The music changed, the next song was faster. She changed her weight from her heels to her toes and went on to bend her knees one at a time, kicking behind her with a jab more fiercely than necessary. Two ladies ducked out for water then returned but dropped their pace saying they couldn’t keep up. For the next twenty minutes, Jessie’s heart pounded as the tempo and her mind reached a crescendo.
At quitting time, looking straight ahead, her mind elsewhere in spite of the rugged workout, Jessie didn’t see the janitor pushing a bucket of water on wheels until he crossed her path in the hallway. She apologized for bumping him but he wasn’t accepting. Instead he lectured her and grumbled about spilling water when he was already late. Jessie knew she could have been seriously hurt under the right conditions. All she could think of was, Could he be the one? She was now suspecting everyone she met. Trusting no one, except maybe Rick.
Running frantically, she didn’t slow her pace until the apartment building was in sight. And once inside she gazed almost transfixed at the computer screen, which loomed like a strange enemy ready to take her down.
In desperation she grabbed her purse and shook the contents on the coffee table. Seizing Rick’s card she punched the numbers into the phone with a shaking finger.
Ricardo Alvarez. Leave a number where I can reach you. Click. Jessie breathed heavily. “Rick? It’s me, Jessie. Please call me as soon as you can. It’s...important.”
She paced the living room wishing she hadn’t called. What would she tell him? A janitor had spooked her? He’d laugh at her. Like Liz had. She was losing it. The harassment thing was breaking her sanity.
Her pace halted when she heard a loud knock on her door. “Who’s there?” she cried out, unable to move from her spot.
“Ricardo Alvarez,” a voice shot back.
She raced to the door and flung it open. Rick was standing behind a large pizza box wearing a smile that soothed her immediately.
“To your rescue, fair maiden,” he said. “And I even brought supper.”
Jessie opened the door to its full extent, welcoming Ricardo into her apartment.
CHAPTER SIX
Liz frantically walked the floor. Since Jessie had given her the cold shoulder, she wondered if she’d ever see Alan again. She had counted on Jessie’s friendship to work as an advantage for her. Would Jessie now throw cold water on their relationship? If there ever was a relationship beginning between Alan and her, but she’d felt something — even though the circumstances of their meeting had been sombre at the time.
She stopped walking and lifted the phone receiver. Maybe Kent had been in touch with Jessie.
****
Kent felt completely out of touch. The episode with the cop had been humiliating to say the least. He’d made Kent feel like a stalker, so what was Jessie supposed to think? Could he blame her for being suspicious of him? Especially after he’d gone so far as to grab her arm and maybe he’d even hurt her a little. His temper had gotten him in trouble again. It had been that way all of his life — until he was seventeen. A teacher had suggested he find some way to get rid of his frustrations. So Kent had taken up karate.
He stood now in a diagonal straddle leg stance. Proper posture, balance and focus were important. And a little kata wouldn’t hurt right now. Kata was form, a set of movements used for practice. He was feeling slightly out of control, and he needed to balance his mind. He did some punches to the right then the left, followed by some elbow strikes. A combination of kicking and hand techniques, a spinning punch and a counterattack warmed him both physically and mentally. The enemy at the moment was himself, his temper. With acute concentration and a positive determination he could overcome the adversary. He remembered an old oriental maxim. The willow does not break under the load of snow. He ended with the reciting of Showa in Japanese: Showa,ware ware karate-doh oh. Shugyo surumonowa tsuneni bushidoh seishin oh waserezyu. Wa to nin oh motte nashi. Soshi te tsutomereba kanarzu tasu! He thought of it in English: We who study karate-doh, should never forget the spirit of the warrior’s way. With peace, perseverance, and hard work, we will reach our goals.
Kent’s main goal now was to gain Jessie’s trust once and for all. He knew she was confused, and maybe she had been right to go to the police, but how was he going to get back in her good graces? The cop was keeping him at bay, and Jessie was hiding behind the cop. He’d have to get her alone. The phone interrupted his plans.
It was Liz. “Have you seen Jessie tonight?”
