by Mya O'Malley
“Melody. I’m falling for you,” he squeaked. Panic took hold of her. She sucked in her breath and pulled away, rising to her feet. Her emotions were difficult to pinpoint. She liked him a lot, but was she ready for this? And what about Oliver? Where was he?
“Can I ask you a question?” Adrian inquired softly, still seated on the bench.
“What is it?”
“Your friend, he’s very special to you, isn’t he?”
Avoiding eye contact with him, she couldn’t lie. “Yes, he is special to me.”
“I see. So, would you say that I have some competition?” he asked seriously.
“Adrian, I told you, I need space.” He didn’t understand, nobody could.
“I guess there’s my answer.” He waited a moment, but her eyes were gazing out at the river.
Adrian grabbed hold of Lanie’s leash and headed for home. Melody didn’t try to stop him. When he was gone, she sat back down on the bench and waited until dark.
* * * *
What was he doing? Why did he leave her there alone? He could only imagine. Knowing just how stubborn Melody could be, he assumed it hadn’t gone well. That fact didn’t change his mind about leaving, he had known that it wouldn’t be easy, but seeing her sitting on the bench all alone broke his heart. Even witnessing that long, passionate kiss between Melody and Adrian was easier than seeing her in pain. The ball was in Adrian’s court now, it was all up to him. Adrian only hoped that the man would be persistent, and not give up on her.
The last thing he needed to do was ensure that she was safe. Melody sat there on the bench until darkness had set in. Watching her make her way to the main street, he blew a kiss and watched her go.
* * * *
“Is he still here?” Melody was back at the hotel, talking to the same clerk from the other night. The man raised his eyes to the ceiling and sighed loudly.
“Let me guess. Oliver Oliver?” he said, dripping with sarcasm.
“Yes, did he check out yet?” She was leaning over the counter, tapping her fingers.
“He checked out last night.” Turning his attention to the computer keyboard, he went back to business.
“Wait. Can I check his room, just to be sure?”
The clerk shook his head. “You know the rules.”
“Please,” she pleaded with him.
“You can’t go alone.” He grabbed his keycard and instructed her to follow.
“Thank you, I owe you one,” Melody said.
Melody was at the man’s heels as he opened the door to room one hundred two. It was instantly clear that Oliver was not there, but it was strange, all of his belongings remained in the room. It appeared as if the maid had neatly folded his clothes and placed them, along with his toiletries in the closet.
“That’s odd.” The clerk mused, looking around the room in wonder. “He did check out. He must have forgotten to take his stuff.”
Melody wasn’t buying it. “How do you forget all of your things?” Her scalp prickled with fear. Wait a minute. What if something had happened to him? That would explain why he hadn’t shown up at the park.
“Can I use the phone?” Melody grabbed the receiver before the man had a chance to answer. Quickly dialing information, she requested the number of the local hospital and police station. She dialed the hospital first, being told that nobody had been brought in fitting Oliver’s description. The police station granted her with the same information.
“Where could he be?” she wondered aloud, looking around the empty hotel room.
“Beats me,” the clerk stated without emotion.
“Thanks. Oh, one more favor, can I use the computer room for a few minutes?”
“Why not? You’ve practically been like a guest here,” he drawled.
Sprinting down the hallway, Melody made it to the computer room in no time flat. She powered up the computer and heard the familiar hum as the computer came to life. “Yes, I should have done this when he told me,” she voiced her thoughts out loud as she punched the keyboard. Entering his full name, she scanned multiple possibilities. “Let’s see, Oliver Williams, Oliver Williams from Florida.” Perusing the information, Melody hit the table beside her.
“Blazes! Where are you?” she yelled at the computer. “Where are you?” she cried out, holding her head.
It was useless. Several more attempts were made, but to no avail. Shutting down the computer, she stood and paced the small room. Where could he be? Where could he be? Melody sat down in the chair once again. Who exactly was this Oliver Williams? Some of the information that he had given her was suspect. Springing to her feet, she wondered why she hadn’t thought of it before. She hustled to the lobby, hoping that he would allow her to make just one more phone call.
“Go ahead.” The man held his arms out dramatically, knowing that she was no doubt going to ask for yet another favor.
“Thanks.” Melody flew behind the counter, set her jaw, and punched in a number that she knew by heart.
“Mom.” Jack’s mother had always been “Mom” to her and nothing had changed. After a minute or two of small talk, Melody casually asked about Oliver, his childhood friend.
“Oliver? No, that doesn’t sound familiar, although I’m sure there’s plenty of his grade school friends that I’ve forgotten by now.”
“You would remember him. You were friendly with his mother, you went on vacation together, to the shore, the Catskills,” Melody prompted her.
“No, I’m quite sure there was no one like that. We never went any of those places with anybody except family,” Jack’s mother stated with certainty.
Melody’s heart raced and her scalp prickled. She tried one more time. “He didn’t have a friend who moved to Florida, when he was around eleven?” Holding her breath, she crossed her fingers.
“Oh, of course he did!” Jack’s mother exclaimed, laughing heartily.
“Whew.” Melody relaxed her shoulders.
