I Know Your Every Move

by Diane Ezzard

  The sky erupted, and the rain came lashing down. I slowed my speed down as it became difficult to see out. I’d put on my rear wipers to clear the rain that wasn’t easing off and I glanced in the rear view mirror. I felt a chill as I noticed the headlights close behind me. Did I imagine it or were those the same set of headlights that had been there all the way up Stockport Road. I drove on further. They didn’t move from my tail. My palms felt damp with sweat as the car’s heater kicked in. I gently increased the pressure on the accelerator pedal as I weaved up the A6. My vision wasn’t great. When I looked again in the mirror, the lights at the back of me looked like the same car that had been there since the start of my journey. I drove too fast, and it scared me.

  I took a detour off the main road. I knew the area well and was familiar with the back streets and short cuts. I didn’t imagine it because the headlights followed me, so I gently upped the pressure on the accelerator and started twisting and turning down the side streets. My heart was beating fast. My hands gripped onto the steering wheel. My body shook and trembled. I sometimes went too fast on the motorway but this was different. Come on girl, you can do this, I said to myself out loud.

  I didn’t feel comfortable with my speed. Lewis Hamilton might have been proud of me but this wasn’t Silverstone or The Italian Job, this was my life. I glanced at my knuckles. They went white. Checking in the mirror again, there was no one behind. I looked back to double check, but the headlights had disappeared. There were no vehicles following me. I breathed a big sigh of relief. I pulled up for a few minutes and turned the engine off to calm my rapid breathing down. Had I imagined things? Had paranoia taken over or was something more sinister going on? I promised myself the next time I felt worried about a situation that unnerved me, I would go to the police. For all I knew this could be in my imagination. I set off again trying to forget my worries and my thoughts turned instead to tomorrow at work and my caseload. I also thought I’d go and visit Cassie soon.

  Work was as busy as usual the following week but I’d made arrangements to see Cassie so I kept my promise. I was so relieved she managed to get away from Charlie and I had a real soft spot for her. The two of us met up at the hostel the next Thursday. Cassie was brighter than I had ever seen her.

  “Hi, Sophie. It’s so good to see you.” The pair of us hugged like long lost friends.

  “You too, Cassie. How are you doing?” I looked her up and down.

  “Are you eating okay?” I thought she looked really thin.

  “I’m getting better than I was. I’m still experiencing pangs of sadness but in the main, I’m feeling stronger.” She was keen to find her own place, and she appreciated the support she had been given. I left her in high spirits and promised to come back and visit soon.

  I got back into my work/life routine and recent events started to become a distant memory. I still kept the phone unplugged, so I didn’t know if I’d received any more menacing calls. Gradually I began to feel more confident and stopped looking at every passerby as though they were the enemy. Work was tough but enjoyable. I didn’t have much of a social life. The only night out I’d had this month was a trip to the cinema, but I felt okay about that for now.

  I was so glad I had Max to come home to at nights. It took a while before Max came close to me but soon I had him purring and playing around with a ball and wool. I spent my spare money on him, what with sorting out his injections, food and cat litter. I stopped off at the pet shop each week on my way home from work and bought him a toy. I thought my life had taken on a whole new dimension since Max arrived. The love wasn’t always reciprocated as Max was still timid. I loved the fact he was there when I needed him and I talked to him and told him about my day.

  I had gotten into a good routine with my exercise and had been getting up early more often than usual to go for a morning jog. I still didn’t go out every day though. If the weather was bad, I used the time to catch up on housework. I found I had more energy first thing in the morning. This morning the alarm went off at 6.30. At first, I contemplated rolling over and going back to sleep for an hour as I sensed a chill in the air. I enjoyed my runs, and I felt better once I was up. I always felt invigorated afterwards. I pulled on my leggings and T-shirt, got my hoodie out of the wardrobe. I wondered which route to take as I tied the laces of my trainers. I had three different routes to choose from and I liked to keep the distances varied. I took my iPod as I enjoyed listening to music and together with the exercise found this helped to clear my mind or get things into better perspective. My favourite run was along by the river as this was the most picturesque setting.

  I looked out of the window before I set off and thought how dull and dreary the weather was. The air was slightly misty, and it wasn’t until I got outside I realised it was drizzling. I didn’t mind that but if it got any worse, I would cut my run short. Having to endure slipping and sliding in the mud was not my idea of fun. The area where I ran was always quiet. Occasionally I bumped into a dog walker or the odd cyclist or another jogger and after exchanging a friendly “morning” continued on my way. Today I hadn’t encountered anyone else so far and I stepped out in time to an old Pussycat Dolls number. I often found whatever music was playing, I simultaneous jogged to the beat, but it didn’t always work.

  I looked up and in the distance just made out someone walking in my direction. At first, I didn’t give them a second glance but something inside me made me slow my pace and look again. The figure wore a dark green parka and jeans. The hood was up and created a black shadow over the person’s face which in itself wasn’t surprising as it was raining. They also had a grey scarf covering over half their face, and they wore a bob hat. I had pretty much slowed down to a walk as if to put off the inevitable encounter. The dark silhouette gradually got nearer. I thought for a few seconds, should I turn around and go back the way I’d come from. No, I was being silly and overreacting again. Keep calm, girl, I said to myself over and over with every step. The imposing figure was now twenty yards away. I tried to catch their attention to smile at them to reassure me I was safe. There were no pleasantries though, and the individual looked at the ground. I set off running again to mask my uncomfortable feelings.