Her voice sounded strained to Kent. “Jessie wants nothing to do with me,” he confirmed flatly.
“That’s not true, Kent,” Liz argued. “You have to get her alone, away from that Ricardo Alvarez and find out the true reason she’s avoiding you. She’s scared, Kent, and that makes her suspicious of everyone. Except that cop. He’s taken a personal interest in her plight, and Jessie’s lapping up the attention. If you don’t do something soon, you might lose her to him.”
Kent had to agree with every word Liz had spoken. It had been his train of thought exactly. “I know all about that guy,” Kent said. “What’s going on with that stalking business? Did Jessie get anymore of those messages or threats?”
“That’s the big problem, Kent. I’m afraid I’ve convinced her that you’re the stalker.”
“What?”
“God, I’m sorry. I was so wrong. I was trying to help her and now I’ve done great damage.”
“You’re sorry? You think that’s all it takes? Good Christ, how could you even think that about me?”
Kent’s voice rose in angry tones and Liz shrank into herself. She was glad she was on the phone and not near him. She had planned to tell him the whole thing, but from the tone of his voice she changed her mind. She knew she deserved his wrath, and she was unable to explain why she’d accused him. She was speechless.
Kent wasn’t however. “So that’s what’s spooked Jessie? How could she believe that of me? You have to straighten this out, Liz. You started it.”
Kent heard a faint click on the line and knew Liz had hung up on him. He slammed down his own receiver and turned and slammed his fist against the living room wall. So much for getting centred. His mind was out of control again. Elizabeth Barrow was one big troublemaker. Whatever possessed her to turn Jessie against him like that? He had even dated her once, and up until he’d met and fallen for Jessie, he had really liked Liz and had thought of asking her out for a second time.
He rubbed his knuckles and thought of calling Jessie, but decided he had to face her in person. She would have to look him in the eyes and tell him she suspected him of causing her harm. If she could do that, then they didn’t have much going for them anyway.
Kent left his apartment and drove towards Willow Street. But just before reaching his destination he had second thoughts. He was too angry to confront her right then. His disappointment was showing through and it might come across as seeming violent to her, and that would only frighten her more, causing her to believe her earlier fears that he was dangerous.
Kent switched direction and returned to his apartment to calm down and think things through.
****
Jessie helped herself to another slice of Rick’s pizza. Rick sat beside her on the sofa holding a slice of pizza and making her feel extremely safe. Their conversation had slipped since the initial explanation by Jessie about the encounter with the janitor. Rick had suggested it was her imagination and anxiety that had created her to suspect everyone in her path.
They were on the last of the pizza and Jessie wondered what to do next. Just yesterday the man in her apartment was a stranger, and tonight he was sitting on her sofa joking with her like an old friend. It had been a strange month since she first bought her computer and all the bazaar stuff had begun. With Rick sitting so near she lost some of the fear that had plagued her for so long. She wondered boldly what would happen if she should return to the chat line and see what Gary Burke was up to. Maybe Rick could see something from his writing that she might have missed
, since he was a professional at that stuff. And maybe he could connect Gary Burke to the messages on her e mail.
“I’m afraid I haven’t told you everything concerning the e mail harassment,” she said. Rick closed up the pizza box and stacked their glasses but he didn’t answer. Jessie continued, “When I first got the computer, I made a connection on a chat line with a guy named Gary Burke. At first he just called himself Zorro, but later he gave me his real name. I talked to him for a few nights but then he started getting kind of weird, and I got scared and didn’t talk to him again. I was thinking he might be the stalker until I suspected Kent. Now I don’t know who to blame it on.”
Rick sat back and put his arms behind his head. He crossed his legs with one ankle resting on the other knee. “Why did you talk to him for days if you thought he was weird?”
Jessie felt a blush creep over her face. She wondered if it was because she felt foolish telling him the story, or was it the amount of wine she’d consumed in her anxiety. “I...found him interesting, I guess. He was funny at first and...sort of romantic.” Rick uncrossed his legs, lowered his arms and slid closer. Jessie moved back and continued, “I guess I have poor judgement when it comes to men. I get in trouble because of it.”
