CHAPTER THIRTY

“Go through the light, and make the next left into Super Tires.” Jake pointed, instructing the tow truck driver. “The service department said you could pull my SUV around back and they’d get to it as soon as they can.”

Didi followed them in her car and swung into a visitor’s parking spot. They’d had a long talk while waiting for the tow truck to arrive, and Didi had told him all about Kevin’s harassment. His blood boiled to hear how Kevin had frightened her. But he was irritated, too, that Didi hadn’t told him until now. How was he supposed to protect her if he didn’t know the facts?

Jake paid the tow truck driver, and after conferring with the front desk, he and Didi plodded into the waiting room. The TV was on, and Jake flopped into a chair and flipped through the channels. He decided on the Italian Open tennis semi-final, and they settled down to watch. He wasn’t in the mood to talk anymore, and he scooted away from her in his chair so he wouldn’t get too close. Still…he reached over and rested his hand on hers. He didn’t want her to think he was that mad.

Jake’s mind galloped. Kevin wasn’t your ordinary stalker. There was no real evidence he’d been following Didi, and there was no real proof he was anything but a fine, upstanding citizen. But Didi knew the real Kevin, and Jake knew Didi. She was not the type to exaggerate, and she wasn’t the type to panic over shadows in the night. Jake had never met Kevin, but he had a gut reaction to the rat. His instincts told him Kevin was big trouble.

After thirty minutes of moody silence, Jake glanced over at Didi. Tears slipped down her cheeks. His heart melted. He was a first-class jerk. She’d told him what a callous, calculating man Kevin was, and now here he was shutting her out.

Jake raked his hand through his hair and sighed. “I’m sorry, Didi. I have a habit of pulling away when I’m upset. I just wish you’d trusted me enough to tell me sooner.”

“It’s not that I didn’t trust you,” Didi mumbled. “There just didn’t seem to be a good time.”

“Make time next time, okay? It’s important to me that you tell me what’s going on with you.”

“Really? I’m not used to that, you know. That other guy preferred it when I smiled and nodded when spoken to.” Didi glued a sickly sweet grin on her face and gazed at him with a twinkle in her eye.

“At the risk of repeating myself, I’m not that other guy.” He held out his arms, and she scurried into them. He stroked her hair, and she leaned her head on his shoulder. “Kevin wanted a pet. I want a partner.”

The mechanic came into the room, and they glided apart. The name on his breast pocket read “Jonah.”

“The good news is you don’t need new tires.” Jonah shook his head, puzzled.

Jake frowned. “I don’t understand. All of the tires were flat.”

“Oh, they were flat, all right. The bad news is someone let all of the air out of your tires on purpose. Whoever it was must have used a valve stem remover. You can buy them at any auto parts store.” Jonah scratched his head. “But here’s the weird part. You know what that scoundrel did? He stuck the valve stems back in and all of the caps back on. I must say, I’m mighty impressed with his style. He certainly inconvenienced you, but he didn’t do any real damage. This was planned, that’s for sure.”

Jake was stunned. Whoever had flattened his tires had planned it, and they’d been smart. There’d be no fingerprints on the tire stems, at least not now. Jake had noticed no footprints on the gravel drive and surrounding area at Didi’s house. Last night’s rain had washed any possible footprints away. He got the message, all right. It was clear who’d done the nasty deed, but there was no way to prove it.

Jonah held out Jake’s keys. “I put air in your tires and checked to make sure there were no leaks. You’re all set and ready to go.”

“How much do I owe you?”

“Nada. It only took a few minutes. Plus, you already had to pay for the tow truck. I don’t want to add insult to injury. Besides, I remember you from a few weeks ago when you had that flat, and I like to think you’ll be in again sometime.”

Jake was impressed with the good service. “Thanks, Jonah. I will be back, and I appreciate it. By the way, you have an unusual name in this day and age.”

