by Ava Louise
“Mrawr!” Mamzell purred as she resettled in her owner’s lap.
At that moment, the young woman’s green eyes fell on the flyer on her coffee table. She reached for it, reading it through again. “Must be willing to relocate.” Would it really come to her having to relocate to another city? Her bank account was pretty low after moving here only three months ago. She had moved to Washington in July for the new school year that started at the end of August. It was now only October. Her students were working on craft projects for the upcoming Halloween holiday. Maggie did not want to move again. She had started to love western Washington; she loved the people and the weather and, more importantly, her students. She had never seen such lush, green territory as she had found in the Pacific Northwest. The only negative thing to happen to her since arriving here was witnessing the murder of the clerk at the corner gas station.
After watching a couple hours of TV while working on papers, Maggie decided to turn in for the night. As she was making her way to her bedroom, she peeked out the window again one more time. The young men were no longer there, but she still felt unsafe. She couldn’t get the image of the gangster blowing on a gun out of her mind.
“Come on, Mamzell. Time to brush teeth and head to bed.” Curling up with her loving cat was just what she needed right then. Of course, it would be even better if it was to a loving partner, but Maggie didn’t have a lot experience with long-term relationships. The life of an Army brat meant lots of moving. So, for now, it was just her and the cat.
CHAPTER 3
Maggie woke Tuesday morning to the loud blaring of her alarm clock. Time to get up and face another day of inquisitive minds. She stumbled to the bathroom in search of a shower to help her wake up. As the water was warming up, she glanced at herself in the mirror. Her auburn hair, with gold highlights, was a mess. Her curly mass of hair was why someone came up with the phrase “bed head.” She had to either wash her hair every day or resort to a pony tail.
Her morning routine of showering, dressing, and eating didn’t take too long. Maggie did not consider herself a vain person so she wore very little in the way of make-up. She considered herself average in almost every way. When she was given a compliment, she figured the person was just being nice. She didn’t see the special spark that others did when they looked at her. After her last boyfriend cheated on her, she took a pretty serious hit to her self-esteem. Her faith in men was not what it could be. She hoped to one day have a relationship like her parents did, but at twenty-eight, she was starting to have her doubts.
After sifting the kitty litter box and throwing that out, she washed her hands and gathered her messenger bag, purse and coat. Maggie locked up her apartment and headed down the dim hallway to the outside door. It would be wonderful to have a door that had a small window or even a peephole in it. As it was, the door was a simple aluminum style that opened directly onto the landing outside. The residents were unable to glance outside to determine if anyone was loitering in the parking area of the alley.
Maggie considered herself lucky any time she opened the door and did not encounter a member of the Snake gang. That was her biggest fear these days, opening that hallway door and coming face-to-face with a gang member.
Unfortunately, her luck stopped there. As she was leaving the alley she noticed another group of jean-clad young men, all wearing yellow bandanas, across the street. They watched her as she pulled out onto the street and headed north to the school. All the way to work, Maggie worried over the fact that it now appeared as though the Snake gang was keeping her under surveillance. She had hoped her feeling of being watched was just her imagination. After parking in the teachers’ parking lot, she pulled out her cell phone and called Detective Miles.
“Homicide, this is Detective Miles,” answered a gruff voice.
“Good morning, Detective, this is Maggie Cline.”
“What can I do for you, Ms. Cline?” asked the detective. She could hear him taking a drink.
“I wanted to let you know that it now appears the gang is hanging out near my apartment! When I arrived home last night there were three of them on the street corner of my block. And this morning, when I left, there were several of them across the street from my alley. How did they find out about me?”
“Hmm…I’m not sure Ms. Cline, but I’ll look into it. I’ll make a note of it in the file, too. Unfortunately, if they’re just watching, we can’t do anything,” stated the detective. He sounded distracted.
“What?! You mean you have to wait until they kill me like they obviously did the girl found in the cemetery?” exclaimed Maggie. She knew her voice was raised, but she was so scared by the police department’s apparent inability to capture a shooter.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but ‘til they take some type of action, our hands are tied,” said Detective Miles. “All I can say is try to stay safe, keep an eye on your surroundings, and call us if anything happens.”
“Unbelievable! Good bye, Detective,” exclaimed Maggie.
This was so unreal to the young woman. How could honest, tax-paying citizens feel safe if the police department couldn’t help? Maggie heard the first bell of the morning ringing across the school grounds and knew she needed to hurry to class. She gathered her belongings, locked up her car, and hurried to her classroom.
All through the morning Maggie worried over the fact she was being watched. How long was this going to go on? Why couldn’t they find one single man to bring him to trial? The acid in her stomach roiled at the thought she would have to live with this feeling of insecurity indefinitely.
By lunch time Maggie found her mind kept returning to the bright pink flyer from yesterday. Maybe that would be the solution to her situation. She wasn’t opposed to matchmakers or their work. Just because she wasn’t involved with anyone now didn’t mean she didn’t want someone in her life. It would be nice to have someone in her life she could count on. While she wasn’t the “crazy lady with the cats” yet, she knew for sure that she didn’t want to end up that way, either. She had put so much time into her schooling and then her career, giving no thought to her future.
