Shadow Stalker

by D W Cooperstein

  I wanted to propose to Caroline on a special occasion and in a special place, a place that meant something to both of us. I just couldn’t think of a better area or a timelier occasion than right here in this tiny cabin at Sherbourne by the Sea. So yes, I popped the question. I’d just brought in some firewood for the night when I approached her. I looked at her beautiful face in the evening twilight. “Caroline, I have something important I want to ask you.”

  “What is it?”

  “Will you marry me?”

  She looked at me and smiled. “Yes, darling, of course I will.”

  Caroline’s face lit-up like a light bulb, glowing with unspeakable joy as she accepted. I don’t think I ever saw her so happy before in my life. This moment was the culmination of many ups and downs in our roller-coaster relationship. Now we had plenty to celebrate. Her release from jail and our reunited love made us feel lucky. We both felt that we were meant to be together. We kissed slowly and deeply in a long and loving embrace. I took out from my coat pocket a beautiful diamond ring, symbolic in its fiery beauty of our love and commitment to each other. The mesmerizing colors danced in the glow of candlelight as I put the ring on her finger. It was a perfect fit. “I love this ring,” she said.

  “I got it to surprise you tonight. I really love you very much.”

  “I love you too,” she said. After a long and loving embrace, we stared at the sea. I thought how wonderful our futures were going to be. We held each other and cuddled in bed. Several hours later it was dawn, and again the sun sparkled on the vastness of the sea.

  As time went by, Caroline kept getting bigger. The baby inside of her kept growing. By now, she was several months pregnant. There was a comfortable acceptance between us once we decided to make our commitment to each other permanent. The thought of marrying this woman and being a father scared me, but I was quickly learning to live with my shortcomings. I was no longer haunted by the emotional demons of my past. I was glad to finally be free of the misery that plagued me for most of my life. Caroline’s love helped exorcise those demons. With her by my side, I was happy to be alive.

  Despite the dangers in pursuing the Shadow Stalker, I decided to marry Caroline ASAP. I wanted to make our union of love and commitment official. One evening, when we were in front of the fire, I told her of my desire to get married within a few days. She seemed ecstatic. We both couldn’t be happier.

  The next day, after I spoke with Caroline on the phone, I received the results of some blood work and other tests I’d done at the local hospital. At first, I was in shock, silently staring at those test results. I couldn’t believe what they were telling me. Apparently, Caroline had lied to me when she told me that I was the father of her child. The report confirmed my suspicion that I was still sterile. I was devastated. So why did Caroline insist that I was the father of her child? Why did she lie to me? And who was the father of her baby? I felt very angry and tormented by this. I was in emotional agony knowing that she wasn’t being honest with me. I really didn’t know what was going on, but I was determined to find out. I returned to the hospital to verify the test results. Sure enough, it was all true. Caroline’s baby wasn’t mine. Goddammit, what the hell was Caroline doing? This was the woman I trusted and was planning to marry? While at the hospital, I spoke with some of my friends who worked in the blood lab. I needed them to do me a big favor.

  Meanwhile, I went ahead with the marriage arrangements anyway, despite how angry I was feeling. Until I could figure out what was really going on with Caroline, I decided to make changes to my original wedding plan based on what I’d learned at the hospital and arranged a fake marriage ceremony in nearby Juniper. I invited some friends and colleagues at work, and also old school buddies I’d known, but some of these people were unable to attend the wedding. Colonel Richards would be away on business, and others had previously scheduled commitments. My Uncle William, who was my only living relative, was out of the country on important matters. We spoke by phone. He sent his love and said that he’d attend the wedding. I didn’t have the guts to break his heart and tell him that Caroline’s baby wasn’t mine. He and my dad were very close as brothers. Uncle Willy never married. He preferred to spend his time in the competitive business world.

