“No.”
“So you disappeared into thin air.”
“Yes. And I wasn’t in the public eye until the series aired in September. A year later.”
“Which is about the time you started to attract the stalker’s attention.”
“But I didn’t get the first letter until early December. That’s over two months since the series started.”
“That makes sense. He’s been trying to pluck up the courage to approach you. The first time he meets you — on the tour — you’re both members of a crowd, a pretty weird crowd, and he forms some sort of attachment to you. Then you simply walk out of his life. He broods about you for a year. His attachment develops into an obsession, then suddenly there you are again, on television.
“He can’t believe his good fortune. First, he has to find out where you live, then he watches you and fantasizes about you a lot. Guys like him often find anticipation even more exciting than the real thing. Sometimes anticipation is about all they can manage. And fantasizing is a major part of the obsession. At first, he’s tentative. Everything’s at a distance. The letters. Even the first killing. But now he’s edging closer, getting braver. He’s graduated to doing it right in front of you. He wants your approval.”
Sarah moved her head slowly. It made her feel dizzy. “What will he do next?”
“I don’t know. But he’s getting more and more reckless.”
Sarah paused for a moment. “Do you know,” she said, “I had a funny thought while he was behind me in the car last night.”
“What?”
“That he was trying to protect me, not kill me.”
“I wouldn’t count on that.”
“Like at the house, he just stood there and crooked his finger. He could have taken me if he’d really wanted to, but it’s as if he wants me to come to him of my own free will. He seems to think if he arranges things right, that’s what I’ll do.”
Arvo leaned forward until his face was only inches from hers. She could see the stubble on his chin and smell mint breath freshener. “Sarah, don’t think for a minute that he won’t come after you and force you to do his will. These guys, their fantasies don’t work out exactly like they want and they’re only too happy to give you a little help. Like I said, I think he might be unravelling, coming unstuck at the seams. He failed to kill me and he failed to kill Stu, and he won’t like that.”
“Kill you? I don’t understand.”
Arvo told her about the attempt to set fire to his house.
“I’m sorry,” Sarah said. “I’m glad you weren’t hurt. I wasn’t trying to say I didn’t think he was dangerous. I know he is. I mean, just look what he’s done. Jack and all... It’s just that... he could have taken me easily last night, but he didn’t.”
“Then he’s not reached that part in his script yet. Listen, this man is so completely self-centered that he has his own explanation for everything, and it doesn’t involve any fault on his part. He can’t be put off. If you slam the door in his face, then you’re only being careful; if you insult him, it’s only for show; if you shoot him, it’s because you want him to enjoy the afterlife. Do you see what I’m getting at? Whatever you do to oppose him simply means you’re not ready yet to recognize how much you love him. And he knows there are certain things he can do to help you come to that realization.”
“Like what?”
“Well, murder is obviously one of them. Beyond that, we don’t know how far he’ll go to make you see that you love him, that the two of you are meant for one another.”
Sarah swallowed. “He’s not just crazy, he’s very clever, too, isn’t he? Do you really think you can stop him?”
“We’ll stop him.”
“How long?”
“I wish I could say. At least we’ve got some strong leads now. We’re not just whistling in the dark any more. The more disorganized he becomes, the more he acts out of panic, then the more mistakes he’s likely to make.”
“Where can I go until you find him? I can’t go home and I can’t go back to Stuart’s.”
“I think the doctor wants to keep you here a little longer, this morning at least, just for a few more tests. You’re safe here. We’ve got guards on the door. They’ll keep the media away as well as the stalker.”
“The media? I’d forgotten about them. I suppose they know all about it now?”
“They monitor the police radios, so they know you were involved in an auto accident last night. I’m sure they’re busy putting two and two together and making twenty-two. But they’re the least of your worries.”
Sarah wrinkled her nose. “Do I have to stay here? I hate hospitals. I can’t stand the smell.”
Arvo smiled. “I suppose I could always put you under arrest, get you a nice comfortable cell.”
“Arrest? For what?”
“You’ve got enough traffic violations to get you put away for quite a while.”
“Swine. What about work?”
“I don’t know,” Arvo said. “Maybe they can write a black eye, whiplash and a cut forehead into your character. It shouldn’t be too difficult. Things like that do happen to cops sometimes.”
“It’s not, is it? My eye? Black?”
Arvo nodded. “Very.”
She put her hand to it. It didn’t feel swollen, but it was throbbing a bit. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” she said.
“Not at all.” Arvo stood up.
“You don’t look so hot yourself, you know.”
He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. “I know. I didn’t get much sleep. I got the first flight back from San Francisco after I got the phone call from Robbery-Homicide about what had happened to you and Stu. Look, I mean what I say, Sally. You’ve got to stay here for now. Don’t worry. I’ll be in touch soon. This afternoon. We’ll work something out.”
“You called me Sally.”
“Did I? I’m getting confused. I suppose it must be because I’ve been talking to people who knew you as Sally. Gets to be a habit. Sorry.”
“I didn’t say I minded.”
“Good.”
“Just who have you been talking to?”
“Stan Harvey, Carl Buxton, a woman called Candi. She was with Mitch when Gary picked him up in San Francisco.”
“I hope you don’t believe everything you hear.”
“I’m a cop. I take most things with a large pinch of salt. There is just one more thing.”
She narrowed her eyes. “What?”
“Maybe when all this is over you’ll let me give you some driving lessons?”
“Bastard!” Sarah grasped the pillow beside her and threw it with all her might. But she couldn’t move her neck, and her might wasn’t up to much at the moment. Arvo dodged it easily. Then he was gone and Sarah was left alone in the stark white room with her black thoughts.
38
At eleven-thirty that morning, Arvo sat with Joe Westinghouse in a greasy spoon near Broadway and Fourth watching the seemingly endless parade of panhandlers and street people. It was probably happening in most big cities these days. Mixed in with the tall shiny office towers, the food courts, delis, pretty girls sitting by fountains, you also got the homeless and the crazy. You could always spot the crazies, he thought; they’re the ones who wear woolly hats and tattered overcoats when it’s eighty-five degrees and sunny out there. Maybe they have to keep their brains at a higher temperature than the rest of us.
Having eaten nothing that morning but a bag of salty pretzels on the plane, Arvo tucked into his ham and over-easy eggs with a total disregard for their cholesterol content. So, maybe he should have gone for the fresh fruit and bran special even the greasy spoons offered in LA these days. So what? He mopped up runny egg yolk with his enriched white-bread toast and enjoyed every mouthful.