Stalker, Stalker

by Therese Sullivan

  Adam squared his shoulders and spoke in a firm voice. ‘She’s gone too far now. There’s no point in going to the police, they’ll believe her, but maybe I can get her fired.’

  I smiled at him, he was doing well. ‘I managed to get it all recorded on my phone, she wasn’t paying attention to me, so maybe we can let your boss hear that.’

  ‘I don’t think it would be enough yet,’ he replied. ‘But if she doesn’t leave us alone we’ll get enough to at least get her fired. You know, maybe if you go to the police with me we may be able to get them to take note. I’d say you could best her? What do you think?’

  ‘It’s definitely a possibility,’ I answered.

  I nodded at him! That should give Eliza something to think about.

  ‘Time for me to head out and let you get to work, huh! But first, I need a hug, please.’ I let my voice drop and sound needy.

  ‘Oh, honey, come here. I’m sorry she’s doing this just when we are finally getting everything sorted out.’ His last words were muffled as he gave me a bear hug. Apart from the theatre of it, I think we both needed the contact. Eliza was a damaged individual and being in her sphere for even a brief period was draining.

  ‘Did you want me to come by with lunch?’ I asked as he released me.

  ‘I might work through lunch, then I can get away from here on time. We can do something fun. We deserve it, don’t you think?’ he laughed. We hugged again so there was a muffled goodbye for the bug. He told me he would see me at home later.

  I left the office, saying a cheery goodbye to Mike on the way out. Arthur Benham was on his way in. Ah-ha, so that’s who reception had contacted.

  As I walked into reception, Eliza pulled away from the wall, and walked toward me.

  ‘You got this, Trina?’ I murmured.

  ‘Sure, do, sweet thing,’ came the voice in my ear.

  Trina, Caterina Marks. A specialist bodyguard, skilled at hiding in plain sight. Trina is slender, average height and looks, dark brown hair. She holds black belts in several arts. Also, being a weapons expert, she is as proficient with a knife as a gun. She works exclusively for Shamash, and often guards either Jethro or myself in dangerous cases. It helps me to know I have Trina watching my back.

  I stopped, waiting for Eliza to reach me. She came to a halt in front of me, but still outside my personal space, and smiled like we were best friends.

  ‘Why don’t we have a coffee and talk this over in a civil fashion?’ she said on a smile.

  ‘I don’t believe I have anything to say to you!’ I replied politely, but with a tight smile.

  Eliza bared her teeth, more a grimace than a smile, her eyes showing no emotion at all.

  ‘I have something to say to you though, and it would be better for you to listen.’

  ‘Still no thanks to coffee, though,’ I stated firmly. ‘If I’m going to sit down and pay for a coffee with someone, I must like, or at least respect them. As I have nothing but pity and disgust for you, coffee is out. You lost the right to have a civil conversation with me the minute you opened your mouth and let all that drivel gush forth.’

  Despite my words I remained polite and kept my face neutral.

  I moved as if to go around her to the door. She stepped into my space then and grabbed my arm, her talons digging in just above my elbow.

  ‘Do not make the mistake of walking away from me,’ she hissed.

  I said nothing but looked pointedly at her hand, my face still impassive.

  Her face was starting to display her temper. ‘If you know what’s good for you, leave my man alone!’ Her voice vibrated with anger, her carefully constructed façade was crumbling, and I knew the receptionist was watching avidly. Eliza seemed to have forgotten we were in a public place.

  ‘I think you’ll find Adam is his own man! He’s made it very clear he has no interest in you. Now, get your hand off my arm.’

  Eliza glared and tightened her grip, deliberately digging her nails in. I reached up with my other hand and, grasping her wrist, pressed on the nerve point to open her fingers. Her hand fell from my arm.

  ‘Stay away from us both,’ I said calmly, and stepping around, her walked to the door.

  ‘He is mine, always has been! After all I’ve done to get him back, no perky little whore will stop me. You’ve been warned!’

  I said nothing and kept walking. As I got to the street I pulled out my phone. I didn’t want to look like I was talking to myself.

