None of the credit or the proceeds for these wonderful characters belong to me…unfortunately.
Chapter 4 – April Showers Bring...
Spring had come early to New Jersey and I loved it. I had taken the day off and skipped town to sit on the beach at Point Pleasant. The breeze brought the smell of salt air and the sun kissed my skin with the promise that summer would come soon and I could get in the water instead of just staring at it.
I brought my lap top thinking I could take advantage of a wi-fi hotspot and talk to Hal.
"Dear Hal, You'll never guess where I am? I know it is a different body of water, but I felt the call of the ocean today and since it was an unusually warm day I took off alone to sit in the sand and talk to you. I figured you probably have a similar view where ever you are so it is like we are sharing something."
I didn't want to get too mushy, but the beauty of the day was bringing out the romantic in me.
"My wrist is beginning to heal and with my new lighter weight cast I can use my fingers enough to type with both hands. I'm willing to claim any victory, no matter how small. I brought my running shoes with me and if I'm here long enough I may take my run in the sand. It is harder than running on the smooth concrete, but I have a feeling I'll run further because of the view."
There, now Hal would know I'm still running. It was a subject he liked to hint about and I liked to avoid.
"I tried looking for connections between any of Tyler Johnson's relations and me like you suggested, but I still can't come up with a thing. I called some of his business relations and associations but they only seemed to know him in a professional capacity, not a personal one. It is like the guy had no real friends. In the meantime, he is due for trial next week. Hopefully it will go without a hitch and I can put the whole thing behind me."
Hal was really worried this was another stalker and I was in danger. I liked to believe it was just a fluke because the more I researched it the more I realized there was no reason for this guy to be after me. Our paths had never crossed.
"I liked the stories you sent about you as a little boy. I totally understand living behind the reputation of a perfect older sibling (does St. Valerie ring a bell?) but I have trouble believing he would still be considered the better performer in light of all you have achieved and are now doing."
Hal and I had begun to swap stories about our families and our childhoods. He was the younger of two boys and always lived in the shadow of his older brother who excelled in school and sports. Hal did okay in school and was a champion swimmer, but that was never as good as what his brother did. The main difference is that when Hal wrote about it he didn't sound bitter like I often did. Maybe I'd learn his secret to contentment if we kept writing.
"I'm thrilled you liked the box from March. Yes, I promise I haven't made the guys participate. I put up a box, attached a sign and sent an e-mailing explaining what it was for. The guys did the rest. I'm sorry Mom's cookies came to you in crumbles. I'll let her know that you refused to consider them a lost cause and ate them with a spoon instead."
I didn't realize they could be reduced to near powder and chips by mailing them. I'd already talked to mom about it and she said she would come up with something for next month that would prevent that from happening.
"I guess that is it from here. I'll let you know how the moon rising looked and I hope you enjoy saying good-bye to the sun for me. Have a good night and be careful. Love, Steph."
I pressed send and smiled staring at the ocean for a few minutes before my heart began to race and I was quickly pulling up my sent items. How did I just sign that e-mail?
Holy crap! I put the word "love" before my name. What had I done? I was just typing without thinking and since I feel like I know him so much better now it seemed natural. I hope I haven't just ended what is possibly my best relationship with a guy right now. Would he think I meant more than I did? Would it scare him and his letters would begin to come less often? Would he ask me to explain causing me to have to figure out what I meant? So much for relaxing at the beach. Thank goodness I brought my running shoes.
The next day I was in the gym using the machines like Bobby taught me. The guys had noticed me running and once they saw I wasn't giving up like I had in the past they were all for helping me to get stronger in other areas too. The problem was in the gym just using the mindless machines there was too much to distract me yet not enough going on to keep me fully entertained and not bored.
Cal came in and saw the expression on my face while I was sitting on the leg press not moving.
"Steph, what's wrong? Have you heard from Johnson?" He sounded concerned.
"No, Cal everything is fine just like I said it would be." I tried to get the guys to join me in denial land, but they seemed intent on only living in reality when my safety was concerned.
