A Dark Mind (30 page)

Startled, she nearly fell on her backside.
Shit
.

A cat had jumped on the windowsill. It was only a cat. Her hand rested on her chest, while her heart remained lodged in her throat. She took a moment to collect herself, figuring she had gotten what she deserved, then pushed herself to her feet.

Before she could take another look inside, her phone vibrated. Exhaling, she decided to return tomorrow and hope somebody would be home. As she headed back the way she had come, she picked up the call without looking at caller ID.

“Lizzy Gardner,” the caller said. “It’s so nice to finally get a chance to talk to you.”

It was a man. She stopped at the top of the porch stairs. “Who is this?”

“I am a big fan. I’ve been reading up on your story of perseverance: overcoming your fears and phobias in hopes of leading
a normal life. Your story warms my heart. I was hoping we could meet face-to-face.”

As she waited for the caller to elaborate, out in the distance, where large boulders and tall trees dominated, she heard the same rhythmic munching noise she’d heard earlier. “Who is this?” she asked again.

He laughed. “Truthfully, I’m your worst nightmare,” he said, his voice suddenly low and gravelly.

Her spine stiffened. “My worst nightmare is dead.”

“Don’t you wish,” he said with a chuckle. “Don’t you wish.”

Sacramento

Friday, June 8, 2012

The wind had kicked up a notch as Jessica drove at a steady sixty-seven miles per hour, two miles over the speed limit. She kept a good grip on the steering wheel and her eyes on the road in front of her. “Where are we going?” she asked again.

“We’re going to John Robinson’s house.”

“Didn’t you hear anything Lizzy said? He could be dangerous.”

“I live for danger, remember?”

Jessica’s eyes narrowed. “You’re insane.”

“And don’t forget crazy.”

“You just like to piss me off.”

“Because it’s so easy to do,” Hayley agreed.

For the rest of the ride, silence devoured the air between them until Jessica couldn’t take it anymore and turned up the radio.

“Take the next exit,” Hayley said a few minutes later.

Jessica was not happy as she exited the freeway as instructed. She did not like taking orders, and she certainly didn’t appreciate being blackmailed. Mostly, she didn’t like the idea of Hayley getting hurt or being thrown in jail again if she were caught. She took the next exit, and after a few more turns, she pulled her car to a stop at the curb and looked at Hayley. “You need to tell me the plan.”

“We’re not there yet.”

“I’m not going any farther until you tell me the plan.”

“Fine,” Hayley said. “Once we get to the house, you’re going to park about a half a block away from Robinson’s house, facing east. I’m going to knock on the door. If anyone answers, I’m going to use my phone to take a picture.”

“That’s illegal. You can’t simply take pictures of anyone you want.”

“I’ll be discreet. He’ll think I’m making a call.”

“And what if nobody answers the door?”

“I’ll take a quick look around and see what’s going on.”

“Promise me you won’t break into the house.”

“I won’t break into the house.”

Jessica stared at Hayley, wondering if she was lying. “I thought you didn’t make promises.”

“I don’t.”

Jessica huffed. “And this impromptu reconnaissance of yours will take how long?”

“Ten minutes at the most.”

Jessica thought about it for a second as she watched the wind swoosh through the branches of the trees lining the street, making them dance. “OK. Ten minutes. Otherwise, I’m calling the police.”

“Do not call the police.”

“I was kidding.”

“Don’t call them until the twenty-minute mark,” Hayley added.

Jessica didn’t like the sudden gravity of Hayley’s voice, let alone the idea of having to call the police at all. She hadn’t been serious about calling the police, but obviously Hayley was.

“And this is the most important part,” Hayley continued. “If a car pulls into the driveway or you see anyone at all approaching the house, you need to give me a call. My phone is set to vibrate, so nobody will hear a ringtone.”

Jessica felt sick to her stomach.

“Are we good?”

“Yeah, we’re good,” Jessica said as she pulled back into the street. “Let’s get this over with. It looks like it’s going to rain soon. Which way?”

“Make a left at the next stop sign.”

I hate a bitchy chick.

—Gerald Stano

Lincoln

Friday, June 8, 2012

“Why don’t you tell me who’s calling?” Lizzy asked.

