The Stares of Strangers

by Jennifer L. Jennings

  “That's nice,” I said, “So I take it things are going well? You still don't get any vibes that Jessica knows about you and Caleb?”

  When Penny stopped chopping and pursed her lips, I knew I'd hit a sensitive nerve. “Jess doesn't know anything, trust me.”

  “Okay. Just making sure. So, Carter and I will be back later to resume the stakeout. In the meantime, we'll keep an eye on the surveillance. When will your housemates be home?”

  “They should be here in half an hour. You don't have to wait around, I'll be fine.”

  “Okay, just remember, don't answer the door for strangers. Play it safe.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I know, I know.”

  “And Penny, just be aware of your surroundings. If something doesn't seem right, give us a call immediately. But if you feel you are in imminent danger, call 911.”

  She waved a hand, as if I needn't bother with the lecture. “Got it.”

  Chapter 16

  Later that night, Carter and I resumed the stakeout. I made an effort this time to stay up as long as I could.

  Everything seemed quiet until around midnight when Carter's voice broke the silence.

  “Sarah, looks like we got something.”

  I sat up and rubbed my eyes. “What is it?”

  Carter pointed to the laptop screen. “The surveillance camera in the rear door. It's hard to see without any light, but there's someone in her backyard right now.”

  I couldn't see anything. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I'm sure.” Carter threw on his jacket and grabbed the flashlight and his gun. “Wait here and keep a visual on the street.”

  Before I had a chance to say anything, Carter slipped out the door. My heart raced as I ran to the window to peer outside, just in time to see Carter dash across the street, through the driveway and into Penny's backyard. I kept my eyes peeled for any motion in the area, but all seemed still.

  My first thought was, maybe Carter had seen something on the surveillance that wasn't there. The mind plays tricks on you when you're tired. Heck, it could've been a tree branch falling, or a wild animal like a deer or even a moose.

  I kept my eyes glued to the street, even though I wanted to turn around and watch the surveillance, to see if Carter had caught anyone. But a few seconds later, I saw him come around the house and head back.

  “Well?” I asked, when he finally returned to the bedroom. “Just a false alarm?”

  “No. Somebody was back there. I noticed tracks in the snow that lead directly to the back door of the neighbor's house on the left.”

  “That's Karen's house. She has a dog and maybe he wandered into Penny's back yard.”

  Carter shook his head. “These tracks were not from a dog, or any other kind of animal, Sarah. I took a few pictures of them, see here?”

  He showed me the image from his cell phone. The tracks were definitely made from a human. One image showed Carter's boot right next to it, as a size comparison. “What would you estimate this person's shoe size to be?”

  “I'm an eleven,” Carter said. “So this person must be around a 9. But if he or she was wearing snow boots, then the actual shoe size could be smaller. It's really hard to determine. Remind me again who lives in that house.”

  “Her name is Karen and she's a single mother with a thirteen year old son.”

  Carter removed his jacket and placed the gun on the table. He went to the laptop and rewound the surveillance footage. Unfortunately, the camera angle was such that anything outside of ten feet became blurry. We could detect movement in the background, but it was impossible to determine any features of the individual in black.

  Carter ran a hand through his hair and looked out the window again. “Whoever it was must have heard me running across the street giving that person just enough time to get back into the house unseen. I'm telling you, however, the tracks lead right to the back door.”

  I dropped into a chair and exhaled. “Okay, so what do you think?”

  Carter sat down next to me and rubbed his hands together. “Tell me about the kid who lives there. Did you meet him?”

  “No, I just spoke to his mother but I saw pictures of the boy all over the place. He's a good looking kid and, apparently, a star basketball player according to all the trophies around. She's obviously a proud mom.”

  “What about the father? Is he out of the picture?”

  “I guess. She never mentioned him and I didn't see any kind of father figure in any of the photos.”