  ‘Did you get all that, Trina?’

  ‘I did! I know Adam said he didn’t know her, before she started working for him, but that sure sounds like she knew him!’

  ‘Can you get onto Mike and get him to try and jog Adam’s memory? I think we may be running out of time, and I feel like we’re missing a vital piece of the puzzle.’

  ‘No worries,’ Trina said cheerfully.

  Having finished talking to Trina, I dialled a number and put the phone back to my ear. Sara answered on the first ring.

  ‘JB! Good timing, we were just about to ring you.’

  ‘Just as well you didn’t, I was using my phone as cover to talk to Trina.’

  ‘Oh! Now I wish I had!’ she laughed.

  I laughed with her, thankful for the release. I then sobered as I recounted my interaction with Eliza.

  ‘I think we’re missing something in her past, and I think it may be important,’ I added.

  ‘Step ahead of you there, my lovely.’ Sara sounded positively gleeful. ‘That’s what we were going to ring you about. Jules has just found Eliza and Adam went to the same school. He probably won’t remember because she was a couple of years behind him and she’s obviously had surgery. She had a much bigger nose!’

  ‘Shit!’ I exclaimed. ‘Can you ring Mike and tell him? I have him trying to jog Adam’s memory. He needs to make Adam aware of this, it may help!’

  ‘Will do! Where are you going now?’ she asked.

  ‘I’m coming back to the apartment. See you soon.’

  I hung up and flicked a text to Jethro. Going back to apartment. Meet me there. Urgent.

  Chapter Nineteen

  I had time to make a coffee and go in next door before Jethro arrived.

  ‘What’s happened?’ he asked, as he walked in the door.

  ‘They’ve found the missing link,’ I said, indicating Sara and Jules.

  Jules looked up as I moved into his line of sight, and gave me a grin, handing me a sheaf of papers. I took them and laid them out on the table. Jethro threw his jacket across a chair, grabbed a coffee and sat beside me. Jules stayed hunched over his machines, but Sara joined us.

  Jules very rarely joined these discussions, not because he was deaf, but because he saw conversation as a waste of the time he could better use searching for information. As he was so good at finding things, we didn’t push him to join us any more. If he had something to say he’d join us, otherwise he let Sara deal with the meetings.

  Ronan stayed on the couch, watching the building monitors. Alert, in case required.

  Sara explained what they had found.

  ‘Shit!’ Jethro exclaimed.

  Sara laughed. ‘Exactly JB’s reaction. You two have been together too long.’ We laughed at the truth of the remark.

  I was pulling out photos from the sheaf Jules had handed me. There was a yearbook photo, and Sara was right, Eliza had changed her nose. It didn’t look like the same person till you looked closely. I wouldn’t have connected the two, except I had been told what I was looking at.

  Sara reached over and extracted another photo. This one was obviously a school play. Two figures, surrounded by a group of girls. She indicated the taller central figure. ‘Look closely,’ she said.

  ‘It’s Adam,’ I stated, looking at a younger version of the man he was to become.

  ‘Yep!’ Sara agreed. ‘Now look at this girl.’ She pointed to a small figure in the back.

  I gasped. ‘It’s Eliza, before the nose job!’

  The most
interesting thing about the photo was that while everyone was focussed on the female figure out front with Adam, the one clearly speaking lines, Eliza was focussed on Adam.

  Jethro was leaning over my shoulder, studying the photo carefully. ‘Oh, shit,’ he said again.

  ‘I was going to say that,’ I laughed.

  ‘You do know what this means, right?’ Jethro sat back in his chair, still looking at the photo. ‘It was a teenage fantasy, unrequited love for the school hero. But when her college boyfriend let her down, and she was so humiliated, she had to find a reason. It couldn’t just be that she wasn’t what he wanted.’ He paused, and I picked up the thought.

  ‘She must have remembered Adam and recalled that as a time she had been happy. She’s built her school crush into something much more. He became her symbol of happiness, perhaps! It would explain a lot.’ I handed the thread back to Jethro.