  The cutthroat world of business appealed to William P. Watson. My uncle was tall, pleasant and quite virile for a man in his eighties. He was very formal, wearing mostly hand-tailored business suits. He still cut a handsome figure and smiled most of the time. He was hardly ever depressed and was always actively engaged with people. Over the years, he used his acquired business acumen to amass a large fortune, mostly in investments and acquired properties. No one knew how large a fortune Uncle Willy had. He didn’t need to work, but still couldn’t resist a challenge. My uncle kept his teeth and claws sharpened in the jungle of business and politics. He was always looking for deals and investment opportunities. My father, Jack, always looked up to his older brother. He wanted me to emulate Uncle Willy, or Uncle Wily as I used to call him. I never really liked the world of business—I was a problem solver from an early age. Despite my uncle’s disappointment that I didn’t follow in his footsteps, he was a mentor to me when my dad passed away. My love for my uncle became stronger as I grew older, and I could appreciate what he was trying to teach me.

  My dad passed away ten years ago. We shared a close relationship growing up, but, unfortunately, we had our share of problems. My father, Jack Watson, stood six feet tall. He had a full head of curly dark brown hair, and bright sparkling hazel blue eyes. He left Mom when I was a teen, and I never forgave him for that. My mom was shattered. I hated my father for what he’d done to both me and Mom. After my dad died, Uncle Willy took me under his wing. He wanted me to join him in business, but I refused. I never mentioned my desire to become a sleuth. I was always afraid that he’d disapprove of what I wanted to do. We kept in close communication, despite his frequent trips around the world on business. I always looked forward to Christmas, when my uncle would come home with lots of presents. I’d treasure those memories.

  When my mom passed away several years ago, I was devastated. I can’t tell you what she meant to me. Cecile was a simple and loving woman, short at just over five feet tall, but with generally pleasing physical features. She had deep blue eyes and a loving smile. I loved her kind and gentle ways. I managed my grief and sadness by working hard. It was truly a blessing to have received her love and support through the years. I struggled with issues of anger, and for many years was in constant emotional turmoil. I had few friends and seemed to hate most people. I had many skirmishes with the law as a teenager, mostly acting out my anger towards my father for leaving. And yet it was my mother’s gentle and loving ways that saved me from ending up in jail. She taught me the wisdom of kindness, tempering the angry child inside of me. All that love helped me find my way in life. I remembered all the good times we shared, especially the many walks we took in the marketplace. She was always buying knickknacks and pottery. She acquired quite a collection of dishes and bowls. After a while, she started giving them away to friends and relatives. She had one that was my favorite. It was a shiny blue and orange ceramic bowl that I grew to love. I missed both my parents, and still visited the small but lovely cemetery where they’re buried. The cemetery wasn’t far from where I grew up. The modest house I lived in with my mother was long gone. The ongoing construction took that property shortly after my mother died. The structural grid of city development was constantly changing. The many new projects, buildings, and intricate structures that have since pushed up against the skyline helped to give the city variety and interest. Still, some parts of the old city remain the same, untouched from when I knew them as a boy.

  Our wedding day had finally arrived. Even though the entire ceremony was a sham, thanks to Caroline lying to me about the baby, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Caroline and I were “married” in the small town of Juniper. My uncle wanted to attend the wedding ceremony but couldn’t. H
e suddenly became ill and was being treated in a hospital. Despite that, I had friends who were able to come and share in our celebration. Caroline was a beautiful bride. She wore a flowing, silken white embroidered dress. I rented a black tux for the occasion. Caroline looked so happy. I watched her smile, standing by the rocks and overlooking the thunderous ocean. I kept thinking about the baby. Soon we exchanged our wedding vows as the waves crashed hard against the rocky cliffs. We were pronounced husband and wife, and I kissed my bride. There was gentle applause from friends and well-wishers. Many of our friends came over to congratulate us. I smiled and kissed her again, as we walked away, hand in hand, from the rocky area in front of the sea. Caroline seemed ecstatic. We soon left the area to attend a small celebration in town arranged by friends. This was the beginning of our new life as a “happily” married couple.

