“Calm down, ma’am. Where are you located?”
“Independence Avenue. House number 5. Please, come right away. I’m scared and don’t know if the burglar is still in the house.”
“I’ll notify Sherriff Riley immediately, and we’re sending a patrol car right away. He will accompany the officers.”
Shelley hung up and barricaded the bedroom door with every item of furniture she could use. Sherriff Riley arrived in ten minutes with his officers and called out Shelley’s name. She answered feebly, “Is that you, Sherriff?”
“Yes, you can come out now. Nothing to fear.”
The Sherriff approached her bedroom door with a reassuring voice. He could sense the distress in her voice and tried to make her feel safe. He asked her to open up and Shelley obliged. Sherriff Riley did his best to comfort Shelley and told her that everything would be fine. There was a touch of sympathy in his voice. The Sherriff could imagine what Shelley was going through, and spoke to her as if he was speaking to his daughter.
Shelley came out of the bedroom. She was scared stiff and the Sherriff was taken aback by the state he found her in. It was upsetting, even to him. He felt a tinge of rage rise up in his gut and vowed inwardly that he would catch the criminal that did this and kept on harassing Shelley. If it happened to be Matt, Sherriff Riley would not sympathize with him anymore. Justice needed to be served, and despite the budgetary constraints placed on the police force, the Sherriff was not going to let Savannah town degenerate into anarchy.
Sherriff Riley had seen Savannah town rise from humble beginnings. He was one of the first residents there. This is how he was able to rise to the position he was in at the moment. Of course, Savannah had encountered its fair share of challenges, and there had been other individuals that had broken the law. But this was a new type of case. It had a perpetrator who seemed to be mentally deranged. This was developing into a crime of passion. Unfortunately, the Sherriff had not been able to dig up any evidence.
Shelley walked into the living room with the Sheriff and described how she woke up in the morning and walked into the living room as she was making her way to the kitchen. At this point, she found that the living room had been turned upside down. Some of her property had gone missing, including her purse, and this meant she would have to apply for duplicates of her credit and debit cards, work and medical care IDs, as well as driving license.
The officers noted the missing items and dusted the house down for fingerprints. Unfortunately, they found none. It was not possible to get the forensics investigators to the site because of the high fees they charged. The Sherriff’s office was only authorized to employ them in cases of homicide and violent robberies. There was no struggle in Shelley’s house, and perhaps the person that broke in was aware of the budgetary limitations that the Sherriff’s office had experienced. It pointed to the fact that the person or persons involved were probably locals that knew their way around Savannah and how the town administration worked and operated.
Shelley and Sherriff Riley were in agreement that this was someone that knew her well, perhaps intimately, based on the message left on the wall. It was not really about the stolen items. It had more to do with rage and passion. The only suspect that fitted this description was her ex-boyfriend, Matt. The burden of proof rested on Shelley, and until she could get something concrete to pin on him, it was going to be like a cat and mouse game.
The police officers spent the better part of the morning investigating the burglary and trying to find any form of evidence that could lead them to the burglar’s whereabouts. They took photos of the footprints in the yard and tried to figure out what kinds of tools were used to break into Shelley’s house. After getting any information that they could use to help them in the investigations, they left. Shelley accompanied the Sherriff to his office to make a formal report. It took a couple of hours to do this and get back to the house.
Shelley called Brad at four o’clock in the afternoon and he rushed to her place. Brad had woken up later than usual because of the late night he had after dropping Shelley off at her home.
“I was robbed early this morning,” Shelley told him.
Brad was shocked, and listened in disbelief. Anger built up inside him, and he felt that if he met Matt anywhere that day, he would suffer Brad’s wrath.
“Why didn’t you call me earlier?” asked Brad.
“I was in shock and confused. The first thing I thought of doing was calling Sherriff Riley. Then I went back into my room, locked myself inside, and waited.”
“Well, I can understand that, and I’m very sorry. You shouldn’t stay alone. It seems like Matt is out to cause you untold harm as long as you pose any kind of threat to him”
“You and I know it’s him,” said Shelley, “but what does anybody care as long as there is no evidence to pin on him?”
“From this day onward, either you come and stay with me at the hotel, or I’ll stay with you at home until we figure out how to stop Matt. He’s becoming bold and he’s already a danger. Matt has to be stopped soon.”
“I don’t want to be of any inconvenience to you.”
“Not at all, I insist,” Brad said. “A friend in need is a friend indeed. I said I would help and I will. In fact, last night, I did some sleuthing in the neighborhood and found Matt at his favorite bar.”
“Oh my gosh! I hope you didn’t try to confront him. He’s dangerous, you know.”
“Of course not! I sat in a dark corner. I went there after getting information from his friend, Jim. He gave me insight into Matt’s behavior lately and it seemed a bit unusual. He thought Matt would be up to something last night and told me where he was most likely to be.”
“And how did you meet Jim?”
“Well, I went to refuel the car at his garage after dropping you off at home and told him that I was an old friend from out of town looking for Matt. That’s how I got the information and went to the bar.”
