CHAPTER TWENTY THREE............

After she and Jeff said goodnight Carolyn curled up in the middle of the bed with JuJu.   The little dog was pitifully glad to be snuggled with her, and Carolyn stroked her as she talked to her. 

Her thoughts drifted to the preliminary work she had promised to have on Wally’s desk on Monday.  That meant some work this weekend, but the majority of it was already done.  She and Jeff would have some quality time together, and she could put the rest of the report together on Sunday evening and Monday morning.  Yep…it would be a good weekend.  She pulled the corner of the spread over her; leaving the bed side lamp on she fell into a dreamless sleep. 

For some unknown reason she woke with a start about four a.m.   She lay there listening, but she heard nothing unusual.  It was probably part of her bad case of the “jumpies” from the night before; as she straightened her body out of a fetal position she realized it could also be because she was fully dressed.  She hadn’t even taken her boots off.  JuJu did a full body doggy stretch as Carolyn rolled off the bed and headed to her bathroom.

“You could at least have taken my shoes off for me,” she said to the little dog.  Flipping on the switch, Carolyn’s bathroom instantly flooded with light. As she pulled the pumpkin colored cashmere sweater over her head static electricity snapped through her hair.   She unzipped her slacks, and then sat on the closed toilet to take off her boots.  

Running her tongue over her teeth she muttered, “Oh, yeah….the army marched through there.”  She turned to the cabinet over the toilet, took out her toothbrush and tooth paste, placing them on the vanity as she moved to turn the water on in the sink.

Carolyn grimaced as she looked at herself in the mirror.  The impression of a decorative pillow was still visible on one cheek, and as she leaned in to check it out something caught her eye.  I LOVE YOU was written in lipstick at the bottom left hand corner of the mirror. 

Fear ran an icy finger up Carolyn’s spine, and her heart began to pound in her ears.  She knew the mirror had been spotless when she left for work this morning, now as she felt her fear growing, something told her to lift the lid on the toilet.  The unflushed toilet escalated her fear into near panic.  

She forced herself to take a deep breath as she walked back to sit on the edge of the bed.  JuJu stood at the bedroom door with an expectant look on her face, but there was no way Carolyn was going downstairs.   From some distance away a wailing siren worked its way closer in the night, and it reminded her that 911 was just a phone call away.

Carolyn was reaching for the cordless phone when her cell phone rang in her purse.  She grabbed her bag and pulled the cell from it, “Hello….hello!”   There was no answer, but as she listened she began to hear the wail of the emergency vehicle in stereo.  Putting a finger in her left ear to separate the sounds, Carolyn concentrated on the sound of the cell phone.  The siren grew louder in the cell phone, and for the first time she knew real terror because she understood the call was coming from inside her house.  The siren changed from a wail to a whoop-whoop sound, and just as she closed her cell phone she heard a soft footstep on the oak hallway floor outside her bedroom door.

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR..................

 Carolyn knew JuJu had heard the noise too, because the dog trotted over and tried to push her nose under the door.   Sniffing, scratching and whining, she looked up expectantly and waited for Carolyn to open it. 

Carolyn grabbed the cordless phone from beside her bed and dialed 911.  It took a few seconds to register that the phone was dead. 

Standing up she buttoned her slacks and moved to the bathroom for her sweater and boots. Heading back to the bed she pulled the sweater over her head and sat on the edge of the bed; she pushed her feet back into her leather boots.  The steps in the hall way grew louder, as if someone was pacing in front of the door.

 This time Carolyn fumbled in her pocket for her cell phone and dialed 911 again.  JuJu watched her master’s strange actions as Carolyn closed herself into her walk in closet to talk to the dispatcher. 

“911, what is your emergency?” the dispatcher sounded robotic.

“There is someone in my house”, Carolyn said in a loud whisper. 

The dispatcher queried, “Have you seen the intruder, Mam?”

 “No….but I hear him outside the bedroom door!   Hurry, I’m locked in my bedroom and he’s out there!”

