Stalker (6 page)

‘I’ve never had an accident, since I got my licence.’ said Lily. You couldn’t count slight bingles before being licensed.

‘Maybe we should have offered it to one of the others, but the owner said they wanted a young girl for the photo.Probably okay. I’ll check.’

Bernie returned quickly. ‘Just as long as you’ve got it back for the photos.’

‘Thank YOU,’ said Lily.

She’d been pumped to test-drive the sponsor’s car. ‘Supporters’ they called them on public radio stations. Taken delivery that day. Monty’s PR lady explained how the electronics worked and gave her the key.

Beep
Magically the door opened.

‘Fan-tas-tic!’

‘Didn’t you want to take some photos of the car and Lily in front of the studio?’ asked Bernie anxiously.

‘Tomorrow Lily. Wear something er… to contrast with red… not so student-ish. We’ll take some photos tomorrow.’ advised Monty’s PR car lady whose long red nails grasped the steering wheel like a tropical insect.

She looked at Lily’s op shop pants and vest as if they should be returned.

‘Head and shoulder shots mainly.’

‘What time?’ asked Lily. ‘I’ve got a 9 o’clock lecture tomorrow.’

‘Eleven?’ Even her nails were colour-coordinated with the Red Peril’s wheels. ‘But you can drive it home tonight, Lily. Here’s the key. You just do this.’ PR Face aimed, ‘Beep. Zap.’ A light flashed. Locks clicked open electronically. The car was available. ‘Okay. Here’s my business card. I have to rush.’

‘No worries,’ said Lily, accepting the zapper-key. ‘Thanks.’

She zap-locked the car. ‘Wow!’ After playing with the Red Peril’s dashboard controls for a full half hour, Lily went inside to check her pigeon-hole, organise the music for Friday night and write up her hours. All the time, the thought of that red car sitting waiting was like an unwrapped birthday present.

The gleaming Red Peril was parked in the corner where the PR woman left it. Lily fingered the zapper in her pocket. Then she aimed:

‘Pow!’

Nothing happened. The car was still there. But no noise. The doors didn’t click open like they did for PR Face. No lights. No sound. No action.

She couldn’t even open the door.

Lily felt mega stupid. She’d had the car twenty minutes and couldn’t get into it. The brilliant red racer with just a few kilometres on the dial. And a door which wouldn’t open. What was it, with her and keys this week? She turned the zapper around. Maybe it worked like those remotes for TV. Dead batteries? Zap. Nothing. Upside down? Nothing. she tugged at the door which was so shiny she could see her face in the red panel.

She stared wildly around the almost empty carpark. Nothing else for it. She’d have to ask Max, and he’d mention it forever. Temporarily, Lily thought about walking home. Leaving the sponsors’ car in the station park, and jogging home. No. She went back inside and rang security. Of course, Max was on duty, again.

‘Got a problem Girlie?’ Did security guards always speak like that, or just Max?

‘Lily’s the name, remember?’ she said. ‘Yes, I can’t get my… er the sponsor’s car started.’

‘Heard about this car.
Bit of a trade-off, eh. Going the kickback route? I’ll be down in two secs.’

And he was. He checked the zapper. And her code. ‘Bet they wouldn’t get the security guard to drive it. It wouldn’t look good enough in the photos. Head and shoulder or full length?’

Lily shrugged. PR Face probably wanted all car and no large Lily, especially wearing un co-ordinated student gear. No way would Lily ever look like PR Face, even if she tried, sideways.

‘First time eh? Used to work at one of the commercial studios. They had all the presenters’ photos in the foyer. Don’t do that here do they? Gunna do it with you now you’re getting famous, eh?’

‘Doubt it.’ said Lily. ‘Can you open the door?’

‘Yes. Radio frequencies of car locks can be monitored and changed…’ explained Max ‘Whatever was your electronic lock, someone has deliberately changed. Now you are locked out of your own car.’

‘The sponsor’s car,’ added Lily. The feeling was the same. Being controlled by an electronic unknown. ‘But I’ve only had it about twenty five minutes. I just went inside to catch up on paperwork. Who could have altered the lock in that time?’

