Chapters 7, 8, 9, 10 STALK

CHAPTER SEVEN..................

After lunch Carolyn called Jeff to check in and hear about his day with the Iron Maiden. He assured her he felt as if he had turned a corner with the woman, and things were moving right on schedule. This had been the longest of his trips so far this year, almost two weeks, and Carolyn was more than ready for him to come home.

“When I get back we’re going to plan a vacation, KO,” he said. KO had been his nickname for her since the first day they’d met nearly seven years ago. Introduced to him by her older brother, Michael, at a birthday party, Jeff had taken her hand and smiled into her eyes. She felt a jolt of electricity as he said, “Well hello there. Aren’t you a knock out!” They spent the entire evening sitting on a couch, heads together, laughing. When she finally pulled herself away to leave Jeff said, “Can I call you tomorrow, KO?” That was it…end of old story and beginning of a new life. They were married a short time later and it never occurred to either of them that there was any other option but to be together.

“God knows we could use some time away. I vote for beach and sunshine, baby. Keep that thought in mind while you’re finishing up. You…me….a beach….and outrageously attentive waiters with trays and trays of martinis!”she laughed. “Now get back to work and earn lots of money ‘cause Mama needs a new pair of sandals.”

CHAPTER EIGHT.................

Marco stopped at the front desk inside the front doors of Mercy Medical. Projecting a boyish charm he said, “Could you tell me the room number for Jennifer Keeler, please.” The elderly lady behind the desk tore a sheet of paper off a small tablet, and in shaky handwriting she wrote the room number for him. “Room 1305. Do you know how to get to the new wing?” He admitted he didn’t, and she pointed with a shaky hand to a bank of elevators down the hallway. “Take elevator A to the second floor, then follow the blue room signs. You can’t miss it.” Looking around he said, “And the gift shop?” “Down this hall and to the right,” she answered.

He trotted off to the gift shop to find something nice for Jennifer. “Flowers, she loves flowers,”he thought. He’d find something elegant and tasteful, no cartoon characters on milar balloons or cheesy stuffed animals. After all, nothing was too good for the best friend of the woman he loved.

A cooler with four shelves stood at the back of the shop. Marco opened the sliding door and selected a teacup and saucer painted with violets that was filled with an air fern and a tiny yellow ribbon. He knew violets were Jennifer’s favorite flower, so she’d like the container. At the counter he chose a card to go with the gift, signing it, “Get well soon, from your friend”

Stepping out of the elevator, Marco casually strolled past room 1305. A very attractive blond, hair pulled into a pony tail, sat on the side of the bed in a red, plaid robe. As she talked on a cell phone, a woman in a chair by the bed sat watching. It was evident they were related, the woman in the chair an older version of the one on the bed. As Marco strolled by he kept the porcelain cup by his side, out of sight.

The nurse’s station was four doors past Jennifer’s room, and Marco could see the top of someone’s head behind the counter as he approached with the tea cup. “I’d like to leave this for Jennifer Keeler, please. Her mother is visiting now, and I don’t want to interrupt them.”

“Are you sure?” the toothy young nurse looked up from a chart she was working on to smile at the boyishly good looking courier. “She’s been here most of the day; I don’t think you’d be interrupting anything.”

“I’m sure. I’m running late anyway. I bet they’ll kick her out of her tomorrow, so I might just surprise her at home.” Placing the delicate cup and saucer on the counter he nodded and headed off back down the way he had just come. As he passed the room, the older woman looked up at him, nodding and smiling vaguely. Marco nodded and touched the brim of his blue wool cap, his mind racing with possibilities at the thought of a visit to Jennifer’s apartment.



CHAPTER NINE.........

Carolyn and Jeff were married and busy relocating just three months after they met. Her happiness about her new life was only slightly dimmed by the fact that she would be two hundred and ten miles from her parents and three siblings. Michael, the oldest, was a dentist in her hometown of Marlborough. Next her sister Diane, married with four kids, then her sister Darla, also married with two kids. Both girls lived within four blocks of their parents. Carolyn, at twenty six, was the baby and the first one to really leave the nest.

One efficient way to stay in touch for the past four years was Facebook. Carolyn posted everything, sometimes to Jeff’s dismay. Pictures of their home, their yard, the events they attended and their day to day lives filled albums on her page.

One of the first friends Carolyn made when they arrived in Tennyson was Jennifer Keeler. They met at The Section, a gym downtown that catered to upper class health nuts. Soon Jennifer was addicted to Facebook, too, and the two exchanged open conversations about everything, including the new container garden Jennifer had created on her roof top patio downtown…complete with her favorite flowers, violets. Instead of hours on the phone, the two grew the friendship on the electronic pages of the internet.

CHAPTER TEN...........

Some of Marco’s happiest memories were of holidays at his house on Brainard Road. Every year he saved his time off from work for the Christmas season. At the start of his time off he would gingerly remove the basement window from its casing and slip into the house during the day. When there was an early snow, he was always careful to keep a paper cup close to the window so that he could use it to fill in his tracks if he had to come and go for some reason. At the east end of the basement there was an offset in the room that had been closed over with paneling. The man who built the house had planned a wine cellar in that area, and the foundation and brick was put up to accommodate the space. For some reason the plan changed, and Mr. Robertson told the contractor to cover the opening with heavy barn siding. After the house was finished, but before Robertson moved in, Marco came back to the house to make adjustments to the wall. Using heavy duty magnets to hold a small piece of the paneling in place, he was able to create a false wall that allowed him to go in and out of the tiny area without anyone knowing. When Robertson moved in he piled boxes against the wall, and all Marco had to do was move things around to give him access to his hiding place. He kept a sleeping bag, an empty plastic milk jug, a battery operated lantern and some snacks in the space. When he had time off to enjoy the house he sometimes spent days sleeping there, using the nights to explore the house and its contents and eating what he wanted while the man slept upstairs.

It would have been the perfect arrangement if the stupid man hadn’t been such a hoarder. Soon the basement filled up with furniture that Robertson planned to refinish and resell. His messy habits made it tough for Marco to get around the house, the final insult coming when he pried the window open only to find a cherry highboy blocking his way into his house. In a fury he stuck his leg through the window and pushed the highboy over. Upon gaining access he realized he had damaged the chest of drawers beyond disguise. He knew any idiot could tell it had been pushed over, and he also knew his secret would be discovered. That’s when he put together a plan for Mr. Robertson’s accident. It really wasn’t his fault, he knew. Just something that had to be done.