Stalker

by Dave Dykema

  “Excellent! We can celebrate together.”

  Janet went off to get champagne goblets. She was flattered, even honored, that he would single her out of his congregation for a visit. She respected him greatly as her teacher. He was wise, a truly inspirational figure. She couldn’t deny that he also held an attraction for her. She hoped he didn’t sense any disappointment from her, for really, what’s the point of celebrating if there’s no one to share it with?

  She poured two glasses, put them on her serving tray, and rejoined him.

  “My tray!” he said, beaming. “I’m so glad to see you using it.”

  Janet blushed at his words, betraying her attraction. “It is lovely. I must thank you again for it.”

  “No need,” he said as Janet sat next to him. He handed her one of the goblets and took the other for himself. “The pleasure I’ve received from your use of it is thanks enough.” He hoisted his glass up to her in salute, winked boyishly, and then took a sip.

  Janet did likewise, enjoying the robust flavor of the grapes. She congratulated herself on her choice of bubbly, glad he was there to enjoy it.

  “You still haven’t said why you came.”

  Stone smiled as he took another sip from his glass. “It’s a short walk. I just thought I’d drop by and see if you were home.”

  “It seemed to me when I came home that you were waiting—”

  He shushed her by placing a finger over her lips. “Do you know how beautiful you are?”

  He reached out and buried his fingers in her thick brown mane, stroking her tresses and brushing his rough fingers against her smooth cheek.

  “Reverend Stone…”

  “Jim.”

  She nodded. “Jim…I—”

  “There’s so much I want to tell you, so much I want to share with you. The others—some of them don’t understand me like I know you do.” He set his champagne down, and then reached over, taking her glass, and setting it down also. He looked her straight in the eye, locking in and focusing on her soul. “I must have you.”

  Stone placed his hand softly in the middle of Janet’s chest, resting in the valley between her breasts, and tugged at the first button he felt, undoing it, never lowering his gaze from her eyes. Breath whistled between her lips as Janet gasped in a lung full of air, caught completely off guard by his seduction. Her mind spun, heart racing as she experienced the serendipity. Her body tingled all over. She wanted to fight it, but the calm, powerful reassuring look in his eyes arrested any action she might take. His gentle nod told her it was all right—this was her moment to lie back and enjoy. She could be the author of her own fantasy if she desired. Her head swimming with the implications, Janet complied with Stone’s wishes and leaned back on the cushions, his weight pressing on her.

  After he had three buttons undone, Stone slipped his hand under her blouse, exploring by touch alone. His fingers found one breast and he caressed it through the smooth fabric of her bra in slow, circular motions, feeling the areola tighten and the nipple grow erect before sliding his hand underneath the soft cup for a more intimate encounter. Her tit was warm to his touch, heaving up and down as Janet drew sharp breaths. He pinched and twisted her nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

  He kissed her full on the mouth, tasting the bite of the champagne on her lips. He plunged his tongue into her and she wrapped her lips around it, lightly biting down with her teeth as he darted in and out. He felt Janet’s hot breath on his cheek as air streamed out of her nostrils passionately. Stone was in control and he knew it.

  By now her blouse was unbuttoned all the way, spread open, and her bra was off, in Stone’s hand. He tossed it away, returning his attention back to her before he could watch it waft lightly to the floor. He kissed her earlobe, her neck, her collarbone, making his way down. He buried his face in her bosom, suckling there like a child.

  Janet ran her hands up and down his back, starting with his hair and ending with his taut buttocks. He squirmed against her, grinding in urgency. She reached under and undid his belt, unzipping his pants at the same time. She grasped at his binding elastic waistband and slipped it down over his round ass, freeing him. Her nails bit into his cheeks, pulling him closer. She felt his shape pressing against her thigh, growing rigid. She reached down and fondled it.

  Moments later they moved to the bedroom, Stone lifting her in his arms. She invited him into her folds, and he entered with relish, smiling as he did. She was his, just as he’d planned.

  *2*

  Afterwards, lying quietly in the disheveled sheets, Janet rested her head on Stone’s chest, occasionally dancing her fingers through the thick curly hair that grew there. She felt like she was on a boat as her head gently rose and lowered with his breathing. She thought she could actually hear his lungs fill with oxygen, and was awed. Stone just stared at the ceiling, glad that the primer coat was laid.

  “What do you think of the new girl, Melissa?” he asked, getting to the task at hand.

  It hurt Janet somewhat that he would bring up the name of another woman while lying next to her in her own bed. Inadvertently, she tensed slightly, drawing away from him. Stone felt this.

  “The reason I ask,” he quickly continued, “is because I value your opinion. Also, I was wondering if you knew her since she works at the same station as your old boyfriend.”

  Now Janet did sit up, sliding across the sheets away from him. “You sound suspicious.”

  Stone laughed and reached up, stroking her hair. “Not of you,” he chided, speaking to her as though she were a child. “I have some doubts about her. She’s nice and likeable, but I’m not sure she fits in.”

  “Kim seems to like her a lot.”

  “Kim is still a novitiate. She hasn’t been exposed to the true secret of happiness yet. She thinks she’s ready to advance, but she’s not. She’s still naïve.” He leaned over and kissed her thigh. “Unlike you.”