Rick moved towards her again and this time slid his arm around her shoulder. “I’m off duty tomorrow,” he said in a low voice, almost in her ear. “I’ll be around to protect you.” She looked in his dark and brooding eyes and he kept talking. “You need a little R and R. Why don’t we take a drive to Wakefield tomorrow, and I’ll show you where I used to live. I haven’t been there in ages.”
Jessie hesitated, feeling the weight of his arm on her shoulder. She wasn’t sure she was ready to visit Wakefield right now. “I don’t think so, Rick. I only buried my mother a few days ago. I need to keep some distance. What I was wondering was, do you think it might be a good idea to go on the chat line and try to pick up Gary Burke? If we got him talking maybe we could...you could figure out if he might be the one. I really am finding it hard to keep thinking it was Kent.”
Rick moved his arm and seemed agitated. “No. It’s not a good idea to get back on that chat line. Besides the boyfriend is the logical suspect, even if your friend, Liz, has changed her mind. It’s typical I told you. Jealous boyfriend getting his revenge.”
“He had no need to be jealous. The messages came while we were still together. I’m telling you I don’t buy this anymore. I’m going to call Kent and have him come over tomorrow. We’re going to figure this out together.”
“That’s a piss poor idea, Jessica. Stay away from him!”
Jessie pulled back. Rick’s voice and mood were frightening her. Then he changed. Smiling now he returned his arm around her shoulder. “You’re exhausted, Jessica. You need to relax a little. And don’t you think a visit to your mother’s grave might make you feel better? I’ll be there with you...to protect you. You can call Kent when we return, if you still feel you must. But take a break and think things over, okay?”
He was smiling so sweetly that Jessie’s fear melted. “Maybe you’re right,” she said. Then she remembered something. “Oh, but I can’t go. I have to work tomorrow. I missed a few days work and I’m taking another instructor’s class in the morning.”
“So, we’ll leave after that,” he said, still smiling at her.
The wine Jessie shared with Rick was beginning to wear off a little, and she felt strangely alarmed over his sudden intimacy. She stood quickly looking down on him. “I’m sorry. I don’t think I’m really ready to visit Wakefield just yet. And all that wine has sort of made me sleepy.” She stretched and yawned hoping he’d take the hint and leave. It hadn’t been a good idea to get so friendly with the policeman. She had a bad habit of being too friendly too soon, first with Gary Burke, then going to bed with Kent Morgan, and now a too-quick relationship with a cop she’d just met.
But the police officer didn’t seem to take the hint, so Jessie decided to be blunt. “I’d like you to leave now, Rick. I need to get some rest. Aerobics is strenuous. I want to be in top shape for my class.”
Rick’s lip curled. “Are you kicking me out?”
“Yes, you could say that,” Jessie replied, smiling nervously.
Rick rose and walked to the door. Jessie was about to thank him for coming over and for bringing pizza, but instead of leaving she watched as he shot the bolts and slid in the safety chain, making sure they were secure.
Bewildered by his actions, Jessie stood in the centre of her living room. He moved towards her, a slightly wicked-looking smile played across his lips making the scar on his face appear ugly. Upon reaching her, he slid his arm around her waist and kissed her seductively.
Jessie pulled back in surprise. She tried not to appear frightened. Rick’s smile was pleasant now and she smiled too. She hadn’t expected the kiss but assumed she had deserved it as she had rightfully led him on. It was now time to set him straight. Business was business. If he wanted to help her, fine. But that was as far as she intended to go.
“I’m not ready for another relationship, Rick. This whole stalking thing has me crazy. And I just broke up with Kent. My trust in men, I’m afraid has been jolted.”
“Are you putting me in that same category?” he asked. Without waiting for a reply, he grabbed her hand and pulled her to him, his anger flaring.
“I want you to leave,” she cried, trying to pull from him. But Rick was too strong and she was helpless in his grip. His hands pawed at her breasts while he snarled out angry words. “Miss Goody Two Shoes are you? Too good for me? I won’t be rejected by you this time.”