Maggie spent her lunch time in the Teachers’ Lounge. As she ate her lunch, she shared yesterday’s events with one of her fellow first grade teachers, Shirley Hampton.
“So what are you going to do, Maggie?” asked Shirley.
“I’m not sure. I don’t want to have to move again. I like it here. But I’m not sure how much longer I can live like this; the constant fear is wearing on me.” Maggie knew Shirley would understand her considering her own background.
“Yeah, living in fear twenty-four-seven is no way to live. When I had that stalker after me, I almost fell apart. I even developed an ulcer that took a long time to heal.” Shirley had had a stalker a few years back. From the horror stories she told about the experience it was very scary.
“I even considered calling a matchmaking service that proclaims to include relocation services!” stated Maggie.
“What? No way, you can’t leave now. I would miss you too much,” pouted Shirley. “But I understand the need to take action. Just keep me in the loop in case anything happens, please.”
“I will. Thanks for listening to me,” muttered Maggie. It was obvious she was discouraged by the recent events.
Just then the bell rang signaling the end of the lunch period. Both teachers sorted out their recyclables and threw away their trash before heading to their respective classrooms. Maggie had a class full of little kids that she hoped would keep her distracted from her troubles for the rest of the afternoon.
CHAPTER 4
At the ringing of the last bell, Maggie walked her students out to the crowded busing zone to make sure they were all taken care of. After the last student was gone, she collected her things and waved goodbye to the other teachers. A quick trip by the grocery store for pantry staples and cat supplies, then it was off to home for the night. Mamzell would be waiting for her evening feeding and evening “conversa
tion.” Even if it was a cat, Maggie was grateful to have someone to go home to; someone that depended on her and cared for her. She also knew that feeling would be even better if there was a man or a family waiting for her at home. Someone to have a real conversation with.
The closer Maggie got to her block, the more her stomach churned. She wondered how many young gang members would be loitering around her apartment this evening. As she turned left onto Warren Street, she noticed yesterday’s group of gang members standing on the corner again. All three turned to watch her drive by. She turned right into the alley bisecting 6th and 7th Street and drove down to her designated parking spot behind the antique store. After gathering her belongings and the grocery bags, she quickly opened the truck door, engaged the locks, and dashed up the steps to the apartment hallway landing. She kept her thumb hovering over the red alarm button on her key fob.
The aluminum exit door closed behind her and she found herself in the long, dim hallway. She just needed to get to her apartment door and she could breathe easier. She could smell noxious paint fumes hanging in the air. As she came to her apartment door, she noticed something odd on it. There was graffiti on her door! Upon closer inspection she realized she was looking at a hand, held in the position of a gun. Thumb up, index finger pointed outward to the left, and the other three fingers folded inward.
Maggie quickly opened her apartment door, kicked it closed behind her and dropped all her bags on the entryway floor. She immediately turned to engage the locks on the front door. The scared young woman stood there, leaning on the door, breathing harshly through her open mouth.
“Oh, Mamzell, what am I going to do?” she asked the dainty cat, who had wandered out from the bedroom, greeting her owner as she does every day.
“Mrawr!” said Mamzell in greeting.
Maggie knew she had to call the detectives on her case. She immediately dug out her cell phone from her purse and called the number for Detective Romano. After her dissatisfying conversation with Detective Miles this morning, she didn’t want to talk to him again right away.
“Homicide, Detective Romano speaking,” greeted the older woman’s voice.
“Hi, Detective Romano, this is Maggie Cline. I need to tell you of something that has happened at my apartment.”
“Of course, Ms. Cline, are you okay?” said the detective, concern evident in her voice.
“Um, physically, yes, I’m fine. But my apartment door has been spray painted and I’m sure it was the Snake gang members that did it.”
“Tell you what, my partner and I will be right over to take a look.”
“Thank you, thank you so much,” said Maggie. She was happy they were coming over to see the symbol for themselves. “I’ll see you when you get here.”
After ending the call, Maggie took a deep breath. She proceeded to pick up all of the bags and groceries she had dropped to the floor when she came home. She hurried to put the groceries away before the detectives showed up. She also had to refresh Mamzell’s food and water bowls. Just as she was closing the pantry door, she heard the doorbell ring.
Maggie moved to the apartment door and peered through the peephole to verify it was the detectives at her door. Sure enough, there stood Detectives Romano and Miles. She quickly checked to make sure Mamzell wasn’t near the entryway, then unlocked the door and swung it open. Just as she did there was a blinding flash. Bright spots danced before her eyes; obviously, she had interrupted their picture-taking.
“Please, come in,” invited Maggie, rapidly blinking her eyes to clear the spots dancing in her vision.
“Thanks, Ms. Cline. Yep, that looks like graffiti. What makes ya think it’s the Snake gang’s doing?” asked Detective Miles.
A frustrated Maggie explained, “As I told you this morning, one of the gang members on the corner yesterday made that same sign to me when he saw me looking out my living room window. It’s the same young men that were outside when I came home today.”
