|
|
~Instincts~
I want
to tell you a story about a friend of mine. She’s nobody
famous and probably never would wind up on the cover of
a magazine, or find her name on a list of Who’s
Who—she’s just a friend who met a nice guy who turned
out to be not so nice after all. The relationship went
sour quickly… and then really bad things happened.
I blame myself for the outcome, because I was the one who
made sure she was introduced to Barry, my boyfriend’s
next door neighbor. I was dating Ralph at the time and
mentioned that I wish my friend Sarah could find a
decent guy who would treat her right. She’d had so many
dates that didn’t go anywhere that she was just about
ready to give up. She just wanted someone who had the
same interests as she did, and didn’t expect him to be
perfect. In other words, she wanted a down-home kind of
fellow.
“I don’t expect a lot, Jen,” she told me one night as we sat
by a cozy fire in the fireplace at her house, having a
glass of wine. “I just want a guy who’s human.”
I had to laugh at what she said.
“Aren’t they all human?” I asked.
“Not all of them,” Sarah replied. “Everyone I go out with
either wants to paw me to death, or expects sex on the
first date. I can’t tell you how many guys I’ve dated
who actually said as much. They’re all creeps!”
“I’m sure there’s a guy out there for you. You just haven’t
found him yet.”
“And from the way things are going, I probably won’t. I’m
twenty-five years old. I have a college degree. I have a
good job, and a great house. I’m easy on the eyes, and I
even drive a new car. But none of this makes a
difference. Most guys would rather date a nitwit, so
they can get into her pants. If a woman is the least bit
intelligent, they don’t want anything to do with her.”
“Oh, I think you’re exaggerating.”
“You’re right,” she said. “They don’t mind if you’re smart as
long as you put out.”
“You have to keep looking, Sarah. There’s someone for
everyone.”
That conversation was a month ago, but it was still in the
back of my mind when Ralph mentioned his neighbor to me
again. Even though I felt as if our relationship had run
its course and I was on the verge of calling it quits, I
saw no reason to let that stand in the way of setting
Sarah up with someone she might like. So I suggested an
accidental meeting. I would get Sarah to drop by the
local bar with me for a drink after work… and surprise…
my boyfriend would be there with his buddy, Barry. After
that, whatever happened would be up to them.
Early into the evening, Sarah told me that she knew right
away we had planned the whole thing, but that was okay
because Barry was a nice guy, and she really liked him.
“We have so much in common,” Sarah confided to me when we
were in the restroom. “He’s so handsome, too!”
“And he has a college degree,” I joked.
“And he comes from money,” she added. “But that doesn’t
matter to me. I could care less about the money as long
as he has a steady job.”
“He’s a CPA,” I said. “You can’t get more anchored than that.
I hope he doesn’t turn out to be a bore.”
“He seems to have it all,” Sarah said. “I just hope he
doesn’t turn out to be a serial killer.”
We both laughed at the idea.
Everything seemed to be working out. Barry and Sarah hit it
off right from the beginning. They left the bar
together, and then later that night, she called me.
It was two in the morning.
“I know it’s late, but I had to call,” Sarah said, softly as
if someone might be listening. “You're not going to
believe what happened.”
“What happened?” I asked as I sat up in bed and tried to wake
up. I looked over at the clock on the nightstand. “This
better be good. Do you know what time it is?”
“I know, and I’m sorry, but I had to call you,” she
whispered. “Barry’s in the bathroom, so I don’t have
much time.”
“The two of you are still together?”
“Yes, and I don’t want him to leave. He's exciting and he's
not pressuring me to have sex. At least he isn't, yet.
That's a good sign, don't you think? We can’t seem to
stop talking. He’s interested in everything I have to
say.”
“That’s wonderful, Sarah. I’m glad that you two hit it off,
but don’t you think he needs to go home? It’s late.”
Her mood shifted.
“I’d think you’d be happy for me. I finally find someone I
can relate to, and then you go and put a damper on it.”
“I am happy for you, Sarah. But if he likes you now, he’ll
still like you in the morning. A date’s not supposed to
last all night.”
“Jealousy doesn’t become you, Jennifer.”
“I’m not jealous—I’m sleepy. I have to get up…”
“I’m sorry I bothered you.”
I heard a click in my ear and then a dial tone.
She hung up on me! I couldn’t believe it. I stared at the phone for
a second and then replaced it in its cradle. Tomorrow,
I’d call her and apologize for being so cranky.
