Chapter 19 Got A Situation
GOT A SITUATION
At the end of the next day, Meredith left the school. She was later than normal, but not by much. Not the last to leave either, waving to several other teachers on her way.
One more day this week and then she could relax.
There wasn’t much going on this weekend. Nothing that she had to be on the Ridgeway property for.
Clay had told her there was a baby shower happening on Saturday afternoon that his mother and Reenie were dealing with.
She’d been sad that she had had no communication with Clay at all this week.
What did she expect?
That he’d think just as much about those kisses as she had?
That he would want to talk to her on the phone at the end of the day and ask how she was feeling?
Maybe have a meal together?
Send each other little silly texts throughout the day?
What a laughable thought.
She’d had those things with Fredrick. Look at how well that worked out.
He gave her all the attention and validation she always dreamed of. She realized now it was to disguise what he was doing behind her back.
Every man she’d ever dated fit into those categories. Started out strong with the awareness factor, then slowly slipped into withdrawal or absence.
To the point, she was making all the plans and they were just going along for the ride.
She didn’t think she was high maintenance or that she needed all those things.
But she wouldn’t mind a little bit of acknowledgment.
She heaved out a large breath and pulled into her driveway.
The minute she climbed up her front porch she noticed the broken glass.
What the hell?!
The curtains blew inside as the breeze entered through her shattered front window.
She hesitated for a moment. Should she go inside or not?
Her feet were frozen in front of the door. The spot where those flies and dead fish had been.
With her heart hammering, she unlocked her door quickly, stepped in to get off that spot, and then turned to the living room.
There was a rock in the middle of the floor. She bent over to look at it but didn’t need to pick it up to see the word “bitch” painted on it in red.
Like a child had done it, no less.
She slowly stood up, her body shaking, her eyes filling with tears. She spun around the room to see if she was alone but didn’t hear any noises. It didn’t look as if anything was touched in the house either.
This was just too much.
She picked up her phone and called Fredrick.
He didn’t answer. She texted him a picture of it and told him he pushed her last button and she was looking into her options.
The minute she was ready to call Gale, her phone rang and she saw it was Fredrick. “What happened?”
“You tell me,” she said.
“Why do you think I have anything to do with a rock that says that on it?” Fredrick asked.
“It came through my front window while I was at work,” she yelled. “You’ve been to this property multiple times while I’ve been gone. Rearranging things in my art room. Dumping the flowers out of the pots. Putting the fish on the door.”
“But I wouldn’t throw a rock in your window,” Fredrick said. “Are you sure it’s not a kid? Or like one of your students that you ticked off?”
“Come on, Fredrick. They are five. They can barely throw a golf ball through a window, not a rock like this. And all my kids were in class today.”
He was such an idiot.
“It’s not me. I’m at work and have been here all day. Sorry.”
“What about Lana?” she asked. “Is she there?”
“I have no idea. We don’t work together anymore and we don’t talk much.”
“Did you talk to her about the letter?”
He sighed. “I did. She said she didn’t do it, but I don’t believe her.”
“If it’s not her then it’s you,” she said. “And you’re lying.”
“I didn’t do it,” he hissed. “I’m positive she’s lying. I know her tells. But since she got caught, I doubt she’ll do anything again.”
“You mean like throw a rock through my window?”
“I don’t know what to tell you, but it’s not me,” Fredrick said. “I’m sorry. I really am, but you’ve got to stop calling me. Or I’m going to think it’s harassment on your end.”
He hung up on her.
Her eyes grew wide as she looked at her phone in her hand.
She growled and found Gale’s number and hit the button. She needed some legal advice first.
“Hi, Meredith. I heard the wedding was a success on Saturday.”
“I thought it was,” she said. “But I had little to do with it.”
“Don’t kid yourself,” Gale said. “My mother said it went smoothly and even Clay was impressed.”
She frowned. It would have been nice for him to say those words to her.
“I’m really sorry to bother you, but I’ve got a situation. Remember my ex and what happened?”
“Yeah, the things you did and his reaction. What’s going on?”
“I thought it was all done, but I guess not. I don’t know. He says it’s not him.” She sniffled. It was all hitting her at once and now she wondered if it was a good idea being in her house right now. But where would she go?
“Did something happen today?” Gale asked. “You sound like you’re crying.”
