by Sioux Dallas
Agent Silver quickly spoke. “I went to New Haven and visited Mr. Burleson at the Albertus Magnus College. He was very cooperative and remembered you. He said that you had moved closer to him in the Heathrow Airport in London while waiting to board American Airlines to the States. You had apparently just gotten off the British Airlines from Oslo. He asked you if you were all right and you told him that there was a man following you and staring at you and making you uneasy. Mr. Burleson looked at a man who was staring at you, but, when the man saw Mr. Burleson looking at him, he walked off as if he didn’t have a care in the world. I asked Mr. Burleson if he would recognize the man if he saw him again and he said he thought he would. He’s willing to come here and look at pictures if we want him to do so.”
“I don’t remember any of that,” Liisa shook her head.
“Apparently something happened before you left Oslo,” Cory stated. “Do you have any memory of Oslo?”
“Only when I was there earlier in the summer. I apparently painted all the pictures that Arnold placed in the showing last fall, during my second trip.” She had tears in her eyes thinking of Arnold, but took a deep breath and sat up straighter.
“We’re not going to get any farther tonight. I suggest that we all sleep on it and do as we planned tomorrow.” Agent Silver stood up and reached for his coat.
“Run it all by me again, please,” Ben asked.
Agent Silver turned toward him. “I’m going to trace the origin of the message. Officer Gregory is going to talk to business near the Gallery and check security cameras. Mr. Cooley and Mr. Jergenson are going to scrutinize people carefully who come in, especially the mail carrier.”
“Cory, Dad and I will only be a phone call away. If I get a chance tomorrow, I might drop in for a visit,” Paul added.
Ted and Sven went into the kitchen to clean and straighten up after themselves, and everyone left. Liisa smiled to herself thinking I think I know now how a puppy feels when everyone leaves and he’s alone in the house. Paul had tapped as usual on the door to remind her to lock after them. She sure didn’t need a reminder.
Reading was out of the question. Liisa couldn’t keep her mind on the subject matter.
Liisa took a hot shower, hurrying because she wasn’t comfortable being in the shower while she was alone in the apartment. She fixed a mug of hot cocoa and crawled into bed to watch a television program. She was awakened when the National Anthem played showing the station was closing down for the night. She drifted back to sleep easily.
Chapter Nine
Ted was at her door to pick her up the next morning while Sven waited downstairs. The three of them walked to the GALLERY with little conversation. Each one had their own thoughts about what had transpired and how they were going to approach a solution.
Liisa unlocked the door to the GALLERY and walked in with Ted and Sven hurrying to check out the store. Lights were turned on along with her computer. Everything was checked carefully before the men would allow Liisa to do what had to be done for the day.
Sven motioned for Ted and Liisa to come outside with him. He cautioned them about topics of conversation within the store. “I’m going to have Agent Silver scan for bugs. It’s possible a listening device, or more than one, has been placed in the store. The caller knows too much to just be guessing.”
Ted nodded his head. “I thought of that and then dismissed the idea. You’re right, Sven. It won’t hurt to check.”
Liisa and Ted reentered the store and she set up some items that she wanted to try to sell. Sven did as he said he would do. First he called Agent Silver on his own cell phone and asked him to scan for listening devices. He then causally wandered to stores immediately beside and across the street to ask if they had noticed anyone in particular that was in the vicinity often. He obtained permission to check the security cameras of he stores that had one.
Within an hour Agent Silver had sent a couple, man and woman, to pretend to be customers but to scan for bugs. They found two; one near the phone in the front of the store and one in the back just before entering the office.
“Be alert,” the female agent cautioned Liisa and Ted. “He’ll soon know that these have been found and he might be angry enough to do something stupid.” She and her partner had Liisa sign a paper which told what they had found with her permission.
“We have to cover every possible turn in the event this might go to court,” the male agent explained. “You’d be surprised at how many cases are lost, or dropped, because the facts cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Sven soon rejoined them. “As of this morning no one could think of anything helpful, they know now what you’ve had to contend with and they’re sympathetic. Everyone around you will now be alert and watchful. They all promised to tell us if they thought of anything no matter how insignificant it might seem to be.”