  The impending coming together of the two of us drew closer. The pathway was only narrow otherwise I would have made a large swerve to avoid this rather imposing looking character. Although the person wasn’t particularly tall, the fact they tried to hide any signs of their appearance made me all the more nervous. As we met, I didn’t know what happened next. The stranger appeared to trip and lunge into me. Our bodies clashed together. The stranger’s arms were out in front of them and the force of their body pushed me towards the edge of the river bank. I tried to grab hold of a sleeve but it was pulled off me. Being more nimble than me the stranger’s body jerked away from me. They jumped back in my direction as I felt what appeared to be a push. My feet slipped on the wet stones close to the edge. I lost my balance and the next thing I knew I was in the river. The loud splash and my cries for help unnerved a family of ducks who quickly moved out of the way. The icy water gripped me and I couldn’t get my breath. Luckily, the water wasn’t too deep, and I managed to snatch hold of the branch of a bush and haul myself out.

  I shook with cold and I viewed the scene in disbelief. I scanned the area. No one was about. The stranger was nowhere to be seen. I felt sick as it dawned on me this couldn’t have been an accident. That thought was cemented with the fact that whoever it was hadn’t stayed to help me. Feeling forlorn and dejected, I didn’t smell too good either as I made my way back home. I got in and stripped off my soaking wet clothes and jumped in the shower. The sensation of the hot water soothed my skin.

  I phoned Angela, “You won’t believe what’s just happened.” Angela listened without interruption as I recounted the story.

  “Sophie, you’re going to have to take care of yourself and get onto the police straightaway,” I said I would but work came first. I made my mind up to call in a
t the police station on my way home from work. Things had gone far enough.

  My head couldn’t focus at work that day. I wasn’t giving my clients my full attention. My mind whirred around, trying to think hard if I had upset anyone enough to treat me this way. Sometimes I wished I could look out the window and watch the world go by or get a hint of a clue. I settled for looking at four walls, proudly displaying certificates of achievement for myself and the rest of the staff. I was baffled as to what was going on with my life though. It didn’t seem to make sense. I wasn’t convinced the police could do much because there wasn’t a lot to go on. At least in the past, I knew my stalker but the recent happenings were a complete mystery. Someone had taken the time and effort to find out my movements and that spooked me out. I realised that I would have to be extra vigilant, changing my habits and routines.

  Chapter Twenty Four

  NOW

  That evening, I left work at my usual time. I was surprised at how quiet the area seemed. It was late November and by now Christmas shoppers generally mulled around on a Thursday night. Tonight there didn’t seem as many people out as normal, even along the pedestrianised area of the Rock near where I worked. Dusk descended rapidly. I hated the short evenings that meant winter was on its way. There was a cold chill in the air and I buttoned up my coat to the top, silently wishing I’d worn my hat and scarf. I felt for my woollen gloves in my pocket. Thankfully, I found two, and I quickly put them on my freezing fingers. I was so busy trying to keep warm, I hadn’t noticed anything around me. I glanced down as I briskly walked towards the car park.

  Just as I turned into the road leading to the entrance of the car park, I heard the unmistakeable sounds of a motorbike’s revs. I looked up at where the noise came from. I was annoyed at the loud sound the vehicle made. The bike headed in my direction and gained speed. My annoyance turned to disgust as I watched how fast the rider travelled, thinking to myself he could have an accident if he continued to ride like that. I walked along the middle of the pavement and although everything happened so fast, a warning sound went off in my brain. I stared at the rider who now raced down the road towards me and it dawned on me he was heading straight for me. I looked around; there was no one else close by. My body froze. As the bike mounted the pavement, I knew I was in trouble. Brakes squealed. I saw a flash of silver. In that moment, my whole body was cemented to the spot.

  Although what happened next was a blur, I was later thankful my speedy reactions kicked in. I instinctively swerved and careered towards a shop doorway. Unfortunately, with the speed and panic of the event, I misjudged my move and jumped too rapidly, banging straight into the double glazed window of the shop front, hitting my head. The impact had been so strong it almost knocked me out and my body slithered to the ground. I later realised how lucky I had been. A middle-aged couple turned the corner and saw me go down from the other side of the street. The man rushed over and realised I was barely conscious.

  Reaching for his mobile, he calmly dialled for an ambulance. His partner was much more agitated.

  “They should be banned, those bikes, ride like idiots, the lot of ‘em. And he didn’t even stop.” She shook her head and walked up and down whilst her partner felt for my pulse. A woman and her daughter also approached and the older woman seemed happy to offload her vent up anger about the state of modern youth to the new onlookers. By the time the ambulance arrived, a small crowd had gathered.

  A paramedic carried out checks on me before it registered what happened. It wasn’t long before I was in Fairfield hospital being seen by a nurse. She looked at me with a beaming smile.

