Breaking into Prison

by Mairsile Leabhair

  “Honey, is Annie with you?” Louise asked.

  Trudie thought about lying to her mother to keep her from wanting to return home. But her mother could always tell when Trudie was lying. “No, Mom. She’s not here anymore. I, um, had her fired.”

  Louise was shocked. “My God. Why would you do that?”

  “Because the stalker indicated that Annie would be hurt, and I don’t want that.”

  “Of course you don’t, sweetheart,” Troy stated. “You did what you had to do.”

  “But, Troy, now she’s alone. Who will look after her? We need to go home.”

  “No, Mom. I’m perfectly safe here with my big dog and my little gun. This place is like Ft. Knox. No one can break in here.” Even as Trudie assured her mother she was safe, she knew she wasn’t. Being constantly afraid had become her reality; it didn’t have to be her parents’, too.

  “Are you sure, honey?” Louise asked.

  “Gee, Mom. As many times as you said you were coming home, I’m beginning to think that you’re not having fun over there,” Trudie chastised playfully.

  Louise shook her head. “Oh, no, honey. We’re having fun. Seeing Rome is a dream come true for me, and I appreciate your gift more than I can say. It’s just that we worry for you.”

  “And before you say that’s not necessary, Trudie, your mother and I worry about you when times are good, too,” Troy said.

  “I know, Dad. I wish you wouldn’t, but I know that you do.”

  “You’ll understand when you have kids of your own,” Troy added.

  Louise elbowed him in the ribs and gave him a stern look.

  “It’s okay, Mom. I didn’t want kids anyway,” Trudie lied.

  “You’re lying,” her mother replied. “I can see it in your eyes. Oh, honey. It might still happen.”

  “No, Mom, it can’t. I’m almost thirty-four and my biological clock is about to stop ticking.”

  “Your Aunt Philomena gave birth to your cousin when she was forty-one.”

  “Yes, and she always told me she regretted waiting so long because everyone kept asking if she was his grandmother.”

  Louise laughed. “Yes, poor thing. Being prematurely gray didn’t help much, either.”

  “You could always adopt, Trudie,” Troy offered.

  “No, Dad. Not with that crazy bastard around.”

  Troy turned his head and rubbed his eye. “Damn it, I’ve got something in my eye.” His tears stemmed from his frustration at feeling so impotent. A father was supposed to protect his child.

  Trudie’s eyes teared up, too. She had not seen her father cry since Leigh’s wake. It pierced her heart then, just as it did now. Her parents shouldn’t have to live with her stalker, too. Trudie wiped her tears from the corner of her eyes. “Listen, don’t worry about me, I’m fine here. But I’ll be so sad if you two don’t get back out there and have some fun. And stop calling me every day, okay?”

  “Well then, how about we call every other day?” Louise asked as Troy laughed.

  “No, Mom. I don’t want you to call me again until you’re back home. But I wouldn’t mind it if you emailed me every day with lots of pictures.”

  “I’ll make sure she does,” Troy assured her. “Love you, kiddo.”

  “I love you both,” Trudie said, and laughed when her father stuck his tongue out at Louise, just before he ended the call. “God, I love you both so much.”

  ***

  Annie had been up all night, surfing the Internet for anything to do with Trudie, and the people who had access to her. Jeff had stayed to help for several hours, then went home to freshen up before reporting for duty. But between the two of them, they found enough on each suspect to build a profile. Thankfully, the suspect list was short, and Noella was still at the top of the list. The only other people besides Trudie’s family that Annie knew who regularly came to the condo were Noella, Deidra, Krystal, the grocery delivery boy, the pharmacy delivery boy and the maid. Annie guessed that on occasion, Trudie’s accountant or her lawyer might stop by. Searching the Internet, she learned that Trudie only hosted one party a year, and that was the private book signing party for Leigh’s unit. Reading everything she could find on stalkers, she learned that they have to have some kind of contact with their prey. Except for Noella, Krystal, and Deidra, no one else fit the description.

