thoughts drifted to what had happened at Stephanie’s house last night. The police had questioned him extensively. When people started questioning his background too much he got nervous. He’d never slipped up before but there was always a chance… Pushing the problem from his mind, he decided to concentrate on a more pleasing topic.

  In the back seat of the car, he had grocery bags filled with the necessary ingredients for a special meal. He was planning on telling Stephanie the whole truth tonight and figured a nice dinner and a little wine couldn’t hurt. It would be a shock. She’d protest, but he’d make her listen; he’d waited too long for this moment. There was no going back.

  A car whizzed by, taking the corner too fast and he thought it looked like Steph’s car, which was impossible, since she was at work. Unless she was making deliveries? No, he’d told her to stay in the store and let Paula do that. Perhaps Paula was using Steph’s car. Geez, if that was how Paula drove, he was surprised any of the floral arrangements ever arrived in one piece. He pulled into his parking spot and headed inside. Thomas, the doorman was just coming on duty.

  “Afternoon, Thomas.”

  “Good afternoon, Mr. Sinclair. Been grocery shopping and to the wine store I see. A special night?”

  “Yep. A special night and special meal for a special lady.”

  “If you mean Miss Fields, you just missed her.”

  “Stephanie was here?”

  “It certainly looked like her. Mind you, I was just arriving. Whoever it was, they were almost running across the parking lot with a pet carrier. It sounded like a mighty upset cat was inside.”

  “Hmm. Thanks for the information Thomas.”

  Jake waited impatiently for the elevator and then hurried to the apartment. The door was wide open. “Steph?” He walked inside, but immediately knew she wasn’t there. It was too quiet. There was none of the energy in the air that always signalled her presence to him. Setting the groceries on the counter, he noted a faint beeping sound coming from the living room. It led him to the phone, which was lying, on the floor. He picked it up and listened, but the connection had been broken.

  Pressing the appropriate combination of buttons, he had the phone redial the last call made. The phone rang and Stephanie’s voice sounded in his ear. She’d called the flower shop, but why? He picked up a card from the coffee table. It was the instructions on how to retrieve messages and her password was on it. For but a moment he hesitated, then decided to see what was on her voice mail that could have upset her so much. Maybe there would be a clue as to why she’d left or where she was going. As he listened, he wandered towards the bedroom. Suddenly he froze in the doorway, staring at the bed. His file on her was scattered all over and several pictures of her lay on the carpet looking up at him. How had she found it? What must she be thinking?

  A male voice in his ear caught his attention. “Stephanie, I know where you are and I’m coming for you soon. Next time, the blood will be real.”

  “Damn!” He threw the phone down and raked his hands through his hair. Where could she have gone? She didn’t have any family—just Ella McCreedy and Paula. Quickly, he sifted through his papers on her and found the two addresses.

  *****

  Stephanie pulled into Paula’s driveway and turned off the car. Laying her head on the steering wheel, she tried to bring some semblance of order to her racing thoughts. Jake was the stalker and he was threatening to kill her. She still couldn’t believe it. He was so kind, attentive, gentle… But the facts spoke for themselves. The break-in had occurred just after she’d met him—he’d actually been in the shop and left on the pretext of running errands. Perhaps his plan had to been to attack her that very first night, but when she’d noticed that someone was at the rear door, he’d covered up his real intent by taking money from the till.

  Her name tag was another bit of evidence. In the coffee shop, he’d commented on it and then suddenly it was gone. A real thief wouldn’t have taken it—it had no worth except that by stealing it, she’d been hurt. The message on the fridge… Well, he’d probably written it while she was changing and, of course, there was the all too damning file folder full of pictures of her. There could be no logical explanation for that except that he was stalking her.

  ‘Oh Jake, why did it have to be you? Why are you doing this to me? I love you. I thought you loved me.’ The words were whispered as she wrapped her arms around herself as is trying to ward off the pain of his betrayal. The past few days had all been a fantasy; part of an elaborate ruse to make her trust him. She should have known better. Why would any normal man be interested in a boringly ordinary person like her? Instead, he’d probably seen her as an easy target for his sick game—a naive, lonely woman who’d be so taken up with his looks that she’d never question his motives. She’d fallen into his trap without even the slightest protest, giving him both her body and her heart, thinking he felt the same way. In actual fact, it was all just some sick joke. He’d probably been laughing at her all along. The idea hurt unbearably.

  Sniffling, she realized her face was wet. Grabbing a tissue, she wiped her eyes and blew her nose. Taking a deep shuddering breath, she tried to calm herself down. Her throat was tight with unshed tears, but now was not the time. Once she was safe and Jake was behind bars, then she’d mourn the loss of the man she thought she knew. Right now, she needed to find a place to hide until he was caught.

  It was only a matter of time before he found out where Paula lived, so staying here wasn’t an option. She could leave Coco here though. Paula liked the beast, and Chelsea would be delighted to have a temporary playmate—how Coco would feel about that was another matter, but it couldn’t be helped.

  Gathering her purse, she noticed that her cell phone was on the floor of the car where she’d dropped it earlier. ‘I never even finished my call to the police,’ she realized. ‘Once I drop Coco off and get on the road again, I’ll call them again.’ Climbing out of
the car, she grabbed Coco’s pet shuttle from the back seat and made her way to the front door.

  As Stephanie stood on the step waiting, she kept looking over her shoulder worrying that Jake would show up at any minute. She rang the bell again, twisting her purse strap in her hands and urging Paula to hurry. Finally the door opened and her friend appeared, looking a bit flustered.

  “Oh! Hi Stephanie. I wasn’t expecting you. Did you change your mind about closing the store early?”

  “No. Paula, can I come in? I need to talk to you. It’s important.”

  “Well… ” Paula glanced over her shoulder. “Okay.” As she stepped back from the door, Stephanie noticed that her friend’s shirt was untucked and done up crooked.

  “I came at a bad time, didn’t I?”

  “Sort of, but that’s okay. What’s the matter? You look all worked up. And why do you have Coco with you?”

  As they walked into the living room, a man rose from the sofa. After the brightness of the outdoors, Stephanie had a hard time seeing him. She assumed he was Paula’s latest boyfriend. What was his name again? Jim? John? Jack? She couldn’t recall, but smiled faintly at him. “Hi! Sorry to interrupt.”