“Yes, what was her name? It was Abby, yes, that’s right. Her name was Abby. Cute little thing, too. She was our neighbor and then it was so sad when her family moved down south. Poor Jack was lost without her.”
“Did you say her name was Abby?” Abby? A girl? The blood rushed to Melody’s head, the room was spinning. Feeling like she was going to be sick, Melody barely heard Jack’s mother, still talking on the line. The last thing that Melody remembered was the clerk approaching, concern all over his face, reaching for her. She fell with a thud and then—nothing.
Chapter Fifteen
“She just fell. One minute she was fine, the next, she dropped to the floor.” Melody woke, her vision hazy, as men worked around her. The strong smell of ammonia woke her. Gagging, she sat up and held her head. It was pounding, a full blown headache creeping in.
Trying to sit up, an ambulance worker guided her up. “Easy, miss. You’ve hit your head pretty hard.”
“I’m fine.” Melody attempted to stand, and then groaned, sinking to the floor again. “It hurts.” She rubbed her head.
“Of course it hurts, you banged your head pretty good, miss. We’re going to take you in for observation.” Two men rushed over, carefully guiding her to the small cot.
“I don’t want to go to the hospital. I’m okay, please,” she pleaded, pulling on the sleeve of the worker. “Ow.” She sat back.
“Just relax, miss. Is there anybody we should call?” Melody thought of Cassie, rambling off her number.
“Good, she’s coherent enough to remember the number,” one man said. The other man proceeded to place the call. Luckily, Cassie was home and assured Melody that she would meet her at the hospital. Handing the phone back to the man, Melody lay back as the men asked her how many fingers they were holding up and instructed her to count backwards. After a series of basic questions, they shared that she had probably not suffered a concussion. For a moment, Melody had forgotten what had caused her to lose consciousness, but slowly it came crashing back to her. Oliver, yes, it was the knowledge
that Oliver was a fake, a fraud. More than anything, Melody was now concerned for her safety. He had to be obsessed with her or something, and she questioned whether his actions could be taken as dangerous. Riding the rest of the way to the hospital, Melody closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind.
After hours spent in the emergency room, they decided to release her to Cassie. Instructing Melody to be aware of any signs of a concussion, she was told that she could leave.
“I’ll get you home and then you can get plenty of rest,” Cassie comforted her friend, holding on to her arm while walking through the parking lot. “Are you going to tell me what happened now?” Cassie asked for the tenth time that evening.
“Take me to the police department,” Melody said.
“The what?” Cassie cried out. “What happened?”
“I’ll tell you on the way, just drive,” Melody ordered.
Cassie started the ignition, and then turned to her friend. Melody took a deep breath and shared everything that she had learned about Oliver. Cassie whistled softly.
“Whew. I gotta tell you, I would have never believed Oliver was anything but trustworthy.”
“Tell me about it. I feel like a fool.” Melody held her head down.
“He even fooled me, Melody. Don’t beat yourself up over this. I don’t know, he felt oddly familiar to me, as if he did somehow know Jack,” Cassie explained.
“I know. I wish I knew what his deal was. I mean, what did he want from me? If he was a stalker or something, why was he pushing me to go out on dates in the beginning? The more I toss this around in my mind, the more confusing it all seems,” Melody moaned.
“He’s a creep, no other explanation. Tell the police everything, Melody,” Cassie yelled.
“Please stop shouting. My head is killing me.” She massaged her temples gently, waiting for the painkillers that the doctor had given her to kick in.
“Sorry, honey.” Cassie kept her eyes on the road. The women rode in silence until they arrived at the police station. Melody took the lead as they walked in the front door, straight over to the main desk.
The building was quiet. A few police officers were in the room as well as one at the front desk. Melody waited a full minute before the man finished speaking with his co-worker.
“Can I help you, miss?” He was a middle-aged man, who wore a kind-looking smile.
“I’d like to speak with somebody about a man, a man who’s been harassing me,” Melody stated clearly. She was instructed to take a seat and wait for an officer to speak with her. Minutes ticked by as Melody paced the room.
“Sit down, you’re supposed to be taking it easy,” Cassie ordered.
“I won’t be able to rest until I find out who Oliver Williams is and what he wants from me,” Melody barked.
“Relax, Mel.”
Melody and Cassie were finally ushered into a small, dark room. The man’s desk was old, made of gray metal and the furnishings were sparse. It was not a very hospitable-looking room and did nothing to make Melody feel at ease. She had started telling the man about Oliver, from the very beginning, when he had first entered her life. Now that she had almost wrapped up her story, the officer winced as she told of Oliver trying to kiss her, then her following him to his hotel room to talk.
“Why on Earth would you go seeking him out purposely and then try to make a move on him? This story isn’t making a whole lot of sense to me.” He stared at Melody.
“Well, that’s just it. Don’t you see, if he was trying to get me to go out with him, then why didn’t he let me touch him back at the hotel?” she cried out.
“I have no idea. Is this story over yet?” It seemed the officer was losing patience.
“No, then I find out that he never knew my husband, that he’s a stranger!”
“Melody, pardon me for saying this, but I feel as if you’ve been under a lot of stress lately,” he began before being abruptly cut off by Cassie, who leaped to her feet.