  “Thirteen, huh?” Carter rubbed his chin as if the number meant something to him. “Puberty is an interesting time for boys. The testosterone messes with your brain. I can picture it; he's out in the backyard playing with his dog. He sees his beautiful neighbor through her bedroom window, walking around in her underwear. He can't tear his eyes away and it's the beginning of his infatuation. The infatuation turns into obsession. Pretty soon, he can't control himself, he keeps needing more to feed his fantasy. Eventually, he resorts to stealing her underwear, because it's one step closer to actually being with her. Not to be gross, but the kid probably masturbates with them as often as he can get away with.”

  The thought of it gave me chills, but I had to agree with Carter. “Okay, stealing the underwear sort of makes sense, but then why would he deliver those photographs of Penny? What purpose does that serve in his fantasy?”

  “Maybe he wants her to know that he's watching.”

  “Penny told me she's never even talked to the kid. She says he's shy and won't even look at her when they cross paths.”

  “Well, that just proves my point. He obviously feels awkward around her, because he's hiding a secret but, eventually, if the obsession keeps growing, it has to surface in some way, shape or form.”

  “The big question is, though, will his obsession turn violent?”

  Carter tapped his finger on the window, toward the neighbor's house. “It's only a matter of time until he steps it up. The kid needs an intervention. Just like an addiction to drugs or alcohol, this deviant behavior needs to be dealt with.”

  “I'll talk to the kid's mother in the morning. Maybe she'd be willing to go into his bedroom and look for Penny's underwear. Although, I have a feeling she won't be inclined to cooperate. Parents never want to believe their own kid is capable of doing something bad.”

  “Then you'll just have to remind her that the police are involved,” Carter said. “I'm sure the last thing she wants is a bunch of cops rifling through her house.”

  “So, what in the world was this kid planning to do in Penny's backyard, in the middle of the night, in single digit temperatures?”

  “Like I said; obsession over comfort. He was probably hoping to catch a glimpse of Penny through her window. To get his fix.”

  I moaned. “But he's so young. I mean, thirteen is practically a baby.”

  “His hormones beg to differ,” Carter said.

  “Look, let's not jump to conclusions. Let me talk to the mother before we say anything to Penny or Officer Bouchard. I don't want to put this kid through any unnecessary turmoil if we're totally wrong about this.”

  “Fair enough.” Carter yawned and checked his watch. “It's only half past midnight. Still have six hours to go. I don't think the kid will venture out again. I have a feeling I might have spooked him.”

  Chapter 17

  Carter, being the awesome man he is, let me sleep straight through until 6:30am. Again.

  “Has Penny left for work?” I asked, sitting on the edge of the bed, putting my shoes on.

  “Yep. We can pack up now and head out.”

  “Thank God.” I was eager to get home and take a shower. Even though I felt rested, sleeping in a strange bed gives me weird dreams.

  On the way back to my apartment, we stopped to pick up some bagels. We were so hungry, we devoured them in the car as we drove the rest of the way home.

  “I suppose you're going back to your house to get some sleep?” I asked when he pulled curbside
next to my place.

  “Yeah. I feel okay right now, but I'm sure I'll crash hard as soon as my head hits the pillow. What are you going to do?”

  “After a shower, I'm going back to see if Karen will talk to me about her son. I'm not looking forward to it.”

  “Good luck with that.” Carter leaned over for a kiss and our lips touched for a few tender moments. I wanted to linger there for much longer.

  “I'll call you later this afternoon,” I said. “Hope you have sweet dreams.”

  * * *

  By nine o'clock I was back in Penny's driveway, sitting in my car alone. Jessica, Caleb and Penny were all at work and, I assumed, Josh was in school.

  I also assumed Karen was home because her car was parked in the driveway. I took a deep breath and summoned all my courage, then went up to her front door and knocked.

  When Karen opened the door and saw me standing there, she smiled in surprise. “Sarah Woods, right?”