“My old man’s a real comedian. I’ve been told I was born breech. That’s one hundred and eighty degrees in the wrong direction, so Dad named me Jonah. You know the story?”

“Yep. Very familiar with it.” Jake knew the tale backward and forward.

“I’ve been doing my best to rise above my name and do what the good Lord tells me to do.” Jonah rocked back on his heels and turned to Didi. “And that reminds me…that red coupe over there yours?”

“Uh-huh. Why?” Didi chewed on her lower lip. “She might not be pretty to look at, but she runs.”

Jonah gestured toward the car. “I noticed a great big crack in the windshield. You might want to get that looked at A.S.A.P.”

As they left the tire shop and meandered toward Jake’s now drivable SUV, he seized Didi’s hand. All had been forgiven. “Do you have any plans for today? We’ve already missed church anyway. Why don’t we head for the police station and file a report? It can’t hurt.”

* * *

Officer A.J. Anderson greeted Didi and Jake with a hearty handshake. “Why don’t we go down the hall to the conference room? We’ll have more privacy, and you can tell me how I can help you today.”

Didi and Jake followed the police officer down the hall. Didi was grateful Jake was with her. She sorely needed his support today.

The officer was young and had an earnest demeanor that was appealing. “I received Mr. Montgomery’s call a while ago and understand you’re having some trouble with an ex-fiancé.” The policeman directed a thoughtful gaze at Didi.

His eagerness to help calmed her strung out nerves. “Yes. Kevin’s been harassing me for weeks, and I think it’s time I filed a report.” Didi stiffened her shoulders and looked at Jake for corroboration. He gave her a quick smile and nodded his encouragement.

“Okay, let’s start at the beginning.” The patrol officer uncapped his pen and prepared to fill out the report in front of him. He yawned, covered his mouth, and looked embarrassed. “Sorry. I usually work nights, but I drew a double shift today. Let me get both of your names and addresses. Then we can continue with a description of the perpetrator.”

Slowly, Officer Anderson led Didi through question after question. “You stated this Kevin Francis Cabot threatened you. What exactly did he say?” Officer Anderson tapped his pen on the paper and studied her attentively.

Didi relayed detailed information about the night two weeks ago when Kevin invited himself into her apartment. She remembered the night vividly. How could she forget?

“He said he’d been watching me for days, and he knew what time I’d been getting home. He was furious with me, and he yelled at me. He also said I’d regret breaking up with him. Now I’m glad I did.”

The officer suppressed a smile and kept writing. “I’m glad you did too, ma’am. So, he admitted to stalking you, and he’s made veiled threats as to your safety. All of those are at least misdemeanors, but depending on the circumstances, stalking could be a felony.”

The officer scribbled down “stalking,” “threats,” and “verbally abusive” on his report. She was glad he was taking her complaints seriously.

Officer Anderson glanced up from his note taking. “Have you noticed him following you since then?”

“I’m fairly certain I’ve seen him cruising down the alley behind my house in the past week. It was dark, but it’s hard not to notice a super expensive sports car in my neighborhood.”

“I’ll find out the plate number and make and model of his car. Do you know if he has any firearms?”

Didi gulped, her throat tightening. “Guns? No, I don’t think so. You don’t think he’s violent, do you?” She grasped Jake’s hand and held tight.

“He could be, Ms. O’Brien. You never know how a man’s going to react to his woman leaving him.”

“But he left me.” Didi’s face flushed. “Or, at least, he’s the one who cheated on me.”

“He probably doesn’t see it like that, ma’am.” Officer Anderson paced to the back wall where flyers and pamphlets were on display. He chose one and handed it to Didi. “You might want to read this.” On the front, in bold letters, were the words Signs of the Controller Personality. “We get eight to ten calls a day on this sort of thing. I’m betting your relationship commenced with a bang, but then it deteriorated. You thought he was Prince Charming, but later, you suddenly found yourself in the middle of Fatal Attraction. Am I right?”