“And ruin all my fun?”

“Are you the same man who attacked me in the park?”

“I need to go, Lizzy. I have important business to attend to, but I really wanted to hear your voice.”

“Before you go,” she said, “I have something very important to tell you.”

“I’m still here.”

“Good, because I want you to listen carefully. I’m
your
worst nightmare, asshole. I’m the shadow lurking in every dark corner from here on out. Maybe you’ve read a few articles about me. Maybe you believe everything you read and you think I’m teetering on the edge of a dark abyss. Well, guess what? You’re right. I’m teetering, all right, but I’m teetering on the edge of enlightenment. I get it. I’m all fucked up and because of my past history I tend to attract lunatics like you. But your plan to push me a little too far has
backfired, because I’m the bitch who is going to find you and haul your sorry ass to prison, and the only thing you’ll be wishing is—”

She heard a dial tone and realized her worst nightmare had just hung up on her.

The nerve.

For the first time in months, Lizzy felt something much stronger than fear. It was anger, raw, dirty anger. And in the blink of an eye, it smothered all her apprehensions and terror within. What she felt was not the fleeting kind of annoyance most people encountered throughout their day; this was full-fledged rage. And it felt good.

A smirk formed as she walked along the dirt path back to her car.

Sacramento

Friday, June 8, 2012

Hayley counted to ten. Clearly, nobody was home. The entry door to John Robinson’s house was solid wood—no way to peek through. The large-paned window was covered with dark curtains—nothing to see there, either.

On to Plan B.

It was easy enough to find the side gate, but not nearly as easy to open it. She reached over the gate, stretching her arm as far as she could, catching splinters along the way. Finally, she felt the metal latch, but it wouldn’t budge. Her fingers brushed over a heavy-duty lock—the kind of lock that needed a key.

The old, weathered fence was warped, making it easier for Hayley to see through the cracks. The backyard was an exact replica of the front yard: dead lawn, no greenery other than
weeds. There was a dented aluminum garbage can overloaded with trash.

She glanced over her shoulder and saw Jessica peering out the window, looking worried.

Their eyes met.

Jessica shook her head and used both hands to gesture for Hayley to return to the car.

Hayley shook her head right back at her and pointed to the backyard, letting her know she was going to climb the fence. Then she jumped. Gritting her teeth, she used all her strength to pull her body up and over. She landed on her feet, but then lost her balance and fell on her ass. Pushing herself up, she wiped herself off. The stench caused her nose to wrinkle. The air smelled like raw sewage and skunk, making her feel right at home.

Her phone vibrated. She ignored it, knowing that Jessica was just being a worrywart.

Hayley could see the driveway through the wood slats. Nobody had driven by and there were no new cars parked in front.

As soon as Hayley left the car, Jessica began her countdown. It was past five. She turned off the music. She needed to concentrate. She didn’t like this street. The neighborhood looked abandoned: houses with broken windows, and an old mattress on the curb farther down the street. Nearly every mailbox lining both sides of the street had been destroyed, flattened with a hammer or a baseball bat. She couldn’t help but wonder how many of these homes, if any, were actually occupied.

She’d read about streets like this. Houses were foreclosed and then deserted, leaving the empty homes for drug users and criminals. The entire street smelled foul.

From where she sat, she could see Hayley at the front door to John Robinson’s house.

Come on, Hayley. Nobody’s home. Let’s get out of here.

Highly annoyed, she watched Hayley walk to the side of the house, stand on her tiptoes, and reach an arm over the top of the gate. The gate was obviously locked; otherwise she would have opened it and gone inside. When Hayley looked her way, she was relieved to finally make eye contact. Jessica gestured for her to return to the car, letting Hayley know her time was up. Instead, she watched Hayley jump and pull herself up and over to the other side.

Shit.
She should have known that Hayley wouldn’t give up so easily.

Whatever.

If Hayley wanted to risk her life, that was her prerogative…but for what? That girl was foolish. She had just climbed over the fence of a potentially dangerous man. Only Hayley would be so careless.

