Chapter One
Stalker
I watched her from my end of the bar as she served the other patrons. There was really nothing special about this bar to keep coming back to it. Nothing special that is, except for her.
The food was terrible and the place was in a general lack of good upkeep, typical overall of your average street bar in Philadelphia.
The patrons were a boisterous lot and loud, too loud, but I could tune them out if I had her to look at. I didn’t really understand my fascination with her. Sure she was pretty, but there were a lot of pretty girls in the world, why her? I didn’t understand it, but I kept coming back to this seedy place to watch her for an hour or two. Okay, maybe it had already been over three hours tonight.
I’d been coming here for almost two years now and I’d learned a lot about her without really looking into her back story. It was the subtle things I learned about her.
The difference between a genuine smile and the mask that would fall into place when she was dealing with someone she didn’t like or found distasteful, which happened a lot in a bar like this. In general she got along with mostly everyone and she had a way of putting a stop to trouble before it got out of hand.
She had fire in her and I’d never seen her back down once from a situation. I doubted that there was a man in the place that wouldn’t have defended her if she had need of it.
She flirted a lot and had a frank quality to her that said she liked men, but she wasn’t a tramp. I’d never seen her go home with anyone; whether or not she had a boyfriend out of work I didn’t know and didn’t care. While I sat in my corner seat at the bar she was mine to look at and appreciate.
I never hoped for anything more than that. Chances were that I’d be dead tomorrow, but that was everyday in my life. For now I was enjoying one of the few pleasures in my barren life, which was watching her. She was so alive and vivacious that just being near her made me feel more alive somehow inside too.
She was talking with a woman down the bar from me, as she was polishing a shot glass and appeared to be talking about some topic she really liked. The reason I knew that was because her nose would crinkle up slightly when she was truly interested in a conversation. The conversation ended and the other woman left and Anna, that was her name, turned to place the shot glasses she had polished up onto a shelf above the bar.
She had to stretch up and stand on her toes to reach the shelf. That was another thing I liked about her, she was short. Tall women intimidated me as they reminded me of my own shorter stature. Anna by my calculations was a comfortable five inches shorter than my 5’8’’ height.
Her dress rose as she stretched up to place the glasses on the shelf and I admired the supple calf muscles that were revealed. My eyes continued to drift up her frame admiring the contours along the journey. She was slim, but full and curved in all the right places. My eyes met her cobalt blue gaze and I blinked.
She was looking directly at me!
To my knowledge she’d never directly looked at me before. I always got my drink from the bartender on down from her. In the almost two years I had been coming I’d maybe said five words to her and I had assumed that I was safely unnoticeable to her. I had been wrong.
The directness of her gaze was too much and I felt myself blushing and then of all things she winked at me! It wasn’t a little quick one either, but rather a bold down flick of one eyelid with the richness of her smile behind it. I looked down at the bar as the brim of my hat blessedly concealed my face from view.
Darn it!
My cover was blown and regret was already setting in. I wouldn’t be able to come and see her anymore. My sharply tuned senses told me that she was standing directly in front of me and slowly I glanced up. She stood there slouched onto one elbow against her side of the bar nonchalantly. Her eyes were mysterious, but her smile was genuine.
Her full lips moved, “Caught ya didn’t I?”
What could I say to that? It was time to go! I started to make the move to do just that, but she reached out a hand and laid it on top of mine in a gentle clasp. Her touch was paralyzing and I froze. Her other hand reached up and removed my fedora and set it down to the side on the bar top.
She’d completely invaded my space by removing my hat and I felt a surge of hot anger rise up within me. Her gaze was knowing as she leaned a little closer, “If you can undress me with your eyes then I should at least be allowed to remove your hat.”
She had a point there and I focused on relaxing under the feel of her touch, but it wasn’t easy. She smiled again and removed her hand, but she didn’t back away.
Her lips curved up as she with a conspiratorial look said, “April eleventh, 2011.”
I was a little shocked by her statement. It wasn’t a random date. It was the date of the first time I had come here and seen her.
