No Way Out Read online

  “We’re having dinner in about an hour, so I guess it’s OK for him to come over.”

  Ellie hesitated for a moment. “Are you all right?” She then grimaced, feeling as if she had overstepped.

  “As good as I can be.” Colleen sighed. “We’re hanging in there.”

  A moment of silence fell between the two women. For some reason, each of them seemed to know how the other was feeling.

  “Good. Again, I’m sorry about all this. I hope it doesn’t deter Jackson from future random acts of kindness.”

  “Letting him play with Buddy is also kind. Have a good evening.”

  Chapter Four

  Ellie lived a very routine life in spite of never leaving the house. Each morning, she would get up, make her coffee, let Buddy out, feed Percy, change his litter, let Buddy back in, feed Buddy. Then she would spend twenty minutes on the treadmill in the second bedroom. After her workout, she would take a shower, wrap her hair in a towel, and fix some breakfast. It was usually a toasted English muffin smeared with butter and a piece of melon, if it was in season. Once she finished her light breakfast, she would put on a fresh pair of yoga pants and a hoodie and finish drying her hair. Then it was up to the loft and begin working.

  The loft looked like a mini NASA space center, with multiple computers, phone lines, and gaming devices. That’s how she had met Hector. Online gaming. Before her seclusion. Her screen name was Firefly, and she was one of the best at Fortnite and Minecraft, beating some of the most highly skilled players across the globe. When they were not playing, she and Hector would exchange ideas for creating new games. Eventually, they designed a kids’ game and, through Ellie’s contacts, were able to sell one to Arcadia for a handsome sum. It was enough money for her to be able to buy the cottage she was now holed up in and for Hector to go to any college he wanted, provided he was accepted. Ellie had no doubt MIT would be chomping at the bit for someone with Hector’s talent.

  Funny thing, though—they had never met through Skype or Zoom until she needed to go into isolation. And Hector owed her big-time. The first big favor was during a serious video match. One of Hector’s rivals had hacked into Hector’s computers and crashed his system, costing him thousands of dollars in bitcoins and real dollars. Being a super code writer, and a computer aficionado, Ellie was able to trace who the culprit was, and she unleashed a computer virus that tore through his entire gaming collection. She was also able to recover the bitcoins that the perpetrator had scammed from Hector. Hector was forever grateful, and they bonded as geek-friends.

  Then there was the game he and Ellie devised and Ellie had been able to sell. When Ellie reached out for his help, he was more than happy to do whatever he could for her. She knew he was the only person she could trust under the circumstances.

  Every morning, Hector would check the small table in Ellie’s enclosed rear porch for notes, packages, or instructions. Ellie would leave a note and some cash in an envelope on the table next to the kitchen door for Hector to take to the grocery store, drugstore, or wine shop, where she had house accounts. Every month, she would deposit an amount of money into those accounts to replenish them. She joked to herself that it was like E-ZPass.

  Depending on what she needed, the store, especially the wine shop, would deliver the goods she’d ordered to her front porch. But if there weren’t too many items, Hector would bring them on his bike at the end of the day.

  Three or four times a week, Hector would clean up the yard and remove the trash bags left on the porch. Any mail was pushed through an old-fashioned mail slot in the front door. That’s how Colleen had left her notes inviting Ellie to tea. All other outside deliveries would sit there until Hector arrived and took them to the rear porch.

  Hector had already made his rounds the day Jackson had left the flowers, so they sat overnight on the front steps. Hector had a late meeting with his guidance counselor and hadn’t come by that particular afternoon. Unfortunately, the flowers had wilted and remained there until the next morning. Thankfully, the misunderstanding was over, and Jackson’s feelings had been restored.

  Ellie thought again about letting Jackson into the yard. She decided to run it past Hector. Even though he was only eighteen years old, Hector had a wise soul. She wrote Hector a note:

  Hector:

  Jackson seems to be a genuinely nice boy. He loves to play with Buddy, and I know there have been a lot of family issues. What do you think about letting Jackson come into the yard? My only concern is that he might accidentally leave the side gate open. Thoughts? Ring the bell later, and we can talk through the kitchen window. Thanks!