  Annie and the young Airman printed out almost a ream of paper by the time they had exhausted the search over the Internet. Nothing really jumped out at them as odd or questionable behavior. No, that would have been too easy. It did help track movements and life events. Because no one had their privacy settings turned on, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram provided a treasure trove of information on Krystal, Deidra, Noella, Dr. Ramirez, Alice, Dr. Bowman, although she didn’t think that Trudie spoke with her primary care physician that often, and the people involved with the movies.

  Noella made it easy for the predator to read on Facebook what Trudie was doing, seeing, writing, etc., so that Trudie was as visible to the public as if she were actually out there with them. Annie didn’t think it would be enough for the crazy bastard stalking Trudie. According to her research, they need to think that they are in control, and if the object of their desires steps out of line, then they frighten them back into submission. Someone obsessed enough to kill for love perceives the world as slanted to the left, but doesn’t realize it because their brain is skewed so as to counterbalance it.

  Pulling the all-nighter did give Annie a few ideas of how to proceed. She needed to talk with people who knew Trudie best, but she wasn’t sure how to do that. Then, just as she was about to fall asleep at the computer, and the sun began to rise over the city, Annie had an inspiration.

  “Thanks for meeting me here this morning, Uncle Donny,” Annie said.

  Donny unlocked the door to his office. “Sure, I love coming to work on my day off.”

  “Yeah, sorry about that, but it will only take a minute.”

  “Annie, I don’t know if I logged that call or not. It wasn’t a maintenance call, you know.”

  “I know, it’s a longshot. But if you did log Louise’s call, then I need that number. I’ve got to talk with her.”

  “All right.” Donny walked around to his desk. “Make some coffee while I boot up my computer.”

  Annie walked over and pulled a coffee filter from the drawer. “Uncle Donny, when this mess is cleared up, and the bastard is caught, can I come back to work here? I really miss fixing things and learning new tricks of the trade.”

  “And falling in love with the tenants.”

  “Yeah, that, too,” Annie laughed. But just the one tenant on the seventh floor.

  “Okay, I don’t show anything on the log books. Sorry, kid.”

  “Damn. Wait. What about your notepad? I’ve seen you write stuff down all the time on the pad before you entered it into the computer.”

  Donny picked up his notepad and flipped through the pages. “This might be something,” he said, pointing to the pad. “It’s the only phone number on here, but it doesn’t have the person’s name written down.”

  “That’s okay, I’ll call and find out who it is.”

  Donny handed her the pad, and she pulled out her cellphone and tapped in the numbers.

  “Ciao da Roma, Italia.”

  “Uh, hello. This is Annie Nichols, uh, Trudie’s friend. Is this Louise Youngblood?”

  “Sì, questo è Louise.”

  Annie grinned and gave Donny a thumbs up. “I’m impressed with your Italian, Mrs. Youngblood. I don’t understand a word you’re saying, but it sounded really good.”

  “Oh, sorry. I’ve been learning to speak the language. How nice of you to call, Annie. Is everything all right?”

  “Yes, everything’s fine, and I’m so sorry for interrupting your vacation, but I need to ask you some questions about Trudie’s stalker. Is this a good time?”

  “I’ll make the time, Annie. So you know that he is back?”

  “Yes
, ma’am. And I know that’s why Trudie sent me away.”

  “But you’re not staying away, are you, Annie?”

  “No, ma’am. I’m not. This guy has got to be stopped.”

  “I think you should leave it alone, Annie. That guy will come after you next.”

  “Ma’am, I know the risks and I choose to take them. It’s on me if anything happens.”

  “No, it’s on Trudie. When she lost Leigh, she almost died herself. If you get yourself killed, too—”

  “That’s not going to happen.”

  “How can you be so sure, Annie?”

  “I have always had a sense about what’s going to happen in the future. I sensed that I wouldn’t always be in the Air Force, even though I love it. And now I understand why I felt that. It’s because I will be with Trudie, and we will travel and see the world together.”

  “As my daughter would say, it’s a nice fairy tale, Annie.”

  “I believe in fairy tales, Mrs. Youngblood. They do come true.”

  “All right. I’m not as convinced as you are, but I’ll do anything to help my daughter. Call me Louise, and ask your questions.”

