The Stares of Strangers (6 page)

“
Yeah, she seems friendly enough. Her son is a little shy around me for some reason, though.”

I thought about that. “Do you know what happened to the father by any chance?”

Penny shook her head. “Not really. He left a few months ago. Why?”

“
No reason. Back when I was a kid, it seemed like things were different from how they are now. Being neighbors meant something. You got to know them, had parties together, watched each other's kids, stuff like that. Now, most people don't even know what their neighbors’ names are.”

“
Well, Jessica and I threw a huge Halloween party and invited the whole neighborhood. Most of them didn't come but Karen and her husband – I think his name was Mark
—
came with their kid. They didn't stay very long. They didn't seem to be that social.”

“
Well, it's nice that you made an effort,” I said, checking my watch. “Hey, you better get ready for yoga. Class starts in an hour.”

Chapter 9

The Bikram Yoga Studio is conveniently located just two miles from Penny's home, near downtown Bridgeport. The strip mall also contains a pizza joint, a vitamin store and a laundromat. We parked behind Penny's car and, from Carter's Buick, we watched her walk into the yoga studio with a gym bag in one hand and a rolled up yoga mat in the other. Just before going inside, she glanced behind her, making eye-contact with me, as if making sure the plan was still in motion.

I gave her a nod. All systems go.

Carter agreed to wait in the car and observe the influx of students arriving for the four-thirty class, in hopes of catching a glimpse of Ken. Unless he was already inside getting changed for class.

“
So remind me what we're doing here?” Carter said. “Why do we suspect this Ken guy is stalking Penny?”

“
Because, he stares at her during class and makes her feel uncomfortable. Plus, the pictures taken outside her window happened right after yoga class last Friday night. It's possible Ken had followed her home.”

“
But we're not even sure he'll be at this class.”

“
Penny says he's always at the four-thirty class. At least, whenever she's here. In any case, this is the only lead we have right now. If you get bored, you can go get a slice of pizza.”

“
What are you going to do?” he asked.

“
I'm going inside. I hope they'll let me observe the class if I tell them I'm thinking of joining. I want to check out other possibilities because Ken might not be the only guy who is interested in Penny.”

“
Good point. So, how long is class?”

“
Ninety minutes. Ends at six.”

As soon as I stepped inside the yoga studio, I detected the smell of dirty feet mixed with incense. I approached the woman sitting at the desk, hovering over a sign-in sheet. There appeared to be a dozen names already.

“
Hello,” I said to her. “I'm thinking of joining the studio, but I've never done yoga before. Would it be okay if I just watched a class?”

The woman, in her late twenties, wore a tank top and the smallest yoga shorts I've ever seen. She had colorful and intricate tattoos spread across her chest and upper arms. “You've never done a yoga class before?” she asked, like it was a mortal sin.

“
That's right. I usually prefer to run but a friend of mine suggested that I give this a try. She said it would help with my tight muscles.” I rubbed the back of my thighs for effect. “But I'm just not sure if this hot yoga is the best idea for me. I don't do well with extreme heat.”

“
The best way to know if this is right for you is to participate in the class.”

I raised both arms at my side. “I didn't bring any stuff with me. Besides, I can only stay for a half an hour.”

“
That's fine,” she said. “You can watch through the window, but I'm afraid I won't be able to let you inside once class starts. It might be distracting to the members.”

“
No problem. I just want to observe from afar. I won't bother anyone.”

“
Next class starts in ten minutes. Feel free to have a look around until then.” She grabbed a tri-folded pamphlet on the desk and handed it to me. “Here's a little background information on Bikram yoga and its health benefits.”

“
Thank you.”

I meandered around the studio for a minute before heading over to the observation window. Peering into the yoga room, I could see Penny had set up her mat in the middle of the back row. To her left, a man with a long, blonde ponytail had set up his yoga mat, just a few inches from hers. It had to be Ken. He wore skin-tight spandex shorts and nothing else. He was doing lunge stretches, checking himself out in the mirror that took up the entire front wall. I had to admit he was in excellent physical condition. However, he made no effort to speak to Penny at all. He kept his gaze in the mirror, focusing on himself.

The woman to Penny's right appeared to be in her fifties and overweight. She wore a black t-shirt, long black sweatpants and was already sweating profusely just sitting on her mat, meditating.

