by Lea Kinkade
By 8:30 p.m., she figured that anyone out trick-or-treating was done and she headed to the door to flip off the light. Her cell phone rang and she detoured to her purse to answer it. She hit the button and put the phone to her ear.
“Hello,” she said breathlessly. She hadn’t looked at the display, so she didn’t know who was on the phone. Only a select number of people knew her cell phone number, so it must be a friend or work.
There was silence on the other end. Not this shit again! “Whoever this is, I would appreciate it if you would stop calling here. Go on to your next prank and leave me alone.” She was done with these kids. They’d been at this for weeks now and she was getting tired of it.
“Did you get the rose I left for you?” asked a voice so generic it was almost monotone. It surprised the shit out of her, and she nearly dropped the phone.
“Wh–who is this?” Abby stuttered. She hadn’t been expecting him to talk to her, and she didn’t know what she was supposed to say in circumstances like this.
“You know who this is, Abby. Did you get the rose?” asked a voice that was obviously being distorted.
“Yes. Yes, I did,” she quickly assured him. If he had called on her land line, she could be recording the phone call right now. How in the world had he gotten her cell phone number? It was private, and she didn’t share it with many people.
“Aren’t you going to thank me?” asked the voice.
“Shit. Um, I’m sorry. Of course. Thank you. It was beautiful.”
“You have a nasty swearing habit, Abby. We’re going to have to work on that. Ladies don’t talk like that.”
“How did you get my cell phone number?” Suddenly, it felt like a good idea for the man on the phone to think that someone was with her, so she called out, “Dillon, would you come out here please?”
“You’re not fooling me, Abby. Chisholm isn’t with you tonight. I know you’re alone. Don’t worry. You won’t have to deal with the Chisholms for much longer. You have figured out he’s not the man for you yet, haven’t you? I’ll be much better for you. I can give you what you need, Abby. Tell Chisholm to get lost and then we can be together. I can give you what you need. You don’t need that perverted asshole. Get rid of him soon. I’ll be coming for you. Sweet dreams, Abby.” And with that, he hung up.
Abby was shaking so hard she dropped the phone onto the floor. She didn’t know what she should do first. She bent down and picked the phone back up, her hands shaking as she looked at the screen. Only the area code showed up on the display. She dialed star 69. Nothing. It must not work on cell phones.
Shit. What should she do now? Dillon. She needed to call Dillon. She pressed speed dial and waited for him to answer his cell phone. Finally, on the third ring, he picked up.
“Hey, baby. I didn’t expect to hear from you tonight. Not that I’m complaining. Did you miss me?”
Behind her the doorbell chimed, startling her into an inarticulate scream. Breathing hard, Abby tried to get a hold of her rampant emotions. Should she answer the door? Was it the man from the phone call?
“Abby! Abby, for God’s sake what’s going on? Are you okay? Answer me, dammit!” Dillon sounded beside himself. Abby knew she needed to get herself together so that she could tell him about the phone call, but somebody was outside her door this very minute and she didn’t know who it was. She didn’t even have a peephole on the door.
“I’m fine. Shit. I’m fine. I think.” She knew her voice was strained with fear, but she couldn’t pretend she wasn’t freaked out of her mind right now. The doorbell pealed again, making her jump. This time she managed to hang onto the phone.
“Someone’s at the door, Dillon, I don’t know if it’s him or not.”
“Him who?” demanded Dillon, his voice rising along with his concern.
Abby was straining to hear who was on the other side of the door, so she wasn’t really listening to Dillon’s frantic questions. Finally, the sound of childish giggles and laughter seeped through the fog that seemed to have taken over her brain. Kids. It was kids. What the…? Oh, that’s right. It’s beggars’ night. The kids are trick-or-treating. Shit. I need to get a hold of myself. Gripping her phone tightly, she finally answered Dillon’s frantic queries.
“I’m sorry. I’m fine, Dillon. The doorbell startled me is all. Hold on a sec while I take care of the trick-or-treaters.” With sweaty palms, she grasped the door knob and opened the door to a princess, Freddy Kruger, and Superman. She could have done without the horror-movie reminder.
