by Gunn, Autumn
The first few miles nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Then I noticed a black Escalade driving a bit erratically. I let it pull in between us. It stayed there for all of about five seconds before sliding right and pulling off the freeway. It looked like a mom with a van full of kids in soccer uniforms. False alarm.
In my rear view I noticed a white car. A Toyota Camry. The most popular car in the U.S. It had picked us up on the entry ramp and stayed with us for at least three or four minutes. We were driving the speed limit and not changing lanes. It could be another safe driver…or not. I called Kate. “Move to one lane from the right exit lane. Drop speed to 50.” I hung up. Kate immediately signaled and fell right in place. The Camry stayed in its lane, but dropped speed a little. Since it kept its speed it didn’t pass me. I couldn’t get a good look at the driver. The mall was coming up in less than a mile. No time to try and get a look without taking too much risk. Kate pulled to the far right lane and signaled. I pulled in without signaling. The Camry fell in behind us. It could be just another shopper, but I wasn’t feeling like that was the case.
As we pulled into the mall the Camry changed lanes. It was in the lane leading to Robinson’s May. Perfect. Probably false alarm. Kate drove into the ticket booth for Nordstrom. I continued towards Robinson’s May. We pulled into the garage and parked.
“Dad, what are we doing at the mall?”
“We’re going to do some quick shoe shopping.” I looked at the Camry. An elderly couple got out and headed inside. I no longer considered the Camry a threat.
We went inside and sure enough I could see Kate looking at women’s shoes. I left the key and had the kids sit in the waiting chairs. Luckily I knew the shoe section well. I am a practical guy, but one thing I learned in the SEALs is you have to have comfortable shoes. And finding comfortable shoes that fit well and look good takes time. A lot of time and a lot of trying on.
I told the kids to sit tight and exited to the parking lot. Kate’s car was right where it was supposed to be. I took the spare key from my pocket and opened the door. As I sat in the driver’s seat I adjusted the seat back and down to fit my six foot five inch oversized frame. I checked the mirrors and didn’t see anything suspicious. I reached in the glove box and pulled out the registration. Checked the address and was on my way to 337 North Jefferson Street.
Kate had a very simple one-story home. I took the door keys I had removed from under her bumper from my pocket and let myself in. I checked the obvious spots for wires, but didn’t see anything. Her home could easily be bugged, but I’d need equipment to run a proper check. Equipment I didn’t have, but could easily obtain.
I went to her bedroom and opened the closet. I found the safe right where she said. I turned the wheel…08-24-91. Click. The door opened. The box was a simple wooden box. There was an inscription on the top, but the box was so worn it was unreadable. I saw a duffel bag sitting next to the safe. I grabbed it and walked to Kate’s dresser. I opened the top drawer and was greeted with what seemed like an endless supply of panties and bras. I grabbed a handful and threw them into the bag. I couldn’t help but notice their shape and feel the texture in between my fingers. I imagined Kate walking around at night in my house in these little panties. It was going to be torture. I had to stay focused. I walked down the hall and found Jerry’s room. It was neat. Unusual for a boy his age. I filled the bag with clothes for Jerry and went back to Kate’s room for the box. I put the box in the middle of the duffle bag to protect its contents. I zipped the bag and walked out the door. As I was locking the doors I used my peripheral vision to survey her neighborhood. Nothing out of the ordinary. I put on my sunglasses and began walking down the street to the bus stop. As I walked, I noticed a stopped car and a map held in front of the driver’s face. I dropped my walking speed just before I passed and looked in. It was a middle aged Asian man with sunglasses. In most cities that wouldn’t raise any suspicions, but here it was strange for two reasons. One, why would a man be reading a map in a residential side street in small town America that’s off the beaten track? Two, we only had one Asian in town. That one next to the word Asian stood out like a sore thumb on the last census report and everybody knew that one was Takumi, the owner of the Japanese Tea and Coffee shop. That guy definitely wasn’t Takumi. Takumi walks everywhere anyways.
“When I got home, I could see the front blinds cracked. I knew Cole was right behind them ready to address any kind of trouble. He came out the front door to great me.”
“You OK? What’s going on?”
“Everything’s OK. Kate’s got someone following her every move. It’s more than just a stalker. This guy has a lot of inside information and he’s tracking her with GPS.”
“Ex-husband?”
“She thinks so, but it seems more complicated than that.”
“How so?”
“It’s more like someone is trying to take her out and someone else is trying to warn her of each attempt.”