  F.F. (Firefly)

  Hector read the note and knew exactly what she needed. Later that day, he appeared with a box of gadgets, including a mechanical device that would open and close the gate. There was already a security code needed to open the gate, but now there would be access from inside the house. Once it was installed, Ellie would be able to control it from any of the security panels that were in each room. He also installed a doorbell buzzer next to the lock both inside and outside the gate. The plan was for Jackson to ring the gate buzzer, and Ellie would open the gate from her security panel, then the gate would close automatically.

  The front gate was on an automatic hinge that closed, but it also had a motion detector alerting Ellie (and Buddy) with a repeated chime if someone was coming to the front door. She wanted Jackson to use the side gate so people wouldn’t feel free to come into her yard, and so that the chime at the front gate wouldn’t be going off when it wasn’t necessary.

  After Hector installed all the necessary items, Ellie left a note for him to deliver to Colleen’s mailbox.

  Hello, Colleen,

  I’d like to invite Jackson to play in the yard with Buddy. I’ve installed a security system to ensure the side gate is never left open, as I would prefer he enter and exit that way. Jackson simply has to press the buzzer and I will open the gate from inside the house. When he’s ready to leave, he can press the button to let me know he’s heading out. I’m able to see the yard from my office, so I will always be available. Please let me know if this is workable for you. I know how fond Jackson and Buddy are of each other. Here is a phone number if you need to reach me. 846-555-9091. That number is good for the next five days.

  Kind regards,

  Ellie

  Ellie was a bit concerned that the last sentence regarding the phone number might raise some sort of suspicion, but she would explain that her “high-security job” required her to rotate phones. It didn’t really, but she had to be consistent with her story. The truth is much easier to remember because when you tell a lie, you have to keep track of the tales you tell.

  Prior to moving in, Ellie had had Hector install a very intricate security system surrounding the property and her house. It relied in part on closed-circuit television surveillance that she could see from any of the security panels in the house. It wasn’t enough that she couldn’t leave. She had to be certain no one could get in without her knowledge or permission. So far, only Hector had been in her yard. After two years of tight security, she thought it might be time to let a little boy in to play with her dog.

  Chapter Five

  While Jackson was getting ready for school, Colleen opened the note, which was written on fine card stock. She read it twice. She was surprised that Ellie had reached out. It was only the second time in the two years that Ellie had lived there that there was any direct communication from her. Colleen wasn’t sure if she was comfortable having Jackson play in the backyard of Ellie’s house. She was able to see him if he was in the front, but considering that Mitchel was stalking him in his car, it was probably less dangerous for him to be in Ellie’s backyard.

  The order of protection limited Mitchel’s proximity to one hundred yards. That meant that he couldn’t be any closer than a football field away. Ellie’s property was just outside the boundary from Colleen’s house, so theoretically Mitchel could park in Ellie’s driveway to be
beyond the hundred-yard limit. But from her limited experience with Ellie, Colleen was sure that Ellie would not allow anyone in her driveway.

  The problem was the other end of the block. There was a parking space just outside the boundary, where Mitchel could park his car and watch the house. He also could sit outside the parking lot of the school. To Mitchel’s way of thinking, the restraining order was just a piece of paper, and as long as he kept his distance, he could spy on his family all he wanted. That part gave Colleen the creeps. But until he violated the order, there wasn’t much she could do about the situation.

  She thought about buying a gun, but she didn’t want to keep one in the house. Besides, that idea also gave her the creeps. Plus she would have to take lessons. Then she thought about a stun gun. But where would she begin? She spotted Officer Pedone’s card on the bulletin board and decided to speak to him about it. She pulled the thumbtack out, pulled the card off the board, and dialed his number. She knew she had only a few minutes before Jackson came into the kitchen, and she didn’t want him to hear her conversation.