There were few customers, even those just looking. The end of March was still cold and windy. Liisa took advantage of the lull and painted more on Arnold’s portrait. She was determined to finish it soon and hang it in the hall. Her heart ached thinking of Arnold and how much he had done for her.
“I’m going to frame this portrait of Arnold and hang it with others that I’ve finished. There are also some paintings that I’m going to put out with a reduced price that have been here for a while. By June, I should be able to have another showing.”
Liisa instructed Ted and Sven how to wrap some furniture for shipping and looked through paintings that were in a storage room. The three of them had kept so busy that they were surprised when Paul and Ben breezed in with lunch for all of them.
The two men had brought lasagna with meat sauce and meatballs, a tossed salad with shrimp vinaigrette dressing and a hot loaf of garlic bread. Yummy hazelnut-chocolate cannoli for dessert left a scrumptious taste in their mouths. Liisa had coffee and tea, but Sven preferred soft drinks with Italian food. He dashed down the street and got a huge Big Gulp of Coca Cola.
Paul and Ted gathered the papers and plastics that were used for their meal and placed them in the trash. They carefully cleaned up and swept so that little creepy crawleys would not be tempted to come into the Gallery.
Ben stretched and gave a groan. “Oh, boy, that was delicious and, as usual, I ate too much. The lunch was twice as good because we shared it with good friends and my darling girl,” he laughed hugging Liisa. “It does my old heart good to see you relaxed and laughing. Are these boys being good to you?” Ben pretended to scowl at Ted and Sven.
“Uncle Ben, everyone is too good to me. I am so blessed and thankful.” Liisa smiled and laid her head on his shoulder for another hug.
“Gotta get to work. I’d love to stay longer, but I pushed it coming here this long,” Paul hurried into his coat, hugged Liisa, bumped fists with Ted and Sven, hugged his dad and hurried out.
Liisa watched him through the big plate-glass window and grinned. I hope I’m around when Paul has a family of his own and has to keep up with rowdy little boys or daddy-loving little girls. He gets in a tizzy over almost nothing now; just wait,” she laughed. She caught the smirky smile between Ted and Sven, didn’t understand it, but didn’t question it.
Ben just laughed but said nothing. Ellen had filled him in on the feelings Paul thought he felt for Liisa. Ben and Ellen had decided that they couldn’t be happier if Liisa decided to return Paul’s feelings. In the meantime, he felt it was none of his business to stir the pot as he called it. Ben put on his coat and hat and left.
Agent Silver came in a few minutes before closing time. He waited until the last customer left and then talked to Liisa, Ted and Sven. I found the place where the message originated. The young man, who was working at the time, didn’t know anything about it. I waited for the owner to return from a trip to the post office and he remembered. He said that the message, with more cash than was needed, came through the mail in a large envelope with the instructions to deliver it in the usual manner. Sorry, but we won’t find anything soon w
ith this information. He hadn’t kept the original envelope, but did remember that it was just a plain, white envelope with block printing.”
“Another dead end,” Liisa said dejectedly.
“Not necessarily,” Agent Silver reassured her. “Now that shop is aware of the fact that if anything similar to that comes in again, they must call me to pick it up before they send it out. We’ll find him yet.”
Liisa thanked him for his efforts as he left. Ted and Sven turned off lights and the computer. Liisa had made up a bank deposit before Agent Silver had arrived. She locked the store and then she and the two men walked to the next block to leave the deposit in the night depository at the bank. The men then walked Liisa to her apartment.
“Come in and have a cup of hot chocolate before you go out into that cold wind,” Liisa offered.
“Thank you, but I must get home and do some laundry. I’ll be out here with a quilt wrapped around me if I don’t see about clean clothes,” Ted laughed.