‘Someone did, unless you had the combination wrong to start,’ said Max, with one of those smirky smiles. ‘Hadn’t you better check?’

She didn’t want to ‘owe’ him. Lily scrabbled for the business card. A quick call to the PR Face who’d left for the day. That was no use. And her mobile was off too.

Max added ‘If you think someone is having a go at you, we can organise a mobile panic button for you. Has a limited range. Quite effective. We can monitor radio frequencies. Did that for some of the commercial presenters who were being stalked by nutters. But Management didn’t want us to talk about it.’

But he was, thought Lily.

And he was talking about HER life. Not just an electronics problem. A challenge for locks.

‘No thanks. I’ll manage. Just open it for me, now.’

At last, they got it started. She wished Max would go inside. But he stood there watching as she turned the wheel, tried to back out and had to go forward again. Until she got the Red Peril out of the carpark and onto the road, Lily was nervous. Then she started enjoying the throb of the engine. At the traffic lights, a young guy glanced at the Red Peril and gave her the thumbs up. She felt terrific, like a real celeb, cruising along in her wheels.

Carefully she indicated, and brought it to a stop at the kerb outside the flat.

There was no lock-up garage or even a carport. The wall blocked in the back, so she couldn’t even run it up a driveway. The car would have to stay on the roadside. She edged it up partly onto the kerb for protection. Carefully she locked it. Then went back to check. Fine. She hurried towards the house. Just as she put her front door key in the lock, wondering if that was going to work this time, the door opened and Genny shot out.

‘You’re late back. Thought you were going to give me a lift into the city.’ Looked like Genevieve was working again. She did follow up on things, like job leads. At this rate of working, even at low rates, she might save her fare soon.

‘I’ve just spent half an hour trying to get the car to start.’

‘Why?’ Genevieve was burrowing in her bag.

‘Why do you think? ‘Suddenly the wonderful feeling she’d gained from driving the Red Peril vanished and Lily was back with ordinary stuff, like grumpy flatmates. ‘I couldn’t get the car to start. Well, that’s not right. I couldn’t even get into the car.’

‘Oh, forgot your keys again, did you?’ Genevieve twiddled with her nose-ring which matched her navel ring. Body space was limited. Even Genevieve couldn’t find enough space for two rings everywhere. But her hair was so spiked, she looked permanently surprised.

‘No. Someone’s re-programmed the bloody lock. The electronic lock. You know, that beeper thing.’

Genevieve yawned. ‘I didn’t know you had a beeper on the Vomit. You seem to be having problems with keys this week. Don’t blame me. I put the spare key back outside under the African Violet. I don’t know who’s taken it.’

‘Well you should care. It means someone might be able to get into our place.Just walk straight up and open our door.’

Genevieve shrugged. ‘So? You couldn’t, the other night.’

Genevieve had signed the lease on the flat, only in her name, so Lily was stuck for a while, unless she could find somewhere cheaper.

‘Why would anyone want to do that?’

‘I DON’T KNOW!’ Lily shouted. ‘That’s what it’s all about. How can you work out the mind of a nutter. He’s freaky. He just seems to keep doing things which muck up my life for no reason… other than to make me mad.’

‘You said “he”.’

‘So?’

Genevieve could really get you going at times. ‘How do you know? It could be a ‘she’.’

Maybe someone had made a mistake. What if Genevieve had driven a stalker mad with her stupidity but he’d got the wrong girl. Lily almost smiled to herself. No-one would buy that theory. Besides Genevieve worked for a tele marketing company, sold her voice, used it for money, as she kept repeating
.

‘I just…know…’ Lily finished lamely. ‘Jamie asked that too.’

‘Say, who owns THAT?’ Genevieve pointed to the Red Peril gleaming at the kerbside.

‘Me. For a week. Instead of pay as a volunteer.’ Lily said quickly.

Genny didn’t believe her. Fumbling in her backpack, Lily couldn’t resist zapping the key. This time it worked!

‘I thought you said ‘he’ changed it,’ said Genny disbelievingly.

