Franco will be at his parents’, and while I have an open invitation to crash their Thanksgiving, I decide to go check on my shop first.
I disarm the alarm as I enter and lock the front door behind me. The store is quiet, and I turn on a few lights. Sheets still cover the front glass so passersby can’t see the decorations I’ve put up. But they look impressive after a few days away. I check the kitchen, and the cider, hot cocoa, and coffee are ready to be brewed. I’ll be back here tomorrow at first light to get things started.
I’m just about to shut off the lights when there’s a loud knock at the door. I shake my head. Surely none of the Main Street businesses are open on Thanksgiving?
“We’re closed,” I call out.
But the guy’s persistent. “Can I use your bathroom?” he asks. “Sorry to ask, but every place is closed.”
I look the guy over, alarm bells ringing every possible way in my head.
No, no, no.
I’m here alone, and he must know as much. I scan his face and don’t recognize him, but I don’t really know anyone in Star Falls, definitely not a lot of young guys.
He’s smiling, but he seems a little flustered and impatient. “You coming?” he yells through the glass.
As I watch him shift from foot to foot in the cold, he jams his hands into his pockets and pulls them back out again. A black mask falls out of his jacket.
My heart catches hard in my chest. It can’t be the same guy. It just can’t.
He looks down and picks it up, then slides it over his hair.
My shoulders sink as I relax. It’s not a black mask. It’s a regular old cap.
But no matter what, I know I can’t let this guy in. I’m alone. All of Main Street is deserted.
My heart is thundering hard, and I’m thinking fast. “One second,” I call out, holding up a finger. “I left my keys in the kitchen. I’ll grab them and unlock it.”
I’m not sure if he could hear what I was saying over the shaking of my voice, but when I hold up a hand, he grins and nods, moving from shoe to shoe.
My keys are actually in the back pocket of my jeans, but I tug my big sweater over my bottom so he can’t see I’m lying. I head calmly back to the kitchen and give him a “just a second” gesture while I disappear into the back.
I grab my cell phone and dial the non-emergency number for the local police. The dispatcher answers on the first ring, and I explain there’s a man casing my store and I would like an officer to drive by to make sure I get to my car okay.
The woman confirms there’s a squad car nearby. She says to stay put in the store. The officers will knock on the front door when they arrive.
I am freaking out now, though. I’ve put something in motion that can’t be undone. If the guy is just an innocent guy who needs a bathroom… But to be honest, I’m pretty sure that’s a line of bullshit.
My nerves are frayed, and the few minutes it takes the cops to arrive feel like three hours. I’m panicked and pacing and don’t know what to do when I finally hear a loud knock at the front door.
I peek out from the kitchen and see two uniformed officers standing there. Behind them, the lights are blaring, but there’s no siren sound. I feel relief and fear at the same time, but since I don’t see any sign of the guy who wanted the bathroom, I come out, cross the store, and unlock the door for the officers.
“Ma’am, are you okay?” the officer asks me.
“Yes, I’m fine,” I say. “Is he still out there?”
The officer shakes his head. “We caught him.”
My eyebrows rise at their speed. “Thank you.”
He gives me a chin lift. “No thanks needed, ma’am. He’ll be off to the station in a few. Another car got here before us and were able to chase him down. When they searched him, they found a large knife in his possession.”
My stomach twists remembering that night and the knife he had. A knife he could’ve used on me. “Oh my,” I whisper, trying to keep myself upright and the fear out of my mind.
He’s been caught.
He’ll never hurt you again.