She continued on, her eyes not leaving mine for a moment, “Since then you’ve been here a total of thirty two times, always the same routine. You come in after the rowdies have settled down, you get a club soda from Jim down the bar, never alcohol and then slowly, as to not attract attention, you make your way here to this spot where you commence to watch me from under the brim of this cute hat. For hours!”
She added the last part with emphasis. Despite what she may be thinking of me I did have manners.
I dropped my gaze as I said, “I apologize if I offended you. I...”
“Whoa! Hold the phone!” She said interrupting me as she held her hand up in a stop gesture.
I glanced back up at her, somewhat surprised.
Her gaze had a characteristic frankness to it as she said, “Did I say that I minded it?”
I blinked again. What exactly did she mean by that?
She glanced away for a moment and then back, her face more serious, “Some men use a girl with their eyes and yes I don’t appreciate that, but you? You’re different! You just like to sit there and admire me. I’ve never sensed anything derogatory in the way you look at me, ever. Actually I’ve come to find it quite flattering. I’ve never seen you look at another woman that’s walked into this place and there’s been much prettier women than me at that, but you don’t give them so much as a passing glance. Why is that?”
“I don’t know.”
She studied me curiously for a moment and then stuck her hand out, “The names Anna.”
I stared at the proffered hand for a moment.
“I don’t shake hands, no offense meant.”
She wiggled her slim fingers in the air, “Oh come on! I washed it this morning, I promise!”
She waved her hand back and forth in the air in front of me beckoningly.
“I don’t bite I promise. Well, I take that back. I have been known to bite on Mondays and the second Tuesday of every other month, but you’re safe because today is Saturday.” She finished her eyes alive with humor.
How could you resist someone like her? I grudgingly reached out and shook her hand.
A look of triumph passed across her pretty face and she asked, “Mr?”
“Tyre.”I said grudgingly.
She didn’t let go of my hand, “Well, Mr. Tyre I have a question for you.”
She leaned close over the bar top invading my space again. Gazing point blank into my eyes she asked in a throaty whisper, “Are you stalking me?”
I thought about it for a moment, “I suppose you could say that I am.” I admitted hesitantly.
Her smile broke free again from where she had been keeping it locked away.
“Good, that means I’ll be seeing more of you!”
She let go of my hand and stepped back and with a swish of her skirt she turned to go back down the bar to some customers that had been waiting.
She glanced back over one shoulder at me with a look that was patented seduction and said, “Enjoy the view Mr. Tyre.”
I blushed again. She was never that overt with anyone! Why me of all people? Was she crazy?
I’d just told her I was stalking her and she’d told me to enjoy the view! What woman in her right mind wanted someone stalking her? Had I misjudged her intelligence level? I was pretty sure that I hadn’t.
Why on earth had she said that and had the entire conversation with me that she just had? She must like me! How was that possible? She didn’t know practically anything about me and what she did know wasn’t good.
I should go now. Everything about my carefully managed infatuation with her had spiraled hopelessly out of control. I needed that control, without it my world could spiral out of control and then I didn’t know what would happen. I didn’t want to know.
I’d spent so many years running from my emotions that I didn’t want to even dare see what would come out if I stopped suppressing them for even a moment. As bad as I needed to leave, for self securities sake, why then, did I so want to just stay here and continue in the peace that I felt while looking at her? I glanced up to see her looking at me again. Her face looked concerned and I realized that my grip on the edge of the bar was white knuckled and I focused on relaxing my hand.
I glanced at her again, as I started to get up to leave, drawn out by a need to see her one more time. To my surprise she was still looking at me and she mouthed two words, which I read easily off her pretty lips, “Please stay.”
Something inside of me seemed to settle down as I realized that like it or not I had to see where this road would lead. I gave a brief nod in response and relaxed back down onto my bar stool.
She smiled seemingly relieved herself by my decision to stay and inwardly I felt at peace grateful to still be here watching her. I looked at my hat on the bar.
My fingers fairly itched to put it back on, but that didn’t seem right somehow so I left it there. This was all uncharted territory for me and I really didn’t know what move to make next. I was hoping she’d give me a clue of some kind.
“So Mr. Tyre what do you do, when you’re not stalking me?”
She was back and she’d asked the one question that would tear her away from me. Should I lie to her? No, if a relationship was to be at all meaningful it should be based on honesty that much I knew.