  We spent the weekend in Juniper on our short honeymoon. The first two days of marriage felt a little strange, waking up with Caroline and knowing that the baby she was carrying wasn’t mine. I told her that we’d go on an extended honeymoon once the Shadow Stalker case was solved. Caroline seemed very happy being married. We both realized that until this terrorist was caught, we both needed to remain vigilant.

  As I got closer to capturing the Shadow Stalker, he’d probably feel threatened and decide to come after me. I was concerned about Caroline’s safety. Because my apartment was very well known to everyone in the city, thanks to the media’s insistence in hounding me there day and night, I had to insist that Caroline stay in her apartment for a while. I felt she’d be safe there. It was too dangerous for her to live with me. I considered myself a target now, and I didn’t want anything happening to her or the baby. I decided to wear a protective vest when I went out in public places, especially when revisiting recent bomb sites.

  Being alone in my apartment made me made long for Caroline, despite the emotional turmoil I was in over the fact that she was carrying someone else’s baby. That sickened me. I couldn’t believe that she’d do something like that. I guess I didn’t know her as well as I thought I did. Still, I spoke with her every day by phone, and despite how she’d hurt me, I resisted the temptation to bring up the issue of the baby. Caroline always told me how she missed me. She understood the necessity of staying in her apartment, but still asked if we could rendezvous in a secret location to make love. I told her it was too dangerous. I was still working on my plan to capture the Shadow Stalker. The only thing I could tell her was this nightmare would soon be over.

  I continued my work in secret. I had to think things through carefully. I knew the Shadow Stalker was shrewd and would do anything to escape capture. Slowly I moved in. The Shadow could probably feel my cold breath like hoary frost encircling him. As part of my plan to bait the killer, I prepared a little note. I planned to run this as an ad in the morning newspaper the next day. I specifically requested the ad be placed in some obscure place in the back of the newspaper’s classified section. The ad simply read: “Gotcha, JW.” I ran the ad in the paper for about a week. I left the newspaper building and drove myself back to Highgate. I grabbed a cold beer and tried to relax, satisfied with the progress of the case.

  Several days passed. I had nothing to do, so I decided to read. I picked up a Peter Davies’ murder mystery novel, read for a while, then went for a walk in the park. The chilly December air felt invigorating. I contacted a few close friends. We decided to go out for a bite to eat. I suggested Baderman’s deli. They had the greatest food. The next few days were unusually quiet. I roamed the city, hanging out and taking in the sights. One day, I returned home and found a little note sticking out of my mailbox, just a folded piece of white paper. I procured some gloves and removed the note. It was just as I expected. My hunch about the terrorist that I was tracking was absolutely right. The note read as follows: “I understand you’re looking for me. Well, now I’m coming after you, or maybe that pretty little wife of yours.” That’s all the note said. This was a threat from the terrorist. He was trying to goad me into coming after him. Apparently, he knew who I was and had no plans to leave the city.

  I examined the note; it was clean of all prints. I knew the Shadow Stalker was within my grasp, but I had to catch him in such a way that he still felt in control of his world. My understanding of him was that he’d only feel secure if he was in complete control of everything, every little detail. I didn’t dare threaten his feeling of that security by moving in too quickly. I was slowly reeling him in by making him think that he was always a step or two ahead of me. “No need to worry, Mr. Shadow Stalker, James Watson is no threat to you. Kill all the people you want. Look, Mr. Shadow Stalker, Watson is standing over there in a corner, shivering like a cold, wet monkey with his tail between his legs. He’s no threat to your evil plans at all,” I said out loud. I never wanted justice so much in my entire life as I did at that moment. Satisfied with the progress of the case, I went out and got a bite to eat at Baderman’s Deli.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  It was two weeks after Caroline was released from jail that I completed my plan to capture the Shadow Stalker. It was the middle of Saturday night when all of the final preparations were finished. I returned to Highgate around 3:00 a.m. I tried to get a little sleep. On Sunday, which by now was today, I planned to visit with an old friend that I hadn’t seen in several weeks.