“Trick or treat!” If she hadn’t nearly had a heart attack a few seconds ago, she was sure she’d have smiled at the picture they created. As it was, she quickly grabbed a handful of the candy from the large bowl and shoved it into their treat bags.
“Thanks. Happy Halloween.” The trio raced down the steps at breakneck speed, and Abby quickly closed the door, turning the lock and sliding the dead bolt into place. She flipped the light switch, turning off the outdoor light to discourage other trick-or-treaters.
“Abby, dammit. Answer me. Are you all right?” Her phone was still in her hand, which was resting down by her leg. She could barely hear him even though she knew he was yelling at the top of his lungs.
Numbly, she brought the phone up to her ear. “I’m okay, Dillon. I’m okay.” Her voice sounded shaky to her own ears.
“Why did you scream? What’s going on?” She could hear noise in the background like cars passing. Was he driving somewhere? He must be in his truck.
“The doorbell startled me is all. It was just some trick-or-treaters. Nothing to worry about. I’m fine.” She was feeling pretty stupid about now and she felt like she had overreacted to the whole thing.
“You don’t sound fine to me. Something’s going on that you’re not telling me.”
“Dillon, I’d really appreciate it if you would come into town to see me. I need to talk to you.” She knew she needed to tell him about the call she had gotten and, to be honest, she wanted his big, strong arms wrapped around her to help stop her shivering.
“I’m already on my way. I’ll be there in about ten minutes. I jumped into the truck as soon as I heard you scream. Are you safe? Use your land line to dial 911.”
“No, Dillon. Shit, that’s all I need. I’ll wait for you to get here. I’m fine. Really. Everything’s going to be fine.” She was trying to convince herself as much as him.
“What happened, baby? You sound as tense as a cat in a room filled with rockin’ chairs.”
“We’ll talk about it when you get here, okay? And for God’s sake, don’t drive so fast that you get in an accident or a ticket. I’m fine.” She knew he would just get more upset if she told him what had happened tonight. She didn’t want him distracted while he was driving, but he wasn’t about to take no for an answer.
“Tell me what happened.” His voice was implacable.
“I got another phone call tonight. This time the person on the other end of the line talked to me. It was a man. I think. He asked me if I liked the rose he left for me.” She knew her voice still sounded tense with strain, but she was too unsettled to try to hide it. She heard him swear on the other end of the line.
“Baby, is the door locked? Even the dead bolt?”
“Yes, I locked them as soon as the kids left.”
“I’ll be pulling up in a few minutes. Stay on the line until I get there, all right?”
“All right,” she replied woodenly. After all the emotion she had spent earlier, she was beginning to feel drained. A random thought suddenly hit her. “Shit, Dillon. How fast are you driving? You trying to get yourself killed?”
“I drove like a bat out of hell on the county roads, but I slowed down once I got into town. I’m pulling up, baby. Turn on your outside light for me.”
She went to the door and flipped the switch back on.
“Good, Abby. I’m coming up the steps. I’m hanging up now. Open the door for me, baby.” Abby fumbled with the locks, her fingers clumsy as
she tried to grasp the knob and pull the door open.
Then he was there before her and she threw herself into his arms, pulling him to her with all her strength. His arms went around her as he held her tightly, lifted her off the floor, and moved into the apartment so he could slam the door shut.
Continuing to hold her, he turned around so that he could reach the locks and made sure they were engaged once again.
He pulled her over to the love seat and nestled her into his arms. “Are you all right, Abby?” His face was grim and he was looking at her intently.
“Yes. Now that you’re here, I’m fine. I’m probably overreacting to this whole thing.” She was scared shitless, but she didn’t want him to know. He’d find some way to blame himself for the whole mess. He thought he was in control of everything, and when something didn’t go his way, he took responsibility for the failure. That’s just who Dillon was.
