Stalker

Chapter 1-2

Soon after Jake got to work Tuesday morning Kelly called to say she’d found the girl—“Because I’m that good,” she bragged,—and they would arrive at DIA early that afternoon. “I’ll take her home and then come in,” she said.

“You can take the rest of the day off if you want,” Jake told her.

“Aww, aren’t you being magnanimous,” Kelly replied with a laugh. “I’ll be in, if for no other reason than to make certain you haven’t run us into the ground while I was gone.”

“In forty-eight hours? I don’t think even I could accomplish it that fast.”

Kelly snickered. “You never know.”

It was their usual banter when one or the other of them was gone for a time on a job, so Jake didn’t take her words amiss, replying, “I’ll see you when you get here.”

They ended the call and Jake got back to what he’d been doing, which was writing up a report on a stakeout of a possible insurance fraudster he’d done the previous day. When he finished, he printed out a hardcopy which he gave to Carol, the agency’s receptionist s***h secretary, so she could prepare a bill to send to their client, along with the report. She would also email everything, but the owner of the insurance agency in question was an old-timer who liked to have the hardcopies on the agency’s official letterhead, too, for his files.

Carol grinned maliciously as she took the report, telling Jake to check his email. “Mr. Nichols sent a list of people he needs background checks on, and since Kelly’s not here…”

Jake groaned dramatically before he returned to his office to deal with one of his least favorite chores. He was halfway through when Carol buzzed him to let him know his potential new client had arrived.

“Mr. Sutton. Welcome. I’m Jake Marshall.” Jake said when Carol showed the man into his office. Sutton was in his late twenties, average looking, with blond hair and a small mustache. Jake gestured to the chair beside his desk.

“Please call me Alan,” Sutton replied as he sat.

After Jake retook his seat he said, “All right, Alan it is. From what you told Carol when you made the appointment you believe you’re being stalked. By whom—or don’t you know?”

“I have no idea. I’m not even sure it isn’t my imagination.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because it’s just a feeling that I’m being watched, especially when Alex and I go out.”

“Alex?”

“He’s my…boyfriend sounds so high school but that’s what he is.” He smiled wryly. “No jokes about our names, please. We get enough of that as it is.”

“I wouldn’t think of it,” Jake replied. “What’s Alex’s last name?”

“Dyson.”

“Okay. Have you told him about this?”

Alan nodded. “He thinks I’m, well, as I said, that it’s my imagination and nothing more. Maybe he’s right but I get this creepy feeling sometimes. Like, I’m sure I’ve seen a car following me more than once, or I see a man when we’re grocery shopping or going to a movie that I’m sure I’ve seen before.”

“Can you describe him?” Jake asked.

“He’s pretty average. Dark hair, clean-shaven, usually in jeans and a T-shirt or sweatshirt. I only get a flash of him before he turns away or disappears, if you get what I’m saying.”

“I do. You’re certain it’s the same guy each time?”

“I can’t swear to it but…yeah, I think so. There’s something about him and how he acts, like he wants me to know he’s around but he doesn’t want me to get a good look at him.”

“Is there anyone in your past who might have it in for you?”

Alan shook his head. “I’m not the kind of guy who makes enemies.”

“What about someone who might have been interested in you, personally, and you turned them down?”

“Not recently. Alex and I have been together for well over a year, now, and we don’t hide it.”

“Okay, the same questions about him? Is there anyone who might have thought they had a chance with him before the two of you met, or someone he, or you, work with who might resent that you got a job advancement they thought they should have had? Anything along those lines.”

“I own a small jewelry store and have one assistant who’s been with me forever, and Alex works retail, so no on the job thing. As far as past romantic entanglements, he was with someone else before we met, but they split amiably. I’ve had casual flings I guess you’d call them but not with anyone who got upset when they ended.”

“You’re sure about that?”

“Yeah, I am. I always made it a point to let any man I was with know I wasn’t looking for more than friendship with benefits, and they felt the same. Besides which, I told you I didn’t recognize my stalker, if that’s what he is. I think if he were a past boyfriend I would have.”

“True. You can’t think of any reason why someone might be fixated on you?”

“No!”

Jake chuckled. “That was pretty adamant. Do you go to clubs or bars?” he asked, recalling what Paul and Todd had said the previous evening.

“Occasionally,” Alan replied.

“Has anyone hit on you, or Alex, while you were there?”

“They’re bars, it happens, if one of us is sitting alone while the other goes to get our drinks or to the john,” Alan said. “We turn them down, politely, and that’s that.”

“Have any of them reacted badly when you did?”

“Define badly,” Alan said with a brief smile. “A couple of them pushed or looked pissed, but that’s normal.”

“Okay. I’ll be honest with you, I’m not certain there’s anything I can do if you are being stalked, since the person hasn’t done anything overt.”

Alan sighed. “I was afraid of that.”

“If this person starts leaving you messages or sending you gifts, then I’ll have something to work with. If they do contact you, let me know immediately, because it means they’re taking things to the next level.”

“Trust me, I will. Thank you for at least listening and believing me. You do, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I do. All right, there is one thing I can do, if you want, which is sweep your car for any tracking devices. If he shows up regularly at places you go, he might have put one on your car to make it easier for him to find you.”

Alan grimaced. “I’ll hire you to do it, since I have no idea what I’d be looking for,” Alan said.

“Okay. I’ll need you to fill out a contract first, but the charge for looking will be nominal.”

When Alan nodded in agreement, Jake handed him a contract, he filled it in and wrote a check to the agency. Then Jake got what he needed and they went down to the lot next to the building where Alan was parked.

“All right, it’s not your imagination,” Jake said a few minutes later. He beckoned for Alan to join him, showing him a tiny box inside the right front wheel well. “If you were the kind of guy who used one of those magnetic boxes for a spare key you might have found this.”

“Can you use this to locate him, since he must use his phone or computer to track me?” Alan asked.

“If he’s smart, and he undoubtedly is, he has a throwaway phone he uses, so probably not. Now you’ve got two choices. I can leave this here, or remove it. If I remove it, he’s going to know you’ve found it which won’t make him happy.”

“If you leave it, he’ll keep following me,” Alan replied angrily.

Jake spread his hands. “He will, but from what you’ve said he seems to be content to do that and nothing more.”

“So far,” Alan muttered. “Take it off. I’d rather deal with whatever he comes up with next, if he does. Maybe he’ll decide I’m too clever for him and move on to someone else.”

“Don’t count on it,” Jake cautioned as he removed the tracker. “You’re my client, now, so you’re to call me if anything strange happens in the next few days. All right?”

“Hell, yes. How much more do I owe you to keep you on retainer? Is that the right word?”

“It is, and you won’t have to pay anything more unless or until he does escalate things. For your sake, I hope he doesn’t.”

“You and me both. Thanks for finding it. Are you going to destroy it?”

Jake nodded. “Probably, unless you want to.”

“No, go for it.” Alan got into his car and turned it on. “I hope I don’t have to stay in touch,” he said with a dry smile.

“In the interests of your peace of mind, so do I.”