"Then what's with the blank stare?" He pressed while beginning a brisk jog on the treadmill across from me.
"Promise not to laugh?" I asked and threatened at the same time.
"I'll do my best." He answered honestly. I figured it was probably the best answer I could get from him.
"I get bored with the machines and the monotony of the exercises. I wish there was a better way to work out the major muscle groups without having to play round robin with the weights." I confessed.
"There is." Cal assured me without even a trace of a smile.
"How?" I asked
"Can you swim?" He began.
I nodded giving him what he needed to continue.
"Can you get that cast wet?" He asked.
"I'm allowed to wear it in the shower, but I can ask Bobby if you think I should. Why, what do you have in mind?" I wondered.
"I belong to an aquatic center about fifteen minutes from here. I go there three times a week to swim and you could come with me. I guarantee after doing laps with me you'll feel the strain against your muscles the same as the resistance work you're doing here. Plus you'll be so active you won't be able to get bored."
He sounded so sure of himself I agreed to meet him in two days and give it a try. I thought Hal would get a kick out of that too.
I felt better when I left Haywood that day so I decided to slip by the office and see if Connie had any new files for me. Mooner was all she had in my range so I took it and enjoyed a few reruns of I Dream of Jeanie before taking him to the station to be rebonded.
Connie said she would give him a ride back so I went straight back to my car to go home for dinner. I knew something was off as soon as I got my keys near the ignition. There was a post it note attached to the steering wheel that read, "Save the last dance for me."
I had my keys in my hand but decided against driving to Haywood. Instead I pulled out my cell phone and called the control room.
"RangeMan," Answered a gravely voice.
"Hey Woody, It's Stephanie," I greeted him in return.
"Hey Bomber, what's going on?" He asked in a friendlier tone.
"I think I need some assistance at the police station." I began unsure of how much I wanted to admit on the phone.
"Tank is nearby, can you sit tight for about two minutes?" He asked.
"Sure," I answered, but realized I no longer wanted to sit in my car.
In exactly one-hundred and twenty seconds a black SUV pulled in next to mine and my large friend got out.
"Alright Little Girl, what's going on?" He began, "You never voluntarily ask for help."
"I am trying to be a little smarter," I said pointing to the note still on my steering wheel.
Tank reached in and pulled out the note to read it. I suppose it was bad news as he instantly reached for his cell phone and called for a crew to come look at my car.
Ram arrived first with his kit of toys to check for explosives and other devices planted on the car.
First he pulled off a simple tracking device. "Well, now we know how they knew you were here to leave a note."
In a few more minutes I heard Ram's voice from under my car exclaim, "Shit! Get everybody the hell away from the car. There is a bomb rigged to the ignition."
That didn't sound like a warning I needed to hear twice so I joined the sea of black standing well away from the car.
After a few tense moments where no one spoke Ram reappeared holding a small box with some intense looking wires coming out of it.
Tank asked, "You got it?"
"Yeah," Ram replied. "It was a simple device only trigged with the charge of the ignition. It would have been easy to assemble with directions from the internet, but if you had cranked up…" He didn't finish the sentence. I didn't need him to explain the rest.
Les gave me a ride home and promised to pick me up in the morning. It seemed I had a stalker now and the general consensus of the parking lot was that it was Johnson.
"Are you sure you don't want to pack a bag and come back to Haywood?" He asked. "You could stay with me, I'll take the couch and you can have my bed."
"You're sweet to offer, but I'll be fine. If Johnson wanted to hurt me he could have put the bomb on a timer or made it detonate a lot easier. I think he is just trying to scare me and I refuse to live in fear." I answered.
"Sometimes fear is the universe's way of telling us something is wrong. You shouldn't try to avoid being afraid you just can't let it control you." He countered.
"That's what I'm doing, in my own way. I'll be fine and I'll keep my phone by the bed so that if I need anything I can call one of my knights in black armor." I teased.
Les gave me a hug and kissed the top of my head before leaving.
I went in and decided to check my e-mail first.
Hal sent me a note which I quickly read.