  “Pedone,” he answered

  “Hello, Officer Pedone. This is Colleen Haywood.”

  “Hello, Colleen. Everything OK?”

  “Well, yes and no.” Colleen was hesitant, not wanting to seem like a damsel in distress. But perhaps she was.

  “Tell me the no part first.” Pedone was warm and kind.

  “Mitchel is stalking us.”

  “Is he disobeying the order?”

  “Not exactly. He stays a hundred yards away, but he’s always at the end of our street and just outside the parking lot at school. I work at the same school Jackson attends.”

  “Unfortunately, there isn’t anything that can be done about that.”

  “Yes, I know. I think he’s become irrational since the night of the episode. He had a hissy fit in court when the judge only granted him supervised visitation rights, and because of his outburst, the judge only allowed him one day each weekend. He was so angry, I thought the veins were going to pop out of his head.”

  “Where is he staying now?” Pedone asked.

  “At his brother’s house, in Manchester.” Colleen gave Pedone the address in that town, which was only a few miles away.

  Pedone wrote down the information.

  “How often is he on your street?”

  “Every day.”

  “Does he have a job?”

  “No. He lost it after he was arrested. He had already been put on probation, and the two days he spent in jail put his boss over the top.”

  “Have you settled on child support?”

  “Not yet, but according to human resources, it will probably be a hundred and fifty dollars a week, due the first week of each month.”

  “Has he given you any money in the meantime?”

  “No. Nothing.” Colleen was surprised at Pedone’s concern. “But it will be retroactive.”

  “OK. You let me know if he is ever late with a payment. Our local judge does not look kindly on deadbeat dads.”

  “Thank you,” Colleen said. “Officer . . .”

  He interrupted her. “Please call me Bob.”

  “Uh. OK, Bob.” Colleen smiled for the first time in two weeks.

  “Sorry for interrupting. How is Jackson doing with all of this?”

  “He’s doing as well as one could expect. He asks questions like, ‘Is Daddy ever coming back?’ ‘Why can I only see him once a week?’ Things like that,” she explained. “I told him that for now, Daddy has to stay with Uncle Gregory and that his Grammy will be with them when he spends the day with his dad.”

  “It’s gotta be tough,” Pedone said. “Sorry . . . what were you saying earlier? You sounded like you were about to ask me a question.”

  Colleen hesitated again. “I’ve been thinking about getting a stun gun.”

  Bob paused for a moment. “If you think that will help you feel safer, I can make some recommendations for you. I would go with a Taser rather than a stun gun, though.”

  “Oh. What’s the difference?”

  “Tasers eject electrodes that are tethered to the gun and can reach up to fifteen feet. A stun gun requires you to make physical contact with the person,” Pedone explained. “You don’t want him close enough to get his hands on you.”

  Colleen replied immediately. “You are absolutely correct. I’m also having a security system installed.”

  “That’s an excellent idea,” Bob Pedone said.

  “Between going to court, and teaching school, and trying to put Mitchel’s belongings together, I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed.”

  “That’s perfectly understandable. But it’s important that you take care of yourself,” Pedone added.

  “Yes, I know.” Colleen sighed.

  “How about this. I’ll pick up a Taser for you and bring it over. Then I can show you how to use it,” Pedone offered. “We don’t want you hurting yourself.”

  “That would be great. But I don’t want to put you to any trouble on my behalf.” Colleen was almost starting to relax.

  “Not a problem. I have to go to the shop and pick up a few things anyway. Do you have a budget in mind?”

  “I have no idea. What do they usually cost?”

  “Anywhere between four hundred and fifty and eleven hundred dollars.”

  “Wow. Like I said, I had no idea.” Colleen was calculating her budget in her head.

  “I don’t think you need the most expensive model. I’ll pick one out, and I’ll use my police discount. That should save you a few bucks.”

  “I can’t thank you enough, Officer.”