Red flags should’ve gone up. My mother once told me that if
you meet a guy who takes your breath away and then he
doesn’t want to be without you—you’d better watch out.
They're the kind who's insecure and possessive. I found
that to be true. Every guy that I met who fit that bill
usually wound up being a loser—a jealous, insecure,
control freak loser.
I would have a talk with Sarah… tomorrow. Right now, all I
wanted to do was go back to sleep.
My sleep was erratic. I had a terrible dream about Barry that
woke me up. I was shaking, drenched in sweat, and my
stomach was tied in knots. I could still see the image
of him chasing Sarah around the room, wielding a butcher
knife. When he caught her, he plunged the knife deep
into her chest. Blood covered her blouse as she tried to
pull out the knife.
I couldn’t go back to sleep. It was five in the morning—and I
never get up that early to get ready for work—but I
crawled out of bed anyway and headed to the bathroom. A
shower was in order. Hopefully, I could wash off that
eerier feeling I had.
I waited until seven o’clock before I called Sarah. I figured
that would be a safe time. By then she would’ve been out
of bed, showered and then sitting at her kitchen table
having her first cup of coffee of the day.
The phone rang several times before someone answered it. A
man spoke.
“Hello,” he said, cheerfully. “What can I do for you?”
“Hi, Barry," I responded. He didn't say who he was, but I
wanted him to know that I knew. "May I speak with
Sarah?”
“Who’s calling?”
“It’s me, Jen. We met at the bar last night.”
After a short pause, he replied, “She’s busy, Jen. That’s
what she told me to tell you, but the truth is, she
doesn’t want to talk to you… ever.”
There was a long silence on both ends of the phone.
“Okay,” I said, hurt. “That’s fine with me.”
I hung up the phone.
I stood in the kitchen trying to sort out the situation. I
was stunned by the conversation I just had with Barry,
and I couldn’t believe Sarah would dismiss our
friendship so easily… over a guy.
Something had to be up, and I was determined to get to the
bottom of it. I grabbed my car keys and headed out the
front door. Thirty minutes later I was sitting in my
car, parked across the street from Sarah’s house.
My father, a private detective, had taught me to be
inconspicuous. He said to never park where someone could
see you unless you wanted them to. It was a good rule to
follow.
The only car in her driveway was the Mustang that obviously
belonged to Barry. He had bragged about it last night.
He went on and on about what a cool car he had. I
should’ve noticed then that he was arrogant, but I was
too busy trying to talk up my good friend to him. What a
waste of time!
Then a thought occurred to me. Where’s Sarah’s car?
Oh, that’s right… she always parks her car in the garage. How
silly of me.
I waited for Barry to leave, hoping I would get a chance to
talk to Sarah alone, but after twenty minutes, I gave up
and left. I had to get to work.
As soon as I got to work, I called Sarah’s house. I wanted to
catch her before she left for work. The phone rang
several times and then her answering machine came on. I
left a brief message just in case she was screening her
calls. I apologized and then hung up. I waited for an
hour before I dialed her number at work.
The receptionist answered the call.
“May I please speak to Sarah McClintock?”
“She’s not here. May I take a message?”
Even though Sarah worked at a large real estate firm as a
secretary, there was a good chance that the woman
answering the phone at the main desk might know her in
passing. I would use that knowledge to my advantage.
“When do you expect her? You see, I’m her sister and I really
need to talk to her,” I lied.
Sarah’s family lives in Oregon. I knew little about them,
except the fact that she did have a sister.
“Well… I guess she’s on her way to see you and the rest of
her family. Her brother called in a little while ago
with the news and said she needed to take an emergency
leave,” the receptionist replied and then added, “I’m
sorry to hear about your mother’s illness. I hope she
gets better.”
I was caught off-guard.
“What… what … I… I…” I stuttered and then regained my
composure. “Thanks so much for your compassion. I’m sure
everything will be all right. Mom’s a strong old bird.”
I hung up the phone.
What brother? Sarah didn’t have a brother.
I knew right away that something bad had happened. I just
didn’t know what.
“What have I done?” I asked out loud.
Carl, my boss stuck his head into my office and said, “You
look as if you’ve seen a ghost. Are you all right?”
“I have to leave, Carl,” I said as I grabbed my purse. “I
have a family emergency.”
“Can’t it wait?” he asked. “We have that big meeting in… oh,
never mind. If you have a problem, take care of it. I
can handle everything here.”