"Hey Steph! I was so jealous of your e-mail. It's true I spend a lot of time in the ocean, but I rarely enjoy sitting on the beach watching it. I did get back in time to see the sunset last night and I was thinking of how you would have enjoyed it. I couldn't help but smile when I got your note and realized you had already enjoyed some time at the ocean too."
I felt connected to him there and wondered if he felt the same way.
"I have a two day op coming up and I'll be out of contact on Friday and Saturday, but I'll log in as soon as I'm back on Sunday. I won't be able to write you each day, but I'll be thinking of you."
If I didn't know better I would say Hal was getting homesick. He wasn't usually this sappy.
"If you see Hector, can you pass along a strange message? Tell him I said thank you for the CD and if he has any new ones like it, I hope he will send them along soon."
What was that about? I was pretty sure he had Hector's e-mail address and could have asked himself. I didn't mind being the bearer of his message but the cryptic request had my curiosity piqued.
"I'm glad you're still looking into Johnson. You have the most amazing instincts I've ever seen and I'm sure you will figure something out soon. Don't give up, and keep your guard up when you're out. Just because you haven't heard from him in a while doesn't mean he isn't thinking about you."
I wasn't sure I wanted to tell Hal how right he was.
"I like our question and answer sheets so I'll be sending another one to you while I'm away. If you have time I'd love to see what you think of the new list I've come up with."
About once a week one of us would come up with a list of questions and we would swap answers with each other. It was quickly becoming a game, but it gave us lots of things to talk about.
"I hope you're doing okay. I know how strong you are, but it is okay to ask for help every once in a while. My offer still stands – anything you need, just ask. I should get a little rest; we have an early day tomorrow to prepare for leaving the next day. I'll miss talking to you, but I'll look forward to getting your answers when I'm back on dry land. Sweet dreams. Love, Hal."
Holy cow! Did Hal sign his note the same way I did? What did it mean? Was he only doing it because I did? Is this love as in, you are like a little sister to me, or is it something else? If I asked him what it meant I wonder if he would tell me or if he would want me to answer that question first? I better not risk it so I'll just let it go.
I quickly typed up an accounting of my day including Cal's offer to take me swimming, the whole bomb on my car at the police department fiasco, and Les' suggestion I stay at Haywood. I knew there weren't any open apartments and despite really liking Les, I didn't want to kick him out of his bed and I didn't want to share it with him either. When I got to the end I debated how to sign it. I finally decided I did love him, I just didn't know in what way, so I went with Love, Steph and signed off.
I woke up with a start. It was early, well early by my standards, the clock said 6:00 am. I sat up and tried to figure out what woke me up. I heard some scratching noises coming from the den so I picked up my cell phone and dialed Les' number.
A very grumpy voice answered, "Santos."
"Les?" I said more as a question than a greeting.
"Steph," His voice was much clearer now, "What is it? What's wrong?" Yep, he was fully awake now. I could hear him getting up and throwing on clothes.
"I just woke up," I figured I better explain why I called, "and there are some strange noises coming from my den."
"Where is your gun?" He asked as though he didn't know. I may be running, but at no point have they seen me suddenly turn into Annie Oakley.
"It's in the kitchen in my gun safe," I joked.
"You have a gun safe? I thought you kept it in your cookie jar?" Clearly Les wasn't fully with me yet to realize I considered my cookie jar my gun safe.
"Remind me to show you later." I decided to just humor him. It seemed easier.
"Alright, I'm heading out now and can be there in ten. I want you to unlock your bedroom window so you can get out if you have to. Then get up and lock your bedroom door and throw on some warm clothes." He instructed before adding, "Don't hang up, I'll put you on hands free and talk to you so you know what is going on."
Les pulled into my parking lot with thirty seconds to spare.
I'm coming up the stairs, hang on Beautiful," He said before going silent to surprise whatever or whoever was making the noise outside my door.
I was growing tired of waiting for an update and was about to ask what was going on when I heard him say, "You're not going to like this."
I jumped up and stormed into my den. I didn't see Les so I hung up assuming he was outside my door.