From the closet Carolyn now heard the bedroom door being rattled, and when that didn’t work a soft tap on the door.  “Please….he’s here.   Send someone…please!” 

“What is your location?” the dispatcher queried.

Carolyn gave her the address, and she told the dispatcher, “He’s trying to get in the door.   What can I do?  What should I do?”

“Stay calm and stay on the line with me.   I have an officer on the way, so stay on the phone until he gets there,” the woman said. 

Carolyn opened the closet door just a crack and she heard the tapping on the door become a full-fledged knock.  Then a man’s voice said, “Carolyn, open up!   It’s me sweetheart….we need to talk about this.” 

He kept up a steady stream of talk, first begging then demanding she open the door; all the more frightening because this was a voice she had never heard before.  Carolyn now shook so hard her teeth chattered. 

“Carolyn, this is how it is supposed to be.   I want to explain things to you, now open the door,” the man was becoming agitated.  “Flowers….I have flowers and wine for you.   Now open the damned door.”  He was obviously using his shoulder on the door as he spoke.

“He’s going to get in,” Carolyn’s voice was shrill with fear.   “God…please hurry!”

“An officer is on his way, mam.  Does the man have a weapon?” Her heart thundered in her ears making it difficult to hear what the dispatcher was saying.

“How the hell would I know, I’m trying to stay away from him,” her voice was louder as her fear meter pegged.  Panic closed her throat as Carolyn pushed herself deep into the corner and looked frantically around the closet for a weapon.  Looking up she saw what looked like an empty picture frame on the ceiling, then remembered the attic entrance was in this closet.  By climbing the built in shelves she thought she might be able to get up there. 

The dispatcher was asking her more questions; she didn’t wait for a response when she said, “I’ve got to hang up.” She snapped the phone closed and shoved it deep into her pocket.

By moving two plastic bins into position and holding on to the shelves Carolyn managed to climb to the top shelf of the closet.  Pushing folded t-shirts and sweaters to the floor she positioned herself on the top shelf, pushing the square entrance to the attic up with one hand while she steadied herself with the other.   A familiar “sproing” sound told her the door spring was helping her raise the door.  Now, scraping her ribs on the frame, she wriggled herself up into the inky black attic.   It was airless and cold, but it put another level of protection between her and the crazy man who was now bellowing on the other side of her bedroom door. 

 A light bulb hung from a rafter, its string brushed Carolyn’s face causing her to cry out.  When she realized what it was she pulled the string; a watery light filled the immediate area where she crouched. Now on her hands and knees she backed away from the opening, pushing the wooden door back down to the attic floor.  Frantically looking around the small space Carolyn was grateful he had ignored her request when she was nagging Jeff clean it out just the month before.   Eventually her eye settled on a pile of Jeff’s old sports equipment.  An aluminum bat protruded from the pile, shining dully in the yellow light. She made her way to the pile, feeling something akin to relief as she clutched the bat in her hand.  Crawling back to the trapdoor, she took up a position sitting cross legged on top of it in the hope that her weight would keep the man from opening it.  

 Carolyn sat waiting with the cold aluminum bat in her hands.  As she grasped it with both hands she heard her nephew’s voice coaching her as she got up to bat at last summer’s family reunion, “Swing across the ball and don’t hit like a girl, Aunt Carolyn.  You’ll never get a run if you hit like a girl.”


 CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE…………

Marco threw himself against the door again and again, but it got him nowhere. As his rage completely gripped him he stepped back to plant a black booted kick to the middle of the door. Even though it was solid wood, the door frame cracked from the impact. One more hard kick and the frame gave way; he was in the bedroom.

JuJu sat on the bed, her tail wagging in the innocent anticipation of a dog treat. When her friend ignored her and it wasn’t forthcoming, she darted out the door and down the steps to the kitchen. Once there she reclaimed one of her reserve treats from under her pillow, then curled up in her pink bed for a nap.