  ‘The death of her college boyfriend was punishment for his betrayal but everything else—’ Jethro looked at me, more serious than I had seen him for some time.

  I continued for him. ‘Everything else was working towards Adam. That’s why she let Dawson go.’

  I looked from Sara to Jethro, seeing in their eyes they were thinking the same.

  ‘So, at the rate she’s escalating, her next move will be very soon.’ Sara added her voice.

  “And is likely to be deadly,’ Jethro finished.

  We sat quietly for a moment, working through possible scenarios. Although we had no more proof, we knew for sure now what we were dealing with.

  ‘We need to make sure we control the time and place,’ Jethro announced. ‘We have to make sure we can keep everyone safe.’

  ‘We have to lure her to the apartment. That gives us the best chance of containment,’ I stated firmly.

  We were all silent a moment longer.

  Finally, Sara looked up, a wicked gleam in her eyes: this should be good. ‘What if you ring Adam, say you want to meet him at the office after work? That you want to take him to dinner to celebrate.’ she grinned as she continued with her idea. ‘You could tell him you have good news for him! News that he can celebrate with champagne, but you’ll have to stick to juice.’

  ‘Brilliant!’ I said. ‘Bloody brilliant! That should certainly be enough to tip her over the edge.’

  ‘And, with you guys out in public, she’ll likely not risk tipping her hand. But if we choose the restaurant, we can keep you safe anyway. And if she decides to try something, well, we can get her that way,’ Sara added.

  Jethro interjected, ‘From the way she’s operated in the past, I think she is more likely to try to find evidence. Make sure she knows what she’s up against. Hoping to find something she can use against you.’ he thought a little then continued.

  ‘Yes, I would think she’s most likely break into the apartment. We just need to make sure she finds enough to confirm her suspicions and make her fear she’s losing. She won’t be able to stand that. She’s then most likely to wait for you to return home, to finish things and claim back her man!’

  Jethro pinned me with his gaze. ‘Are you ready for that?’

  I held his eye and responded simply, ‘Yes!’

  Finally, Jethro drew breath and smiled. ‘Right, then let’s get started.’

  My first task was to contact Adam. I couldn’t just ring and take the risk he’d forget his phone was bugged, so I sent a text to Mike’s phone.

  I’m going to ring Adam in a moment. He needs to play along with me.

  My phone beeped a few minutes later. He’s ready for you.

  I dialled Adam’s number. He answered almost immediately. ‘Hello, Kate, my love, this is a lovely surprise.’ His voice soft and warm.

  I made my voice excited and breathy, like I was holding in a big secret that I couldn’t await to share.

  ‘I know you said we’d meet at home, but I’d really like to meet you at work and take you to dinner. We have to celebrate.’

  ‘And what are we celebrating, my sweet?’ he queried. ‘Finally being together, or is there something else? You know you sound excited?’ he laughed.

  ‘Well, of course we can celebrate finally being together openly, but there’s something special. I want it to stay a surprise for later. I want to see your face.’ I giggled at him. (God, I hated gigglers.)

  Adam laughed. ‘You’ve got me curious now, my sweet. Are you sure it has to wait till after work?’

  ‘It does,’ I responded, ‘I need time to make my plans.’ My voice betrayed excitement. Adam paused before answering as if considering my remark. We did work very well together.

  ‘I can finish by five o’clock. Does that work with your plans, my sweet?’

  ‘Yes, my darling, that works very well with my plans. I can’t wait.’ I giggled again. ‘I have to go I have so much to do. Until five, my love.’

  ‘Can’t I at least have a clue?’ he begged.

  Giggling was fast becoming a bad habit! ‘You’re so cute when you beg. I can’t resist. You can have champagne to celebrate. I can’t.’ With that I disconnected the call.

  Mike sent me a text. Talk about stirring, you just used a beater in a jar!

  Sara filled Mike in via his comms link. He would let Adam know what was going on, and why we’d changed plans so quickly.

  Jethro would get all the troops organised while Adam and I were at dinner. They would set up for what we hoped would be the finale.