  Annie snatched the ink pen from the desk and prepared to write, as she asked, “Trudie told me that she had hired a P.I. to find the stalker. Louise, do you remember the name of the private investigator she hired?”

  “Of course. It was her cousin Dwayne. He has his own detective agency up in Fayetteville.”

  Annie shook her head. Oh, jeez. A family dick. She probably didn’t have a choice in the matter. “Would you be able to call him and ask him to send me his findings? He can fax them to…” Annie waved at Donny, who handed her a business card with the number on it. “Fax them to 501-555-0156, please.”

  “I’ll be happy to, but what good will it do? He didn’t find anything.”

  “Sometimes a fresh pair of eyes can see things that others missed. It’s a longshot, but I don’t want to overlook anything.”

  “Oh gosh. I just remembered. You’re a police officer in the Air Force. That’s why you sound so knowledgeable.”

  “Yes, I am, and thank you for that,” Annie replied with a smile. “Louise, could you give me Trudie’s phone number? I didn’t think to get it while I was there.”

  ***

  “Who is it?” Trudie asked in response to a knock at her door.

  “I have some flowers for a Ms. Trudie Youngblood,” the delivery man said.

  “Who are they from?” Trudie questioned suspiciously. She hoped they were from Annie, but that would mean that Annie didn’t take the not-too-subtle hint to stay away.

  The delivery man looked at the delivery receipt. “It just says Annie.”

  Trudie almost giggled as she asked, “Can you just leave them in the hallway?”

  “No, ma’am. It requires a signature.”

  “All right. Just one second,” Trudie said, and turned toward the dog’s room. “Lucy, come here, girl.”

  Lucy, her tail wagging with anticipation, hurried into the room and up to Trudie.

  Trudie motioned for her to sit, and then opened the door. Lucy was instantly on guard and growled a warning at the young man.

  His hands shook as he handed a clipboard to Trudie and pointed at the bottom of the sheet without ever taking his eyes off the dog. Trudie unclipped the ink pen and signed, handing it back to him. Then she took the flowers he held out to her.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t have any cash on me for the tip,” Trudie explained.

  The delivery man looked at Lucy, who was still in defensive mode, and swallowed. “That’s all right, ma’am. Just letting me live is tip enough.”

  Trudie laughed and closed the door as the delivery man rushed to the elevator. She looked at the roses lovingly. You shouldn’t have, Annie, but I’m glad you did. Oh, how I wish these were for our first date, where you’d sweep me off my feet to some exotic beach, just the two of us. She pulled the small envelope from the stick and opened it up. Her lips trembled with anticipation, as she read the card.

  These are for you, my darling. For choosing me over that woman. She’s not good enough for you. I am. We’ve got a good thing going, and I would hate to see someone else come between us again.

  Sincerely,

  Your secret admirer.

  Trudie began to shake so badly that she dropped the card. “Oh, God! Oh, God!”

  Lucy walked over to Trudie, who was sitting on the floor, hugging herself. Trudie wrapped her arms around Lucy’s neck and sobbed into her fur.

  ***

  “Thanks for agreeing to meet me for lunch, Ms. Tarkington,” Annie said, feeling a sudden twinge of déjà vu.

  “Please, call me Alice. Any friend of Trudie Youngblood is a friend of mine. Did Trudie tell you where to find me?”

  Annie eyed the young woman with a keen interest. Alice, a plump, short woman with a streak of pink hair in her bangs, couldn’t have been more than twenty-four or five.

  “And I’m Annie. I found you on the Internet.”

  “What can I get you ladies?” the waitress interrupted, as she placed two glasses of ice water on the table.

  “Burger with fries. And a chocolate banana milk shake, please,” Annie ordered, suddenly famished.

  “Oh, that does sound good,” Alice said. “I’ll have that, too… except make mine a double-decker hamburger with everything, and a large fry, with a strawberry banana milk shake.”

  The waitress chuckled as she wrote down the order and walked away.

  “So, what is so important that you had to track me down, Annie?” Alice asked, squeezing the juices of a lemon slice into her glass of water.

