I reached for my phone and dialed Tess.
“Hey, it’s me,” I said.
“What the fucking fuck, Molly,” Tess began. “I’m so fucking pissed at you right now. You don’t even know.”
“I know, I know,” I said. “I didn’t call to get yelled at. Just wanted to let you know I’m in my hotel room.”
Raquel grabbed Tess’ phone and got on the line. “Molly, I think you know how I feel so I’m not going to get into it with you. We’ll see you in the morning in the lobby. We need to leave for the airport by 7. We’re not waiting, so don’t be late.”
“Got it.” I hung up.
Less than 24 hours later, I was back at home in my townhouse in St Louis. It felt good to be home and in a familiar place. I missed my bed, that’s for sure.
I stretched out on my sofa in my nightie and covered my legs with a fuzzy throw blanket. I channel surfed for a bit before dozing off. To say I was exhausted was an understatement.
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.
I popped up, startled. My heart was pounding through my silk nightgown. I didn’t know anyone who would knock on my door like that.
I tiptoed to the front door and peeked through the peephole. Standing before my door was an outline all too familiar to me, and parked in my driveway was an old pickup truck.
“How the fuck?” I whispered out loud.
CHAPTER 5
Terrified he would see me, I tiptoed back to the living room and clicked off the lamp. I switched the TV off and grabbed my cell phone off the coffee table to use as a makeshift flashlight. I didn’t want him knowing I was home.
My townhouse was pitch black except for the light glowing off the screen of my phone, as I peeked out the front window. He was standing on my front steps with his hands on his hips, waiting, thinking, something. I didn’t know what he was up to, how he figured out my last name or that I lived in St Louis and not Seattle like I’d originally told him.
He was either crazy about me or crazy. Maybe a little of both. I glanced around the room as I tried to figure out what I’d use as makeshift weapons if it ever came to that. The best I could think of were grabbing a couple candle sticks or thick, metal lamp base. I could grab knives from my kitchen, but they were admittedly cheap and probably wouldn’t suffice if I needed them.
I peeked out the living room window again and he was gone. I ran to the back of the townhouse and looked through the blinds in the kitchen. I could hear the rustling of the leaves on the ground outside, and I knew he was out there still. My heart nearly stopped as I saw him standing on his toes, trying to peek inside the windows. Luckily all my shades were drawn and he couldn’t see inside, but it was still freaky.
He eventually made a circle around my part of the townhouse before retiring to his truck. I saw him climb inside, and I waited for him to start it up, but it never happened. I watched and waited patiently, hoping he’d be driving away any minute, but the truck remained dark. He stayed parked on the side of the street right in front of my place.
I thought about calling the police, but I didn’t want him to know I was home, and I didn’t want him to know that was for sure where I lived. I hoped maybe by ignoring him, I could inadvertently convince him he had the wrong place. There were probably a lot of Molly Sumners in the U.S. I told myself.
I double checked the locks on the front and back doors and made sure each and every window was sealed and locked tight before heading upstairs. I was exhausted and still not back on a good sleeping schedule since my trip to Tulsa. I wanted to stay up all night and make sure he didn’t try to break in or do anything crazy, but I physically couldn’t. I had reached my limitations. My eyes were jamming shut and there was nothing I could do about it.
Before heading upstairs, I grabbed an arsenal of knives and kitchen shears from my kitchen drawers and tucked them all around my second floor. I put some in the bathroom cabinet. Some in my nightstand drawers. I placed one under my mattress and the biggest one under my pillow.
I locked my bedroom door and pushed my dresser in front of it. I climbed under the cool, clean sheets, and rested my head on the fluffy, down pillow. I might not have been able to rest easy, but I was going to go to sleep knowing I was as prepared as I could be.
I sat my cell phone down on my night stand and plugged it into the charger. The battery was almost dead, but a couple hours of charging would’ve been all it needed. I typed in 9-1-1 so it would be ready to press at a moment’s notice, and within seconds I fell asleep.
When I awoke the next morning, I’d almost forgotten about the night before. The birds were chirping loudly in the maple trees outside my windows and the sun was peeking through the curtains. I sprawled out in my bed, stretching my muscles from head to toe, and took a deep breath. As soon as my eyes came into focus, I glanced up and saw that my dresser was sitting in front of my door, and immediately it all came back to me.