  “Yes,” I said. “I'm awfully sorry to bother you again.”

  “No problem. Come on in. I just boiled some water for tea. Would you like some?”

  I'd feel guilty accepting the kind gesture, especially after what I had to say to her. “No, but thank you anyway.”

  Karen must have sensed something was wrong because she froze, an expression of restrained terror. “Oh dear, did something else happen next door with Penny?”

  I usually don't have a hard time with face to face confrontation, but this was different. How do you begin to tell someone that you suspect their child of being a stalker?

  I decided to start by asking a question. “Were you and your son here alone last night?”

  “Yes. Why?”

  “Last night, just after midnight, our surveillance camera caught an image of someone in Penny's backyard. Later, we discovered tracks in the snow that lead to your back door. Were you asleep at that time?”

  She stared at me, eyes unblinking. “I suppose I was.”

  “Would your son have any reason to go into Penny's backyard after midnight? Maybe he was walking the dog?”

  She blinked. “Seems awfully late. But I don’t know why he’d go into the neighbor’s back yard, unless Quimby was chasing after a squirrel.”

  “Karen, I don't know how to bring this up without offending you. Maybe we should sit down while I explain.”

  She cocked her head and regarded me with trepidation. “Okay. Let's go into the kitchen.”

  Once we were sitting at the kitchen table, the kettle on the stove began to whistle and Karen jumped. “Oh shoot. I forgot all about the water. Excuse me for a second.”

  I could tell she was nervous by the way her hand shook as she poured water into a teacup.

  When she returned to the table, her breathing seemed to be labored. “Okay, please tell me what's going on.”

  “I wanted to come to you first,” I began. “To talk about Josh before I mentioned anything to Penny or the police. We found tracks in the snow last night that lead from your back door to Penny's backyard.”

  She waited silently for me to go on.

  I swallowed. “Josh seems like a great kid. I mean, I'm sure he's a great kid, but puberty is a confusing time for boys especially. I should know, because I have a son myself.”

  Karen sat back, realization dawning on her face. “Are you saying what I think you're saying?”

  “I have to ask, do you think your son might be obsessed with Penny?”

  “Obsessed? That's absurd.”

  “I think it's possible he was the one who stole her undergarments.”

  She shook her head in disbelief. “My son is not a thief. I can promise you that.”

  “I want to believe you but maybe you could take a look through Josh's room? Just to make sure?”

  “You want me to spy on my own son?”

  I shrugged. “He's a teenager. Teenagers are notorious for keeping secrets.”

  “I can assure you, my son does not keep secrets from me.”

  I wanted to tell her how naïve that sounded, but it would serve no purpose other than to hurt her even more. I raised my hands apologetically. “I don't blame you for being on the defensive but please just consider it. We could deal with this situation in-house and Josh doesn't have to get in trouble, assuming he's guilty. I hope he’s not.”

  “Do you have any proof that my son is involved? Is there a witness who actually saw him break into the house and take something? Or are those tracks in the snow the only thing you've got?”

  She was right. I had nothing else but a feeling in my gut and, the last time I checked, a hunch wasn't considered hard evidence.

  “Look, I'm really sorry to have upset you,” I said, already getting to my feet. “Perhaps I should leave.”

  “Ms. Woods, wait. Please.” She grasped my hand with desperation in her eyes. “The past few months have been hell for both of us. After his father left us, Josh has become introverted and distant. He feels rejected. Mark didn't even call him on his birthday. Heck, he hasn't called since he left at the end of October and, now, Josh is being accused of deviant sexual behavior? I mean, really? This is all too much.”

  “I'm so sorry to hear about Josh's dad,” I said. “But this situation won't magically go away just by ignoring it.”

  She exhaled a long breath and nodded. “I guess the only way I can convince you is to prove it. I'll look through Josh's room.”

  “Great, that's all I'm asking you to do.”

  Karen stood up with a determined look on her face. “You plan to wait here or are you coming?”

