Darkness Lurks

by J. L. Drake

  Garrett nodded. “I know, but the sooner the better.” We sat in silence for a few moments.

  I took a big breath, sensing there was more. “What else?”

  Garrett shifted. “It wasn’t like a normal attack on a stranger. It was almost like he knew her. He was so calm, so in control.”

  “Do you think she knows him?”

  Garrett shook his head. “I don’t think so. She didn’t act differently when he spoke to her.” He looked off at the wall. “I just can’t believe that no one helped her. She looked so fragile. How could anyone do this to her?” He paused, coming back to his original thought. “But he said something to spook her. You can see it on her face. I think that’s why she won’t talk.”

  I spun the bottle cap, thinking. “We need to find that trucker.”

  ***

  Lasko

  I slipped my brass ring on over my index finger. I lit the lighter and started running the flame over the top of it. When it was scorching hot, I pressed it to my chest.

  I clenched my jaws together as beads of sweat rolled down my temples. My whole body shook as the intense pain coursed through my veins. I slowly dropped my hand to my lap and flopped back against the chair. I gazed down at the eye that was staring back at me and caught my triumphant smile in the reflection of the glass. Yes, I did see everything.

  ***

  Emily

  I hit my alarm button, rolling over and realizing I was alone. Had Seth even come to bed last night? I walked into my bathroom, showered, and curled my hair. When I came into the kitchen, I found Seth dressed for work and reading the newspaper. “Hey,” he said as I reached for the coffee pot.

  I poured a cup. “Hi.” He didn’t say much more than that. I ate an apple at the counter. Things definitely felt…off. I glanced at the clock. Shoot! I was going to be late. I looked at Seth. “Well, have a good day.”

  He stood up and put his dishes in the sink. “Em.”

  I whirled around. “Yeah?”

  “Be careful today.”

  “Always.” I walked toward the door. “You too.” He couldn’t possibly know how much I meant it.

  I met Erin at school, and she handed me a coffee. “You okay? You look like you’ve got something on your mind.”

  I shook my head clear. “Just tired. Well, I’d better get to class. Thanks.” I held up my coffee cup. “See you at The Goose at five.”

  I walked into the large stadium classroom, taking a seat off to the side a few rows up from the front. I pulled out my earphones and rested my phone on my book. The class started filling quickly.

  “This seat taken?” a tall, blond guy asked as he dropped his bag on the floor. I shook my head as he settled in next to me. He flipped open his red bag. Pulling out a Mac, he placed a microphone on the top of his computer and pointed it in the direction of the podium. “You a Yorke fan?” he asked, pointing to my iPhone, which was playing “Paranoid Android” by Radiohead.

  “Yes, it calms me.”

  He smirked at my joke. “It’s their best album. Nice to know I’m sitting next to someone who has good taste in music. I think we could be friends.”

  “Is that so?” I said, giving him a small laugh as the professor organized things at his desk.

  “I’m Scott.” He leaned over, offering his hand.

  “Emily. Nice to meet you.”

  “He’s not wearing a wedding ring,” a girl behind us whispered loudly to her friend. “I wonder if he offers private tutoring.” She giggled.

  I shook my head at Scott who raised an eyebrow at the girl. She had a point, though. The professor was maybe five years older than I was, making him roughly twenty-seven. He resembled Chris Hemsworth, only his hair was brown.

  “Hello, and welcome to my criminology class. I’m Professor Dean,” he said. As he smiled, I thought I heard all the girls in the class sigh with delight.

  I had only just decided to take this class. I hoped I would enjoy it and maybe understand the criminal mind better. And hey, it never hurt having a few more classes under the belt.

  “Now,” he said, tucking his hair behind his ear. “This is not your typical criminology class. We will be studying cases and learning how to examine a crime scene. We will try to solve the case using the clues we find. This is a ‘think outside the box’ kind of class, people. We will study criminal minds to see how they tick.” He stopped, giving a serious face. “I hope you all have strong stomachs, because it’s gonna get graphic.” He flicked a picture up on the screen above him.

