Sue (14 page)

The next morning her nerves were on
edge. She resisted the urge to snap at Melvin when he arrived to follow her to
work. But the day was an anticlimax. Nothing happened, other than Melvin
working up the courage to ask her to a movie that evening, which she declined.
“I’m too tired to concentrate.
Maybe another time.”

She decided to take a nap before
fixing her evening meal, but the phone rang before she could drift off. It was
Detective Sanders. “We don’t have anything on that letter, Sue, but I wanted to
let you know we picked someone up for the burglaries in your neighborhood.”

“Who was it?” Sue gripped her phone
tight.

“Just a couple of
kids.
Caught them in the act.”

“Did they admit to breaking in my
place?”

“No, but we still think they’re the
ones who did it,” Sanders said,
then
shifted subjects.
“How are things going there?
Everything still calm?”

“Yes. Nothing’s happened.”

“Good.” The detective said goodbye
and hung up.

Sue relaxed her hand around her
phone. It was a shame those kids hadn’t confessed to breaking into her house;
now she’d have to remain vigilant. She fell into bed and surprised herself by
sleeping until morning.

Come morning, Melvin was waiting
outside to follow her to work. The snow had melted a little, but it was still
cold. He wore thick gloves and his usual hat. As she locked her door behind
her, he gestured toward her car. “What’s that?”

Sue noticed a spot of bright red
poking out from under the windshield wiper.
“Probably just a
flyer.
People are always putting those things on cars.” She marched over
and yanked it out. It was an envelope. “Oh, no,” she said quietly.

Melvin hurried over. “Don’t open
it,” he instructed.

Sue shook her head and waved him
away. “Come on, Melvin! I’ve got gloves on. I’m opening it.” Inside she found a
valentine, unsigned. She looked up at Melvin. “Did you put this here?”

With a quick frown, he shook his
head. “No. I wouldn’t do that; I’d just hand it to you.”

Sue looked around, scanning the
street, the snow-covered hedge, the neighbors’ yards. No clear footprints were
visible around her car. Once she assured herself the perpetrator was no longer
around, she read the card. The prose was highly suggestive, romantic,
sensual
. A card one lover would send to another. She chewed
her lip and allowed anger to replace her fear. “This is getting crazy and I’m
sick of it.” She pulled the cuff of her glove back and glanced at her watch. “I
don’t have time for this crap; I have to get to work. Can you drive me so I can
call the detective on the way?”

“Of course.”

She made the call and arranged to
meet the detective at
noon
at a small
park within walking distance to work. She didn’t want the police showing up at
her job. It was a small three-person office, just Sue and the two insurance
agents for whom she worked. It was the one area where she could completely cut
herself off from that piece of her past and Sue loathed the idea of giving up
any of her hard-won gains.

When Melvin dropped her off, she
entered the office, put her lunch in the fridge, and removed her coat. Turning
on her computer, she set the coffeemaker to brew before settling at her desk
with pen and pad to check messages on the phone system. When her bosses
arrived, she would put the open sign in the window and everything would be
ready for the day.

Leaning back in her chair, she
gazed through the open blinds to the parking lot outside. Clouds had moved in
and a weak drizzle smeared the glass. She reflected on her progress thus far.
In addition to her defensive training, she’d been reading books to empower her
and boost her confidence. And she was making strides toward her goal of
becoming strong and self-reliant. But she held a secret close to her heart.
With the fervor of obsession, she readied herself for the one confrontation
that would set her free and allow her to move forward, to find happiness in
life again. She was going to kill Zeke.

The agents arrived, greeted her,
and disappeared into their individual offices to work. Sue shook herself from
her reverie and turned to the tasks at hand. She began typing letters and
taking phone calls. At
noon
, Sue
hurried to her rendezvous with the detective and then back to eat her lunch.
The rest of the day passed without incident.

Melvin drove her home that evening
and sat waiting as she made her way to the house. Sue checked the mail and then
opened the storm door. A bouquet of perky white flowers with yellow centers
fell from between the doors and landed at her feet. Daisies! Sue stared for a
moment before she slipped into hysterics.