Sven wiggled his eyebrows. “And believe it or not, I have a date. Well, not exactly a date. I promised a girl, that I have been dating, to help her study for her exams. She’s studying to be a teacher.”
They waited until Liisa had locked her door behind them before they walked down to the elevator. Liisa sighed with satisfaction. This has been a nuisance and plenty of fear, but I need to count my blessings. With all these people helping and caring about me, we’ll surely find the culprit soon.
Liisa got ready for bed, finished her hot chocolate, brushed her teeth and settled to listen to the late news. Thinking she heard a noise at the door, she tiptoed and stood, almost holding her breath, listening. Nothing. This is ridiculous. Now I’m imagining that I’m hearing someone at my door. Get hold of yourself you silly girl. I really would be embarrassed if any of the men protecting me heard about this. They would be sure that I’m going bonkers.
Disgusted with herself, she crawled into bed and read a while before turning out the light.
Liisa stretched and gave a jaw-popping yawn before getting out of bed. Looking out the window she thought the day might be clear and sunny but cool. She quickly showered, dressed for the day, ate breakfast, brushed her teeth and saw she had seven minutes before one of the men would be at her door.
She nearly jumped out of her skin when there was a loud banging at her door and someone calling her name loudly. She rushed to the door. “Who is it?”
“Ted and Sven. Hurry and open this door,” Sven called.
Liisa unlocked the door and had to jump back when the men pushed it open and almost hit her. She stared at them and wondered why they were so agitated.
“Did you hear anyone at your door during the night?” Ted was waving an envelope under her nose and looking angry.
“N- n- no. Oh, Once, soon after you left, I thought I heard someone, but I didn’t open the door.”
“I’m so thankful you didn’t open the door. This was stuck to your door with a piece of tape. We’re keeping the tape and envelope. Maybe Agent Silver can lift a print.” Ted was holding the envelope with his gloved hand.
Sven walked to her phone. “I suggest that we don’t touch it or try to open it until we see if Sgt. Gregory or Agent Silver want to do the honors.”
“I want to know what’s in it,” Liisa protested.
“We all do, but we might destroy evidence if we try to open it,” Sven explained. He made the two calls. Make yourself comfortable. Both men are on their way. Maybe you can make a pot of coffee.” He smiled at Liisa.
Liisa silently went into the kitchen to make a fresh pot of coffee. She opened a package of sticky cinnamon rolls and placed them on a paper plate ready to be warmed in the microwave. Moving like a robot, she prepared for company.
Twenty minutes later Sgt. Gregory knocked on the door and Agent Silver came a few minutes behind him. Sgt. Gregory took a clear plastic pouch out of his overcoat pocket and laid it on the dining table. He opened it and took out a long, sharp piece of metal and a pair of tweezers. Pulling on a pair of latex gloves, he used the piece of metal to carefully open the envelope. He then used the tweezers to extract the paper inside.
The men gathered around to see what was written being careful not to touch the paper. Liisa was curious and reluctant to know at the same time. She waited until Sgt. Gregory had opened the paper with the tweezers and inserted it into a clear plastic sleeve. It could then be read without being handled.
Letters, cut out of newspapers or magazines, were pasted on the paper. With a catch in her throat Liisa read:
“Yaa Yaa can’t catch me. You’re bungling friends tried hard enough, but I stood aside and laughed at them. Beware. You’re trying my patience.”
Liisa had to sit down, she was shaking too badly to stand. “He knows everything we do and say.”
“He’s getting too sure of himself. Braggarts are often tripped up because they give themselves away. We’re making him angry with the wire tapping and now the individual investigations. Liisa, I can say that it won’t be long. He’s getting too cock-sure of himself. People that do that soon trip over themselves.”
“He knows where I live,” Liisa told the men deadpanned. She was past being upset. Now she didn’t so much feel frightened as she was angry. “That does it. I’ll be armed after this and use it.”
Sgt. Gregory tried not to smile. “Do you know how to use a gun? It can be more dangerous to you than your stalker if you don’t know how to shoot.”
