Nikki's Secret

by William Malmborg

  Adding to the torment of the picture were the three others that had been stuck beneath her windshield wiper, two of them showing her by herself at various points during the day, the other showing her standing at the door with Mark. On this later one a statement had been written that read: You’ll fuck anything with a dick won’t you! SLUT! SLUT! SLUT!

  14

  “Honestly, I don’t think this is connected to me at all,” Nicole said.

  “You could be right,” Bill admitted even though he wasn’t ready to close this line of thinking just yet. “At the same time I just don’t understand how someone could connect the dots like this unless they knew about what we were doing. It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “True, but then you’d think they’d be sending me stuff too, right? But I haven’t gotten anything.”

  “Yeah, but it seems like they think the girl downstairs is you. At least that is the impression I’ve gotten.”

  “Does she look like me?”

  “Not really, but I can see how someone could draw a connection if they thought one was already there.”

  Bill heard Nicole sigh on the other end of the phone and then, “Why didn’t you shut the site down?”

  “I don’t know,” he said, frustration building. “I’ve been thinking about that a lot today.” He shook his head even though she couldn’t see it. “I think the fact that so much work went into it, and that it had become so popular, I didn’t really want to just end it, you know.”

  “Yeah, but maybe this wouldn’t have happened if you did.”

  “Well, that could be said about a lot of things and if I had even suspected something like this I would never have let the site stay up.”

  “Of course you’ve taken it down now, right?”

  “Um . . .” he hadn’t even thought about it.

  “Are you fucking kidding me,” she said, his hesitation telling her all she needed to know. “Here you’re asking me all these questions as if I had something to do with all this and you haven’t even taken any steps to put a stop to it yourself?”

  “Getting rid of the site won’t put a stop to it. Whoever is doing this has already set up another dating site profile and has told a guy the house address. Plus I can’t exactly access the Internet from my place, as you already know.” Despite the statements, Bill knew her anger was valid. He also knew that shutting down the site was probably a good idea, not because it would put a stop to anything, but because it wouldn’t give anyone anything to look at and connect to him if an investigation unfolded.

  “Don’t tell me you can’t drive out to a hotspot and get online. I’ve done that hundreds of times. Head over to the college if you have too. They have Wifi.”

  “I do it all the time,” Bill said. “The trouble is I can’t access the blog from any of those places because it’s blocked.” Actually, he probably could access the blog dashboard, which would be all he needed. A few simple clicks and goodbye blog. “Plus my computer is so old I barely have any reach. I have to be right up next to the Wifi, which isn’t always easy.”

  “Whatever, I just think it’s crazy that you’re jumping all over me about this as if something I did caused all this, yet you haven’t really done much about it yourself,” Nicole said.

  “Okay, I’m sorry about that. I’m just a little freaked out by what happened.”

  “And I guess I’m exhausted and moody from working all day, so . . .” she let the statement hang.

  Bill wasn’t sure what to say.

  Nicole stayed silent as well.

  Finally, he asked, “So, nothing out of the ordinary has happened at all?”

  “I told you, NO.”

  “Maybe it was something you didn’t really associate with all this at the time.”

  “Bill, nothing has happened. I would know because I think about what we did quite a bit.”

  “You do?” This caught him off guard because he had figured she had put this all behind her.

  “Yeah. I hate to say this, as much fun as all that was, a part of me wishes I had never actually done it because I worry that it might come back to haunt me later on when I try to get a job.”

  “Oh.” That hadn’t been the statement he was hoping for.

  “And now that I know someone has actually tracked down your address, I’m even more concerned about that. How would anyone do that, anyway?”

  “I don’t know,” Bill admitted. “I’m not really knowledgeable when it comes to tech stuff.”

  “Well maybe you should look into that. I’m sure someone at Northern could give you info.”

  “Good idea.”

  “And keep me posted on what you find out.”

  “Okay, I will.”

  “Anything else before I head in – I’ve been sitting in the car in my parking lot for almost ten minutes since I didn’t want my roommate to hear and freak out about all this.”

  “No, I don’t think so. I guess just let me know if anything does start to happen. I don’t think it will, but . . . well, if it does. The police have opened an investigation into it as well, so hopefully it will be resolved soon.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know that,” Nicole said, a positive ring suddenly present. “Maybe they’ll be able to track down the tech stuff then.”

  “Maybe,” he agreed even though this didn’t seem likely since he hadn’t told them anything about the blog or his connection.

  “Do they know about me, like my address and name and stuff?”

  “No, they just were more interested in the pictures that had been left and whether or not Kimberly – the girl downstairs – had any enemies. But I’m sure they’ll look into everything.”

  “Okay.”

  The call ended after that.

  Unsure what to do, Bill stood in his apartment for a couple minutes contemplating things. The window then brightened as Kimberly pulled her car into the driveway – motion sensor again – and finally into the garage.