“Who’s doing this to me?” she
screamed, stomping the flowers and kicking them into the snow. “Where are you?
Why are you doing this?” She turned around wildly searching everywhere.

Melvin jumped from his car and ran
to the porch. He gently pulled Sue into his arms; she buried her face in his
shoulder and allowed him to comfort her. “
It’s
okay,
Sue. I’m here. It’s okay.” He patted her back and smoothed her hair away from
her face. “No one’s going to hurt you.” His gaze fell on the broken stems and
blossoms in the snow.

Slowly, Sue pulled away and
collected herself. Touching her hair self-consciously, she cleared her throat.
It was tight, as if it might close over and choke her. She coughed once and
felt the muscles relax. “I’m alright, Melvin. It’s just the flowers.
The daisies.
You don’t understand, do you?”

“Wait, that’s right. I remember
seeing that in your file.” His face was grim.

“Someone is hanging around here,
around my place. It’s creepy! And daisies! That can’t be just a coincidence?
Can it? Who would even know about them except Zeke?”

Melvin shook his head but offered
no answers. “We need to call the law.”

This time, after the police left,
Melvin stayed until Sue calmed down. He didn’t bring up the notion of spending
the night and Sue wondered if he feared another rejection. But he made it clear
he had no intention of abandoning her. “I’m going to go home and put on some
extra clothes, grab a thermos of hot chocolate. I’ll be back before you know
it.”

“You don’t have to do that.” Sue’s
objection was weak.

“I know that. But I want to.”
Melvin patted her shoulder before stepping off the porch. “I’ll be right across
the street, keeping watch. You can rest easy tonight.”

Sue didn’t argue.

For the next three nights, Melvin
continued his surveillance. It produced no results except to leave him
exhausted. On the fourth night, he stayed home to catch up on sleep.

During that time, Sue continued her
secret research. She’d posted an alert for the names of either of the missing
women she’d already discovered, but there were no further news stories on
either. The subject of the flowers led to one of the more painful therapy
sessions to date as she relived another of Zeke’s horrors with Dr. Camden.

Sue faithfully recorded her
feelings in the journal she brought to each visit. But other, more private
feelings, she kept in a second book. If Dr. Camden suspected Sue was
withholding anything, she gave no overt indication; although, every so often
Sue caught the woman gazing at her with that shrewd, knowing look in her eyes.
It made Sue uncomfortable when it happened but she scolded herself each time.
For
crying out loud, she can’t read minds. Even therapists are limited to the same
five senses as the rest of us.

Chapter 22

Sue stomped the snow from her feet
before entering her parents’ house. Her mom peeked over her shoulder. “Didn’t Melvin
follow you? I wanted to ask him in for a piece of cake.”

“I came alone.”

“What?
Oh,
Susan!”

“It’s only a mile, Mom. It’s no big
deal.”

Her mother fought to smooth her
frown and brought forth a nervous smile. “You’re right. Why don’t you get your
coat off and come on in?”

Sue stepped into the living room
after removing her outerwear. Her dad leaped from his easy chair and engulfed
her in a bear hug.
“Happy Birthday, baby!”

“Thanks, dad.”
Sue returned the hug before pulling away.

“Are you ready for your party?”

“It’s been a crazy week at work.
What I’d really love to do is take a nice long bath,” Sue said wistfully.

“Oh, well, we don’t have to do this
now. We could pick another day.” Her mother’s eyes were moist, her
disappointment palpable.

“What?
Another
day?
But another day wouldn’t be my birthday. Of course I want to have
my party tonight.”

“Come on in the kitchen.” Sue’s mom
vanished through the doorway.

Sue followed with her dad trailing
behind. Once in the kitchen, he stepped into the utility room and came back
with two gaily-wrapped gifts. He placed them in the center of the table as he
and Sue took their seats.

Sue’s mom had made a mayonnaise
cake with powdered sugar frosting. Now, she carried it to the table and set it
down with a flourish. Two glowing candles graced the center, a two and a zero.
“Make a wish, honey.”