Marco tore through the bedroom looking for Carolyn. “Get out here and talk to me, you dumb bitch!” he roared. “I thought you were different, I thought I knew all about you, but evidently I missed the fact that you are a user just like every other woman I’ve ever met.”

From her perch in the attic Carolyn could hear things crashing as the man searched for her. She could almost feel his anger escalating; knowing by the time he realized she was up in the attic he would be in a full blown frenzy. She was too frightened to wonder who he was or why he was doing this; her only thoughts were of staying alive till the police arrived.

“I want you out of my house,” Marco screamed. “No, no, no, no….that’s not good enough. I want you dead for what you’ve done to me! I gave you everything and this is what I get? You can’t even face me you stupid cow.”

Below her the huge bathroom mirror crashed, and Carolyn heard the glassed in shower shatter. Marco wielded her dressing table bench to break anything he could, first in Carolyn’s bathroom and then in Jeff’s.

“Bitch! You…lying…cheating…bitch!” Marco screamed. He was bent double with the effort of his rage; spittle flew as he continued to bellow; using every ounce of his strength to destroy everything in sight.

Now nothing stood as it had been in the room except the bed. Exhausted from his frenzy of destruction Marco fell face down on the bed, his breath sobbing in his throat. He continued to scream obscenities into the mattress, but in the attic Carolyn only heard quiet.

Eventually Marco was able to catch his breath….and to think. Forcing himself to be quiet, he took slow, deep breaths. Now he was calmer. As his mind seemed to clear he realized the door had been locked from the inside; she had to be in here somewhere. Still taking deep, cleansing breaths he rolled off the bed, dropping to the floor to check underneath. He was surprised when he didn’t find her cowering there, but from that position on his hands and knees he spotted the closed door of the walk in closet.

Quietly he got up and walked to the far side of the room. He slowly opened the louvered door to Carolyn’s closet and saw piles of clothing on the floor. Kicking through the pile of garments he growled like an animal. He noticed the shelves were completely empty, and the stacked garment bins made him think to look up. That’s when he saw the frame around the door to the attic. He felt light headed, and he grabbed at the door frame to keep from falling. He had forgotten about the attic.

It was at that very moment that the clearest thought he had ever had came to him. His head throbbed with the sudden realization that his hatred would give him more satisfaction than his love for her ever could. Marco smiled.

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX…….

Carolyn was jarred by the sudden push on the attic door. She kept her seat, but she realized this guy was probably strong enough to push the door up even with her sitting on it. The thought of having him in this small, black space with her made her heart pound even harder. She regained her balance, sitting Indian style in the middle of the door and waiting for what would come next. She knew it wouldn’t be long.

As she viewed her surroundings she knew she couldn’t keep him out, but she also knew there was only one way he could get to her. She wanted to meet him standing, and she needed enough room to swing the bat, her only defense. Without moving from the door she picked up things closest to her and threw them out of the way, deep into the corners of the attic. He pushed again, and she almost toppled over, fear gripped her chest and she felt tears sting her eyes.

“I will not cry, damn you, I will not cry! I’m going to die dry eyed if I have to die,”she thought as she continued to clear the floor space around the door. She would be facing him and to his left when the door came up, and she worked toward clearing the space to accommodate her frantic but clear mental picture of how this should play out.

Below her Marco realized after the first push that she was in the attic sitting on the door; the second push was just to frighten her and keep her off balance. Now he went from room to room, turning on lights and looking for something tall enough to push into the closet. He needed to get close to the ceiling so he could push with his shoulders.

Carolyn listened to the silence, wanting to know what the creep was doing but still not wanting to know. Finally the area around the door was clear, and she could stand without ducking in the center of the attic right where the door was positioned. She was as ready as she would ever be. She took her place slightly to the left of the attic trap door, staying close to the door to keep one foot on it. She wanted him to think at first that she was still sitting, helpless, on the door.

The scraping and grunting sounds told her that the guy was pushing a big chest of drawers into the closet. Soon the game would be on, and sweat trickled down her back as she stood in position and waited.