  Will anything happen tonight? he wondered.

  A few seconds later, he learned that something already had.

  15

  “I couldn’t even drive,” Kimberly said. “I was so shaken I just sat there in the dark with my hands on the steering wheel for almost ten minutes.” She shook her head and wiped at her eyes, which were wet with emotion, eyes that had made driving difficult once she had gotten some control of herself and started heading home.

  “You didn’t see anyone taking these?” Bill asked after examining the pictures.

  “No,” she admitted, a sense of failure descending upon her. After last night, she should have been more aware of everything. She should have known that things like this could happen anywhere and at anytime, not just while she was at home.

  “And you really have no idea who this could be?”

  “No!” she snapped, and then, “I’m sorry. This whole thing . . .” she felt her lips start to quiver and clamped down with them.

  “It’s okay,” he said, voice calm. “I’d be pretty flustered too if someone were leaving pictures of me all over the place. It’s scary.”

  Unsure how to reply, and fearing her emotions would get the better of her if she tried, she simply nodded.

  Bill flipped over the picture that had captured her and Mark talking at the front door. He then looked up at her and asked, “Any idea why this was written?”

  Kimberly shook her head.

  “Is there anyone from your . . .”

  Kimberly waited, but when he didn’t finish, she asked, “Anyone from my what?”

  Bill sighed. “I was going to ask if there was anyone from your past that may have been upset with you and with the idea that you might be seeing someone, but then realized that probably isn’t the case since it seems like it’s more the apartment and your location that’s to blame.” He shrugged. “Someone thinks you’re someone you’re not.”

  “But why?”

  He didn’t reply.

  Kimberly stared at him for a moment, her mind thinking –
knowing – there was something more within his head, something he wasn’t saying, but she couldn’t figure out how to get at it. She also didn’t know why she knew this, or if her thoughts on the subject could be entirely trusted. Everything that had occurred was threatening to overwhelm her. It was all too much.

  He handed back the pictures, which she took and stuck inside her apron, her mind realizing for the first time that she had failed to take it off before getting into the car. Noting this somehow added another layer of turmoil to her mind. It was just too much. She had moved out here and signed up for classes so she could get a fresh start, a second chance almost, and already someone was ruining it. It wasn’t fair.

  “Do you want something to drink or anything, something to take your mind off all this?” Bill asked.

  The question caught her off guard and took a moment to process. “I don’t usually drink, but yeah, I could probably use it right now.”

  “Oh, um . . .” embarrassment appeared “. . . I don’t actually have anything like that, just soda, tea, juice.” He twisted his palms upward in a helpless ‘that’s all’ gesture.

  “A writer without liquor,” she said and attempted a smile.

  “Yeah, doesn’t seem right, does it, but . . .” nothing else followed.

  “I’m okay. I’ll probably just head down and try to get some rest.” Once she put some thought into it, she was glad he didn’t have any liquor. Getting shit-faced, while appealing, had bad idea written all over it.

  “That’s probably best. Did you call the police about this yet?”

  She shook her head.

  “Will you?”

  “In the morning,” she said, though she hadn’t really decided yet. It was one of those things she knew she had to do, but didn’t necessarily want to do. “I just can’t handle that added level of stress right now.”

  “I hear ya.”

  She nodded.

  “If you need anything please don’t hesitate, okay, even if it’s the middle of the night,” he added and then reached for the handle of the stairway door so he could open it for her.

  “Thanks,” she said to the first part. Then, seeing his gesture, added, “Oh, my door’s locked. I’ll have to go out and around.” Rather than going to her own place once she was home she had come straight up here, the idea of being alone, even if it was just for a few seconds, something she didn’t want to experience at that time. Hell, she didn’t really want to experience it now, but there was nothing she really could do about that, not unless she invited Bill down.

  If only Kyle were here, she started to think, but then shot down the thought. Having him here wouldn’t be much comfort, and really, given the situation, she didn’t trust herself. Feeling vulnerable would make it too easy to give into any of his wants, which in turn would make her feel sick later. No. Being alone, but knowing someone like Bill was only a scream away, was better – but only if you unlock the stairway door.

  “Uh, do you want me to walk you down to your door?” Bill asked.

  “No, I’ll be fine.”

  “You sure?”

  She nodded.

  “Okay.” He walked her to his front door. “Well, I hope your night is peaceful. And really, if you need anything, please, please, please, don’t worry about asking.”

  “I won’t.”

  He smiled and then opened the door for her.

  She stepped out and at first felt fine walking down, but then, once she rounded the corner of the stairway and was on the backside of the house, the darkness got the better of her.

  You should have had him walk down with you.

  No, no, no, you can do this.

  Taking a deep breath, she hurried off the creaky stairway and started toward the side of the house where her own steps were, but then stopped when she realized the motion sensor light didn’t turn on. Her eyes were then drawn to the abandoned house beyond the backyard, one that must have been empty for years given how decrepit and rotten it looked.