Closing her eyes for a second, Sue
wished Zeke dead.
Dead and gone.
She opened her eyes
and blew out the flames.

“I hope your wish comes true.” Her
dad grinned. “Now, open your presents.”

The first package held a nice pair
of leather gloves. Sue slipped them on and held her hands up. “Perfect fit,”
she proclaimed before taking them back off. Next, she opened a scarf in bright
colors. Rubbing it on her cheek, she moaned softly, “Fluffy. Soft.” She stood
and gave each of her parent’s a quick hug. “I love them, thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” her mom chirped.

“Now open your card.”

Sue did. Inside she found a card
that overflowed with loving birthday sentiments and a hundred dollar bill.

“Oh! This is too much,” Sue
protested, but her parents waved off her concern, saying she could use the
money to buy something she wouldn’t ordinarily purchase.

They lingered at the table. Sue ate
a huge piece of her favorite cake and sipped at a cup of coffee. They chatted
about everyday things until Sue yawned. “Sorry,” she said. “I’m just really
tired. It’s been a madhouse at the office the last couple of days. I’m glad
tomorrow is Saturday so I can catch up things around the apartment.”

“It is getting kind of late,” her
dad said. “I’m ready to call it a night if you ladies are.”

Soon, Sue had her coat on and was
standing at the front door. “Thank you so much for the cake and the gifts.”

Smiling, her mom and dad each
hugged her and told her happy birthday one more time. She slipped out the door,
feeling her parents’ eyes on her back until she was safely in the car. She
watched the friendly glow from the living room disappear as they closed the
door.

At home, Sue ran a hot scented bath
and soaked until the water turned cool. Then, snug in her pajamas, she slid
between the sheets, pulled the comforter up tight around her, and drifted into
a dreamless sleep.

Chapter 23

As the days passed uneventfully,
both Melvin and Sue began to think the whole ordeal was over and whoever had
left the card and flowers had given up. February turned into March and Sue felt
a combination of relief and disappointment. A couple of weeks passed and she
was on the verge of telling her folks she didn’t need Melvin anymore, even though
she’d miss his company.

Then, two disturbing events
occurred. First, the mutilated body of Diane Swanson was discovered behind a
vinegar and pickle factory in Missouri.
Chills left goose bumps on Sue’s skin as she read the news report. It wasn’t
specific about the remains, but she was willing to bet the woman had been
decapitated.
Like Brenda. Like Daisy.
There were no suspects in the case
and details being released by the police were sketchy at this early stage. Sue
printed the report and added it to her file.

If the condition of Diane Swanson’s
body was similar to the mutilation of Brenda’s corpse, the police had probably
already linked the two. Plus, they now had Zeke’s DNA. If there was a match,
they’d soon know. She resisted the urge to call the detective about her find.
This was just another burden Sue would shoulder alone. She thought of the
woman’s family and blinked, surprised at the film of tears in her eyes.
I’m
going to have to get tougher if I want to carry out my plan.
A
lot tougher.
She wrestled down the outrage and horror, set her
shoulders, and glanced at her purse with its deadly weapon tucked inside.

The second distressing incident was
when another letter appeared. This one was also composed on a computer but it
didn’t come through the mail. She found it stuck in the doorjamb. It was seven
pages of the most vulgar filth Sue had ever seen. She shook as she read it.
Shoving it into her coat pocket, she quickly returned to her car. She’d had to
work late and had told Melvin she could get home by herself, knowing he needed
to study for a big test. Now she was alone.

Locking her doors, Sue started the
car and cranked up the heater. She called Detective Sanders, and while she
waited for her to arrive, spoke to Melvin.

“I got another letter.” Sue tried
to keep her voice calm, but it had the edge of barely controlled panic. “This
one’s really bad.”

“Hold on a minute, Sue. Don’t hang
up; just give me time to collect my stuff. I’m in the library. Let me step out
into the foyer.” She heard light rustling and soon his voice returned. “Okay.
Now tell me.”