Chapter Twenty-Two
K eira pushed herself up the next morning and walked slightly hunched over, making her feel like she was decades older than she was, and slowly made her way into her bedroom. Tired and drained like she’d never been before, she could only focus on getting clothes and going to the hall bathroom for a quick shower. She kept her gaze away from the destruction around the room and concentrated on just moving forward.
If anyone saw her at that moment, they would think she really was crazy, but she was not going to relinquish the knives, her purse, and the pepper spray. They were the only thing that was giving her some semblance of control. She even took the spray with her into the shower and was in and out within a few minutes. She used to enjoy long, hot showers, but now, being naked made her feel more defenseless than she already was.
She got dressed in a long skirt without panties because they were all torn apart on her bedroom floor, and she couldn’t bring herself to wear dirty panties, but she used the bra she’d worn the day before.
She would buy some in the shop when she got to work. She’d choose some moisturizer and a few other things they carried in the shop, too, and get the rest of what she needed later.
The limited makeup she had in her purse came in handy to hide some of the circles under her eye and blotchiness from crying. Keira looked at her pale reflection and decided it was the best she could do under the circumstances. Besides, she didn’t have any more energy to do otherwise.
She ran through a fast-food place for a breakfast sandwich and a large coffee. She didn’t feel like eating at all, it actually made her a little nauseous to think about eating, but knew she needed it for strength. She couldn’t let herself become too weak to be able to fight if the need arose.
“Now, are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
Keira stifled a scream and turned suddenly as she was trying to put the cashbox in the register to start the day. Her hand pressed against her chest to settle her heart before she took a deep breath and gathered up the bills that had fallen at her sudden action.
Keira didn’t know what to do. The concern on Vicki’s face helped her decide to confide in her. How much should she tell her? How did someone talk about something this crazy and expect someone to believe them?
She sat down on the stool and rubbed circles on her temples. “I have a stalker,” she said simply.
“What?” Vicki screeched, and her hand went to her racing heartbeat in her chest. “And I’m just now finding this out?”
“I didn’t want to burden you with it, and I was afraid you’d call my sister. Please don’t do that. I would never forgive myself.”
Vicki faced her over the counter and crossed her arms over her chest. “Tell me everything and start at the beginning.”
A smile tugged at Keira’s lips. “Layla said you were a good mother, now I see what she means.” The smile spread when Vicki narrowed her eyes at her. Keira told her a little and waited.
“For God’s sake, this has been going on for a month? What are the police doing about it?”
“Long story short, there’s very little the cops can do for me with no evidence.” She almost laughed, but knew it would sound crazy. Would the sight of her bedroom convince them someone was terrorizing her?
“That’s total bullshit...”
Keira laughed—a real laugh for the first time in a long while, and it almost sounded foreign. She’d never heard Vicki mad or cuss.
“Tell me what things are going on?”
“He’s getting into my house and taking one thing or moving it to show me he was there.”
A visible shiver raced down Vicki’s back. “That’s creepy.”
“At first, I thought it was me. Maybe I was exceedingly stressed from the move or just overly tired. But it happened so many times, I knew it wasn’t me. I changed the locks on the doors and even added some, and he still got in. But he started getting bolder at such a fast pace. Once, I found a pair of my panties in the washing machine in the spin cycle when I got home from work.”
Vicki shuddered. “Oh, that’s gross. You know what he was probably doing with those, right?”
“Yes, I guessed he was masturbating with them. I, of course, threw them away. Then he started taking all the underwear out of my drawers and folding them on top, or he’d turn down the bed I’d made that morning. The first real evidence I had was a note he left on the dashboard of my car. My locked car. It just said, I’m watching you.
“Did you take it to the cops?”
“Yes, but I got the impression he thought it was not enough to investigate.”
Vicki reached across the counter and grasped Keira’s hands. “I’m so sorry, Keira. You are not alone any longer. I know a few people. For God’s sake, no wonder you’re losing weight and exhausted.”
“That’s not the worst. Last night I got home, and he had torn my sheets to threads and all my underwear.”
Vicki gasped. “What did the police say?”
“I didn’t call them.”
“Keira. This is serious. He’s escalating. You’re going to end up hurt. Did you at least tell Daniel?”
Keira shook her head, then shrugged. “No, I don’t want to bother him. I’m so used to taking care of myself, it’s hard to let other people in. I’m also afraid he won’t believe me. I talked to him once, and the look of anger and disgust on his face told me exactly how he felt about the situation.”
“But why? I always got the impression he cared for you very much.”
Keira shrugged, then walked around the counter and took Vicki into her arms. “Thank you. You have no idea how much it means that someone believes me. The sad thing is, this is the third time I’ve gone through this.”
Vicki’s eyes widened in horror, and she leaned back to see Keira’s face. “What? Having a stalker?”
“No, running to people I believed would help me, who were supposed to protect me, and none of them took my word.”
“When?”
“The first time was in a foster home, after my mother died.”
Vicki choked back her tears. “Layla told me about the foster homes. I feel so bad for you both.”
Keira took a step back and leaned against the counter. “Yes, well, the first one they put me in, the father kept touching me.”
“Oh, sweet God. How old were you?”
“Thirteen. The worst was when I told my case worker when she came to check on me. I told her what was happening, and she didn’t believe me. She’d known these foster parents for twenty years and there had never been any whispers about him being sexually abusive. But I think when the man sneaks into my bed in the middle of the night and puts his hand down my panties, that is the definition of sexual abuse.”
Tears welled in Vicki’s eyes and ran down her face as her hands covered her mouth. “What happened?”
“I ran away before he could rape me. The cops found me the next day and took me back to the office instead of the foster home, thank God. My case worker was angry, but thankfully, put me with another family. That worked out okay until they gave me back because they thought they were too old to handle a traumatized teenager. So, I was placed with another family, whom I stayed with until I was eighteen. They were okay. Not very warm, but I had a roof over my head and food. A few of the kids were mean, but I could handle that.”
Keira inhaled a deep, shaky breath. “The second time was when I was in college. I was at a frat party with some friends. When I went to get my coat in a room off the kitchen, a guy pushed me down and was trying to rape me. Someone heard me scream and came and pulled him off me. I reported it, but it was my word against his, and he was one of their rugby players. The kid who pulled him off of me was his buddy and backed his story, not mine. I was told to leave, not expelled, but I had to leave the school before I gave the university a bad reputation.”
“God, Keira. I’m so sorry you’ve had to deal with all of this. I’m surprised you’re not in a loony bin right now. I don’t think I’d be strong enough to handle what you’ve gone through.”
“You’d be amazed at what you can handle when it comes down to survival.”
A knock on the door startled both women.
“We forgot to unlock the door.” Vicki ran to the door, apologizing to the two women who had to wait. Vicki came back to Keira. “Why don’t you go in the back and take a nap on the sofa. I know it’s old and worn, but it’s quite comfy.”
Vicki interrupted Keira when she started to shake her head. “Hun, you need to get some rest. Go on. I’ll be here if you need me. Honey, you look like crap and you’re liable to scare our customers away. Go lie down. I’ll yell for you if it gets too busy. And if you'd like to take time off to clean your house or shop for essentials, I can arrange for my sister-in-law to come in and assist. She’s helped before.”
Keira snorted out a laugh at the insult. “Okay, I’ll lay down for a bit. I could really use some sleep, and I might even take you up on your sister-in-law later.”
“You’re going to eventually have to deal with the police. You can’t do this on your own.
“I know. I just need a little time. I was hoping to be able to wait until Layla got home.”
Vicki shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, dear, but we’ll talk after your nap.”