Penny sat on her mat, legs stretched out in front of her. She wore only a sports bra and shorts that looked more like bikini bottoms. She looked stunning with a perfectly toned abdomen and sculpted legs. I was almost inspired to take up yoga if I could possibly look like that. But then I had to remind myself that I was twenty years older than Penny. Not only that, but I loved chocolate and wine more than the possibility of six-pack abs.

As more students filtered in, the room eventually filled up with practitioners. By the time class started, there were only three or four empty spots left on the floor. Half of these students were exceptionally fit, the other half were moderately fit to borderline obese. I had to hand it to those people; must not be easy to stare at yourself in the mirror for an hour and a half, constantly being reminded of how unfit you are. Or maybe, it's inspiring to some of them. Motivation to keep working. Either way, I rooted for these not so fit people for showing up in the first place. Personally, I have tried taking group classes before: spin, Pilates, Zumba and even a belly-dancing class. It's not for me. I guess I prefer the wind in my hair when I'm out for a run by myself. Plus, I don't like people to see me when I'm a sweaty, hot mess.

The first part of class began with deep breathing exercises. Then onto stretching. I slowly started to realize that Ken's eyes were no longer focusing on his own body in the mirror. They were glued on Penny.

It seemed ridiculous to assume this guy was a stalker, just because he couldn't take his eyes off of a beautiful young woman. How could I blame him for that? I mean, I could hardly take
my
eyes off of her. But I couldn't ignore the coincidence. Why did he feel the need to set up his mat right next to hers every single time?

I observed all the other males in the class. Once in a while, I'd catch one of them checking out Penny in the mirror, but the glances never lingered like Ken's. He was fixated.

After about forty minutes, I'd seen enough. I used the bathroom and then went back outside.

“
Well?” Carter said to me when I got into the Buick. He handed me a slice of pizza and it smelled wonderful.

“
It's hard to say, but there's a really good chance that Ken is fixated on Penny. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her: but does that make him a creep? I don't know.”

“
Once we have his last name, we'll get a better idea of who this guy is. Until then, we just wait.”

Chapter 10

A few minutes after six, the yoga students began leaving the studio. Ken the ponytail man emerged by himself and crossed the parking lot, passing directly in front of our parked car.

“
There he is,” I said. “The one with the ponytail.”

Carter snapped a few pictures with his cell phone. “Looks like he's headed for that Prius. I'll get a shot of the license plate.”

When Ken got in his car, he didn't start the engine. Instead, he sat there, looking down, as if on his cell phone. He didn't seem to be in a hurry to leave.

“
He looks harmless, doesn't he?” I said. “And, if I dare say it, kinda cute?”

Carter raised an eyebrow at me. “Don't tell me you're going to take up yoga now.”

I chuckled. “No way. I wouldn't fit in with this crowd. They might try to convert me to veganism.”

“
Veganism? Is that even a word?”

“
Who knows.” I chuckled. “Nothing against Vegans, of course. To each his own.”

I knew Carter felt the same way. He's never met a hamburger that he didn't like.

Ken was still sitting in his car five minutes later when Penny came walking out of the studio and casually made her way to her car.

“
Aha,” I said, pointing to the Prius. “He started his engine just as soon as Penny came outside. How convenient.”

“
Maybe your instincts are right about this guy,” Carter said. “Now let's see if he follows her.”

I sent Penny a quick text.
Drive slowly. Looks like you might be leading a procession.

She texted back.
Okay. Here we go.

As soon as Penny started her engine and slowly drove through the parking lot, Ken managed to get in line right behind her.

“
He's a slick little devil,” I said.

“
Yep, I'd say he's done this before.” Carter was able to get in line behind the Prius, and thus began the motorcade.

Penny took a right out of the lot, heading home. Ken followed at a close distance all the way through town. Carter stayed on his tail, nearly running a red light at one point. Ken hadn't checked his rearview mirrors. If he had noticed us riding his bumper, I figured he would have at least given us a dirty look.

Once we got into Penny's neighborhood, she slowed down to the twenty mile an hour speed limit but, when she pulled into her driveway, the Prius kept going. Never slowing down.

“
Should we follow him?” I asked.