“Don’t you even go there! I know my friend, I knew this Oliver and I’m telling you, something doesn’t add up here. He’s been following her, watching her,” Cassie yelled.
“Calm down, miss. Fine, what did you say his name was?” The officer turned to his computer and ran a search on Oliver Williams. Shaking his head, he came up with some photos from his database. He pivoted the computer screen around and offered a multitude of driver’s license photos, all men with the name Oliver Williams.
“Any of these men look familiar to either of you?” he asked.
Taking a minute to peruse the photos, both women shook their heads. Melody gave the officer a description of Oliver and he jotted the information down on a scrap of paper that was lying on his desk.
“Well, then. I have your complaint. If he bothers you again, come on back in. You need to be aware that it’s going to be difficult to prove that he’s bothering you. So far he hasn’t broken the law. Acting a bit creepy, I’ll give you that. But he hasn’t broken into your house or harmed you in any other way.
“But he’s been spying on me, lying to me.” Melody couldn’t believe it. How could the police just let this man get away with this?
“The last time I checked, lying isn’t a crime, unless it’s on the witness stand. My best advice to you? I would stay alert, be aware of your surroundings, don’t go anywhere alone at night. Call us if he bothers you again.” He stood to walk the women to the door.
“That’s it? You can’t do anything else?” Cassie questioned.
“What else do you think I should be doing? I certainly can’t bring the man in for questioning, obviously Oliver Williams is not the man he claims to be.” The man opened the door to his office as Melody and Cassie thanked him quietly.
“Can you believe this? What are we going to do?” Melody turned to her friend for answers.
“Honey, there’s nothing that we can do except wait. If he comes back, we’ll call the police, if not, let’s chalk it up to poor judgment on both of our parts. Don’t let this experience jade you when it comes to people, Mel. It was a bad guy, that’s all.”
“I am so done with men, all men.” Melody shook her head and noticed Cassie frowning.
“I was afraid you’d feel that way,” Cassie mumbled, heading out to the parking lot.
* * * *
“Yes, Mom. I’ll be at Tom’s for Christmas dinner.” Melody knew the questions that would follow, and sure enough here they came.
“No, Oliver won’t be joining us.” Melody sighed into her phone.
Melody explained that Oliver had moved back to Florida. Fielding off further questions, Melody told her mom that she needed some rest. Her mother had been worried to hear about her trip to the hospital. Knowing that word travels fast, Melody thought it best to tell her mother directly. Her mom understood that she should rest and said good-bye.
It was too bad that Oliver had turned out to be such a disappointment. Melody was actually looking forward to spending the holidays with him before all of the drama had set in. So it would just be herself and her family for the holidays, so what? There was nothing else to do to prepare for the holidays except wait it out. The presents had been bought, the artificial tree that she had bought after Jack died was dragged from the attic. It wasn’t the same, decorating the tree without Jack, but Cassie had been a good friend and they trimmed the tree together, just as they had done for the past few years.
“Any plans for New Year’s?” Cassie asked one morning at work.
“Nope.” Melody figured that wouldn’t be the end of it.
“Trent and I are going to dinner and a show at the theater across the river if you’re interested in joining us,” Cassie offered.
The store phone rang as Melody couldn’t help but recall the old expression — saved by the bell.
“Nah, I’m good.” Melody ran to answer the call on the portable phone. “Melody’s Book Café,” she called into the phone. It was Adrian. It had been several days and she was relieved that he hadn’t con
tacted her. Part of her missed him like crazy, she couldn’t deny it, but the timing was all wrong.
“Hey, Melody. I was thinking about you, so I figured that I’d give you a call.” She was silent for a moment, her heart beating at the sound of his voice.
“Hi Adrian,” was all she could muster.
“How are you?”
“I’m good, you?” she inquired politely.
“Good. But I miss you,” he admitted softly.
“Adrian, I can’t. Not now, please respect that.”
He sighed loudly into the phone. “I can’t believe that you don’t feel the same.”
“It doesn’t matter what I feel, Adrian. It’s not going to work out.” How could she make him understand?
“I’m sorry to hear that,” he stated.
Hanging the phone up softly, Melody shook her head and continued working. Adrian crept into her thoughts—the night at the river, the dinners they had shared, their walk with Lanie. What could she do? She didn’t trust anyone at this point and knew that she would only end up disappointing him. He deserved better than a woman who was indecisive, unsure about what she wanted.
* * * *
It was hours later and Melody was exhausted. She wanted nothing more than to go home, have a quick dinner and hit the sheets. Cassie was out with Trent again, so Melody had the house to herself. She settled in to watch a reality show that she had become hooked on just as she smelled the aftershave. Rising quickly to her feet, she roamed the house, noting that the smell was mostly in the living room, she returned there.
“Jack?” she called out.
The television flickered softly. Was there something wrong with the set? Walking closer, she cried out when she saw the channel had been changed. It was no longer set to the show she had been watching. Rather, the television was now playing an old, favorite Christmas classic. It was one of her and Jack’s favorites, one she couldn’t bear to watch since he was gone.