Promised Box Set

by James Kipling

Work begun on schedule. Everything was running smoothly. There were no hitches to report and Shelley’s boss was content with the flow of operations in his department. He called Shelley into his office for a brief chat. Mr. Finley was genuinely concerned about Shelley:

  “And how is work this morning, Shelley?”

  “Everything is flowing smoothly, sir. There are no hitches on the production line,” responded Shelley.

  “Let’s keep it that way, shall we?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Shelley went for her usual ten o’clock tea break. She was beginning to feel hungrier mid-morning due to the pregnancy. Fortunately, the snacks at the cafeteria helped her overcome the hunger by providing nutrition when she badly needed it. Matt was nowhere in sight, and Shelley let out a sigh of relief. She sat down and started to enjoy her snack. It would also give her time to check if Brad had called. She checked her phone and did not find any missed calls or messages from him. But, Shelley came across an SMS message from an unidentifiable number.

  Shelley read the text message and, true to her suspicions, it was another nasty and threatening message from Matt. This time, he wrote that he was going to take everything away from her, as opposed to Shelley taking anything away from him. Shelley wondered why Matt was so obsessed with her taking everything away from him. He did not have much, and if he did not want the baby, she would be able to take care of that herself. However, Shelley’s fears came back and she wanted to scream in fear. Shelley held herself together, as she was at work, and avoided creating a scene that would risk her losing her job.

  Shelley got hold of her senses just on time. The tea break was over and she had to resume work, irrespective of threats or no threats from Matt. This traumatic experience made it difficult for Shelley to concentrate on her job. She would not bother trying to call the anonymous number, but would instead discuss the matter with Brad and report it to the Sherriff’s office later. Shelley recalled that she had made a resolution to move on and forget Matt. He was no longer her significant half and it was not worth thinking about him.

  Having soaked it all in, Shelley resolved to focus on her job and what lay ahead. She hoped Brad had unearthed some dirt on Matt that could be used to incriminate him. By midday, Shelley felt a little better because of being preoccupied with work. She followed her usual routine of going for lunch at her favorite café right next to the automotive plant.

  Lunch was a quiet affair. Shelley wished Brad was there, but knew he would be busy doing research on his news feature. It was also the same time he would use to gather some information on Matt that could lead to his arrest. Shelley tried calling him over lunch but could not get through. It may have been a network connectivity problem and she decided to try later in the day. At the same time, Shelley hoped that Matt would not show up at the café, because he knew where she went for her lunch breaks. Shelley did not discuss anything about the matter with her colleagues because of the concern and worry it would have created. It could have cost her the job, as the boss did not want any disruptions in the flow of production. He could not afford to have any work interruptions. The truth was that nobody bothered about anybody’s personal business at work anyway.

  After completing her lunch, Shelley went back to work. She was still apprehensive about meeting Matt, but there was nothing she could do to avoid him. Shelley spent the rest of the day in silent distress. She vowed not to disclose the matter to any of her colleagues, because they did not seem to know what was happening to her. She had become a kind of role model to her colleagues, and anything that affected her would probably affect the rest of the team negatively.

  The day wore on slowly and by five in the afternoon, Shelley was worn and looking forward to a long rest in the evening. Brad hadn’t called, and she figured that he must have been busy. Shelley went to the women’s lockers, changed back to her personal clothes, and lined up to clock out. She rushed to the parking lot where she had parked her car.

  Shelley almost fainted. She broke down and cried. Her car had been badly damaged by someone. The body had been dented. The windows were broken as well as the head and taillights. The tires had been slashed and the spray painted message “My Freedom” had been written all over the body. Totally bewildered and confused, Shelley screamed and it attracted a crowd. She sobbed uncontrollably for a while, and the Police on patrol came to enquire what had happened. They took her statement and got her a tow truck. The car was taken to the police station.

  After Shelley had recollected herself, she called Brad. He had gotten back to his hotel earlier but set about compiling the story for his feature. Brad was equally shocked and mad. He told her to wait for him, since it was not very far from his hotel. Brad arrived shortly thereafter and took Shelley back to her house.

  “Are you okay?” Brad asked.

  Shelley broke down into tears. She seemed defeated and didn’t know what to say.

  “I will get Matt if it’s the last thing I do. He’s out of control, and I will find a way to stop him.”

  “How? It seems as if he can do anything he wants and get away with it. First, I receive a text in the morning. It said that he would take everything away from me, just like I am trying to take from him. Then he goes and destroys my car. What next, Brad? What will it take to stop this maniac?”

  Brad paused for a moment and thought.

  “Did you know that Matt’s a high school dropout?” he asked.

  “No. He never mentioned it to me. I thought he completed school and started working at the plant right away.” said Shelley.

  “Oh no, he didn’t. He’s a drifter.”

  “Oh my gosh. Perhaps that partly explains his weird character,” Shelley said.

  “Enough of that for now. Let me take you out for dinner. I doubt you’ll want to cook this evening, considering the kind of day you’ve had,” said Brad

  Shelley felt relieved and agreed to go out for dinner with Brad. At least she would be in safe company and had a shoulder to cry on. They passed through the Sherriff’s office to file a report about the damage on Shelley’s car and included the obscene text message that Shelley had received in the morning.