‘Forget it!’ said Lily exploding inside. She wasn’t making things up. This was really happening. Someone was out to get her. The Follower. The Stalker. Call him what you like. He was THERE! What he did was freaky, and it was getting to her. She was thinking about him and what he might do, all the time. And this time there had only been about twenty-five minutes for him to change the electronics on the Red Peril. So he must be close, and watching her.

‘Oh, I borrowed your calculator,’ said Genevieve, ‘Just in case you think the stalker took it. Need it for the job interview. Any chance of me driving this car tomorrow?’

‘No way.’

Genny shrugged and slid into the front passenger seat, hooking her legs in like a professional model. ‘Ready chauffeur? Let’s move!’

Lily gave Genevieve a lift to town, and she wasn’t really showing off as she took the corner fast.

‘Hey!’ called Genevieve. ‘Fantastic! I’ll have to save up for one.’

For a moment, they enjoyed each others company. Then Lily said loudly as she pulled up.

‘Thanks for letting me know about the calculator. When you bring it back, maybe we could work out the rent that is owed. I paid all the extras last month, so you’ll need to work out your share. Would you like to borrow my Stalker too? He seems to have free time.’

****************************************************************

I walked quietly into the house because now I know my way around. I didn’t want to disturb anything at first. Didn’t want her to know I’ve been here. Or that anyone had been here. That’s my power. I know all about her life and she knows nothing about me. She doesn’t even know I’m in her bedroom now. Looking at the letters in her desk. Messy. Dusty. I could write a message in the dust, but I won’t. My fingers would get dirty. She is not tidy like me. Everything is ultra-clean at my place I wash my hands all the time and I know where everything is. No one could visit my bedroom and not be known to me. Here is Lily’s life, under my eye. Her shoes… her clothes on the hangers and on the floor.

I never touch Genevieve’s things. She doesn’t interest me, her voice is just ordinary, she’s stupid about security and she’s a user… of people.

Not many photos of Genevieve around but that doesn’t interest me. Lily is different. Her face looks so ‘lily-like’ up -close in the photos. I collect bits of her past life.

This is where Lily sleeps. Green is the right colour to back a lily. Green doona. White pillows. In the bathroom, green towels. Hairbrush. A green toothbrush. Green soap. A green car would have been better…her favourite colour, but I couldn’t organise that. They only had a red one.

At the shopping centre I’d drift past the perfume counter. Lily of the Valley was that old gran type perfume,but I could see the name printed. It gave me a thrill. I pretended I was buying the bottle for my Gran who was in hospital.

‘It’s always been her favourite perfume. Lily….’

‘Lily of the Valley?’ said the shopgirl.

‘Yes. Lily…. Lily of the valley perfume.’

Y from the Cult was on her program again. ‘God Business’ she asked him about and the smell of success. I don’t like that.

That Red Peril makes lots of noise. A good warning sound. I leave.

The Cult Interview

Lily wished she’d never done that Cult interview on the Wednesday, but Bernie insisted that it was too good an opportunity to miss a pre-record. At the time, it just seemed like an ordinary chat with a muso for her ‘hot goss.’ segment. She didn’t expect God-freaks to listen, record draw out stuff she’d never intended, and then make complaints.

Nothing felt safe anymore. Nothing was sure. She felt under siege. Who could the stalker be? Someone she knew well, or just slightly? An acquaintance? Couldn’t be a joker, this was getting serious? Especially if she couldn’t work out the reason why this was being done. That was the real worry.

****************************************************************

‘ID please. You’re not wearing a visitor’s pass.’ The burly navy suited guard stopped Lily. He was new, and breathed heavily.

‘What’s all the fuss about?’ Lily didn’t usually come in on a Wednesday, unless Bernie insisted. The new manager was changing lots of rules, like who did what and when. ‘Where’s Max?’

Max rarely checked ID and called all females under fifty ,‘Girlie’ because he couldn’t remember names.

‘Max is off today. I’m on. Where’s your ID?’ The new guard was insistent. His broad chest rose and fell under the navy jacket.