“I came home to a rock thrown through my window with a mean word on it. And on Saturday I got a vile letter saying even more. I thought it was Fredrick. There were reasons for me to think it was. He said it was the woman that he cheated on me with. I don’t care at this point.
I just told him I was going to take action. What are my choices?”
“I’m sorry,” Gale said. “That is horrible. But you need to call the sheriff’s department and report it. That’s the first step. If they aren’t admitting it, there isn’t much you can do. You can’t get a restraining order without proof. Right now no one is owning up to those two things.”
“And my car. Someone damaged that.”
“So three things with no evidence of who? Start with the sheriff’s department and go from there. I’m sorry I can’t help you more though from a legal standpoint, but I can be there as a friend.”
“Thanks,” she said. “I hoped I could just send him some letter to back off.”
“Keep me posted after you report this. Make sure you put it all on file. Start there.”
She hung up and called the sheriff’s department next. They said they would send someone over.
Then she did something she wasn’t sure if she should.
She texted the picture to Clay.
Within seconds, her phone rang in her hand.
Why he was calling so fast over that shouldn’t have made the tears fall, but they were cascading down her cheek.
“What happened?” he asked.
“I found this when I got home. It came through the front window.”
“Are you in the house?”
“Yes.”
“Get out! Go sit in your car and pull away from the front of your house. Touch nothing in the house.”
She nodded, her pulse speeding through her body over his firm tone. “I can’t keep the window like that. Anyone can get in.”
“I’m on my way. I’ll take care of it. Get out. Do you hear me?”
“Yes.”
Clay hung up with her before she could tell him not to bother.
She turned and left though. She didn’t feel as safe as she had when she called him thinking it was Fredrick. Now she wasn’t so sure what was going on.
She wondered if she would ever feel safe in here again now.
“What happened, Meredith?”
She turned to see Karl getting out of his car. He was dressed up more, telling her he went into his office. Wherever he worked.
She just realized she didn’t know that. Only that he had some job in insurance.
He was almost rushing toward her now, his arms out to pull her in for a hug.
She stepped away to avoid it.
“I came home to a rock thrown through my window.”
“That’s horrible,” Karl said, his hands going to her arms and rubbing them instead.
She got the heebie-jeebies over it but didn’t want to be mean.
It felt as if her father was caressing her or something.
“Of all days, when I went into the office. I would have heard it if I were home. My office is in the front upstairs. I could have seen it and stopped whoever did it.”
She’d been in his place a few times. Just on the first floor. It was exactly like hers.
Living room in the front, dining, then kitchen in the back with a half bath. There were two bedrooms and a full bath upstairs. Primary bedroom in the back.
His place was always so neat and almost staged that it felt sterile to her. Or maybe it made her think she was a slob when she knew she wasn’t.
“I wish you were home today,” she said. Karl’s smile grew over those words. “The sheriff is on the way. I have to report it.”
“I don’t blame you,” Karl said, patting her arm again. “Do you think it was some kids?”
“Your guess is as good as mine.”
Karl lowered his voice as if he thought someone might overhear when there was no one around. “It couldn’t be Fredrick, could it? I never liked him.”
“So you’ve said many times. I called and he said he’s been at work all day.”
She’d never gone into detail about her breakup with Fredrick other than he’d cheated on her.
It was hard to hide that when Karl witnessed her putting all his possessions on the front porch and came to help her.
The picture that Cassidy had sent her of her ex kissing someone else was visible.
“Do you believe him?”
She shrugged. It hadn’t occurred to her to ask him to prove it. His threat that she was harassing him now was too prevalent in her mind.
“I’ve given up believing in anyone right now.”
Karl put his arm around her shoulder. “Don’t be that way. You can always count on me. I’ll never lie to you. Come over to my place and wait.”
“Thanks, but I’m supposed to be in my car away from the building.”
Karl stiffened and frowned, his arm dropping away quickly. “Says who?”
“A friend,” she said.
Karl stepped back. “Nonsense. You don’t want to be alone. Come in and have a cup of tea with me. We can see when the police get here.”
She let herself be guided to Karl’s. A cup of tea wouldn’t hurt and with no curtains on Karl’s windows, she’d see everything that was happening and who pulled in.
“Thanks, Karl. You’re such a good friend.”
“Someone has to keep an eye on you,” Karl said, his gaze moving to her face, the smile sincere, but the confusion evident with it.