I looked up into her teasing eyes and the seriousness of my gaze had the humor dropping out of hers within seconds, “I’m a wet man.” I responded simply.
She laughed nervously, “What’s that?”
“I kill people among other things.”
She took two steps back from the bar top visibly shaken. The fingers of her hand shook, as she reached up and curled several stray hairs of her blond hair back over one ear. She was speechless it seemed and abruptly turned away, but then stopped and I wondered what she would do next. She turned back to me; her hands were clenched together in front of her,
“Why?”
She wanted to know why I killed people. Truth was I did a lot more than just killing in my work, but killing did seem to play the major role.
“Some people need killing so that other people can live in peace the way God intended them to.”
“You justify what you do like that?” She asked incredulously.
“I’ll be judged like everyone else will be someday. I don’t believe I’ll get away with anything I’ve done wrong.”
“And knowing that you still do what you do?”
“Someone has too.”
She studied me for a moment more and then walked away. I studied the scarred counter top of the bar before me. Now what?
A glass with a cute little umbrella sticking out of a frothy red mixed drink was gracefully set down before me. I glanced up at Anna and then back down at the drink before me.
“Am I supposed to read something into the fact that you’ve given me something that looks like blood to drink?”
She half choked on a spurt of laughter, “Goodness no! I just thought you might like something else to drink other than that awful club soda that you never even bother to touch.”
“Thank you, but I don’t drink alcohol.”
“I know and I respect you for that, but there’s no alcohol in that and unless you’re allergic to strawberries I’ll bet you’ll like it.”
She was turning to go, “Anna?”
She looked at me and I struggled for words, “This has all been very confusing and I could understand if you’ve changed your mind about me. I’ll just go if you want.”
Her smile returned and she leaned forward kissing me on the cheek shocking me in the process, “Well, aren’t you the chivalrous stalker. I’ll admit your occupation is a bit of a tough one to swallow, but our deal stands. You may continue stalking me, just don’t kill me please.”
She finished on a somewhat nervous sounding note. She winked at me and moved off down the bar. My shock, over the kiss to my cheek, disappeared as I seized on the last part of what she had said.
Who on Earth would even think of doing that! I studied her closely, as she served other patrons at the bar; already deciding I was going to press her about what she had said later.
I picked up the cold glass and took a sip. It was actually quite good. I stayed until just before closing and then I put my hat on and left only to wait across the street from the bar in plain view.
She saw me when she came out of the bar and smiling she boldly crossed the street to me. Her eyes in the dim light given off from the street lamp asked the question of what I was still doing here.
“I wouldn’t be much of a stalker if I don’t know where you live.” I said by way of an explanation, as to why I was still here, even though that wasn’t the whole truth.
She burst out laughing on the spot. Her laughter was rich and full and one of the best sounds I’d ever heard in life. Still laughing softly she looped her arm through mine and started off toward the right.
“Come along Mr. Tyre, but I want you to know that I’m not happy having to do all your leg work for you. Sheesh! Even the stalkers are half lazy anymore!”
I smiled.
“So you can smile! I was beginning to wonder.” She said studying my face closely.
This woman with her free smiles and implied innuendos was breaking me down in ways that torture experts had never succeeded. What was I getting myself into with this woman? Everything that had happened tonight had happened way faster than I liked change to come, but that was life, either adjust to it or be mowed over by it.
It was a long walk that went through some rather seedy areas and the apartment housing she indicated was very rundown in appearance. I couldn’t restrain my objections anymore.
“You walk this way every night, well after dark, to get to this shack!”
“Yes, Mr. Concerned Stalker.”
She said squeezing my arm with hers.
“You should at least take a taxi!” I exclaimed.
“Taxi’s cost money and the legs that God gave me are just fine for walking.”
“You’re a mugged rape victim in a dark alleyway waiting to happen!” I said abruptly and she didn’t respond.
The apartment complex did actually look a little better on the inside, but just barely. She pulled her key out of her purse to unlock her door and before she knew it I had snatched her purse from her.
“Hey!” She said objecting strongly to my actions.
