by Becky Durfee
“I screwed up,” Jenny confessed nervously on Zack’s couch. “I screwed up bad.”
“Why? What happened?” Zack asked.
Jenny covered her face with her hands. “When I went outside to talk to you on the phone, my rental agreement fell out of my purse. Orlowski read it. He saw the address.” Hanging her head she added, “And my real name.”
“Are you kidding me?” Zack asked.
“I wish I was.”
“Well, you’ve got to stay with me, then. There’s no way you can stay there now that he knows where you live.”
“Well, I told him that I hadn’t moved in yet. It was a just in case rental.”
“He still might stake it out, just waiting for the moment he can catch you alone.”
Jenny shook her head. “I doubt it. Besides, I’ll be careful.”
“You said that before,” Zack remarked.
“I know, but I mean it.” Jenny continued to speak before Zack could argue. “It could take months for Orlowski to be caught—if he gets caught at all. I can’t impose on you that long.”
“You wouldn’t be imposing.”
Jenny smiled. “Thank you, Zack. Really. But I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to stay here. For a lot of reasons.”
Zack seemed angry, but she wasn’t sure if he was upset with her stubbornness or if his feelings had been hurt. Either way, she knew she couldn’t move in with Zack, unofficially or otherwise. She didn’t want to lead him on. Besides, she needed to take care of herself. This time in her life was clearly a test to see if she could make it on her own. She needed the answer to that question to be yes.
“The good news is that Johnson got the straw,” Jenny said cheerfully.
“Good,” Zack replied without an ounce of emotion. He was clearly still irritated.
“And the step-brother’s name is Mike MacMahon Junior.”
“That’s nice.”
Uncomfortable with the obvious tension, Jenny stood up. “Well, I guess I’ll be going, while it’s still early.”
“Text me when you get home. And lock your door.” Zack didn’t look at her.
“I will,” Jenny assured him. “Just so you know, Orlowski is working tonight. He can’t possibly come out here. He’ll be spending the evening in Braddock.”
“Still lock your door.”
Jenny had to admit she was a little nervous as she scooted through her door and locked it behind her. She quickly turned on as many lights as she could, once again wishing she had cable to keep her company. Remembering her promise, she texted Zack that she had made it home safely, but then she sat on her folding chair, unsure what to do next.
Her eyes shifted to the easel she’d brought from her old house. She could paint. Painting always made her feel better. She retrieved the box of painting supplies Elanor had bought for her, which included only a small canvas. It would have to do.
But what to paint? She’d need to think about that. “No I don’t,” she said out loud. She had vowed to herself that the next time she broke out her canvas, she’d paint freely and see where it took her. After setting up her easel, she squeezed her paints onto her palette, dipped her brush in, and allowed her hand to simply start painting.
The following morning, Jenny formulated her list of questions for Orlowski’s step brother. She assumed he would be at work at that hour, and her phone call would need to be in the evening. That afternoon, Jenny continued to work on her painting until she heard a knock at the door. Her nerves surged slightly, even though she had been expecting the knock. She tip toed quietly to the door and looked out the peep hole. With a smile she opened the door.
“Hello,” she said cheerfully. “I am so happy to see you.”
The man from the cable company walked through the door. “I hear you’d like Internet and cable hooked up.”
“That’s the rumor,” Jenny replied, shutting and locking the door behind him.
He noted the half-finished painting on the easel. “Huh. Are you making that?”
“Yes, sir.”
He furrowed his brow. “What is it going to be?”
Jenny giggled. “It’s two paths. The straight one leads to ugliness, but if you take the path that turns right it’s all pretty.”
The cable man looked around the nearly-empty apartment. “I think I get it.”
With a smile Jenny remarked, “I’m sure you do.”
While the man connected Jenny’s cable box, she looked at him critically, realizing that he was a complete stranger that she’d just let into her apartment. She’d even locked the door behind him. For some reason she trusted him, but she had no reason to. He was larger than her; if inclined, he could have easily overpowered her. She considered Morgan, Lashonda and Allison, who had all actually been choosier about whom they’d trust, and they all ended up dead. This was another case of there but for the grace of God go I. Jenny felt panic setting in.
As fear began to consume her, Jenny heard the man say, “Listen, if you need a little help with your bill, I might be able to get you a discount.” He sat back on his heels and looked around the apartment. “I know what it’s like to start over, and it isn’t easy.”
With one single kind gesture, this man just restored Jenny’s faith in humanity.
“That’s very nice of you,” she replied sincerely, “but I actually am doing okay. I have things…they’re just not here.” Jenny decided against mentioning the eight-figure bank account she was sitting on.
With a smile he added, “I’m glad to hear that.” He got back to work.
Jenny smiled kindly as her nerves subsided; although, this episode made Jenny decide that as soon as she got her townhouse, she’d get a dog. A big one.
Jenny walked up the three flights of stairs with her grocery bags. She should have taken two trips, but she decided to tough it out and carry everything at once. She regretted that decision after the first flight.
Once inside the apartment, she dropped all of the bags in her foyer and locked the door behind her. She picked up one bag and headed toward the kitchen; before she even took ten steps there was a heavy pounding at the door.