“So that’s how you traced him?” asked Shelley.
“I watched him for two hours. He seemed drunk and harmless and staggered out of the bar into the night. At first I was a little suspicious as to whether he was faking his drunkenness but brushed the thought aside. I thought that, with all the calculated risks he was taking, he wouldn’t get himself drunk in case he disclosed any incriminating facts about his actions in the past few days due to intoxication.”
“So you must have slept late?”
“Afraid so. I wanted to give you a call just to make sure you were fine but thought not to wake you at such a weird hour of the night, considering the tough day you’d had.”
“It’s not your fault,” she said. “Besides, if I’d been awake, he would have noticed and come after me to silence me for once and for all. Anyway, even if I was aware that he was in the house, he may have heard me calling the Sheriff’s office and attacked me instead.”
“Yes, that may have happened too. I’m coming over. I will help you put the house back in order and then we can review the events form Saturday up to date. Perhaps there’s something we overlooked in our efforts to find evidence against Matt.”
“Okay, I’ll be waiting. It’s already getting dark now. Don’t be long. It’s quite lonely and scary here at the moment.”
“I’ll be there in an hour’s time,” said Matt.
They ended their telephone conversation, and Brad prepared himself to spend the night at Shelley’s house. He showered, dressed up, and carried a sleeping bag along with his laptop and hard copies of documents that contained information that could prove useful with Shelley’s input.
As agreed, Brad got to Shelley’s house within the hour. They exchanged greetings and hugs and then went straight into the house. Brad and Shelley started clearing the mess left behind by the burglar. Everything had been turned upside down. Not only did it require putting furniture, wall hangings, and decorations back in place, but it also required thorough cleaning.
T
hey cleaned, scrubbed, mopped, and dusted the whole house. Finally, Brad found some chemicals in the car that dissolved the spray paint on the wall of the living room. It was a combination of brake fluid and distilled water. The end result was not a pretty sight but at least the message had been erased. Shelley would have to go into town the following day and buy a can of paint to restore the wall to its original color.
Brad and Shelley completed the work after three hours. They were totally exhausted and had no energy reserves left to make supper. Instead, they decided to go into town and get a takeaway meal. While there, they passed through the Sherriff’s office to find out if there was any information or evidence that the police may have found regarding the threatening text message that had been sent to Shelley on Monday.
Sherriff Riley was unable to unearth anything because they could not track the anonymous number. Shelley and Brad were disappointed, but vowed to continue hunting for evidence that they could provide Sherriff Riley with at the earliest possible time. They went back to Shelley’s house and spent the better part of the night combing the research that Brad had compiled. There was no way of telling if they had overlooked anything, so they went through the facts over and over again.
As the night wore on, the two became fatigued and Shelley finally gave up the search. She was tired and traumatized, and Brad did what he could to comfort her. They had supper.
“Seems as though our dates are always due to Matt doing something horrendous.”
“Yeah. It’s as if he wants us to start dating and become a couple. Get married and live happily ever after.”
“He seems to be doing a good job, too. That’s a first. Maybe he isn’t all that bad after all.”
Shelley’s face brightened up. She laughed in a half joking and half serious manner. Their eyes met and locked. She kissed Brad on the lips and Brad obliged her. They went on for a couple of minutes, then Shelley pulled away and coughed to signal that she was a little embarrassed and changed the subject.
“So, what are your plans? I mean, after it’s all over?”
“Haven’t thought about the future yet. Let me finish my feature story and then I’ll let you know. What about you?”
“Well, I am not sure of anything. Maybe I’ll need some time off. Take time to think about my future. Maybe I’ll move to a different town or a big city and forget about my recent experiences. I’m going to have a baby, and I don’t want memories of the father lingering every time I go to work or leave the house. I don’t want to spend my life remembering what Matt did to me. There’s enough of that here already.”
“I wouldn’t want to live with such memories either. Maybe you can move to my town. At least you’ll have one friend already.”
Shelley looked at Brad, as if to suggest that it was not just going to be a friendship and there was the possibility that she would prefer more than just a plutonic relationship. They had already started getting intimate. Brad was the first man that she had kissed intimately other than Matt in a while and she wanted more. However, she did not know if he would accept her and the baby. Matt was the father and it was possible that this would bring complications in their relationship in the future. Moreover, it was common for someone in a desperate situation like hers to fall for the first man that showed her kindness. It needed time and Shelley was not sure if she would fit into Brad’s plans.
There was silence for a while as each of them pondered the past, present, and future. It felt like they had known each other for a long time. Each comforted the other in a silent way and they appreciated each other’s company.
Brad finally spoke. “Let’s see how it goes. I think we’ll be able to figure something out with time.”