  It showed a woman lying on her bed with a gunshot wound through her head. A few gasps came from behind me. Clearly Professor Dean liked the shock factor, or maybe he was just trying to weed out the weak.

  “Now,” he said, pointing to the picture, “what do you see?”

  ***

  Seth

  I sat at a desk and replayed the video from the gas station over and over. Garrett glanced at me a few times, and finally muttered, “Take a break, man.”

  I ignored him, flicking my pen back and forth between my fingers.

  “Connors, a moment, please,” our sergeant ordered. I looked at Garrett, and then headed into the sergeant’s office. Detective Michaels stood next to Sarge’s desk and pointed to a seat for me. “So, Emily McPhee is your roommate?”

  I nodded.

  “Sorry for what happened to her. Has she said anything more to you about that night?”

  “No, nothing other than what I already told you.”

  Detective Michaels moved his lips around like he was carefully choosing his next words. “You need to find a way to make her talk.” He tossed a photo in front of me. “We can’t get much off the video. Gas stations don’t exactly have high tech camera systems.”

  “That’s it?” I rubbed my head, not believing they couldn’t find anything.

  “Look, this isn’t TV. We can’t make it any clearer than that. And besides, he’s wearing a ski mask, in case you didn’t notice.”

  “What about her clothes?”

  “Still waiting, should be back from the lab this week,” Sarge said, glancing at his phone.

  I sucked in such a deep breath that my lungs ached. “So, basically, until she actually tells us something, we have nothing to go on? Where the hell is the trucker? Where the hell is the goddamn gas attendant? I find it hard to believe that not one person saw anything! That’s crap!”

  Sarge moved in closer. “The gas station attendant said he went out back to the stock room because he heard a noise. He’s seventeen. He probably went back for a smoke. Unfortunately, he didn’t see or hear anything, nor did anyone else.”

  He leaned back to look over my shoulder. “Because McPhee said he knew her name and threatened her life if she talked, I’ll get a couple of our guys to stay with her during the day. As for you, Connors, get her in here looking at mug shots, soon. We need anything that will help identify this creep. We have an APB out for the trucker, and Michaels is in communication with the trucking company. It shouldn’t be too long before we can talk to him.”

  He paused, reading my stricken expression. “My advice, and I suggest you take it, is that it’s easier to protect someone when there aren’t feelings to get in the way.”

  I looked up at him. “Are we done here?” I asked flatly. I could feel my anger rising, and I needed to get out of there before I did or said something I’d regret later.

  Sarge nodded, looking at Michaels and then at me. “Yeah, we’re done for now.”

  I jumped to my feet and flew out the door. I locked eyes with Garrett. “Let’s talk.”

  ***

  Emily

  I sat cross-legged on my bed. As I brought up my emails, I saw there was one from Mom with the subject line ‘Condo listings.’ I immediately deleted it. I sighed, hating how when she got an idea in her head she just wouldn’t give it a rest. I moved my mouse over to the web browser and started doing some research for my sociology paper that was due next week.

  I heard the f
ront door open and the sound of the security system being set. Seth must be home. I checked the time, thinking he must have gone to the gym after his shift. I debated going downstairs, but it bothered me how cold he had been this morning, so I decided I’d leave him be. He could just be moody and quiet by himself.

  I was so engulfed in my paper that I didn’t hear him knock on my door.

  “Em,” Seth said from behind me. I jumped, seeing him standing in my doorway. “How was school?”

  “Fine, met some nice people.” He nodded, looking tired. “You go to the gym?”

  “No, I had some work to do after my shift.” He hooked his thumbs in his belt. “I’m heading to bed.”

  I didn’t say anything as he turned and walked to his room. It wasn’t until I heard his door shut that I turned my attention back to my laptop. I tried to focus after that, but it was no use. I closed my computer rather loudly and flopped back onto my pillows. I knew they said women were hard to read, but clearly they hadn’t met Seth.