  They drove to the hotel where Brad was staying, and made for the restaurant. It was early evening and the place was not full. Shelley and Brad got a table at one end of the room. They settled in and started talking.

  “I did the research as planned and came to a dead end with Matt’s case,” said Brad, “but I did not give up and went to the high school he attended. I met the school administrator, who informed me that Matt dropped out of school before his grad year.”

  Shelley, having regained her composure, interjected. “Is that so?”

  “Yup, and nobody seems to know what happened to him thereafter.”

  “Why am I not surprised? His behavior seems to confirm a troubled past that he has concealed for years,” Shelley said.

  “It got me thinking just before you called. I was able to make some enquiries about him through conversing with the waiters here. Some know him and others don’t. I found out that he worked here, but got himself sacked for consistently poor service to customers and a weird temper.

  “Those he left, like the waiter I talked to, come into contact with him every so often and from what they know, Matt has been getting himself sacked every now and then because of his nasty behavior,” Brad continued. “The only thing that has kept him out of jail is that he is not known to have broken any law until of course, lately.”

  Shelley was shocked and impressed at the information Brad had found out about Matt. It began to confirm the growing doubts that had lingered in her mind about him ever since the weekend of horrors that she had experienced.

  “I guess it’s only a matter of time before his actions and crimes catch up with him,” said Shelley. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he loses his job at the plant as well. Matt once told me that he wanted to buy a fancy house in the subdivision area of Savannah. He has a blinded amb
ition of wanting to achieve anything at all costs.”

  “So much for ambition,” said Brad. “I would like to have a house of my own sometime. But I need to work hard for it. My parents lost their house when I was in my early teens. They drank too much alcohol and lost their jobs, too. Eventually, they couldn’t keep up with the mortgage payments and there was foreclosure. The authorities put me in foster care as my parents were ruled unfit to raise me anymore.”

  “I am so sorry to hear that, Brad.”

  “No problem. I got over it and stopped feeling sorry for myself. I had a good friend in my social worker, Jerry. He mentored me for the rest of my teenage years, and here I am today. It wasn’t always easy, but I don’t understand Matt’s angle. He had everything I didn’t and even more. Yet Matt dropped out of school and has been a drifter ever since.”

  “I guess Matt didn’t appreciate what he had and blew it.”

  “I guess so.”

  The evening wore on and Shelley was finally comfortable. There was an air of romance in the conversation they were having. Both Shelley and Brad seemed to be attracted to each other, if only for a moment. Brad put his hand on Shelley’s arm and asked her, “What do you plan to do once we catch Matt?”

  “I don’t know yet. But whatever happens, I will keep the baby, and maybe one day find a man that can take care of the child as if it were his own, so that the baby doesn’t miss out on any life experiences associated with a father,” Shelley said.

  “A beautiful girl like you should be able to find a good man easily,” Brad said.

  Shelley blushed and there was silence and prolonged eye contact that signaled a hidden attraction between the two of them. They spent the rest of the evening having a light banter and finished a whole bottle of mild wine. Shelley was a bit light-headed and Brad saw her home. Brad also made a call to the mechanic he had met on arrival in Savannah. He had changed some minor parts on Brad’s car and Brad felt this was the right person to fix Shelley’s car.

  The mechanic was asked to tow Shelley’s vehicle from the Sherriff’s car yard and take it to his garage on the outskirts of Savannah for repair. Brad preferred the job to be done away from the public glare and found it easier to investigate when matters were more confidential. It would make it easier to catch the culprit.

  “Let me know when you’re done and send me the bill.”

  “It will probably take a couple of days to fix, judging by the damage done to the body,” the mechanic said. “What kind of a person would damage a car that way, and what for?”

  “I have no idea. Just call me when it’s ready. I’ll send a friend to pick it up.”

  Shelley protested at Brad covering the expenses. Brad insisted, and the matter was settled.

  The drive back to Shelley’s house was filled with silence. There was certain unease in the air, the kind that was caused by the blossoming of romance between a man and woman. The atmosphere was filled with expectation. Brad drove right up to Shelley’s doorstep and saw her to the porch. He kissed her on the cheek and watched her go into the house until she was safely inside.

  For Brad, the night had just begun. He was determined to find out as much as he could about Matt and nail him where it mattered most. It was a daunting task and this required solid evidence. He would have to track Matt for a day or two, as it seemed as though Matt was unrelenting and always one step ahead of Shelley. She needed solid proof of his harassment and crimes, but Matt always knew when to strike. He knew Shelley was not in a position to fight back, or else she would incriminate herself.

  Brad scouted the town looking for persons and places that people of Matt’s ilk may have visited. He went to locations where he thought he might find a friend or two of Matt’s. Brad was running out of ideas and gas, and it was getting close to midnight. He refueled at Jim’s station.

  “I was looking for an old pal of mine,” he told Jim. “I’m new in town. His name is Matt. Do you know him and where I can find him?”