Jessica refused to sit here and worry. She was going to get an ulcer if she kept it up. Hoping to distract herself, she looked at her phone. No missed calls. No new texts. Still no word from Magnus. It was killing her not to give him a call. She reached into her purse and pulled out the piece of paper with his number scribbled on it—the paper he had given her at the coffee shop.

If she could hear his voice, she would feel so much better. She dialed his number, her heart racing a little faster with each ring.

He didn’t answer.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement. She shut her phone and put it away. Outside, she saw a dog—a small scruffy dog with no collar. The dog looked like a mutt—a cross between a Maltese and an unidentified ancestor. Its ribs were showing.

Aw, the poor thing looked hungry.

She looked up and down the road—nobody outside looking for a lost dog. She scrounged around inside her purse until she found the snack bar she kept stashed away for emergencies. She grabbed her bottled water, too, and climbed out of the car. “Hey, pooch,” she called.

The dog turned and looked at her.

“Are you hungry?”

The dog’s tail wagged a little, but he wasn’t ready to come toward her.

Jessica opened the bar, broke off a tiny piece, and held it out for him. “Here you go, pooch. Come on, you can do it.”

He took a step forward, but then a truck came into view and ruined everything. The dog ran off and the car pulled into the driveway next door to John Robinson’s house.

Jessica hurried back to her Volvo and slid behind the wheel. She pulled out her phone and dialed Hayley’s number. One ring, and then two…three…four.

“Answer your phone, Hayley.”

What’s the point of having a lookout if you aren’t going to answer the phone?

Jessica scooted lower in her seat and watched the man exit his vehicle. He was a large man. Instead of heading for the front door, he headed for John Robinson’s house. He didn’t bother going to the front door. He went straight for the same side gate Hayley had jumped over and shoved a booted foot right through the wood, sending pieces of broken planks flying.

Jessica gasped. What was the man doing? What was going on?

He didn’t even look up to see if anyone was watching. He appeared to be completely at ease, as if kicking down doors and gates was something he did every day, before he ducked low
and disappeared through the opening. The entire neighborhood appeared to be alive with crazy people. Jessica grabbed her phone.

Hayley reached into her backpack and pulled out a tension wrench. It took less than thirty seconds to get the side door into the garage open. Once inside, she took a good look at the blue Toyota Camry, all shiny and clean. Even the rims sparkled like new. The entire garage was neat and organized. One entire wall was devoted to tools: saws, an axe, shovels, and an assortment of gardening tools.

The fact that there was a car parked in the garage at all bothered her, since there had been nothing in John Robinson’s records about his being married. If he wasn’t married, the probability of his having more than one car was slim to none. And if he had only one car, then he was probably home.
So why didn’t he answer the door when I knocked?

She planned to find out. But first, she lifted her jeans to make sure her knife was safely tucked within the sheath strapped to her calf. She reached for the knife, grabbed the handle, and whipped it out, the blade pointing outward in front of her. Glad she hadn’t lost her touch, she put the knife away. Using the same twisted tension wrench, she then made her way into the house. She stood in the kitchen for a long moment and listened. All was quiet. No television on in the background. No radio. No washer or dryer or any sounds of any kind.

The kitchen counters were yellow Formica. The table where John Robinson ate his meals was a midcentury vintage chrome-and-avocado piece surrounded by four aluminum chairs. The shag carpet was multiple colors. Like the garage, everything was orderly and clean. Even the walls looked newly painted.

Her phone vibrated again, prompting Hayley to walk to the living room window and peek through the heavy curtain.

Jessica was looking her way and making stabbing motions with her finger at the neighbor’s house. Hayley couldn’t see a thing and she didn’t care about the neighbor, so she gave her a thumbs-up and shut the curtain.

It took about five minutes to do a quick run-through of the house. There were only two bedrooms. Nobody sleeping in the beds. In fact, the entire house hardly looked lived in. No pictures on the wall, nothing to tell her who lived here.

She was in the bathroom, searching inside the medicine cabinet, when she heard loud noises coming from the house next door. She exited the bathroom, ran to the bedroom on the far side of the house, and looked out the window. The house next door was a clone of the house she was in right now. She could see the side yard and the door leading to the garage.