Jenny froze. Had she been followed? Was this Orlowski? For a brief moment, she wished she’d heeded Zack’s advice and just stayed at his place. Quietly placing the bag on the floor, Jenny walked as softly as she could to the door. She looked out the peephole once again, seeing a familiar but unwelcome face.
Chapter 18
Jenny opened the door. “Greg,” she said with astonishment. “What are you doing here?”
“Can we talk?” he asked.
Jenny looked beyond him to make sure he was alone. Her primary concern was getting him inside and closing the door. “Sure. Come on in.” He stepped inside and she immediately shut him in. Once the door was locked her focus shifted, and suddenly she realized she had just received a man she had no desire to see. “What are you doing here?”
“I just want to know how long you’re planning to do this.”
“Do what?”
“This.” Greg extended his arms and gestured to the apartment. “I mean, you’ve made your point. You can come home now.”
“I am home,” Jenny replied.
“Come on, Jenny, look at this place. Stop doing this.”
“I happen to like this place.”
Greg snorted. “Please. I mean, really.”
Jenny scratched her head. “Are you done here?”
“I’m the one who should be asking you that.”
With a sigh to keep herself grounded, Jenny said, “Greg, you don’t seem to understand this, but I am done. Done with the marriage. This isn’t some kind of tantrum or stunt to get your attention. This is my new home now, and I’m actually quite happy here.”
He looked skeptically around. “I find that hard to believe.”
“I know you do. You can’t possibly be happy unless you have…stuff. I don’t expect you to understand that I can be happy with just my freedom.”
F
rustration clearly gripped Greg. “Okay, I guess this was a waste of time.” He turned toward the door. “Listen, when you come to your senses, let me know.”
“Hey,” Jenny called as Greg’s hand touched the doorknob. “How did you know I lived here? Did you follow me or something?”
Greg didn’t answer as he left. Jenny immediately locked the door behind him, shaking her head, trying to grasp what had just happened. As the last two minutes registered in her brain, she became very much aware of how careless she’d just been. She hadn’t paid enough attention to her surroundings as she returned from the store. Had this been Orlowski at her door, she could have been killed.
But she also couldn’t deny the power shift she’d just witnessed. She was now the card holder in her relationship with Greg. Mister You’ll-Be-Back had just come looking for her. She couldn’t help but smile. It seemed at this point in her life she had her choice of three different men, although among them were an asshole and a serial killer. “Quantity, not quality,” she muttered as she returned to the shopping bag on the floor. “You can’t have everything.”
Her day remained uneventful. She received several texts from Zack, asking if she was okay. She felt guilty about making him worry so much; her goal hadn’t been to upset him. His concern was unfortunate collateral damage in her quest to be independent.
She spent most of her day painting, watching her newly activated television, and surfing the Internet. When the clock hit seven, she decided it was time to try her luck at Mike MacMahon. She took several deep breaths to calm her nerves and dialed the phone, making sure to press the series of buttons that would allow her number to remain anonymous.
“Hello?”
“Hi, my name is Elizabeth Fairbanks; I work for the police department down here in Braddock Georgia. I’m looking for a Mr. Michael MacMahon.”
“This is.”
“Hi, Mr. MacMahon. I am calling in regards to your step brother, Tom Orlowski. He’s being considered for a promotion, and he listed you as a character reference. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions while I have you on the phone?”
“No, that’s fine.”
Jenny asked a few routine questions: how long he had known Tom, and in what capacity. She asked if Orlowski had hung out with anyone questionable or lived beyond his means financially. These had all been questions she remembered from the interviews regarding her old neighbor. Then she posed the question she had been waiting for. “While Mr. Orlowski lived with you, did he have any stretches of unaccounted for time or moments when his whereabouts were in question?”
“Well, I have to confess, I hardly ever saw him, even though we lived together. He was the ideal roommate, actually.” Mike let out a laugh. “He worked nights, I worked days…we would occasionally cross paths in the morning or evening, but beyond that it was as if he didn’t live here at all.”
“Do you suspect he was involved in any questionable activity while staying with you?”
“No,” Mike said, seemingly genuinely. “He’s a good guy.”
Jenny’s heart sank. This seemed like it was getting her nowhere. She continued to ask some appropriate questions for a few more minutes before concluding the call. “Damn,” she said out loud when she hung up. “That was a waste.”
About a half an hour later her phone rang; it was Danny Fazzino. Jenny wasn’t expecting this phone call, so she was very interested to hear what he had to say.
She picked up eagerly. “Hello?”
“Hi Jenny, it’s Danny Fazzino. How are you?”
“Doing well. To what do I owe the honor?” She was anxious for him to get to the point.
“Well, I just wanted to let you know we searched the Hawkins’ shed.”
“Really? You were able to get a warrant that fast?”
“Didn’t need one,” Fazzino replied. “I went to the house in uniform and spoke to his mother, saying I wanted to look for evidence in an old case. I think she automatically assumed I was looking for some dirt on one of her exes, so she told me to go ahead and take whatever I needed. I spent all afternoon searching that shed with a fine-toothed comb, and unfortunately I came up with nothing.”