“What’s this about a phone call?” He spoke to her calmly as he petted her arms and back. It suddenly hit her that he was treating her like one of the skittish mares at the Ranch and she felt herself calming down a little.
“I got another phone call tonight. This time when nobody answered, I told them to quit calling and find something else to do. Then a man started talking. At least is sounded like a man. I’m not sure. The voice was distorted somehow.” Dillon’s mouth got grimmer as she told him the story about the phone call and its aftermath.
“He won’t get anywhere near you. Was there anything different about this phone call besides the fact that he spoke to you? Could you tell how the voice was being disguised? Did you recognize anything at all about the voice?”
“No. I don’t think so. Shit. I don’t know. He was using something to disguise his voice. It sounded…almost mechanical, I suppose. This time he called on my cell phone. I couldn’t record it because it wasn’t on the land line with the answering machine. I even tried that star-69 thing, and it said it was a private number. Well, my number’s private, too, but he managed to get his hands on that. That’s a bunch of bullshit.”
* * * *
Now Abby was getting her mad on. Dillon was glad to hear it. He had been getting worried about this quiet and complacent Abby. He knew she was still freaked out, but her anger would allow her to concentrate on what had happened as she told Dillon everything she could remember about the phone call.
“How did he get my private cell phone number, Dillon? I only give it out to close friends and people who need to know at the Ranch. He shouldn’t have been able to get it.”
“We’ll figure it out. Will you go make me a cup of coffee, baby? I need to call Rio and Sheriff Decker. Then pack a bag. You’re moving in with me. Just grab what you’ll need for a few days, and we’ll come back and clean out your apartment later in the week.” It worried him that she didn’t even argue with him about the moving-in thing. She must be more scared than she was letting on.
Abby went to make him a cup of decaf coffee while Dillon called Rio and the sheriff’s office. The sheriff himself showed up in less than five minutes, and Abby relayed the conversation to him. Rio showed up on the tail end of the telling and listened as she finished her story.
The sheriff worked over the phone for several minutes, attempting to bring up the last incoming number in several different ways to no avail. “I can get a copy of your phone records tomorrow, but the guy probably used a disposable phone. If he got rid of it, we won’t be able to track it down.”
“First thing tomorrow, you’re getting a new number,” Dillon said.
“Hold on a minute, Dillon. That might not be the best thing to do if we want to catch this guy,” said Sheriff Decker.
“Right now, I don’t give a fuck. He scared the crap out of her. She didn’t even put up a fuss when I told her she was moving in with me. I’m not making her listen to that sick fuck again, and I’m not holding her out as bait, so you can just forget any of that shit.”
“Okay. Okay. I get you. It’s not the only way to catch this guy. It would just be the easiest. So, somehow this guy knows when she’s alone and has probably known that for several weeks, given the pattern of the previous calls. Somehow he got her private cell phone number since the last time he called and he’s using that to scare her.” The sheriff had been sitting on the couch looking at his boots when he suddenly looked at Abby. “Is there some way he could have gotten your cell phone number when he broke into the vet office?”
Abby’s eyes opened wide in surprise.
“Shit! Yes, emergency numbers for the Ranch are posted right next to the phones. My cell phone number is listed there for when I’m on call. But he got that nearly two weeks ago. Why wait until tonight to call?” Abby couldn’t believe how violated she felt at the fact that someone had taken information that was supposed to be private when he had broken into the clinic and was now using it against her.
“This is the first night you’ve been alone since it happened. I’ve either been here or you’ve been at the Ranch with me.” Dillon said slowly.
“So, is he watching Abby or is he watching Dillon?” Rio asked perceptively.
“What do you mean he could be watching me?” Dillon was obviously disturbed to think someone was watching him and he didn’t know it.
“If he works on the Ranch, which getting his hands on that keycard would suggest, the easiest way to know if you were together would be to watch you.” Rio was clearly thinking through all scenarios. “If he lives at the Ranch, he could watch you after the day is over and see if you’re leaving to go to Abby’s place. Nobody would think twice about seeing a person who lives out at the Ranch walking around the area at night. If someone said anything he could say he just needed a walk to get away from everyone for a while. Plus, I don’t see how a stranger would have been able to get that keycard, use it to get into the vet clinic and leave the rose, and get the keycard back in place again without being noticed. It’s got to be someone who lives and works on the Ranch.”
