Ann felt her pulse quicken. She strode over so she could face her daughter. “Tell me what he said, Amy.”
Amy was silent for a moment, and then she looked directly into her mother’s eyes. “He said, ‘I want to fuck you.’”
Ann recoiled, but kept her composure. “Is that all he said?”
“Yes.”
“And what did you say?” Ann asked, her hands beginning to tremble.
Amy leered at her. “Nothing, Mother! Do you think I’m crazy? I hung up the phone right away!”
“Well, you did the right thing, sweetie. And if he ever calls again, just hang up on him again. Don’t stay on the line.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t.”
Ann could see that Amy was upset about the call but was trying her hardest not to show it. “Do you have any idea who it could have been, honey?” she asked.
Amy’s eyes had returned to Bugs Bunny. “No.”
Ann couldn’t tell if she was telling the truth or not, but gave her the benefit of the doubt. “Did he sound young or old?” she asked.
“I couldn’t tell, Mom. I was half asleep, you know.”
Ann stared at her a moment and could feel her nerves becoming taut as she thought about her little girl being traumatized by an obscene phone caller. Once again, she wished Sam were here to help her now-he’d know what to do. But he wasn’t here, and it was just two of them.
Then she recalled the sounds she thought she’d heard in the backyard as a huge wave of apprehension swept over her. Maybe it hadn’t been her imagination after all. And the front porch light…
The floodlight! she thought. She must call Mr. Ogilvy right away.
But first, she sat down beside Amy and asked, “Are you all right, honey?”
Amy looked directly into her eyes. “Yeah, I’m fine, Mom.”
Ann embraced her. “I love you, sweetie,” she whispered, feeling a sudden urge to cry.
“I love you too, Mom.”
Ann hastened to compose herself and started to get up, but Amy held onto her. “Don’t worry, Mom. Everything’s going be all right,” she whispered gently.
Ann rested her head on her shoulder. “I know.”
She hugged her a few moments longer, then stood up again. “I think I’ll go call Karen back.” She started to leave, then stopped herself, and turned to Amy. “I really wish you’d wear a robe or something to cover yourself up,” she said, regarding her daughter’s scanty attire: a threadbare tee shirt and panties.
Amy looked at her, her mouth agape. “God, Mom-don’t be so paranoid!”
Ann stared at her reproachfully, let out a sigh and left the room.
She stopped in the living room to get her address book out of the end table drawer, and took it with her into the kitchen. After finding Mr. Ogilvy’s telephone number, she picked up the phone and dialed. He answered after the second ring.
“Mr. Ogilvy, this is Ann Middleton.”
“Yes? How are you, Mrs. Middleton?”
“Fine, thank you, but I have a little problem. The light in the backyard is acting up again.”
“What’s that? Is the bulb burned out?”
Ann could almost see the crotchety old man’s dour expression as he spoke. “I don’t think so, Mr. Ogilvy. It must be shorting out again because it goes on sometimes, then goes out for a while, and then comes on again. Just like it was doing before.”
There was a pause. Then, “Can’t be-I fixed that wiring last time I was there. Must be something else.”
Ann didn’t want to argue with him. “Well, whatever it is, I’d appreciate it if you’d take a look at it. As soon as possible, if you don’t mind.” she asserted.
Another pause, then he said, “All right, Mrs. Middleton. I’ll stop by sometime this afternoon and take a look at it.”
“Thanks a lot, Mr. Ogilvy. I really do appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome,” he grunted, and hung up.
Ann pushed down on the button and dialed Karen Walker’s number.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Karen. Amy told me you called while I was at the supermarket.”
“How are you feeling?”
“Not real great.”
“What’s the matter? Is it Marsha?” Karen asked, concerned.
“No, not that, something else… Last night I thought I heard a prowler in the backyard-two different times, as a matter of fact. Amy was at the movies-at least she was the second time-and I was here all alone. Anyway, I looked out the window to see what was making the noise, but that damn floodlight that’s always acting up wasn’t working. I could see fairly well though, and didn’t notice anything unusual, so I figured it must have been either an animal or just my imagination. I didn’t mention this to you last night, but the front porch light was off when we got back from Smithtown, too. It looked like someone had screwed the bulb out partially, because it was loose in the socket and not burned out. Again, I thought it was just pure coincidence and didn’t give it much thought at the time.
“Well, now I’ve just learned that Amy got an obscene phone call in the middle of the night! This guy apparently did the heavy-breathing routine, then said, ‘I want to fuck you.’ Amy, God love her, wisely hung up on him immediately. Jesus, Karen, this is so frightening! I’m scared…”
“All right, Ann, now calm down a second,” Karen said soothingly. “Do you think the prowler and the caller might have been the same person?”
“I don’t know, Karen. I’m not even sure that there was a prowler. All I know is that some sick son of a bitch terrorized my daughter on the phone!”
“Well, I certainly don’t blame you for being upset-I’d be too. Have you reported it to the police yet?”
“No, I called you first.”
“Then here’s what you do. Call the police and tell them what happened-tell them everything. They’ll probably tell you there’s nothing they can do about the obscene phone call, but surely they’ll offer to keep an eye on your house for a while, I should think. That will at least give you a little piece of mind. In the meantime, get that light in your backyard fixed. Do it today.”
“I’ve already called the landlord and he’s coming over this afternoon to take a look at it,” Ann said.
“Good. So will you call the police?”
“Yes, I will. Karen, I don’t know what I’d do without you… You always know the right thing to do. I’m not so sure I would have even thought of calling the police.”
“Well, hon, you’ve been under a lot of stress lately, that’s all. There’s just too much happening all at once and you’re not quite yourself. I’m just doing what any friend would do.”
“And I appreciate it. I feel a lot better already.”
“I’m happy to hear that. I hate to say it, but this is all the more reason why you need to get a man in your life. I mean, for security, if nothing else! Here you are, two gorgeous gals living all alone, without a man around, and you’re sitting ducks for things like this. Get yourself a man, Hon! Your troubles will be over.”
Ann managed to smile at her friend’s persistence. “You know, it’s funny you’d say that because I just met someone this morning at the supermarket.”
“Really? That’s wonderful! Tell me all about him!” she gushed excitedly.
“Calm down a little, Karen-it’s really not that big of deal,” Ann declared. She then proceeded to tell her friend about the brief encounter with Jerry Rankin.
When she was finished, Karen said, “So what are you going to do? You’re going to call him, aren’t you?”
Ann sighed. “I don’t know, Karen… I doubt it.”
“Why not call him? He sounds like a very nice guy and believe me, they’re few and far between nowadays. Plus, you said he was a hunk-what’s stopping you, gal?”
“I said he was handsome, Karen, not a ‘hunk!’ At any rate, as I told you yesterday, I’m just not ready for a relationship. I don’t know if I’ll ever be for that matter.”
“Who said anything about a relationship?” Karen persisted. ”The guy just wants to take you out to dinner, not marry you! Listen. He’s a widower, right? So he’s probably not anymore interested in a relationship than you are. He’s probably lonely, like you, and at the crossroads of his life, like you. It sounds perfect! What do you have to lose?”