“
No,” Carter said. “We'll be able to find out where he lives from his license plate number. Right now, we need to stay with Penny.”

We parked the Buick on the street in front of the house and met Penny at her front door. “Maybe he really wasn't following me.”

“
Maybe not,” I said. “But he was waiting in his car until the moment you came out of yoga. Could be a coincidence. Or, he noticed he was being followed.”

Penny unlocked the front door and the three of us went inside. “I have no idea where Jessica and Caleb are. Maybe they went out to eat.”

Carter asked us to wait in the kitchen until he had a chance to look through the house and around the yard.

“
Did you see Ken staring at me the whole class?” Penny asked me once we were alone. “Or was it just my imagination?”

“
You're not imagining it. His eyes were on you like glue. The other guys in the class seemed to glance at you from time to time, but not to the degree of Ken. I’m surprised he’s never tried to engage you in conversation.”

Penny gulped down half a bottle of water, wiping the sweaty, matted hair from her face. “Are you guys gonna do a background check on him?”

“
Yeah. Knowing Carter, he'll have Ken's life story within a few hours.”

Penny made a half-hearted attempt to smile. “Man, you and Carter are really taking this seriously, huh?”

“
This is a serious matter. Until we know who is behind this, we have to assume you're in danger.”

“
I had a hard time concentrating in yoga class tonight. I kept thinking about Jessica. What if you're right about her? What if she knows about Caleb?”

“
If you're feeling guilty about it, maybe you should just sit her down and have a heart to heart conversation. Tell her the truth and beg forgiveness.”

Penny shuddered. “I can't do that. I made a promise to Caleb.”

“
Who is more important to you?” I asked. “Jessica or Caleb?”

“
Jessica, of course. But ...”

When Carter came into the kitchen, he gave a thumbs up. “All clear at the homestead. I'm going to get to work and find out more about our new friend, Ken.”

Penny breathed out. “Okay, so what should I do?”

I checked my watch; almost six-thirty. “Can you find out when Jessica and Caleb expect to be home?”

“
I'll text Jessica right now and see what she's up to.” Penny got on her cell phone and her thumbs tapped out a short message. “She usually gets right back to me.”

“
Thanks,” I said. “So what are your plans for this evening? Staying in?”

“
I have no plans. I'm gonna take a shower, eat some leftover soup, then probably watch a movie. Will you hang out here, at least until Jessica and Caleb get home?”

“
Sure, we can do that.”

 
Penny's phone chirped out a funny sound. “That must be Jessica.” She read the text and smiled. “Awe, that is so sweet. Jess and Caleb are getting Chinese food to bring home for me.”

“
So, they'll be back here within the hour?”

“
I guess so. I'd invite you and Carter to eat with us, but …”

“
No, that's fine,” I said. “Thanks anyway. We already had pizza.”

Penny nodded. “Well, I guess I better get in the shower.”

“
Okay. As soon as Jessica and Caleb get here, Carter and I will head home for a few hours. Give me a call right before you guys go to bed, and we'll come back to keep watch on the house.”

Penny didn't seem to be enthralled with that idea. “You really think it's necessary? I doubt anyone is going to try and break into the house when my roommates are around.”

“
That's the point,” I said. “We don't know what this guy is capable of but we have everything in place now. The surveillance cameras are important but having eyes on this house is important, too.”

“
Should I tell Jessica and Caleb about the hidden cameras?”

“
That's up to you. My advice, though, is that you don't.”

Penny regarded me with trepidation. “You still think Jessica … never mind. I don't want to talk about it anymore.”

* * *

When Carter and I got back to my apartment around seven o'clock, Carter immediately set his laptop on my kitchen table. “Sarah, why don't you try and get in a few hours of sleep before we go back to Penny's. It's gonna be a long night.”

“
Don't you need help doing the research on Ken?”

“
Nope, I got this.”

“
Okay. I think I'll take a hot bath first. I stepped in a slushy puddle and got my feet soaked. I need to warm my bones.”

Carter looked up at me. His eyes widened. “You mean, you're gonna get naked?”

“
Well, yeah. I usually don't take a bath with my clothes on.”

He gave me his best sexy smile. “In that case, maybe I'll have to work fast and join you in the bedroom later.”

I leaned over and kissed him on the mouth. “I'll be waiting.”