Jessie didn’t understand his ranting and pulled frantically from his hold, but it was useless. Seeing no other alternative she screamed, which immediately provoked him to slam his hand across her mouth.
“You little bitch. Shut up. If anyone does hear you, I’ll tell them I’m here to protect you and that the villain got away. You’re in my custody now, lady. You’d better co-operate or those notes on the computer are gonna seem like a Sunday picnic. I’m gonna remove my hand but you’d better not scream, cause if you do...”
Jessie didn’t want to imagine what he might do if she screamed again and she stood against him shaking, while he removed his hand from her mouth.
He guided her to the bedroom and pushed her on the bed then sit beside her. She dared to speak. “What do you want from me? I thought you were on my side.” Her voice was small and meek, giving him the power over her he desired.
“I am on your side,” he said almost penitently. “I’m sorry about the names. I got excited when you screamed. I only wanted to kiss you. I only wanted to be in your company. Why are you acting so cold, so distant?”
Jessie dared to look in his eyes. But he didn’t look angry now. He looked hurt and she was surprised by his reaction. Maybe, if she were resourceful, she could talk herself out of this situation.
“I’m sorry, Rick,” she said. “I overreacted...just like you. Can we start again?”
His face brightened and he smiled gently. “That’s better. Now get some things together, we’re going on a little trip.”
“But, Rick, I told you, I have to work tomorrow.”
His smile turned pertinacious. “I’m sorry, Jessica. It’s for your own good. It’s for your protection. Someone at work might be trying to kill you. I can’t take that chance. I can’t lose you again.”
“Why are you saying that? As if we meant something to each other in the past. I never saw you before the other day at the police station. Who are you anyway?”
“That’s enough,” he barked petulantly. “Get going. If you don’t pack, we’ll just leave anyway. It’s up to you.”
He had changed again and Jessie jumped. She’d better play things his way — at least until she could find an opportunity to break away from him. Frantically she threw clothes into an overnight bag. She zipped it shut and he wasted no time shoving her towards the door. He spun her around in front of him and
backed out of the apartment door.
His arm jammed against her throat and Jessie winced. She took a quick look around her apartment and wondered if it was the last time she’d ever see it or taste freedom. With a thrust of his other arm, Rick caught the apartment door then pushed Jessie along the hallway and towards the elevator.
****
In her apartment Liz made a decision. She had to go to Jessie and tell her everything. How she was jealous over Kent and sent the e mail messages to frighten Jessie. But when Jessie grew closer to Kent, Liz blamed the messages on him. She had so much wanted Kent for herself that her friendship with Jessie seemed secondary. But now things had gotten way out of hand. And ever since she’d met Alan, Liz was no longer attracted to Kent in the same way.
She rose from her rocking chair where she’d spent the last half hour thinking, trying to come up with a suitable solution that wouldn’t incriminate her yet would exonerate Kent. All she wanted now was for Kent and Jessie to get back together, and for her and Alan to develop a relationship. But there was no good way to straighten things out.
She reached for her car keys on the kitchen table and headed for Jessie’s place. Maybe Jessie would throw her out when she told her the part she’d played in everything. Maybe she’d never again have a chance with Alan, but she had to take a chance now. It was too important to her for her own sense of pride and respect. And she was the only one who could end the terror she’d begun with the fake e mail scare.
The haunting moon turned night into day and Liz could clearly make out the brick pediment that crowned the front of Jessie’s building. She parked beneath the tall trees across from her friend’s apartment and reached for her car door, but stopped when she saw Jessie and a very tall policeman walking down the steps. Jessie carried a suitcase. Liz leaned back on her seat hoping she wouldn’t be noticed.
She watched curiously as Jessie stopped walking and turned to the cop and spoke. The man, who was very close behind her, gave her a shove. Jessie stumbled but caught herself from falling and managed to keep hold of the luggage. He quickly seized her arm and walked her to his car— a police cruiser. He opened the side door and shoved her inside.
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