Jenny’s heart fell into her feet.
“Are you sure it was the shed I was supposed to be focusing on?” Fazzino asked.
Making a face she remarked, “I thought so, but I could have been wrong.”
“You’ve just been right about so many things, and you were led to this place twice,” Fazzino said. “I thought for sure I would find something.”
Jenny hung her head. “So did I.”
“Alright,” Fazzino added, “maybe I’ll go back and see if I can search the house.”
“That’d be great,” Jenny remarked in a dejected tone.
“Well, have a good evening.”
“You too.” Jenny hung up the phone and felt very empty. She sat in her chair wondering if she had any ability at all or if she had just happened to get lucky a few times. Stop, she said to herself. Stop beating yourself up. You have been right about a bunch of stuff. So you got one thing wrong. It happens.
Her pep-talk didn’t make her feel any better.
The next two days came and went without incident. Jenny felt impatient, like a caged animal. She was having a difficult time enjoying her freedom when she really didn’t feel like she could be free. On the few occasions she did leave her apartment, she constantly looked over her shoulder. She only felt truly comfortable in her apartment, where she was bored silly.
Chapter 19
Jenny woke in the middle of the night to that familiar tug which told her she needed to go somewhere. She grabbed a coat, her purse, and some shoes—all while remaining trance-like—and headed out the door. The cold threatened to rouse her into consciousness, but she refused to allow it. Something told her she was headed somewhere important.
She drove into Braddock, down some streets that were unfamiliar to her. Eventually she was led to a long, deserted stretch where she stumbled across a lone young woman who was staggering along the road’s edge. Jenny knew this was where she was supposed to be.
She pulled her phone out of her purse and dialed Zack’s number. She got his voicemail, which wasn’t surprising at that hour. “Zack,” she said. “I’ve been led to Braddock. I’m not entirely sure where I am, but there’s a girl out here by herself. I think Morgan wants me to protect her. I’m going to try to get her in my car and take her home. Give me a call when you get this message.”
Jenny considered calling Officer Johnson, as scary as he was, but she didn’t have his number. “Damn,” she said out loud. She definitely should have gotten that number from Zack.
She climbed out of her car and approached the woman, who was illuminated solely by Jenny’s headlights. “Hey,” Jenny called. “Do you need a ride somewhere?”
The young woman was crying. “No,” she demanded. “I do not need a ride somewhere. I need my boyfriend to stop being an asshole.” She slurred her words as she spoke.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Jenny said, trying her best to befriend the drunken girl. “Listen, why don’t you let me give you a ride home, or at least call a friend for you?”
“No,” she insisted. “I’m fine.” She stumbled but regained her balance.
“Come on. It’s dangerous out here. There’s a killer on the loose.”
“I’ll have you know,” the girl replied, putting her finger in the air, “that the killer was caught, thank you very much. See what you know? You don’t know nothing.” She spoke with closed eyes.
At that moment Jenny began to get that all-too-familiar feeling that signaled Orlowski was on his way. Please, God, no. “Listen,” Jenny pleaded. “Please. Get in the car. I’ll take you straight home, I promise.”
“I told you, I don’t need a ride. I don’t even know who you are.”
Screaming began inside Jenny’s head. At that moment she could hear the sound of an approaching car; the world around her started flashing in blue and red.<
br />
Shit.
The sand and gravel alongside the road crunched under the police car’s tires as it pulled over. Jenny’s mind raced. What was she going to say to him? How could she explain being here in the middle of the night? She’d have to come up with something. The only thing she knew for sure was that she could not allow this girl to be alone with Orlowski. That would have been a death sentence.
The car door opened, and the officer emerged from his vehicle. “Is there a problem here?” Jenny heard Orlowski’s voice say. She remained frozen, blinded by his headlights, seeing only his silhouette walking toward her. “Hey,” he added. “It’s you.”
“Yeah, it’s me,” Jenny said. “Everything’s fine, actually. This is just my cousin…she’s had a little too much to drink.”
“I am not her cousin!” the woman shouted.
Jenny tried her best to play it cool. “See what I mean?” she said to Orlowski.
“Officer,” the drunken woman slurred, “this woman is crazy. I have never seen her before in my life.”
For the love of God, Jenny pleaded silently, please shut up.
The drunken woman staggered over to the police car, pounding on the passenger window with an open hand. “I want in. I want you to give me a ride home, not this crazy bitch.”
“Tom,” Jenny said pleadingly. “I’m sorry. She gets like this. She actually has a bit of a drug habit, and she doesn’t have any idea what’s going on.”
“I do not have a drug habit. Let me in.” She continued to pound on the door.
“I’ll tell you what,” Orlowski said. “I’ll bring her home. Thanks for trying, though.”
Frozen with fear, thoughts swirled around Jenny’s head. If this girl gets into his car, she’s as good as dead. Although, maybe not. He has a witness this time. I can place him with her. Maybe he won’t take that chance. But what if he does? What if he claims he dropped her off safely in front of her house and that she disappeared sometime afterward? He’s a cop. People will probably believe him.