  “I understand that you were falsely accused of stalking Trudie, and you were the main suspect in the murder of Trudie’s wife, Leigh Warren. Would you tell me what happened?”

  “And why do you want to know, Annie? Is Trudie writing another book?”

  “Not that I’m aware of. The assailant was never caught, and I would like to see justice served.”

  “Oh, wow, you’re some sort of a vigilante, aren’t you?”

  “Something like that. So what can you tell me?”

  “It wasn’t my first time to be questioned. In my younger days I was a bit overzealous in worshiping my idols. A flaw that I have changed, thanks to Trudie. She saw potential in me that I hadn’t seen and encouraged me to channel those energies into a fan club. Now, not only am I her biggest fan, but I own Trudie’s True-Fans club, the largest and best fan club in the world.”

  Annie smiled at Alice’s boast. She had no doubt that Alice was Trudie’s biggest fan, she just wondered how far she would go to be near her idol. “Have you ever met her in person?”

  “Oh, yes. At her book signing when she use to do them.”

  “But not since then?” Annie probed.

  “No. You may find this hard to believe, but I respect Trudie’s privacy. I know at first I came on strong, but I’ve grown up a lot since then. Trudie witnessed the death of her lover, and then gave me the best advice of my life. Of course I will protect her at all costs.”

  Annie didn’t get the psycho stalker vibe from Alice, but the cop in her had to ask, “Would you kill for her?”

  “What kind of stupid ass question is that? Are you some kind of fucking cop?”

  “Yes, in the Air Force. But I’m here as Trudie’s friend,” Annie explained.

  Alice thought it over for a moment. “No, I would not kill for her. I never would have, no matter what.”

  Annie started to reply, but the waitress came back with their food. It took her a minute to set the plates and condiments down and ask if they needed anything else, before she left again.

  “I believe you, Alice. But why you? What led the police to come for you?” Annie poured ketchup on everything, and then took a big bite out of her hamburger.

  “That bitch publicist of Trudie’s told them I had been too aggressive at one of her book signings. I used to go to all of them when they’re in the tri-st
ate area. Anyway, I sort of elbowed my way to the head of the line, and some people were pissed. My mistake was that she was one of the people I elbowed… literally. She was standing in front of the table, talking to Trudie, and I thought she was a fan. I’m Trudie’s biggest fan, I deserved to go first. I, uh, mean that’s how I felt back then.”

  Swallowing, Annie wiped her mouth and asked, “Do you remember what kind of questions the police asked you?”

  “The first question they asked was if I was in love with her.”

  “And what did you tell them?”

  Alice grinned. “That I was. Of course that was before I understood what they were after. I mean, who wouldn’t be in love with Trudie, right?”

  “Uh, yeah, right,” Annie said, fighting a surge of jealousy. Is this what Leigh had to put up with?

  “Anyway, another question they asked was did I send Trudie any gifts.”

  “What kind of gifts?” Annie asked.

  “That’s what I asked the cops. They looked at me like I was crazy, so I confessed that I had sent Trudie some chocolates and a card. But I know for a fact that she didn’t get them because I asked her about it at one of her book signings. This was like the fifth signing I had been to, and she remembered my name. How cool was that?”

  “Yes, very cool. Was Leigh with her at the book signings?”

  Alice nodded. “Almost all of them, up until she was killed. You know, I was jealous of her at first, but she turned out to be pretty cool.”

  “How so?”

  “That publicist wanted to rush us through the line so she could sell more books. Leigh argued with her about it, and then made sure we not only had a chance to chat with Trudie, but took selfies with her, too.” Alice pulled her cellphone out and went to the photos. Scrolling through a lot of cat pictures, she finally found the one she was looking for and handed the phone to Annie. “That’s me on the left, Trudie in the middle and Leigh on the right. Look at that beautiful smile on Trudie’s face. How happy she was back then. You know, we do a video chat now because she’s so busy. Trudie, me, and as many fans as Skype will allow, and though she smiles, even laughs at times, Trudie has never looked as happy as she did in this picture.”