  “Matt’s a friend of mine. He usually hangs out at a bar called ‘Old Bailey’ on the other side of town. I heard he was involved with some local gal and they parted in a rather nasty way. There are all sorts of rumors going round. Lately, Matt hasn’t been himself. I also heard that he might be up to some unusual business today or tomorrow. Just look him up and make sure he’s not up to some hanky panky.”

  “Sure thing. Will do, and thanks.” And with that, Brad drove off to look for more clues at the bar.

  Brad parked fifty yards from the local bar and entered discreetly. Shelley had shown him a photo of Matt, so Brad knew what he was looking for. After settling in a dark corner of the bar, he heard some young men in their twenties having a conversation at the bar counter. Fortunately, one of them called out Matt’s name and Matt responded, half inebriated, but still standing on his feet. Matt seemed to appear as though he was enjoying making a scene by looking drunk more so than he really was. Brad wondered what his intentions were. He remembered what Jim told him and watched Matt carefully for a while. After two hours, Matt left the bar alone. Brad assumed that, after so many hours, Matt would be genuinely drunk and his stagger seemed genuine. A drunk would pose no harm to anyone at such a time of the night.

  Satisfied that Matt was harmless for the moment, and thinking that perhaps Jim had overreacted out of concern for his old friend, Brad drove back to the hotel. He thought of calling Shelley, just in case. It was as if a sixth sense was telling him that it would be right to check on Shelley, even though it was already going on three o’clock in the morning.

  Brad brushed the thought aside and went straight to bed. He was tired and needed enough rest so that he could make an early start on Wednesday morning. There was much to do. He needed to start compiling his feature story on the small town of Savannah.

  Brad reviewed the events of the day. It had been an eventful one, and there were issues that needed to be resolved. He would adopt a two-pronged approach that involved developing his feature story while piecing Matt’s destructive trail together.

  It would be a long week, and Brad would need to find evidence that could be used against Matt. It was necessary to find solid evidence that linked Matt to the series of events from Saturday through the week. This was not going to be easy, unless Matt made a mistake along the way.

  On reaching the hotel, Brad did a mental review of the sequence of events in the last twenty-four hours. He had done what he could to gather information about Matt, but it was not enough. He would need to continue sleuthing in Savannah, in addition to researching information related to the small town, and compile his feature story.

  Brad realized that he had never helped a lady in distress the way he assisted Shelley. He began to wonder if he was falling for Shelley. Little did he know, Shelley was also pondering the same thing. Was he Mr. Right, or was it merely a plutonic relationship? They both came to the same resolution. Brad and Shelley would let things take their natural course.

  Chapter 5

  Wednesday happened to be a public holiday. Shelley could rest after the horrid experiences of Tuesday. She woke up an hour later than usual at eight o’clock in the morning. She felt more relaxed and light-spirited because of the comfort Brad had given her. It may have seemed a little early, but she was beginning to develop feelings for Brad. Conversely, she attributed it to being on the rebound and under a lot of mental strain, as Brad had been a shoulder to lean and cry on during the last few troubled days.

  Shelley’s life had been turned upside down by the man she trusted the most, and as if it wasn’t enough, Shelley had realized that she had been in love and in a relationship with a man that she hardly knew anything about. But, trying to be as positive about the circumstances as she could, Shelley felt that waking up to a new day was rewarding in itself. She had survived the worst, and despite Matt taking advantage of her poor skills in swimming, Shelley had escaped an attempted murder. She and the baby she was expecting were doing fine. What more could she as
k for at such a trying time?

  Shelley went into the kitchen to prepare a hearty breakfast. As she entered the living room, she was stunned at the mess. Everything had been turned upside down; another day and more trouble. Shelley stood and took in the whole scene in horror. She had left some valuable items in the living room the previous night, as she was feeling a little light-headed. They didn’t seem to be anywhere in sight. Shelley rushed back to the bedroom to make sure that it was not her imagination that was running wild. She did not see her purse or laptop computer. At that moment, she realized they were gone.

  Shelley went back to the living room and confirmed that she had been robbed of her home theatre and television as well. She did not know where to start. Years of savings and investment had been lost at some odd hour of the night. There had been a break-in, and to make matters worse, the same spray paint that had been used on Shelley’s car was what she found on the living room wall with the words “My Money” written on it.

  Shelley panicked. She broke down into tears and sat on the floor for a while. Just when she thought that perhaps Matt had ceased hostilities, he struck again. He was making a point of doing something criminal on a daily basis. It was now unbearable. Shelley wondered why Matt would go on doing this, yet the investigations did not yield any results against him. What kind of a person would keep victimizing someone that they had an intimate relationship with? There were many questions that remained unanswered, and they needed answers in order to learn more about the demented mind of Matt.

  It was obvious that the same person that trashed Shelley’s car was the one that had broken into her house. Matt had warned her that he would take everything from her instead. Shelley was gripped with fear. Matt was taunting her.

  Shelley got up from the floor and ran into her bedroom. She locked herself inside and called Sherriff Riley.

  “Please… I need to talk to Sherriff Riley. I’ve been robbed… Please, help me…”