Detective Romano moved to the living room window and moved aside the curtains. “I don’t see anyone suspicious out here right now, Ms. Cline.”
“What? They were there when I came home not twenty minutes ago!” She moved to the window to see for herself if the young men were still there. Of course, now that the police were in her apartment, there were no Snake gang members in sight. “Well, they aren’t there now, but they were a few minutes ago. Isn’t there anything you can do?”
“We took pictures of the graffiti, Ms. Cline, but with this building being so easy to enter there’s bound to be too many fingerprints to determine who the actual tagger is,” said Detective Miles. Maggie was really beginning to dislike this man’s attitude. Without a literal smoking gun, he seemed unwilling to exert himself to solve a crime!
“This is so frustrating! I can’t continue to live like this. I don’t understand why it is taking you so long to apprehend a criminal,” exclaimed Maggie. Again, she knew she was raising her voice as she got excited, but she just couldn’t care too much right then.
“As I’ve said, Ms. Cline, all we can do is wait until someone’s willing to turn in Mr. Santiago. His lawyer and our informants are all mum right now,” said Detective Miles. “We’ll contact you if we have any further information, but in the meantime ya just need to hang in there and stay tough. We’re doing the best we can. Have a good evening, ma’am, and call if anything else happens.”
Both detectives headed to the front door and let themselves out. Maggie rushed over to lock the door behind them.
“Mamzell, this is crazy. What am I going to do? Wait for them to kill me in my home? Then call the damn detective from beyond the grave?” Maggie was frustrated at the lack of help from the police department.
CHAPTER 5
After preparing an easy salad for dinner, Maggie took her schoolwork to the couch to go through it. As she reached for the remote control to turn on the news channel, her eyes fell on the pink paper on the coffee table. Again, she wondered if relocation was her best option at this point. The flyer seemed to stare back at her from the table, beckoning her to call the number listed on it. Was the timing of the appearance of the flyer significant? Maggie didn’t consider herself a religious person, but she did believe that Fate sometimes reared its head. Who was she to thumb her nose at Fate? Maybe this was an opportunity that needed to be considered.
“Well,” she said to the purring cat, “it can’t hurt to just call and get information, right?”
Expecting to reach voice mail or an answering machine, Maggie picked up the phone and dialed the number for the matchmaking service. Instead of an automated voice recording a woman answered the call.
“Intergalactic Matchmaking Services, this is Claire, may I help you?” The voice sounded warm and inviting, if a bit formal.
“Um, hi. My name is Maggie. I received one of your flyers on my windshield yesterday and would like more information about the service you offer,” said Maggie nervously. She had never enlisted the aid of anyone for dating, so this was new territory for her. She also noted that the woman said “intergalactic” instead of “international;” Maggie had assumed that was a typo on the flyer.
“Of course, Maggie, thank you for calling. May I ask where you’re calling from? I’m located in Seattle and like to keep track of where our marketing is working.”
“I’m calling from Mount Vernon. It’s a small town north of Seattle, right on Interstate five,” answered Maggie.
“Wonderful! Well, as our flyer stated we are looking for women that are looking for a change and willing to relocate. We only accept applicants that are open-minded and have a sense of adventure. We ask all applicants to take a basic personality test to help determine suitability. If you are found suitable as an applicant then we ask that you meet with our doctor for further tests; a routine checkup of sorts. Of course, we cover all of the costs; there is no out-of-pocket expense for you. I will even come to you for your initial interview if you are interested. Would you like to set up an
appointment time to meet?”
Ms. O’Donnell definitely sounded like a professional, Maggie thought. Maybe she is a legitimate business woman after all. And maybe Fate was opening a door of possibility for her.
“Well, I guess I can do that. I’m a teacher and I’m not available until after four o’clock during the week. But my weekends are open,” stated Maggie. “Just out of curiosity, can you tell me where the word ‘intergalactic’ comes from for your business? Is it part of a marketing idea?”
“Wonderful, a school teacher! Regarding the name of the business, I can explain more on that once we meet and determine if you would be a suitable candidate for our services. As it happens I am available tomorrow afternoon if that time works for you. I could meet you at your home just after four. How does that sound?” asked Claire. Maggie was really curious why Ms. O’Donnell wouldn’t elaborate on the business name. Definitely intriguing.
“Oh, wow, that is quick. Sure, tomorrow works fine for me,” answered Maggie. “Let me give you my address and directions to my apartment.”
After relaying the pertinent data, Maggie hung up the phone. She had not expected to be able to meet with someone so quickly. On the other hand, she also liked getting immediate attention; she felt as though she was taking action to correct the problems in her life. Besides, it had been a couple of years since her last serious relationship and she thought she was ready to open the door to romance if it came knocking.
With another night of grading papers, watching TV, and wrestling with Mamzell behind her, Maggie performed her nightly routine and went to bed. As much as she loved her job, the alarm still rang pretty early. With Mamzell following close on her heels, she climbed into bed and fell asleep wondering what type of men she would meet through the matchmaking service; provided she was deemed a suitable candidate, of course.