  Still holding onto my arm, she said, “Looks like you took a nasty tumble there. Would you like us to call anyone?” I was still trying to come to terms with everything and stared blankly at her.

  “The police will want to talk to you as well. They should be along soon. You’ve been run over by a motorbike, I believe. A hit and run.” I nodded. I was in no mood for talking to the police. I had a large gash on my leg that needed stitching, but other than a few bruises and a painful shoulder, I was okay physically. It was what it had done to me mentally. Sometime later DC Caroline Slater arrived to speak to me. I began to open up and tell her what happened. By nature, I wasn’t the most observant of people so felt rather useless when asked the colour of the bike or any other details about the bike rider.

  “You’re doing great to remember anything, given what you’ve been through Sophie. If there is anything, however small it may seem to you, I’ll give you my number to get in touch, if you think of anything else that could be of help. At this stage, we don’t know if the incidents are linked. If they are, you could be in danger so it might be worth you going to stay with family or friends for now.”

  I told her I would. After the detective constable left, I checked through my belongings. Thankfully, some kind soul had made sure my bag was sent with me in the ambulance and everything was still intact. I needed to arrange to get my car out of the car park. I was in no mood for driving myself. My shoulder gave me a lot of pain, even though I had been given painkillers. I had been to x-ray, and nothing was broken. A nurse had phoned Dad who dropped everything to come over. The hospital wanted to keep me in overnight to observe me because of my head injury. They agreed to let me go home if someone stayed with me as they were short of beds. Provided we watched for any warning signs, when Dad arrived, I was free to go.

  As much as it was nice being waited on at home and knowing that Dad was there to care for me, I still couldn’t wait for some normality and to get to work again. Spending time on my own gave me too much free time with a head that wallowed in self-pity. Why me? What had I done to deserve this bad fortune? Life didn’t seem fair. These thoughts and many more churned over in my head when I had nothing else to occupy my time. I had been given a sick note for two weeks but I was chomping at the bit to get back to my job. The accident had made me tired. The desire was there to do something but my body told me to rest. I resigned myself to relaxing and taking things easy.

  My mood got worse with every new day and although I loved being back at Dad’s, I knew now was the time to go home. My poor cat, Max had been neglected, even though a neighbour had been going in to feed him so that was my excuse to leave and return home. In an effort to lift the gloom, I decided to give Angela a ring and arrange a night out.

  “I’ve got the perfect tonic for you, Soph. We’ve got two tickets to go and see Lionel Ritchie next week at the MEN arena and Nick can’t make the concert as he’s got to work. How about you coming with me?” I could have cried. I loved Lionel’s music and what a great way to uplift my spirits, I thought.

  “Oh Angela, that’s fantastic. How much do you want for the ticket?”

  “Don’t worry about that we’ll just call it your birthday present.” My birthday wasn’t until April but I didn’t argue, so the two of us arranged to meet outside the Arena on the following Thursday.

  My scars were healing well by the time I met up with Angela as planned on the evening of the concert. I had been excited about going all day. So much so, I got my hair done and made an extra effort and had a manicure as well. Wearing a new pair of jeans and an off the shoulder black top, I felt good and was glad to have something to take my mind off things. The two of us hugged underneath the clock on Victoria station like a pair of long-lost friends. We made our way into the stadium along with thousands of other adoring fans. The concert didn’t disappoint. Lionel was on form, knowing when to whip the crowd up into frenzied excitement and slow the audience back down again with one of his famous love songs. We agreed to leave early to avoid the rush but the pull of Lionel Ritchie’s music had us on a high. The argument to stay and be part of the finale was too strong. So, the trip home would take longer but it was worth it.

  “I can’t thank you enough for this Angela,” I beamed.

  “You’ve been going through a rough time, Sophie. I’m just glad I could help. We must do something like this again soon, I’ve re
ally enjoyed myself.” Angela smiled back.

  “So have I, it was just what I needed after everything that’s been going on.” The fear and worry I had been feeling were but a distant memory at the moment. We had our customary hug at the bottom of the stairs before we parted company for our separate journeys home. I was still smiling and thinking about how much I’d enjoyed the evening. I made my way across the station concourse to catch the tram to Bury along with the hoards of revellers slowly squeezing onto the platform. Everyone around me was in high spirits and they busied themselves chattering away. Most of them appeared to have also been at the concert and were discussing their favourite moments.

  People were being herded onto the platform like sheep. I heard someone make a baaing sound. A man with a tannoy let everyone know the next tram would be arriving shortly. I felt sick with anxiety as claustrophobia clawed at me, but I squeezed through the crowded platform to reach towards the end to get some space. Stepping over the yellow line, near the edge, I had to break free of the group of strangers as they jostled me. The crowd were so close they could touch me.

  I heard the gentle hum of the tram approaching. I was facing away from the oncoming vehicle and I glanced round to see how far away it was. Someone or something moved rapidly into the edge of my vision. Did I imagine it? The mass of people surged towards me, getting ever closer, as the tram approached. A brief moment of relief vanished as a sharp thud of pain between my shoulder blades shook me. My knees buckled as I felt a kick to my shins. The world slowed as I fell.