“It doesn’t have to be a gun. I can carry a knife or a blackjack or anything that I can use to beat him up.”
Paul had to chuckle. He walked over to hug her. “We know you feel as if you could go after him like an alligator after a deer in the water, but I know you. Yes, you’re angry and that’s good. Just be alert. I happen to know that you can’t hurt a fly. If he were standing here in front of you, you’d bawl him out, but you wouldn’t touch him.”
“Oh, I might surprise you,” Liisa stated with gritted teeth. “Let’s hope you won’t have to confront him,” Agent Silver told her. “We’re prepared to defend you even with our own lives. Leave the weapons to those of us who are trained to use them.”
“What do we do now?” Ted asked.
“Go about your daily business as usual. Try not to let on that anything else has happened. Make him think you didn’t take this seriously and maybe he’ll get frustrated and give himself away.”
Agent Silver and Sgt. Gregory left with Agent Silver taking the note to be examined in the lab. AFIS might have the information. He would share the information with Sgt. Gregory as soon as he heard anything of importance.
Liisa listlessly put on her coat and followed Ted and Sven out. They checked after she had locked the door and turned to walk to the elevator.
Sven stopped and faced Ted and Liisa. “I think we should tell the guard at the desk and the doorman what has been happening to Liisa. They need to be aware of the need to scrutinize everyone who enters for any reason.”
“Yes,” Ted agreed, “and we will ask them for the names, addresses and phone numbers of all workers in the building.”
The three of them went to the desk to inform the guard of the danger to Liisa. He was appalled at the news and promised to check identifications carefully. The doorman offered the suggestion that if he was suspicious of anyone, he would step where the guard could see him and give a signal. The guard gave them a list of people who came daily.
I would also like a list of all the residents in this building. Is it possible to get pictures of them?” Sven asked.
The doorman quickly answered. “We have cameras at each door and on each level. The tapes are kept for a month before they’re used again.”
“I’ll make arrangements for you to view the ones for the past week, if you like,” the guard offered.
“We would like and thank you muchly,” Ted smiled.
Ted called Bernie to send someone to meet them at the Gallery and explained that he and Sven would be viewing tap
es. “Wait until you read the note that he left taped to Liisa’s door last night. He’s so arrogant. I can hardly wait to get hold of him.”
“Ted, you’re not there to annihilate the stalker; just to catch him,” Bernie chided him. “I’ll meet you at the store and stay with her today. Do what you have to do; just be thorough. We don’t want loop-holes.”
Ted and Sven walked Liisa to the store and waited a few minutes until Bernie joined them. The two young men returned to Center Apartments to investigate all possible means of identifying the person. Liisa gave them an extra key to her apartment in the event they needed to rest or use something in her apartment.
Toward eleven o’clock Sven made an excited call to Bernie. “It’s good and bad news. We see the person going to Liisa’s door, but there’s no way of identifying him. He’s wearing work boots, loose sweat pants, a hooded jacket and gloves. All we can see is the tip of a nose. You’ll want to see these and so will Agent Silver.”
“Liisa, the boys did see the person going to your door, but it could be man, woman, gorilla, large or small. He dressed carefully to avoid detection and bent over when he walked. Maybe the FBI lab can get more out of the tape than we can.”
“He’s determined to drive me crazy before he kills me,” she moaned.
“I can understand your frustration and anger, but don’t allow it to dictate how you conduct your life and your thinking. Be stronger than this slime. It’s natural to feel as you do, but I know you’re a bigger person than that. You’ll straighten your shoulders, throw them back, so to speak, and show the stalker than he can’t get the best of you.”
She stared at him a moment and then broke into nervous hysterical laughter. “I’m trying. You have more faith in me than I have in myself.”
“Nonsense. You’re tops. I imagine you want to discuss this with Ben and Paul. I’d like to request that you hold off until we do more searching and bring Sgt. Gregory and Agent Silver in. They’ve both been good to work with us and we owe them that respect.”