  Chapter Twenty

  Adam came out the door shortly after 5pm. I flicked my eyes to the side to indicate Eliza watching from over the road. With eyes apparently only for me he rushed over, picked me up and swung me around, clearly very happy about something.

  I pulled back from him a little and reached into my bag, pulling out a plastic rectangle. I showed it to him and he picked me up and swung me around again, then put me down and wrapped me in a tender hug, pulling back after a moment to place his hand on my stomach. It was a brilliant show. I wondered anew at his acting ability. There was no doubt he was really getting into the role.

  ‘Wow, you’re good,’ I murmured.

  ‘I’m channelling Lucy, and how I felt when she told me with Gabe,’ he whispered into my hair.

  We pulled apart and he took my hand and led me down the road.

  I had phoned Luka and made a reservation for an early meal at Puccini’s.

  We had a lot of meals at Puccini’s. We often held meetings there in Luka’s back room. He was a supporter of Shamash. We also went there when we needed a safe place undercover. He would look after us and keep a watch-out, all while pretending he didn’t know us. It worked well for us to have this place. That’s where we were headed. Luka would make sure we got a private table, so we could relax and talk through plans for what would hopefully be the final confrontation.

  Over the meal we discussed what was likely to happen if things went according to plan.

  I suggested to Adam he put in his earpiece and ring Lucy. I could see he was stretched thin, and she was probably very nervous as well. They needed to connect.

  Although I knew Jethro was keeping her up to date, she would feel better hearing it from Adam, and being able to discuss the options with him. Give them at least the illusion of control.

  I kept my eyes on him as he talked and nodded or murmured occasionally. He watched me as he talked. To the casual observer it would appear we were having an intimate conversation.

  It sounded as if Lucy was a bit calmer than Adam. But then, I guess, she didn’t have Eliza in her face.

  He explained the current plan, including my supposed pregnancy. His voice wavered a little on that, so it was clearly something he wanted with Lucy. Lucy teased him about getting me knocked up so quickly, making him laugh. He looked at me with a sparkle back in his eyes and I was glad I had suggested the call.

  His sparkle dimmed a little as he said goodbye. The strain was telling. I hoped we would be able to resolve this tonight letting them get back to their life together. The way i
t was meant to be.

  I gave Adam a moment, after he ended the call, then made easy conversation, telling funny anecdotes from previous cases, until I had him smiling again. I kept it light for the rest of the meal.

  When we finished our meal. Adam asked, ‘How long do we need to stay?’

  ‘Actually, we can go any time.’ I grinned at him. ‘Eliza has been in the apartment for about an hour. Wanted to let you enjoy dinner first.’

  ‘So why are we still sitting here?’ He started to rise, ready to get moving.

  I put my hand over his, stopping him.

  ‘She has found the “evidence” I left in the bathroom and has destroyed a good many of Kate’s clothes. She’s currently sitting in the dark in the living area, I guess waiting for us to return.’

  Adam looked at me. ‘I can handle it,’ he stated calmly, still half standing.

  I could see he was wondering why I was keeping him here. Why we weren’t already back there, getting on with the plan.

  ‘As with all things, Adam my love, preparation is the key. No point rushing in, that’s the way you get hurt!’ I paused for effect, ‘Or get me hurt!’ I said softly.

  That pulled him up. He dropped back into his seat and gave me his full attention.

  ‘You need to listen to me carefully. What happens tonight may get dangerous and I need to make sure you’re prepared,’ I said seriously.

  ‘Today, in your office, your instinct was to protect me. You put yourself between me and Eliza!’

  He nodded. ‘Of course I did. She was about to go for you.’

  ‘Maybe, maybe not. The thing is, I can handle it, and you have to be man enough to let me.’ I paused to allow my words to sink in.

  ‘You CAN’T do that tonight. You HAVE to let me control things, no matter how you feel. That’s the only way this works! I have the experience and training. You do NOT.’ I paused again, then continued, determination evident in my voice. ‘If you don’t think you can take a step back, and let me do my job, then you need to tell me now, and I’ll go back alone!’