  “If it's all the same to you, I'd like to join you.”

  When I first walked into Josh's room, I couldn't believe my eyes. The place was immaculate. The bed was made, no dirty clothes strewn around, books neatly lined up on a bookshelf. On the computer desk was a laptop and a printer. Inside the printer tray appeared to be a glossy type of photo paper. I wondered if the color ink cartridge was running low on ink.

  She immediately began opening drawers and searching in a methodical fashion, as if she were hunting for a lost diamond ring.

  I didn't touch a thing. I kept my hands in my pockets the entire time while Karen continued to search the closet, under the bed, and inside an antique wooden toy chest. After ten minutes, she turned to me with arms outstretched. “Well, are you satisfied? Or should I keep digging?”

  There were many places a person could hide things, if they were creative enough but I certainly wasn't going to ask Karen to go tearing up the carpet or knocking down walls.

  “Yes,” I said. “I'm satisfied.”

  She exhaled through clenched teeth. “Well, if that's all, then I really need to get back to work.”

  “I understand. And thank you for doing this. I'm sorry I had to ask.”

  She said nothing as she walked me to the door. She was probably too embarrassed and pissed to look me in the eye. And I couldn't blame her.

  Chapter 18

  As I sat in my car thinking, I came to the conclusion that Josh could've hidden Penny's underwear somewhere outside his home. A friend's house, perhaps? A co-conspirator? Karen would never allow me to talk to her son at this point and, if I tried to approach him on my own without his mother's consent, I could get in a lot of trouble considering he's a minor.

  In my heart, however, I just wasn't convinced that Josh had the makings of a stalker. His mother seemed too involved in his life and I found it hard to believe that he could get away with anything without her knowledge. Of course, the flip side to that theory was; maybe she did know her son had deviant tendencies and was covering for him. Nonetheless, the question still remained; who had Penny's underwear?

  Another disturbing theory materialized; Karen's husband.

  Karen and her family had attended the Halloween party Penny and her housemates hosted a little over two months ago. Shortly thereafter, the husband left!

  Trent's friend, Marcy Thayer, had indicated to me she'd witnessed Penny “kissing an older du
de”. For a woman in her early twenties, older could mean thirties or forties. Could that have been Karen's husband and, if so, had Karen also seen the infamous kiss?

  Considering Penny's track record for seducing men, would anything stop her from seducing a married man? Probably not if she thought she could get away with it!

  Maybe the husband didn't leave his wife and child but, instead, was forced to leave because Karen found out that he was having an affair with Penny. If that were true, how could Karen stand to live next door to the girl who was responsible for breaking up her marriage?

  Of course, this was all conjecture until I knew for sure that Penny and the husband had been involved. If I asked Penny about it, would she tell me the truth?

  When I dialed Penny's cell number, it went to voicemail. I left a message for her to call me back as soon as possible. She was probably busy at work taking care of Janice.

  Who else might know about the possible affair? Penny might've confided in Jessica or Caleb about it but, if I were to approach them on the topic, they might not be inclined to disclose anything to me.

  The only other person I could think of who'd attended that Halloween party was Marcy Thayer. Maybe she'd remember what the guy looked like.

  I checked my watch - 10:00 am. I hated to call Carter and wake him up but I speed dialed his number anyway. He picked up on the first ring.

  “Sarah, what're you up to?”

  “Hey, sorry to bother you,” I said. “But I need a favor.”

  “I wasn't sleeping anyway. What do you need?”

  “I need a photo of Mark Gibbs, Karen's husband.”

  “Why?”

  “I just spoke to Karen about her son and I don't think he's the stalker. I watched her go through his room and we didn't find Penny's underwear. But ... I'm wondering about Karen. There's a chance her husband was messing around with Penny.”

  “Seriously? What gave you that idea?”

  “I'll explain later, I just need his photo to show someone. Can you email it to me?”