spare key from my pocket and opened the door. As I sat in the driver’s seat I adjusted the seat back and down to fit my six foot five inch oversized frame. I checked the mirrors and didn’t see anything suspicious. I reached in the glove box and pulled out the registration. Checked the address and was on my way to 337 North Jefferson Street.
Kate had a very simple one-story home. I took the door keys I had removed from under her bumper from my pocket and let myself in. I checked the obvious spots for wires, but didn’t see anything. Her home could easily be bugged, but I’d need equipment to run a proper check. Equipment I didn’t have, but could easily obtain.
I went to her bedroom and opened the closet. I found the safe right where she said. I turned the wheel…08-24-91. Click. The door opened. The box was a simple wooden box. There was an inscription on the top, but the box was so worn it was unreadable. I saw a duffel bag sitting next to the safe. I grabbed it and walked to Kate’s dresser. I opened the top drawer and was greeted with what seemed like an endless supply of panties and bras. I grabbed a handful and threw them into the bag. I couldn’t help but notice their shape and feel the texture in between my fingers. I imagined Kate walking around at night in my house in these little panties. It was going to be torture. I had to stay focused. I walked down the hall and found Jerry’s room. It was neat. Unusual for a boy his age. I filled the bag with clothes for Jerry and went back to Kate’s room for the box. I put the box in the middle of the duffle bag to protect its contents. I zipped the bag and walked out the door. As I was locking the doors I used my peripheral vision to survey her neighborhood. Nothing out of the ordinary. I put on my sunglasses and began walking down the street to the bus stop. As I walked, I noticed a stopped car and a map held in front of the driver’s face. I dropped my walking speed just before I passed and looked in. It was a middle aged Asian man with sunglasses. In most cities that wouldn’t raise any suspicions, but here it was strange for two reasons. One, why would a man be reading a map in a residential side street in small town America that’s off the beaten track? Two, we only had one Asian in town. That one next to the word Asian stood out like a sore thumb on the last census report and everybody knew that one was Takumi, the owner of the Japanese Tea and Coffee shop. That guy definitely wasn’t Takumi. Takumi walks everywhere anyways.
“When I got home, I could see the front blinds cracked. I knew Cole was right behind them ready to address any kind of trouble. He came out the front door to great me.”
“You OK? What’s going on?”
“Everything’s OK. Kate’s got someone following her every move. It’s more than just a stalker. This guy has a lot of inside information and he’s tracking her with GPS.”
“Ex-husband?”
“She thinks so, but it seems more complicated than that.”
“How so?”
“It’s more like someone is trying to take her out and someone else is trying to warn her of each attempt.”
“Any leads?”
“None. She just told me about it less than two hours ago. Now the fun begins.”
“Let me know how I can help.”
“I will. I have a feeling I’m going to need all the help I can get on this one.”
Chapter 4
Kate was inside sitting on the couch. When I walked in the room she just looked at me curiously.
“How did you drive my car?”
“I found your spare keys when I found the GPS.”
“Oh. You didn’t tell me that.”
“Yeah, I was in a hurry. After what you told me my mind was going a million miles an hour. I just wanted to get you to a safe place as quickly as possible.”
“And it’s safe here? You’re