“I’m afraid you are.” Didi skimmed the pamphlet in her hand and tucked it in her purse to read later.

“Typical. Mr. Cabot doesn’t want to let you go. Controllers panic at the idea of losing the object of control, especially if it’s not their idea. Who knows what he’ll do to try to get you back. If he promises to change his ways, don’t believe him,” Officer Anderson warned.

Jake draped his arm around Didi. He ran his hand up and down her shoulder, and she sensed the compassion in his touch.

“I won’t be so foolish a second time.” Didi directed her gaze at Jake. “We haven’t even talked about this morning yet. All of the tires on Jake’s SUV were flat.”

Office Anderson raised his eyebrows. “Slashed tires?”

Jake answered, “Nope. He used a valve stem remover, let the air out, and put the stems and the caps back on.”

“Well, now, that’s a new one. Clever. No actual destruction that would constitute malicious destruction of property.” Officer Anderson tapped his pen on his notepad. “The degree of damage makes a huge difference in the eyes of the law. If the value of the destroyed property were over five hundred dollars, any fine or jail time would increase dramatically. I’d wager that replacing four tires on an SUV would be closer to six or seven hundred, when all is said and done. Interesting your perpetrator chose to hassle you in a subtler way. What did you say Mr. Cabot did for a living?”

Didi spoke up. “I guess I forgot to mention Kevin’s a class action lawyer. He works for Bertram, Jennings, Smith, and Howell—on K Street in D.C.”

“Hmmm. Then this man knows the law, and he knows precisely where the lines are drawn. Nevertheless, I’ll just bet his fancy law firm would be embarrassed to hear of his bad behavior. Their high-paid officer of the court is held to a higher standard.” Officer Anderson scribbled a few more notes on his “Instant Report” form and placed his pen on the desk. He laced his fingers behind his head.

“What do I do now?” Didi sat back in her chair with a sigh. She hadn’t planned to spend her day at the Frederick County Police Station.

“Give me a few minutes to file this report, we’ll assign a case number, and I’ll have you sign a statement as to what we discussed.”

“What happens to Kevin?” Didi’s stomach roiled. Kevin would be furious if he knew she was talking to the police. She’d seen his temper. It was not a pleasant thought.

“I can’t tell you what to do, Ms. O’Brien, but I’d advise you to go to the District Court Commissioners’ Office to fill out a petition for protection. I think you have a case for criminal stalking, criminal harassment, criminal destruction of property, and maybe criminal trespass. After filing the report, there will be a hearing in ten days to get a protective order. And if they do find out he has any firearms registered, they’ll confiscate them.”

“Will that make Kevin leave me alone? He scares me.” Even mentioning it was making her heart thud.

“A protective order will at least give Mr. Cabot the message we’re watching him. If he has any sense, it should make him think twice before harassing you again. Let’s hope he has sense.”

* * *

An hour later, Didi rested her head on the back of the passenger seat. This weekend had been full of declarations, confessions, and surprises.

“Thanks, Jake, for going with me. I don’t know if I would have been brave enough to go by myself.”

Jake fired up the SUV but left it in park. “I’m glad we went. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I feel good about what you did, and I’m proud of you. Are you going to file the petition for protection?”

“I’m not sure what to do. I’m going to sleep on it.”

“You shouldn’t let a potentially dangerous man get away with harassment, but it’s your decision.” Jake leaned over and hugged Didi. “I just want you to be safe.” He looked at the clock on the dash. “I had no idea it was after two. It’s past time for some lunch.”

“Absolutely. I’m a trifle wobbly.”

“Why don’t we go back to my place? I’ll make some lunch, and you can meet Lucy. I wasn’t expecting company, though, so the place isn’t pristine-clean.”

“Sounds perfect, and I don’t care how it looks. I’d love to see your house, and I can’t wait to meet the famous Lucy. You lead, and I’ll follow in my car.”

It would be nice to have a man take care of her for a change. With Jake as her boyfriend, she was already getting used to it.