Opening the front door with more attitude than was necessary I blurted out, "I'm not going to like what?"
He was pointing to my door. Scratched into the paint was a message, "Can you feel the beat yet, or should I turn the music up?"
Les was back on his phone calling the office for the guys to come down and dust the door for prints. We all knew who was doing this, but they seemed to want to build a stronger case by proving it was Johnson.
I put on a pot of coffee and waited for my little apartment to be overrun with sweaty muscle men who were probably interrupted half way through their morning work outs.
Feeling frustrated that this guy was playing with me I booted up my computer. I didn't expect a note, but I wanted to tell Hal what was going on. I needed a friend right now and he was the first person that came to my mind.
The happy little icon alerting me to a new message was blinking so I clicked on it and felt myself calming down when I saw his name.
"Steph. I'm so sorry about your day. Listen, I can't do much to help catch this guy from here, but I do have something that I can offer. I hope you will take me up on it because it would mean so much to me if you would (don't make me have to say please – I'm not above bringing out the big gun, but I don't want to over use it)."
I was curious what help he wanted to offer. I knew without reading ahead that I would accept it and I was pleased that he hadn't blatantly thrown out "please" even though it was implied.
"I understand why you didn't want to stay with Lester last night, and there is a piece of me that was relieved that you didn't. But, I think he was right to suggest you not stay in your apartment. It is far from safe. There is one open apartment on four that you could use – mine. Part of my contract with Ranger was that when I had to leave he couldn't give my apartment to anyone else. I needed a place to come home to so it is there sitting empty. I would love the thought of you staying there. Ella keeps it clean and I think you would be comfortable."
I couldn't deny that staying in his apartment was a difficult offer to refuse. I could look through his stuff and learn more about him or come up with some more targeted questions. Yeah, I could definitely see myself agreeing to this.
"I'm going to send Tank an e-mail and let him know I've offered it to you. He can get you a key and you would be good to move in. Stay as long as you need to, or as long as you want to. I like the idea of you sleeping in my bed, safely tucked in at RangeMan while I am across the country from you unable to help get this creep away from you."
Hal was sounding a little protective there, and if I were honest, I liked it.
"Anyway, I'll check in tonight and I hope to hear that you are settled in snooping through my closet. I don't think you'll find anything shocking, but feel free to let me know if you disagree. Please be careful, and I'll do the same. Love, Hal."
I sat back sipping my coffee with a light smile on my face.
Bobby, Lester and Tank all sat down at my little table.
"What's the news boys?" I asked trying to lighten their somber faces to no avail.
"There are prints all over the door which we lifted, but it could take hours to process. This place has frequent visitors so sorting through them could be a chore," Tank explained.
"In the meantime, Bomber, would you consider coming back to RangeMan with us?" Bobby began. Ah, now I see why they all sat down so serious. They are assuming I will refuse to be locked down and are trying to build a case that will convince me to do it anyway.
"I will go back on two conditions," I tried negotiating.
Les spoke up, "What are your terms?" He was clearly enjoying this now that he felt I would agree to come back.
"I don't want to be locked up there. If I need to go somewhere I will promise not to sneak out. I'll let you know, or I'll take someone with me, but I can't be shut up there with no release." I detailed my first demand.
Tank picked up on the negotiation mood and said, "That seems acceptable. No one is trying to force you to a safe house, but this guy is obviously targeting you and is beginning to get too close for comfort."
"I couldn't agree more, so I think me moving into an apartment on four would be a good idea, and I know exactly which one I want," I said.
Tank seemed confused. "Which one?"
"I just got an e-mail from Hal, and he said he sent you one too, offering me the run of his apartment while he is gone. He wants me to stay there and I think that would work so that no one else has to be inconvenienced while we get this guy." I explained.
Tank smiled and let out a big breath. "If I have such an e-mail when I get back to the office, then I'll have a key pulled and given to you when you arrive. Hal's apartment is usually considered off limits when he's gone, it's a part of his contract. But, if he wants you there, I think it is a great idea."