  “It’s Bob, remember?” Pedone chuckled.

  “Right. Bob.” Colleen smiled. “I really appreciate this.”

  “Not a problem. I’ll be happy to come by your house without having to arrest anyone.”

  They both laughed.

  Pedone cleared his throat. “He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment, so there will be a hearing. I will be present for that, by the way.” There was a moment of silence between them. “I’ll be in touch later today after I pick up the Taser. Is there any particular time that’s better for you?”

  “School is out at two forty-five, and I’m usually home by four-thirty.”

  “That’s fine. I’ll see you around four-thirty. Remember, we’re here to serve,” Pedone added.

  “Thanks again. Bye.” Colleen hung up the phone, feeling like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Officer “Bob” Pedone had been truly kind throughout the ordeal.

  She thought about how considerate he had been over the past two weeks. He had escorted her home the night of the incident and spoken to her before the arraignment. She was terrified. He was reassuring. She didn’t want to see Mitchel’s angry face ever again. She knew he could have killed her that night. His rage was out of control. But knowing Officer Pedone was in the courtroom and was keeping an eye on both of them gave her a little peace of mind. She wasn’t going to let Mitchel intimidate her with his seething, belligerent anger. No. Not again. Not anymore.

  Bail was set at $10,000, which in Colleen’s mind wasn’t nearly enough. As usual, Mitchel’s mother bailed him out, and they left the courthouse shooting all sorts of sneers and dirty looks in Colleen’s direction, as if all of it had been her fault. And in Mitchel’s twisted mind, it was. It always was.

  The judge granted permission for Mitchel to go to the house to pick up some clothes, but he had to be accompanied by a police officer. This time it was Officer Davis returning to the scene of the crime, so to speak. The judge gave him one hour to clear out what he needed until further notice from the court.

  With her mother by her side and Officer Pedone in the room, Colleen felt safe and confident—something she hadn’t felt in a while. The mental abuse from Mitchel had taken its toll.

  At the temporary custody hearing, Mitchel had blown his cool. That little outburst had worked in Colleen’s favor. At least for the moment. But she feared th
at the outcome would inflame his anger toward her even more. The stalking was Mitchel’s way of trying to unnerve her. If he couldn’t have things his way, then he would torture her mentally.

  Within the next couple of days, she would be well armed with a Taser and a security system. She had to make sure she wasn’t violating any rules if she took the Taser to school with her. She would also take along a copy of the order of protection. One of the first things she had done was to give a copy to the school principal to put on file, as well as a copy to the guidance counselor and one for the security guard. She was well past being embarrassed. Shame was no longer an issue. Survival was all that mattered.

  She glanced toward the counter, where she had left the note from Ellie Bowman. Yes. She would take her up on her offer for Jackson to play in the yard. When Jackson returned to the kitchen with his backpack, Colleen gave him the news.

  “Yippee!” Jackson was delighted. It was the first time Colleen had seen his face light up in quite a while.

  Chapter Six

  Ellie jumped from her seat when her burner phone rang. She had forgotten she had given the number to Colleen. “Hello?”

  “Hi, Ellie. It’s Colleen. Colleen Haywood. I hope I’m not calling too early.”

  “No, not at all. I’m always up at the crack of dawn. How are you doing?” Ellie’s voice was warm and friendly.

  “I’m all right. I wanted to thank you for your invitation for Jackson to play in your yard. He’s pretty athletic for a boy his age, so he could always climb the fence, if necessary.”

  At that moment, Ellie was glad she didn’t have an electrified fence, although Buddy was the reason she chose not to have one. She knew she was paranoid, but zapping someone or something could be avoided with the security system she had in place. The motion detector’s security beam was high enough above the fence line not to be affected by Buddy, but low enough should someone the size of an adult try to climb over it. She rarely set the perimeter alarm during the day since she had a complete view of the property from her perch in the loft. The system had several zones, depending on what time of day it was.