“Thanks,” I said as I rushed to the door.
I’ve worked for Carl Alder for six years and I’ve never let
him down in all that time. He knew that if I said I had
an emergency, it had to be true. I’ve never lied to him…
and I wasn’t really lying to him now. Sarah was like the
sister I never had.
“Call me if you need anything,” Carl yelled to me as I left.
I felt bad about deserting Carl. I knew this meeting was
important, but I also knew that Sarah was in trouble. I
felt it in my bones. My gut instinct of impending doom
kicked in.
I jumped in my car, put my foot to the accelerator and never
let up until I reached her house.
The driveway was empty, so that meant Barry was gone. I could
safely ring her doorbell without fear that he wouldn’t
let me in. Besides, he was the one who blew me off on
the phone last night. I never even got to talk with
Sarah.
I parked my car across the street, jumped out and then ran up
to her door. I pressed the doorbell several times, but
no one answered. I put my finger to it again and didn’t
let up until, finally, my finger got tired. I stopped
and looked around. Everything seemed in order. The grass
wasn’t messed up like someone had been dragged across
the yard. There was no blood anywhere.
My mind was going a mile a minute. I peeked in the front
window on both sides of the house, but didn’t see
anyone. I ran around to the back and peeked through the
sliding glass door.
I almost fainted at what I saw.
Sarah was bound and gagged, tied to a kitchen chair. She was
naked from the waist down and there was blood all over
her shirt. Her face was bruised and swollen as if she’d
taken a terrible beating. She was squirming in her seat
as if she was trying to break loose, and from the looks
of the veins in her neck, she was obviously trying to
scream.
I grabbed the handle of the sliding door, but it was locked
and wouldn’t budge.
“Is he gone? Is he coming back?” I screamed as I tried to
find a way to get inside.
Sarah nodded in agreement.
“Don’t panic,” I yelled to her. “I’ll find a way to get in.”
I didn’t want to break the glass in the door, but I knew time
was of the essence. After what he had done to Sarah,
there was no doubt in my mind that Barry would kill both
of us if he caught me trying to help her escape.
Then I remembered the key Sarah kept in the shed. She had
hung it on a nail on the right side of the door just in
case she ever got locked out of her house again like she
did last winter. It was freezing cold and she had
stepped outside just long enough to get her newspaper.
The wind caught the door and slammed it shut on her. She
said she almost froze to death before she found a
neighbor who was home, and could help her. Ever since
then, she’s had a backup key hanging in the shed so she
wouldn’t have to go through that ordeal again. She told
me where to find it in case I ever needed to get into
her house.
“I’ll be right back,” I yelled and then turned and ran to the
shed.
When I reached the shed, I saw the padlock.
“What the…” I hissed. “Now how in the world can you get to
the key if…”
I glanced around, but didn’t see anything that I could use to
pry off the lock.
“Forget it,” I mumbled to myself. “I’m not wasting any more
time.”
I ran back to the house, picked up one of the metal trash
cans and then dumped the contents on the ground. I
gripped the rim of the can tightly, raised it above my
head and then slammed it down on the glass door.
The glass cracked. Once again I slammed the can against
the glass door and this time it shattered into a million
pieces. I used the can to clear off the jagged edges of
glass that were left in the frame.
I gingerly stepped past the broken shards and then ran to
Sarah. I ripped the duct tape from her mouth and began
untying the rope that bound her wrists behind her back.
She cried as she tried to explain the night of terror she
went through.
“We’ll talk about it later,” I said. “We’ve got to get out of
here before he comes back.”
“Jen, he tried to kill me! He’s insane!”
“That’s okay, Sarah. We'll get out of here before he gets
back, and then he's going to pay for what he’s done to
you!”
I was untying the rope around her ankles when I heard
the creak of the front door.
“Shhh,” I said, putting my finger to my mouth. “He’s back.”
I freed her legs from the rope and then grabbed her by the
arm, pulling her along with me.
To this day, I’ll never understand why I didn’t run outside
with Sarah when we had the chance, but I guess when
you’re scared; you don’t always do the right thing.
I opened the pantry door and dragged her inside with me. I
closed the door ever so quietly.
Barry came into the room and started screaming Sarah’s name.
We heard the crunching of glass under his feet as he ran
outside. He called her name several times before he came
back into the house.
Sarah and I remained silent… except for an occasional pant.