“I agree,” concurred Sheriff Decker. “The guy’s got to be an employee of CRE. Rio’s logic is spot-on.”
“So does that mean I should stay here at her apartment with her instead of bringing her to live with me at the Ranch? I’ve got to tell y’all I’d feel better back at the Ranch with my security system and Rio’s team on the job.”
“I think you should bring her to the Ranch. It’s too hard to secure this apartment. I can check over the security system at your house and upgrade where necessary.”
* * * *
“Excuse me. Shit! Does anyone want to know what I think about all of this?” Abby was damned if she was going to be left out of the decision-making process on this issue. She wasn’t a teenager anymore, and her father was dead. She didn’t need anyone else riding roughshod over her life. She would make the decisions.
“Abby, baby. You can’t be serious. Of course you can’t stay here alone. You’ve got to realize how vulnerable you are here.” Dillon looked at her with a fire growing in his eyes. He was getting riled up, and it was only a matter of time before he started throwing out orders for everyone to follow. She could mess with him, but she didn’t need any more drama for the night, so she decided to let him off the hook.
“As it happens, I agree, but you had no way of knowing that. You three just decided to take over my life without consulting me. I’ve already lived that way, and I’m not going to do it anymore. Not even because of this stalker asshole. This is my life and I make the decisions. Not anybody else. Is that clear?” She’d had about all she could take tonight. She was in the mood to do some serious ass kicking.
“You’re right, Abby. I should have asked what you wanted to do. But, baby, I knew you were smart enough to figure out that you needed to move to the Ranch with me. I’m sorry I didn’t let you say it, though.” Dillon said all this with a smile on his face as he managed to get out of the hole he had dug for himself.
“I’m going to head on out. I’ll check the phone records tomorrow and see if we
can come up with something. If anything else happens, let me know as soon as possible.” With that, Sheriff Decker left.
“I’ll just stay here until you get packed and follow y’all back to the Ranch.” Rio’s tone brooked no argument. He sat down on the leather couch and flicked on the television while he waited for them to pack a few things so they could head back.
“Come on, baby. I’ll help you pack up the essentials. Remember, we can come back in a couple of days and pack the rest so we don’t have to get everything tonight.” Dillon went to the extra bedroom and pulled out Abby’s two old suitcases from the closet. He followed her to the bedroom, where she had been making a few piles of clothing on the bed. Setting the largest suitcase on the bed and opening it, he let Abby pack it full of clothing before he closed it and brought the smaller suitcase out and opened it. Abby filled this one with her toiletries from the bathroom. She grabbed her Kindle and her iPod and was ready to go. Dillon put the suitcases in the back of his pickup truck and locked up the apartment for Abby. Dillon and Rio bookended Abby on the way to the Ranch. Rio drove past Dillon’s house with a wave and left them alone.
Dillon opened the larger garage door and waved her into the garage to park beside him. The third stall held his pride and joy, his 1955 Knucklehead Harley Davidson. He hit the remote to shut the garage door, exited the truck, then pulled both suitcases out of his truck bed, carrying them through the mudroom and house to the master bedroom. Abby followed closely behind him. Setting the suitcases on the bed, Dillon made quick work of emptying out several drawers for Abby and gathered some hangers for her to use.
As Abby started to unpack her large suitcase, she began to realize what she and Dillon had agreed to do. They were going to live together. Shit. Was she ready for this? Was Dillon? They still had so much to work out in their relationship. What if they botched this and broke up? Abby didn’t want to think of leaving him, of ending things between them. She loved this bossy man with all her heart, but she didn’t want to lose herself in the process of building a life with him. Looking back on it now, Abby realized that that’s what had probably happened to her mother. She didn’t want to live like that. She wouldn’t.