“Any leads?”
“None. She just told me about it less than two hours ago. Now the fun begins.”
“Let me know how I can help.”
“I will. I have a feeling I’m going to need all the help I can get on this one.”
Chapter 4
Kate was inside sitting on the couch. When I walked in the room she just looked at me curiously.
“How did you drive my car?”
“I found your spare keys when I found the GPS.”
“Oh. You didn’t tell me that.”
“Yeah, I was in a hurry. After what you told me my mind was going a million miles an hour. I just wanted to get you to a safe place as quickly as possible.”
“And it’s safe here? You’re sure?”
“Well, the house has a state of the art security system. A system beyond what any civilian can get. Plus if someone figures out how to get past that, then they have two Navy SEALs to deal with.”
“And one angry momma bear.”
“And one angry momma bear,” I repeated.
“Guys, thank you for your help. This is all happening so fast I’m having a hard time processing it. I appreciate all your help, but it just seems so fast. Now suddenly Jerry and I are going to live here?”
“For the time being. I need to ask you some more questions and do some research right away, but for now this is definitely the safest option.”
“OK. Did you get my memento box?”
“I did.” I went to the kitchen table and retrieved her duffle bag. I had set it there when I entered. “Here’s your box. I grabbed some clothes for you and Jerry. We can get some more if need be. I grabbed pretty quick.”
Kate opened the duffle bag and dug for the memento box. When she found it I could see she ran her hand over the top. She didn’t remove it from the duffle bag though. From the way she spoke of it earlier and her actions now I could tell it was something very important to her. It may hold some clues. She seemed secretive about it. I’m good at minding my own business, but now I really wanted to know what was inside.
“Thank you. What kind of questions did you want to ask?”
I walked over and sat down on the couch next to Kate.
“I’ll go check on the kids,” Cole said as he headed upstairs.
“Kate, first of all I’m glad you chose to tell someone about this. I know you went to the police first, and they weren’t so helpful, but don’t worry. We’re going to get this figured out and put to an end. You can count on that.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I have to ask. What was your relationship with your ex-husband like?”
“Well, as I mentioned at Frosty’s it started out great. I had the fairy tale that every girl hopes for, or at least that’s what I thought. He was tall, strong, and masculine, but also calm, caring, and attentive. Not something you find in many men these days. Suddenly he changed. It was like it happened overnight. I asked him what was wrong, but he wouldn’t tell me. I know something was bothering him. I tried, and tried, and
tried to get it out of him, but he wouldn’t open up about it. Every day became a struggle. He quickly turned to drinking. I’m not sure if it helped deal with my questioning or the problems that he wasn’t telling me about. Either way it made a terrible situation even worse. It escalated really fast.”
“Was he violent towards you?”
“No. Looking back, that’s the strange thing. He never hit me. Never pushed me. Never put his hands on me. Sometimes I would literally beg him to tell me what’s wrong. I’d be hanging on to his shirt. Trying to hold him in place so he’d talk to me. I even ripped a few of his shirts in the struggles we had, but he never laid a hand on me or Jerry. One day I told him I couldn’t take it anymore and was going to leave. He didn’t even turn to look at me when I spoke those words. That’s when I knew it was over. Foolishly I tried for another few weeks, but nothing changed. I couldn’t get it to work. One evening, when he was passed out drunk, I got Jerry and we left. That was that. I never spoke with him again.”
“No communication at all?”
“None.”
“And now you believe he might be back?”
“I do. Who else would it be? Revenge is a strong human emotion. I think he wants some revenge for me taking Jerry from him.”
“What was his relationship with Jerry like?”
“Amazing. He loved our son. More than me actually.”
“Did he file any paperwork to get some sort of custody?”
“Not that I know of, but he’s in another state.”
“You took Jerry and left to another state?”
“Yeah, we wound up here.”
“This could get really tricky.”
“I know. Technically I might have broken the law.”
“Technically you probably broke a few laws. Technically you might be a felon.”
“That can’t be.”
“Interstate parental kidnapping. I think that qualifies.”
“He’s my son!”
“Understood. I’m just looking at it from the eyes of the law.”
“I had to do something. I tried everything else.”
“And now you think he’s found you?”
“There are no other men in my life. Haven’t been since him. Before him either. And I don’t have any problems with any women or anyone else.”
“No one?”
“I’m sure. No one.”
It seemed pretty cut and dried. He had to be involved somehow.
“What’s his name?”
“John.”
“John what?”