  “No, I didn’t know her before,” Janet finally answered. “She started after I broke up with Dan.”

  “He didn’t approve of your new life?” Stone probed, worming his way into Janet’s past, trying to sound concerned and compassionate and understanding, but actually manipulating her.

  “Dan never knew a thing about any of this. I knew he would never go for it, so I didn’t even try.” She thought back to that day in the park when she first met him, and the quiet gentleness of Dan’s manner that appealed to her in the first place over Jerry’s bumbling antics. “I hope you won’t get offended if I talk about him while I’m here with you, but I’ve often regretted that I never at least gave it a shot.” Her eyes dewed over slightly.

  “Come here,” Stone said, pulling her close and hugging her tight. She didn’t resist; instead placing her head back on his chest as he falsely consoled her. “It’s okay. I’m here.” And then the final coat: “You know I’ll never leave you.”

  *3*

  Stone walked back to his office, reflecting on their conversation.

  His doubts about Janet were cleared up for now. He had a fleeting suspicion that Janet had clued Dan in about his following, and that Dan had told his co-worker, Melissa, all about it. He knew that Janet wouldn’t have revealed the information for any type of exposé—she did, after all, partake in the mutilation of their last blood sacrifice. She understood the necessity of blood letting to reap the rewards offered. Strength was gained through the blood, and as It flowed over the crystals, that strength got channeled into every member of the group. She had felt Its healing power, and wouldn’t knowingly do anything to compromise their position. Still, if she were responsible for his downfall in any way, Janet would pay the consequences.

  He pulled his coat up around his throat, feeling the chill in the air, gloating over his latest triumph. Kim was eager, but she wasn’t ready yet. Janet was still in the impressionable stage, not having hardened to the acts of violence like some in his sect. Stone knew that she was clay, pliant to his will. By the time he left, she was explicit abo
ut wanting to help.

  “So you want someone to watch her?” she had asked.

  Stone didn’t want it to be so obvious. “Train her…be her friend. At this stage, that’s what she needs the most. When she asks questions, don’t be afraid to answer—only don’t tell her all she wants to know. The impact of the truth means more when it’s revealed in small doses, a little at a time.”

  “I’ll talk to her at our next meeting.”

  That’s when he left, mission accomplished, his visit over.

  Working Against Deadline

  *1*

  “We’re screwed!” Melissa said.

  “How?”

  “I was just in talking with Laura, and I found out when our series airs.”

  “We’re first,” Dan moaned.

  “Almost as bad—second actually, behind Michael’s diabetes series.”

  Sweeps months—February, May, July, and November—are measuring periods held to determine the ratings local stations achieve. Advertising rates are then based on the numbers watching. Networks and stations always bring out the big guns, stacking the deck in their favor. News series are always part of that strategy, but since they’re shot around covering all the other news, it’s a very hectic time.

  “On the plus side,” Melissa continued, “our feature yesterday on the bird that rides around on the pig’s back all day was picked up by the network. It’s on today’s regional feed.”

  “That’s cool. Congratulations!”

  “I couldn’t have done it without your input.”

  Dan blushed. He knew making the feed could be a career booster. Her package would be part of the menu the network sent over its satellites everyday for stations to choose stories. If a lot of stations picked it up, it meant saturation over much of the country. Saturation meant exposure.

  “That’s how Jerry got his job,” Dan said. “Someone at the university saw one of his stories broadcast on the Lansing station, and remembered his name when an opening came up.”

  “Our ‘New Religions’ piece isn’t going to make any feeds if we don’t get somewhere with it soon.”

  “Relax. We’ve got a lot of good material.”

  “On other religions, maybe. But so far we’ve got nothing on Reverend Stone.”

  “You want to focus on this Jim Stone. Why?”

  She looked off, pondering. “I don’t know, but I think there’s something going on there, something unusual that he doesn’t want me to find out. But believe me, I intend to.”

  “Let me bring the camera tonight.”

  “It’s too soon. If I have any chance of developing a rapport with these people, I’ve got to do it myself. Bringing you would ruin any inroads I’ve made.”

  “He likes loners, doesn’t he?”

  He surprised Melissa by how accurate he was without ever meeting the man. “Yes. I think he does. Outcasts have always been drawn to groups that will embrace them.”

  “At least let me drive you there tonight. I want to know where you’re going. Waiting for your call was one of the worst nights of my life.”

  “Okay,” she relented, smiling. “You can drive. I hope knowing where I am will make you feel better.”

  “Oh, it will, but I won’t feel truly comfortable about your going there until I get inside those doors and see this place for myself.”

  *2*

  “Turn left at the next light,” Melissa said, giving directions. She might have well said, “Drive to Janet’s apartment and we’ll take it from there,” for it was getting obvious that their destination was close to her place. Dan drove these roads hundreds of times, but with a different purpose in the past. He shuddered knowing Janet was so close by when Melissa said they were only a few blocks away. But that was nothing compared to the chill he experienced when Melissa told him to pull into a particular parking lot.

  “There it is,” she said.