Shelley agreed. It was late and the situation was getting awkward. Brad diffused the sexual tension by offering to sleep on the floor in the living room. He knew that Shelley was still reeling from the events of the last few days and didn’t want to rush her. He wanted to comfort her even more but decided against being suggestive. Lovemaking would come naturally, at the right time and place. He remembered that they both had a lot of issues to resolve and didn’t want anything out of the blue interfering with his work as well. Brad was fiercely protective of his career, despite the fact that he was beginning to develop feelings for Shelley.
Shelley agreed to the sleeping arrangement and hid her disappointment. Although she understood Brad’s position, she wanted more but realized that it may have been too early, and there was no need to rush things. They were both grown-ups and it would be better to take things one step at a time.
Brad got out his sleeping bag, laid it on the floor, and bade Shelley goodnight. It was the end of another eventful day and they both needed to catch up with some sleep. It was going to be another long day and they needed to remain focused to deal with the unexpected. Every day brought new challenges that unsettled the normal, daily rhythm of their lives. But there was still hope of catching Matt one way or the other.
Chapter 6
Brad woke up in the morning, more determined than ever to nab Matt. He discussed his plans with Shelley just before she went to work.
“I think I should go back to Matt’s high school and interview his old teachers,” he said. “I may be able to find something there.”
“You can also contact his previous employers. Perhaps you could talk to Jim,” said Shelley. “Just tell him you haven’t found Matt and need some more information as to where he may be found or where you can find anyone that he has been in contact with lately.”
“I’ll also do a search on Google and see if his name comes up. That could help me locate his previous employers.”
“Yeah, that sounds great. Let’s talk later then, and don’t get yourself into trouble while you’re at it.”
“Yeah,” Brad said. “Discretion is the word.”
Shelley told him that she wanted him to stay in her house, as she feared for her life. This made a lot of sense because the police had not unearthed any evidence that could link Matt to the previous night’s break-in.
After Shelley set off to work, Brad got ready for the long day ahead. Shelley had left him with a spare key, just in case he needed to go back to the house at some point in the day or got back earlier than she did.
Brad started by doing a search on Google and was rewarded instantly. Matt’s name did come up along with the details of all his previous employers. Brad then drove to the high school and headed for the staff room where several teachers were on mid-morning break. It was just what he needed.
Brad had timed his trip to the Savannah High school to coincide with the ten o’clock tea break and there were more than enough teachers to talk to. He met a certain Mrs. Scott.
“Good morning, ma’am. I was looking for an old friend of mine named Matt and was wondering if you may know him? Perhaps even where he currently resides?”
“Hello,” said Mrs. Scott. “Matt was my student before he dropped out of school. Never saw him again. The last I heard about him is that he had gotten a job somewhere in Savannah. Not really sure where. There were dozens of plants coming up then, and they all needed labor. Even unskilled labor was taken up and they got training free of charge. I doubt he lasted long because Matt had a short temper and would fly into tantrums even with his classmates joking around.”
This was the same narrative Brad got from the old school teachers that taught Matt. Brad realized that he had reached a dead end and would have to go straight to Matt’s previous employers. One thing that was mentioned consistently was Matt’s temper. This was a sign of lack of self-confidence and may have been the reason why Matt dropped out of school altogether. What became clear, however, is that Matt was disturbed and a livewire. He was an unpredictable person and his personality portrayed an unsettled mind.
Brad thanked the teachers he had spoken to and drove towards the first former employer of Matt on his list. There were six of them to visit and all of them happened to be a short distance from
each other. It only took twenty minutes to get to the first one. He drove into the parking lot and went straight to the reception desk.
“Good morning,” said Brad. “I would like to make some enquiries about a former employee of yours. Can you assist me?”
The receptionist studied Brad’s intense gaze for a moment as if deciding to decline the request, but change her mind at the last moment. There was something about the gaze that Brad did not quite understand. Finally, she directed Brad to the human resources department and told him to make his enquiries there.
“I am sure you will get assistance there,” she said.
Brad thanked her and made his way to the department on the second floor of the imposing administrative block. They were already expecting him, and a human resources officer approached Brad and led him to a table with two chairs at the back end of the office pool.
“How can we be of assistance, Brian, if you don’t mind me calling you by your first name?” asked the HR manager.
Brad had not disclosed his first name for fear of being recognized or found out by anyone that was friendly to Matt. Even people with Matt’s personality had one or two associates. After all, it was his hometown and it was better for Brad to be safe than sorry.
“Not at all. I wanted to trace an old friend of mine by the name of Matt. I’m told he worked here and then left suddenly. Maybe you could assist me in locating him.”
“Ah! Matt. Who can forget him? He raised hell in the plant about some petty gossip regarding his work performance and got himself sacked. His violent tendencies didn’t do him much good either. Finally, he threatened the receptionist for no apparent reason when she turned down his advances. In fact, we reported the matter to Sherriff Riley, but you know, Sherriff Riley had a soft spot for him and let the case go, since no damage was done. Apparently, Sherriff Riley has known Matt from his childhood and let him off with a warning. After what happened in the plant, we had no choice but to let him go for gross misconduct and harassment of a fellow employee.”
Promised Box Set Page 103