Thank God there was a nightlight plugged into the electrical
socket on the wall. Even though it dimly lit the small
room, we still had enough light to be able to see a
little.
I knew it was only a matter of time before he found us, so I
searched for a weapon to use in our defense. There was
nothing in the pantry except a broom, a mop and five
shelves of canned goods.
I grabbed a large can of string beans and a can of sweet
potatoes and handed them to Sarah.
“As soon as he opens the door, start throwing stuff at him,”
I whispered.
Sarah was shaking so badly that she almost dropped one of the
cans.
I grabbed a couple cans of food… and waited.
All of a sudden, the door swung opened.
Barry, looking like a crazed maniac, yelled obscenities at
us. His face was contorted as if he had gone completely
mad. He smelled awful and his sweat flowed like rain.
Before he had time to do anything, Sarah threw the can of
string beans at him. The can slammed him in the head,
causing him to stumble backward. Lighting quick, she
threw the other can at him. Then without hesitation, she
turned, grabbed another can off the shelf and threw it
at him. She kept throwing cans at him until; finally, he
fell to his knees.
I stood frozen with fear and watched… still holding the two
cans of vegetables in my hands.
Barry lay motionless on the floor—his face battered and
bloody.
“Is he dead?” I asked.
“I don’t know and I don’t care,” she replied. She took my
hand and said, “Come on. I want to put on some clothes
before we call the police.”
I was still in shock over what had just happened. I let the
two cans slip through my fingers and fall to the floor
as I turned and followed her.
We ran through the living room. When we reached her bedroom
the scene told a tale of horror. I could see the carnage
she had suffered through. The room looked as if it had
been turned upside down. The bed covers were askew and
there was blood on the sheets. Everything that had been
on top of the dresser had been knocked to the floor. The
curtains were torn and barely hanging on the rod. The
clothes in her closet were lying scattered about the
room and her bathroom looked like a tornado had hit it.
The mirror over the sink was shattered and the shower
stall door was lying in the tub. Droplets of blood were
everywhere.
“What a nightmare it must have been for you,” I said, almost
crying. “I had no idea…”
Sarah picked up a pair of jeans from the floor and slipped
into them. Then she rummaged around for a blouse that
didn’t have blood on it. When she found one, she striped
off the one she was wearing and tossed it to the floor.
“You can’t imagine what he did to me,” she said in between
her tears as she pulled the T-shirt over her head.
“Everything was fine until I said it was time for him to
go home.”
I sat down on the bed and listened to her story as she tried
to come to terms with the hellish night she had suffered
through. She moaned from the pain as she spoke.
“Everything was going along just fine,” she continued. “We
drank wine, talked and laughed, and then drank some more
wine. He treated me like I was special. Then all of a
sudden he demanded sex. I probably would've had sex with
him if he hadn't demanded it of me. He said he was
entitled to it. That's what he actually said.”
“You're special,” I said, trying to make her feel better.
“You just happened to find a guy who’s crazy. Not every
man’s like that. Most of them are decent guys, but then
there’s always that one who belongs in an institution.”
“… or jail.”
“Yeah… or jail.”
We both let out a little chuckle… of fear.
“It’s my fault,” I said, ashamed of myself.
“It’s nobody’s fault. Barry’s a bad person. How were we to
know?”
“But…”
Sarah gasped.
From the look on her face, I knew something was terribly
wrong. I looked up and saw Barry standing in the
doorway. I cringed at the sight of him standing there,
blood running down his face from an open gash on his
forehead, his eyes wide with anger.
My body shook.
Sarah didn’t hesitate. She lunged at him with all the hatred
she could muster. She beat him with her fists while
trying to kick him with her bare feet.
But that didn’t stop him. He reared back and hit her square
in the face with his fist.
She fell to the floor. She didn’t move.
I screamed at the sight of her lying there... lifeless. My
ire came to the surface, and all I could think about was
killing him. I quickly scanned the room and spotted an
empty wine bottle on the nightstand next to me. I
reached over and grabbed the bottle by the neck just
about the time he got close to me.
He looked down at me and laughed.
“So you think you’re going to hit me with that bottle, huh?
Go ahead, try to hit me.”
He jumped on top of me, pinned me down and started choking
me.
I tried to hit him with the bottle, but I couldn’t. He had
the full weight of his body on me, his knees pinning
down my arms.
I was about to black out when I heard a gunshot. Blood
splattered my face.
Barry released his grip and fell over. He tumbled off the
bed.