  It was a cold morning when I awoke. The sky was overcast. After having slept a few hours, I got dressed and ate a little breakfast. I made some coffee, then called Caroline to speak briefly about our plans for tonight before heading out the door. I felt that after I’d put this killer behind bars, her life would no longer be in danger. I told her that I’d be gone most of the day. Caroline told me she was planning to cook a wonderful dinner that evening in my apartment. She’d be coming over to my place in the early afternoon. We were both looking forward to spending our first quiet evening together in what seemed like an eternity.

  I had some errands to run that morning. I was meeting Brandon at the police station to discuss important business. After I finished with him, I grabbed another cup of coffee and headed out. I got into my car and turned on the radio and listened to relaxing classical music while driving to my friend’s house.

  I drove on the tree-lined roads to Chilblain where my friend lived. When I approached his house, I drove up the long driveway a short distance and then stopped. I parked my car and walked to the massive front door. I rang the doorbell. He was there with a big smile on his face as he opened the door to greet me.

  “Hello, Jim, it’s so good to see you again. My God, it’s been weeks since I last saw you. What in heaven’s name brings you out here to see me on this cold and cloudy day so soon after Christmas?”

  “Hello, Colonel,” I said, pausing for just a brief moment, “or should I now call you the Shadow Stalker?”

  Colonel Richards burst into a fit of hysterics and started laughing out loud. “You really don’t think I’m the killer, do you?” He continued laughing in the doorway.

  “Colonel, you see this piece of cigar? This evidence was found in the rubble at the T5 bomb site near where the explosion took place. Anyway, you should recognize it. It’s the same fancy Havana cigar you’ve been smoking for as long as I can remember. And it has your fingerprints on it.”

  He sobered up quickly. His stern and grim expression flinched a bit as he casually pulled out a shiny hand gun from his coat pocket. He stepped outside the door and patted me down to make sure that I wasn’t wearing a wire, protective vest, or a gun. Once satisfied, he looked around the property to make sure that I was alone. He then confidently pointed his gun directly at me. “Oh, yes, I did forget about that little cigar. I must’ve dropped it on the ground when I made my getaway. Give it to me!” the Colonel barked.

  “Here,” I said. He took the little stubble of ash from my hand.

  “Come inside, Jimboy. It’s cold out here, or would you prefer I shoot you where you stand?”

  I stepped inside the Col
onel’s huge house while he locked the front door. We walked into the spacious living room, surrounded by fancy tables, treasured antiques and fine paintings. I could see for myself the trappings of the Colonel’s sizable inheritance. His house was isolated from the main road. It was just the two of us in that big house, staring at each other. The Colonel, standing by the large and open fireplace, continued to point his gun at me, staring with a riveting expression of hatred that I’d never seen from him until now.

  “Congratulations, in finally discovering my true identity. I was always told that you had a brilliant mind. That’s why I tried so hard to get rid of you three years ago, when I arranged for that sabbatical.”

  “I’ve always wondered who was trying to block my transfer to the Bureau. Now I know.”

  “I was hoping you’d get swept up in an avalanche or fall off a mountaintop, but that didn’t happen.” The Colonel continued to stare at me and cleared his throat. “When you were transferred to the Bureau, I immediately recognized your talents. I knew you were a threat. I tried to get you out of the Bureau for good, but I continued on despite you. I was your boss and felt that fact alone would afford me protection from you meddling in my affairs. I never had a problem controlling that group of idiots in my investigative unit. Smythe, Madison and the others were all fools. After you left, Madison was getting dangerously close to me, so I had to let him go. He was nothing like you. After I kill you and burn your body right here in this lovely room, that threat will be eliminated.” The Colonel brought my attention to the large blazing hearth, which would soon become the repository for my ashes. “After you’re dead, I’ll go right on killing and terrorizing this rotten and miserable city.”

  “Why are you doing this?” He just stared at me in silence.

  The Colonel held the gun on me as he stood by the huge, spitting fire. He looked at me with a cruel and menacing stare while I remained motionless. His upper lip started to twitch. “It was brilliant of you, Colonel Richards, to use Dr. Aldridge to pick my brain when I was extremely depressed after the incarceration of Caroline Prichard.”