  Chapter Three

  I woke up feeling upset about my relationship with Seth. He must have felt it was a mistake to take it to the level we had. My stomach churned with disappointment. I got ready for school, quickly shoving my arms through my dress. I glanced in the mirror, looking at my short white dress, with pink heels that matched the pink belt.

  I shrugged. It was cute. It would do. Seth wasn’t in the kitchen. I guessed he had a later shift, so I grabbed a bagel and left, hating how things were between us. I almost wished it hadn’t happened so I could have my friend back. Why did humans consistently make this mistake? Friendship was better than nothing at all.

  After my morning classes, I went to the library to study. Seth texted me a few times to see where I was. I sighed, not answering. I didn’t care if that made me bratty. I just wasn’t in the mood to respond. I closed my book and tossed my pen aside.

  “Hey,” Scott quietly said, coming up behind me, “you leaving?”

  “Yes, I’m meeting Erin for a bite at The Goose. Do you want to come?”

  “Sure.” He helped me pack up. He held the door open for me as he told me a funny story about his professor. Then I heard my name being called. I turned to see Seth and Garrett standing next to their squad car.

  Scott looked at me, puzzled. “You know them?”

  I walked over, and Scott followed. Seth stepped forward. He seemed much larger than Scott when they stood side by side.

  I swallowed the ball of anxiety crawling up my throat. “What’s up?” I hoped my voice sounded steady. Seth had sunglasses on, but I could tell he was staring at Scott by the way his jaw was flexing.

  Garrett leaned in, swooping me up in one of his big bear hugs. “Hey, beautiful.”

  I stepped back, smiling at Garrett. No matter what, he was always such a sweetheart to me. “Scott, these are my friends, Garrett and Seth.”

  Scott smiled slightly. “Nice to meet you.” He turned to me. “I’ll see you at the pub. Take it easy, guys.”

  I nodded. Seth looked at Garrett, then caught my hand and pulled me over to the side.

  “What’s going on?” I asked, confused.

  “I need to talk you.”

  I felt a flash of anger. “Oh, now you want to talk to me? Okay, go ahead,” I snapped in a sarcastic voice.

  He pressed his lips together. I could tell he was surprised by my mood.

  A call came out over the radio. He tilted his ear to one side. “55 Charlie, 10-18, need your assistance,” the dispatcher said.

  Seth clicked his radio. “10-4.” He sighed. “Shit, I have to go.”

  I stepped back. “Yeah, well, see ya,” I said as I walked away.

  I arrived at The Goose to see Erin and Scott waiting for me.

  “What did your friends want?” Scott asked, pulling out my chair for me.

  “What friends?” Erin asked as she dipped a pita chip into some hummus.

  Scott leaned in. “Her cop friends.”

  Erin shot me a look. “What did Seth want?”

  I shrugged. “How should I know? He got a call before I could find out.” It bothered me that Seth came to my school to talk to me when he could just do it at home. What the hell was going on with him? I decided to push it out of my mind and enjoy my company for the evening.

  ***

  Lasko

  I squinted as I saw her walking out to the parking lot with him. He was clearly in love with her. He was hanging on her every word. He even had the nerve to touch her elbow as they laughed together. I was still fuming about Scott when I saw him move his seat closer to Emily when they were in the pub earlier.

  I decided I needed to give Emily a little reminder that I was still out there, and still watching. I lifted my beer can that was wrapped in a brown paper bag to my lips and downed the rest of it in one swallow. I tossed it in my back seat and opened another.

  ***

  Emily

  I waved at Scott as I pulled my keys out of my purse and unlocked my car. I stopped a few feet away when I saw a card resting under my wiper. I looked around and reached for the envelope. As my fingers pulled the white card out, a shiver ran up my spine.

  In the skinny typed print were the words:

  You’re making me angry again, Emily.

  “Oh my God!” I whispered, debating what I should do next. Could this be him? Or was it just some sick joke?’ No. No one else knew what he had said to me. No one but the attacker could have known what words to use.