  Dan was speechless, only nodding. Mel looked at him peculiarly, and then undid her seatbelt, jumping out.

  “I’ll give you a call when I’m done,” she said, and then remembering how blitzed he was last time, added, “Don’t get upset worrying about me. There’s nothing to fear in there.”

  “Okay. I won’t,” he managed, starring wide-eyed. A million thoughts whirled in his brain.

  “See you soon.”

  She kissed him goodbye and walked off, casting one last glance over her shoulder back to Dan’s Chevy. She saw something in his eyes, but couldn’t put a finger on the emotions he felt. It was very odd, but she would ask him about it later. Now, she had an appointment with Reverend Stone.

  Hardly believing it, Dan watched her step inside the very building he saw Janet go into the night he’d followed her.

  *3*

  The room was as Melissa remembered: small groups of people talking, wearing crystal necklaces, punchbowl in the corner, the one door roped off. She looked about for Kim, but didn’t see her, so she walked over to the punchbowl to get a cup while she waited.

  She was going to start mingling when suddenly she remembered she had forgotten something. Backing quickly into a corner, she reached into her purse and dug around until she found her own necklace. Melissa hurriedly looped it around her neck. Standing with them, she felt completely naked without it.

  “Feel better?”

  Melissa nervously glanced about and saw a woman she didn’t recognize approach her.

  “Excuse me?” Melissa asked.

  “I noticed you frantically putting on your necklace, but don’t worry, I don’t think anybody else saw it.” The woman now stood before Melissa. “Isn’t it amazing how weak you feel when you don’t have the crystal with you? Some of the others think it’s good enough just to have it nearby, within reach, but I like to keep it in contact with me all the time.” To prove it, she reached down the front of her blouse and pulled out the chain, showing it to Melissa, caressing it like a lover. Then she tucked it back inside her shirt, feeling secure again, and extended her hand. “My name is Janet. How are you?”

  *4*

  It explained a great many things, Dan supposed as he sat in his apartment, nursing a Diet Coke instead of beer.

  How long ago did she become a member? Was she in the cult (as he considered it) while we were dating? Was it responsible for our breakup?

  He figured it was. Seeing Melissa walk into the same building had the same effect as removing a blindfold from his eyes. Suddenly he was able to see the subtle changes in Janet, the little nuances, the small quirks…all the things that led to their downfall.

  He wondered if the same things would happen to Mel. He had already lost one woman to Stone’s cult—he wasn’t about to let it happen again. He wanted very much to know what was going on inside that building. He wanted to hear what was preached, what was promised, and what was expected to achieve salvation.

  But on top of all that, what would happen if Mel and Janet met? It could happen so easily. All it would take was for someone to bring up WKBC. During the course of the conversation Janet would let drop that her ex-boyfriend worked there, and did she know him?

  Of course, how would he tell Melissa that Janet knew Stone? Melissa still barely knew anything about Janet. He had kept it all to himself.

  Questions upon questions created a sticky situation:

  How did you know Janet was a member?

  Oh, I followed her one night, and saw her go inside.

  Follow your girlfriend? Why?

  Well, see, I was into this thing called stalking, where I’d pick out some unsuspecting person and stalk them down like some kind of crazed psycho-killer, probably like the Dumpster Killer’s doing.

  Oh, I understand. Kiss me, you fool!

  Somehow Dan didn’t think it would go over that smoothly. He wanted to avoid the issue altogether, if possible.

  The phone rang, breaking his train of thought. It was Mel telling him he could pick her up. Her tone was neutral, which made it hard to tell if she knew anything more. His stomach felt queasy.
He dreaded going. He was afraid Janet would recognize his car.

  *5*

  Melissa stood in the foyer, leaning against one of the glass panels on either side of the door, looking out into the night, watching for Dan.

  It had been a good evening. People were friendly to her, and she felt a cozy sense of belonging. She gathered a lot of fat for her piece, but she still lacked the meat. Right now she only had anecdotes, an outline from which to build a story. She didn’t have any real opportunities to talk to Reverend Stone—she was too busy getting initiated into the preliminary philosophies. The bottom line was that even though it was a good learning experience, things weren’t moving fast enough. In four days it would be Halloween, after that, November. She had less than two weeks.

  “What’s wrong? You seem a little tense.”

  Melissa turned to find Janet standing there, pulling on her coat.

  “Oh, I was just thinking about something…” she said, not elaborating.

  “You know,” Janet said, gesturing around her, “all of this means nothing if we can’t help each other out every now and then. What’s on your mind? Can I help?”

  Melissa didn’t answer right away. If the offer had come from Kim, she probably would have started to spill out what details she could afford to give her in an instant. Kim, whom she thought was flaky at first, turned out to be a real friend. However, tonight she was separated from Kim, only able to greet her with a quick hello before being scooted off to a small room by Janet to be instructed in the catechisms. Still, the thought of talking to another woman while idling the time away had its appeals.

  “Just some stress at work,” Melissa said, trying to downplay it. “Who doesn’t have it?”

  “I know what you mean,” Janet said, pulling out her crystal. “It’s times like these when stroking your crystal can bring you inner strength.”