With that the guys began to mobilize. Bobby and Lester were going to stay with me while I pulled together some clothes and anything else I would need for my stay at the office. Tank was heading back first to verify it was okay and then he would have the apartment ready for me when I got there.
While I was packing Bobby and Les came and sat on my bed staring at me with slight grins on their faces.
"So…" Les began making the word several syllables long.
"What do you want, Les?" I asked trying to force him to the point.
"You and Hal?" He gave as his explanation.
"Hal and I e-mail daily, I send him packages once a month. I'm fulfilling a promise to a friend that I would stay in touch with him so that he felt connected while he was gone. Don't make this into something. I needed a place to stay. His apartment was empty and he wanted to help." I hoped that would stop the questioning. I liked what ever this was I had with Hal, and I didn't want the clowns in front of me screwing it up or making me question it more than I already did.
"Don't get testy," Bobby said with a hint of teasing in his voice. "It's just that Hal is a very private person. He is usually weird about having people in his apartment. In the whole time I've worked with him I don't think I've ever known him to have a girl there, much less give her the run of the place."
"Well, it might be easier since he isn't there now. He knows I'll be long gone before he gets back." I thought that sounded reasonable.
Apparently, I was the only one that thought that. "What ever you say Beautiful, what ever you say."
I was escorted out as though I were a mob boss with a price on my head. Perhaps there was a price there. I hoped my wild hair would cover it up. It had to be good for something.
Tank greeted me in the garage and handed me a key. "His unit is number 5, next door to Cal. If you need anything give Ella a call."
There was a break in at one of the client's offices so he was on his way out. The guys helped me bring up my stuff and then left me to snoop in peace.
The apartment was identical to others around it. The den had some breath taking photographs of the ocean and underwater shots that looked too beautiful to be real. It smelled like Hal – a light hint of Old Spice and the sea. Along one wall were two tall bookshelves crammed to the top with books. They covered everything from Tolkien classics to Harry Potter. I decided to spend some time looking at them later.
His bedroom had a king size bed and when I touched the sheets, they were baby soft. They might not be the quality of what Ranger slept on, but right now they felt like heaven to me. On his dresser was a picture of what I assumed was his family. Hal was wearing his dress uniform and he was so handsome. I hoped one day I could see that in person.
I quickly put my things away and made a spot for Rex on the kitchen cabinet. Ella had already stocked the fridge so I dropped a grape in for him and asked how he liked his new digs. He wasn't ready to commit one way or the other.
I thought I should thank Hal for his offer so I quickly wrote a note.
"Hey Hal! I'll bet you can't guess where I am right now? I thought I was coming to stay at your apartment because I got another note from my stalker this time engraved on my front door while I was sleeping. But now that I'm here I'm wondering if Tank gave me the key to your study, instead of your apartment based on the number of books here. I can't thank you enough. The guys said you don't usually have company, so I promise to disturb nothing while I'm here and I'll leave as soon as this whole Johnson mess is resolved."
Hopefully that would put his mind at ease.
"I agreed to not leave the building without letting someone know and having a guy with me so I'm not on house arrest, but I have supervision whenever I want to leave."
That sounded like I was complaining, so I tried to smooth it out.
"Cal did offer to take me swimming today at the aquatic center where he is a member. I don't like using the gym and he said swimming would be as good a workout as I could get on the resistance machines downstairs."
"I can't thank you enough for letting me invade your home. From the moment I walked in it reminded me of you and I felt comfortable. I feel safe. Love, Steph."
I sent it off and got ready for the day. I had a box to pack up. If I conned someone into taking it off today, he would have it the day or so after he returned from his mission. This one was for real, not a training exercise so the timing might be good if things didn't go well.
Hal had been gone ten weeks; only twenty-nine more to go until he came home.
I hoped I could solve this whole stalker thing by then. I don't know if Hal would offer to sleep on the couch like Les did, but had a growing feeling I would be all for sharing the bed. I couldn't think that way. This was Hal. He was my friend and he didn't think of me like that…did he? Could he?