I sat up, coughed and tried to catch my breath. My head ached. My
vision was bleary, but there was no mistaking what I
saw.
Carl, my boss was standing in the doorway holding a smoking
gun.
“What are you doing here?” I asked as I got up and rushed
over to Sarah. I pressed my fingers to her throat and
felt a pulse. “Call an ambulance. She’s still alive.”
The minute the words were out of my mouth, I heard sirens.
Within seconds, the police burst through the front door
and ran down the hall toward us.
The room filled with policemen and EMTs.
Sarah was stabilized and then carried out on a stretcher as I
stood by Carl and watched.
He had his arms around my shoulders.
“I just knew something was up when you cut out of work,” he
whispered. “You knew how important this deal was to my
business, and I knew that someone had to be in immediate
danger for you to desert me. I was afraid that someone
was you, so I cancelled the meeting. I called my client
from my cell phone while I followed you. I would’ve
gotten here sooner, but I got caught up in traffic.”
“How did you know where to find me if you got hung up?”
“I remember you told me once that your friend, Sarah lived in
the Colonial Park subdivision, and since I wasn't far
from here, I kind of figured it out. I drove around
until I found your car.”
I looked down at Carl’s waist and stared at his gun. The
shiny weapon glistened in its holster.
“Do you always carry that thing with you?”
“Well … yeah. I have to protect my partner. What would I do
if something happened to you?”
“I don’t know… hey, wait a minute. Did you say partner?”
“I sure did.”
I was taken back by his announcement.
“Oh, come on. Don’t act so surprised. You have to know how
much you mean to my business… and me. You know how I
feel about you. I know you must.”
“But you never said anything.”
“You have a boyfriend.”
I looked Carl in the eyes and whispered, “Not anymore.”
I finally realized what that funny feeling I got when I was
around Carl meant… I must have had feelings for him all
along, and just didn’t want to admit it.
He kissed me gently on the lips.
After a brief conversation with the police, Carl insisted he
take me to the hospital to be checked out.
I didn’t argue.
When I was finally given a clean bill of health at the
emergency room, Carl took me to the third floor to see
Sarah. She was bandaged and sedated. When she spoke, her
voice was barely audible.
“No more blind dates for me.”
“I agree.”
“Thanks for saving my life. I’m so glad that you didn’t give
up on me. I heard the message when you called, but I
couldn’t do anything. I just prayed that you’d see right
through Barry and trust your instincts. You could never
make me so mad that I wouldn’t talk to you. I hope you
know that.”
“I do,” I said. “But I do have one question that’s been
bothering me.”
"What’s that?”
“Why did you put a padlock on the shed?”
She let out a tiny giggle.
“My next door neighbor did that last week when I was at work.
He called me and said that the neighborhood had a rash
of break-ins and he thought I should lock up my shed. I
said okay, forgetting about the spare key. I guess I’ll
have to find a new place to hide it.”
“Well, I hope your neighbor is over at your house right now
putting up a new sliding glass door, because…”
“I have someone working on that as we speak,” an older man
said as he came into the room. He walked over to Sarah
and took her hand. “You gave everyone in the
neighborhood a scare, young lady.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Jenkins,” Sarah replied.
“I figured something was wrong when I heard all the noise
going on over at your house in the middle of the night.
Next time, I’m coming over to check it out for myself.”
“Please do,” Sarah said, smiling. “Oh, I guess you haven’t
met my friend, Jen and her boss, Carl Alder.”
“I’ve seen Jen many times, but never had the pleasure of
being formally introduced. Nice to meet you," he said to
me. He looked at Carl. "It's my pleasure to met the man
who put down that dirty dog. Thank you for saving my
neighbor's life... and her friend, Jen.”
The two men shook hands.
“Jen and I work together,” Carl explained. “Actually, we’re
going to be partners, in more ways than one.”
“Finally!” Sarah said. “I knew it was coming!”
“Oh, you did not!”
“Yes, I did. It was just a matter of time before you gave
that louse Ralph the boot, and then see what was in
front of you the whole time.”
“I didn’t know that you didn’t like Ralph.”
“Oh, give me a break…”
Mr. Jenkins walked over to Carl and said, “Why don’t we go
get a cup of coffee and let these two have a few minutes
to themselves to hash it out?”
“Sounds good to me.”
The End.
The moral of the story:
What you see is not always what you get.
©2007. All rights
reserved. |