Grimly I rifled through her purse. There wasn’t so much as a pocket knife, let alone a can of pepper spray!
She stood there silently her arms folded, every inch of her radiating anger, but her anger dropped away as I lashed into her.
“Unless you have a black belt in something that I’m not aware of, just what do you plan to do when you’re backed into a dark alley some night?”
She dropped her eyes from mine and mumbled out, “I’ll cross that bridge when or if I ever come to it.”
“That’s not good enough! You owe it to yourself to have a little more common sense than this!”
I was mad! Didn’t she read the newspapers and see the news at all? I dealt with monsters of every kind on a daily basis. This world was made up of bad people, who wouldn’t think twice about gobbling up an innocent girl such as her for breakfast.
I leaned down and pulled a 9mm out of my ankle holster. It was a smaller gun, but it would do the job. Anna’s eyes grew large as she saw the pistol in my hand. For being a woman Anna didn’t have much in her purse and the pistol fit easily into it.
“But I don’t have a permit!” She exclaimed.
“Consider this your chance to do something highly illegal then. Do you know how to use it?”
She nodded, “I shot some of my father’s when I was younger.”
“Good, it’s fully loaded and ready to go. Make sure to keep it with you and use it if you have to.”
I caught her looking at me curiously and I asked somewhat defensively, “What?”
“You really do kill people don’t you?” I nodded as I felt myself being led off track again by her pretty eyes.
I pulled out a wad of cash from my pocket and stuffed it into her purse alongside of the gun. She immediately bristled, “I’m not that kind of girl!”
“I’m well aware of that! This is a gift with a purpose! Taxi to work and taxi back home from work! Got it?”
She brushed some tendrils of hair away from her eyes and nodded slowly with a shocked looking expression across her features as she looked at me. I gave her purse back to her and she opened her door and partially stepped inside. She turned back to me and I could see some of her humor was back.
“You don’t make a very good stalker. I think we should move you from stalker status right up to boyfriend.”
She stepped close and swept a hand around the back of my neck and pressed her lips to mine in a quick kiss before stepping back a little breathlessly saying, “Goodnight, honey.”
I stood there staring at the closed door not at all my usual self. I brought myself under some semblance of control and knocked on the door.
The instant, “Yes?” From the other side gave proof to the fact that she hadn’t moved away yet either.
“You forgot to lock your door.”
“Oh yes, thank you! Good night.”
“Goodnight.” I said hearing the dead bolt close shut with a click.
It had been a long time since I’d said that to anyone. In fact it would have been my mother who was the last to hear such words, but that had been a long time ago and in a different language. I walked down the dimly lit hall not liking the place my girl was staying in.
Whoa! When had that special classification status of ‘my girl’ happened? I guess the answer to that was, when I had been promoted to ‘boyfriend status’ a couple of moments ago. No one who knew me would believe any of this!
On a hunch I stepped into a darkened doorway at the end of the hall and waited. About five minutes passed and I was just about to go, when Anna opened her door and stepped out into the hall. She didn’t have a coat or purse with her so I guessed that she was staying on the premises. In fact all she did was step across the hall and knock on the door. It opened after a moment and I saw the vague outline of an older woman standing there. Nothing nefarious in that so far.
Anna handed her a wad of cash, which was no doubt the taxi money, I thought as I felt my jaw tighten. Things must be threadbare thin for her to value her own skin so little. A boy stepped out into the hall and sort of listlessly stepped across the hall to enter Anna’s apartment.
Anna said something to him, but he didn’t respond and I saw a sad look come over Anna’s face as she watched him go by. It looked like Anna had a son. The boy’s behavior was odd.
Anna was the type of mother every kid would have adored having, warm, caring, affectionate, and even fun. The boy had to be about six or so and he’d just walked by her like she didn’t even matter!
Anna was a single mom with a kid that seemed to have some issues. No wonder she didn’t have two pennies to rub together. She had probably owed the old woman back money for watching her kid while she was at work. I stepped out of the dim hallway and continued on out of the building determined to fix some of what I saw wrong with this situation, but I couldn’t do anything right now. I was leaving the country in the morning and I’d be gone for several days, but when I came back things were going to change.