  I shoved the card into my purse and quickly hopped into my car, locking the doors. Ice water ran through my veins, freezing me from the inside out. I turned up the heat, but nothing made my muscles relax.

  I reached for my phone, debating whether or not I should call Seth. After a few calming moments, I decided just to go home. I didn’t need any more attention than I was already getting. Rear mirrors, side mirrors, front windshield—I repeated those actions the whole way home, convinced he was behind me.

  I flexed my fingers as I released my seatbelt. They were sore from the death grip I had had on my steering wheel. I nervously went for the door handle, telling myself it was only twelve steps to my door.

  Thankfully, Seth was already home, and the door was unlocked. I nearly toppled forward trying to get in. I slammed the door behind me, locking it. Then I closed my eyes as my head fell back against the door with a thud.

  “Are you okay?” Seth asked, standing up from the couch.

  “Yeah,” I whispered as I quickly walked upstairs to my room. I ran a hot bubble bath and undressed, pulling my hair up out of the water’s reach. I dimmed the lights and slipped into my deep, claw-foot tub. The water instantly soothed my tense muscles.

  I reached over for the remote and turned on some soothing music. Lying back, I closed my eyes and breathed in the light scent of jasmine. My day was running through my mind when I heard a soft knock. I looked over and saw Seth, his arms up and his hands hooked on the top door frame. I leaned my head back, not saying anything.

  “Can I talk to you?” he said quietly. I didn’t move. He went on. “It’s about the guy who attacked you.” My stomach sank. I had hoped he was going to talk about us.

  “He’s…”

  “…still watching me,” I finished for him. He came closer, looking confused. “My purse,” I said, pointing at the bathroom counter.

  He picked it up, opened it, and pulled out the little white note.

  “When did you get this?” he snapped.

  I looked back at the wall. “Tonight. It was on the windshield of my car.”

  He read it again. “Were you going to tell me?”

  I wanted to.

  “You haven’t been talking much,” I said.

  He looked at me, hurt. Then his face changed back to his stern ‘Officer Connors’ persona. “I need to call Garrett.”

  I nodded. “Yup.”

  He pulled out his phone. “Does this not scare you, Em?”

  Yes, more than anything, but when I talke
d to him about it, I felt like an ice cube. It was like I had pushed all the pain and fear in a box and tucked it neatly away in the back of my brain where everything was filed just so.

  “What do you think is making him angry?” he asked, staring at the note and then at me.

  Oh! It just hit me. First Jacob at the beach was flirting with me, and now… “Scott,” I whispered.

  Seth’s eyes narrowed. “The guy you were with this morning?”

  “Yes,” I answered, but I was lost in my thoughts. This crazy guy must have thought Scott liked me. Did that mean Scott was a target too? I shuddered.

  “Emily, why Scott?” Seth looked like he wanted to shake me.

  “Because we’ve been hanging out a bit. Maybe he thinks we’re dating?” Seth’s jaw flexed, but he quickly recovered.

  “I see.” He closed his eyes. “Come on, Garrett!” He ended the call and tried it again. “Why do you have to be so goddamned stubborn, Em?” He held up the note. “You should’ve called me the moment you got this. I would have come for you. This is a big deal!” He closed his eyes. “I get that you had a hard upbringing with your mother…and I know you lost your father early, but you need to let people in. Let us help you. You can’t do everything by yourself. You could get killed!” He quickly turned. “Finally, Garrett! She got a note.” He walked angrily out of the bathroom.

  His words stung. I didn’t need to hear him yell at Garrett about me. I slid down in the tub until my head was under the water. I could only hear my heartbeat.

  I wasn’t going to deal with this tonight, so I went to bed after my bath, though it took a long time to fall asleep.

  I left early the next morning. I didn’t want to run into Seth. I was doing well in my classes, and I enjoyed them when I could focus. My friendship with Scott seemed to be growing nicely. That made me a little nervous, but I couldn’t tell him why.