  So many dark windows –

  Light engulfed her from behind.

  She gasped.

  Up above Bill’s porch squealed as he stepped out upon it. “Kim?” he asked.

  Eyeing the porch, she stepped around where the garbage cans stood, and came into view.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” she called. “The light startled me.”

  “Sorry. I just now realized the switch was flipped off and figured it’d be best to have it on once again.”

  “You know the light over by the garage is out.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, does it take batteries or something?”

  “No, all these, mine up here, the one down by you, and that one over the garage all plug in so . . . um . . . does the one by your door work?”

  Kimberly looked at the small light attached to the post just below where the underside of Bill’s porch began. Anytime anyone pulled into the driveway it would go on, therefore if she got just a little bit closer . . .

  “Anything?” Bill asked.

  “No, it’s not working,” Kimberly said, fear once again creeping in. “What does that mean?”

  “Hang on, I’m coming down.”

  More boards squealed as Bill hurried down the steps, the entire stairway shaking with each foot placement.

  “Okay, let’s see what’s going on with this,” he said, his feet not stopping once he was next to her, but instead continuing around until he was up her steps.

  In order to get at the small square flood light he had to climb up onto the railing, an act that required quite a bit of courage given how rotted everything was.

  Realizing her exposure, Kimberly followed him up the steps and started to ask, “Is there anything I can – “

  “It was cut,” he said.

  “What?”

  “Look.”

  It took a second given how little light made it through the cracks of the porch above, but then, as her eyes focused in on where he was pointing, she saw it.

  “But how would someone do that without electrocuting themselves?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” Bill said while examining the small metal pipe that ran along the underside of the porch and connected with the house. “But whoever did it must know a few little tricks when it comes to wires, because as far as I can tell there is nowhere to unplug this thing out here.”

  “And what about the one on the garage?”

  “Same sort of setup I’m guessing, though given how high up it is, it seems really far fetched that someone would be able to lean a ladder up against the house and climb up without someone seeing -- me in particular since I’ve been here all day.” He jumped down from the railing. “My guess would be that the door was unlocked – it always is when I go to grab the lawnmower – and that whoever did this just walked inside, found where the cord came in and snipped it as well.”

  Kimberly didn’t know what to say to this. It seemed incredible to her that someone would risk so much to cut wires like this. Then again, it seemed incredible that someone would go to all this trouble to torment her.

  “You know what is really creepy? Whoever did this must have done it sometime today, in broad daylight, because if it had been after dark I would have noticed the lights going on as they neared it. I always do.”

  “Yeah, me too,” Kimberly muttered. She remembered the first time it had happened right after moving in. She had been lying in bed, the room pitch black, when suddenly the entire window erupted with light. Had the shades been open she would have been able to see within the room as if the inside light was on.

  “I’m sure, both our bedroom windows face the stupid thing and it’s so sensitive that even if the wind blows some leaves across the driveway it switches on for two minutes.” He took a breath. “I once suggested the landlord remove it because it drove me crazy during the fall, but he always felt it was a good safety device.”

  “Will he be able to fix it?”

  “I’m sure he co
uld, but actually having him get to it is another thing all together. It can take a while for things like that around here.”

  Kimberly didn’t know what to say and simply muttered, “Why is someone doing this to me?” She wasn’t really expecting an answer, but that didn’t stop Bill from making a statement.

  “Even if you heard why from the person chances are you’ll never understand it. People that do this type of thing, they aren’t right. They – woah!”

  “What?”

  Bill took a deep breath. “Nothing. A cat went through the backyard. Kind of spooked me.”

  Kimberly looked in that direction and sure enough watched as a cat easily hopped the fence. With that her eyes were once again drawn to the abandoned house and its windows. A shudder passed through her. “Do you think it’s possible someone could be inside there watching us?”

  Bill followed her gaze to the house and said, “Possible, but not likely.”

  “How come?”

  “I just can’t picture someone sitting in the dark for hours just staring at the house, even if they are crazy. In movies stuff like that happens, but that’s because no one actually takes the time to sit there for hours. If they did they’d realize that no one would do it unless they were one of those brain-dead slasher movie villains.”

  “Oh.”

  “Plus the owner keeps the place locked up nice and tight. I know because I was curious what it looked like inside and tried the door last year.”

  Kimberly didn’t reply.

  “Slowly the owner is remodeling it so it can be separated into apartments like this place, but at the rate they’re going it won’t be ready for another five years.”

  Again, Kimberly didn’t reply, not because she wasn’t interested, but because she just couldn’t focus on such information at that moment.

  Bill looked as if he was going to say something else about the house, but then hesitated. A few seconds later he said, “Why don’t we get you inside and make sure everything is locked up nice and tight.”