“John Harper. Same last name as Jerry.”
“You changed your name back to your maiden name?”
Kate paused before answering. “Yes.”
“Any particular reason?”
Kate paused again. “I didn’t want him to find us. I wanted to start fresh.”
“Are you hungry?”
“Starving. I haven’t eaten all day. I was thinking about what was going to happen when I told you. I couldn’t eat before. Now that I’ve told someone, told you, I feel so relieved and my appetite is back.”
“I’m glad you’re feeling better. What do you feel like eating?”
“I’m simple. I’d love a pizza right about now.”
“Done. What kind?”
“Veggie or four cheeses.”
“Jerry?”
“He eats the ones with the most meat.”
We held each other’s glance and then both laughed.
“Sounds like a lot of boys, and men I know.”
“Me too.”
“OK, I’ll order some pizzas. And to drink?”
“Water is fine.”
“Our fridge is stocked. You’re welcome to take a look and help yourself. We also have the stuff for cocktails if you’re looking to unwind after what’s turned into a crazy day.”
“Thanks, but I don’t drink very often. Other than wine that is.”
“OK. Two waters coming up and I’ll phone in the pizza order.”
We ate the pizza while we played board games. Everyone had a great time. I had literally forgot what it was like having a woman in the house. Kate was great. Jasmine seemed to really take to her and Jerry was already close with Cole due to all their training at Cole’s gym.
After dinner the kids kept playing checkers and Kate and I went in the kitchen to clean up.
“There are three guest rooms upstairs. Cole has one for just a little while longer until his new place is ready. The other two are all set for you and Jerry.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
“Thank you. It’s strange sleeping here and I really don’t want to be a burden, but I have to admit I do feel a lot safer with you around.”
“My pleasure. And you’re definitely not a burden.”
“You have three guest rooms ready to go?”
“What can I say? I’m a Navy SEAL. Always prepared, and in the case of owning a home a SEAL has to always be prepared for a platoon of guys to drop by at any moment. So really, three is a way too few. That’s why the couch is a pull out and I have cots, inflatable mattresses, and sleeping bags in the closet.”
“You really are prepared.”
“Always. I hate to be caught off guard.”
“I can relate to that.”
We finished up the dishes.
“Should we tell Jerry together about staying here? I can be with you when you tell him.”
“Believe me. He’s going to be ecstatic. Being here with you guys is going to be his ultimate fantasy come true. I’ll let him know. Just let me know if he starts to bother you guys.”
“He’s a great kid. A great young man. We all like him a lot. It’s going to be fun having him around.”
“Is there somewhere where I can wash up?”
“There’s a downstairs bathroom and an upstairs bathroom. Help yourself to either.”
“Are certain times better than others?”
“Anytime is good. We’re fast so you won’t even notice us.”
“Thanks. Thanks again. What you’re doing for us is really amazing. I can’t think you enough.”
“Seriously. Don’t mention it. I think we’re all going to get a lot of enjoyment out of it.” That came out wrong. Kind of.
“Me too. Playing games and eating pizza was really fun.”
“Definitely. OK, I’m going to see what I can find out about John and I’ll fill you in in the morning.”
“Great. Just one more time. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Good night.”
“Night.”
Kate walked out of the kitchen. I finished drying the dishes and thought who I’d call first to start putting forming a profile on John Harper.
Chapter 5
“Good evening. Can you put me through to Petty Officer Lackey, please?”
“May I ask who’s calling?”
“Jax Justice. We served together.”
“One moment Mr. Justice.”
“Jax. You’re up late”
“You know me, Laura. Night owl.”
“And like most night owls now is your time to hunt?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Hunting indeed.”
“Who, or what, is the prey?”
“I’ve got a woman and her son in trouble here. She thought it was a stalker, but it seems like maybe it’s something more. Can you run a check?”
“A woman’s and her child are in danger?”
“Yes.”
“Let me see what I can do. What’s the name?”
“John Harper. Married to Kate Koval Harper. Son is Jerry Harper.”
“OK. Let me finish up what I’m doing and I’ll get back with you before the top of the hour.”
“You’re the best, Laura.”
“Let’s see what I find first.”
“Regardless, you’re the best.”
“Talk to you soon.”
I ended the call and walked into
the living room. It was quiet for the first time tonight. Only one small table lamp in the corner lit the room. Everyone was in bed, or at least I thought.
I heard the bathroom door open. I looked up and it was Kate, wrapped in a towel with a second towel around her head.