She went to the kitchen for a drink of water and stared
through the window into the backyard.
After several moments, she realized what she
was doing. She was looking for her dog. She scanned the tree line several times
before giving up and going back to bed. She fell back asleep almost instantly,
but it was a restless sleep, plagued with dark images of a man in a mask and a
glinting knife.
“What were you dreaming about last night,”
asked Tara. “You were tossing and turning a lot.”
Melanie sighed. “Honestly? I was dreaming
about him. That man that attacked me. He’s still after me, Tara.”
“What? What do you mean ‘still’?”
Melanie went to her dresser and pulled open
the top drawer. She pulled out the note and handed it to Tara. “I found this in
my locker last week.”
Tara read the note with wide eyes. “Why didn’t
you tell me?”
“I’m sorry. I figured you would think I was
crazy and I was scared to show it to you.”
“Mel! I don’t think you’re crazy. I know you’re
crazy. But that is beside the point! Did you tell your mom? The cops? Anyone?”
Melanie shook her head and said, “Jeremy
knows. He was with me when I found it. But no, I didn’t tell anyone else
besides you. The police have been calling my mom every few days to report that
they have no leads, but I know they’ll just think this is a prank and that I’m
being paranoid.”
“How do you know it’s not? This smells like
Sissy all over.”
“See? That’s what I mean. And it’s him, Tara.
Read it again. The words ‘little girl’ and ‘perfect match’ are the exact words
he used when he…attacked me. He used those words deliberately, so I would know
it was him.”
“Well, then you have to tell someone, Mel!
This is dangerous and you need protection.”
“Tara, calm down and listen to me. My mom is
already freaked out and if I show her this, that’ll be it. If she doesn’t move
us right out of town, she’d, at the very least, put me on lockdown and never
let me go out. And I have to go out, Tara. I have to see Jeremy. I finally have
everything I ever wanted with him, and I refuse to let this, this jackhole rip
it from me.”
“Jackhole?” Tara laughed, the tension easing.
Melanie smiled back at her. “Yeah, you know,
jackhole. A cross between a jackass and an asshole.”
Tara smiled for about two seconds, then it
fell from her face. “How do we keep you safe?”
“Well, I’ve been thinking about that. I think
we need to go on the offensive. We need to figure who this guy is and the
suspect pool just got narrowed down extensively. This was in my locker. That
means it’s someone from our school.”
Tara blanched. “Oh my God! That didn’t even
occur to me.”
“With you, Jeremy and me putting our heads
together, we can figure this out. I know it.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
She was smart, he’d give her that. But then,
he already knew that about her. He knew how intelligent she was, how witty, how
beautiful. But she was also insecure, something he found incredibly sexy. She
had no idea how desirable he found her, how much he wanted to possess her, body
and soul.
He sat in a car, one he had rented solely for
this purpose, parked a few houses down from hers. He couldn’t have anyone
recognize his vehicle on this street, after all. He wore dark shades and a
baseball cap and he sat, staring for hours, willing her front door to open and
for her to walk out just so he could catch a glimpse.
The weekends seemed to last for ages.
Sometimes he saw her out and about. Sometimes he followed her and watched her.
But most weekends, he played it safe and stayed away. He wasn’t stupid. That’s
how stupid people get caught; going back to the “scene of the crime,” as it
were. Two whole days without seeing that luscious body drove him crazy though,
so here he was, waiting and thinking about how smart she was.
That note was a work of pure genius.
Precise enough that she’d know it was him,
through the window into the backyard.
After several moments, she realized what she
was doing. She was looking for her dog. She scanned the tree line several times
before giving up and going back to bed. She fell back asleep almost instantly,
but it was a restless sleep, plagued with dark images of a man in a mask and a
glinting knife.
“What were you dreaming about last night,”
asked Tara. “You were tossing and turning a lot.”
Melanie sighed. “Honestly? I was dreaming
about him. That man that attacked me. He’s still after me, Tara.”
“What? What do you mean ‘still’?”
Melanie went to her dresser and pulled open
the top drawer. She pulled out the note and handed it to Tara. “I found this in
my locker last week.”
Tara read the note with wide eyes. “Why didn’t
you tell me?”
“I’m sorry. I figured you would think I was
crazy and I was scared to show it to you.”
“Mel! I don’t think you’re crazy. I know you’re
crazy. But that is beside the point! Did you tell your mom? The cops? Anyone?”
Melanie shook her head and said, “Jeremy
knows. He was with me when I found it. But no, I didn’t tell anyone else
besides you. The police have been calling my mom every few days to report that
they have no leads, but I know they’ll just think this is a prank and that I’m
being paranoid.”
“How do you know it’s not? This smells like
Sissy all over.”
“See? That’s what I mean. And it’s him, Tara.
Read it again. The words ‘little girl’ and ‘perfect match’ are the exact words
he used when he…attacked me. He used those words deliberately, so I would know
it was him.”
“Well, then you have to tell someone, Mel!
This is dangerous and you need protection.”
“Tara, calm down and listen to me. My mom is
already freaked out and if I show her this, that’ll be it. If she doesn’t move
us right out of town, she’d, at the very least, put me on lockdown and never
let me go out. And I have to go out, Tara. I have to see Jeremy. I finally have
everything I ever wanted with him, and I refuse to let this, this jackhole rip
it from me.”
“Jackhole?” Tara laughed, the tension easing.
Melanie smiled back at her. “Yeah, you know,
jackhole. A cross between a jackass and an asshole.”
Tara smiled for about two seconds, then it
fell from her face. “How do we keep you safe?”
“Well, I’ve been thinking about that. I think
we need to go on the offensive. We need to figure who this guy is and the
suspect pool just got narrowed down extensively. This was in my locker. That
means it’s someone from our school.”
Tara blanched. “Oh my God! That didn’t even
occur to me.”
“With you, Jeremy and me putting our heads
together, we can figure this out. I know it.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
She was smart, he’d give her that. But then,
he already knew that about her. He knew how intelligent she was, how witty, how
beautiful. But she was also insecure, something he found incredibly sexy. She
had no idea how desirable he found her, how much he wanted to possess her, body
and soul.
He sat in a car, one he had rented solely for
this purpose, parked a few houses down from hers. He couldn’t have anyone
recognize his vehicle on this street, after all. He wore dark shades and a
baseball cap and he sat, staring for hours, willing her front door to open and
for her to walk out just so he could catch a glimpse.
The weekends seemed to last for ages.
Sometimes he saw her out and about. Sometimes he followed her and watched her.
But most weekends, he played it safe and stayed away. He wasn’t stupid. That’s
how stupid people get caught; going back to the “scene of the crime,” as it
were. Two whole days without seeing that luscious body drove him crazy though,
so here he was, waiting and thinking about how smart she was.
That note was a work of pure genius.
Precise enough that she’d know it was him,
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