The Scripted Stalker - Chapters 27 and 28
A Psychological Thriller
Chapter 27
“Mom. What’s for dinner tonight?” Marissa’s daughter, Maggie, asked as they drove home from soccer practice.
“Burgers from Burger World!” Marissa said, trying to muster up enthusiasm.
“Again?” Her son Matthew asked.
“Dad and I have both been busy this week with work,” Marissa said, stopping at the light near Dr. Amanda Greer’s office. She noticed a red BMW like Tad’s pulling out at the next intersection.
The closer she got she noticed he was not alone. It looked like someone was in the passenger’s seat. What the hell? Marissa thought.
“What’s wrong, Mom?” Maggie asked. “Are you angry that I’m going to Annie’s after school tomorrow?”
“Why would I be angry about that?” Marissa asked, still distracted by her thoughts.
“Mom! I asked you like three times!” Maggie said, rolling her eyes. Her daughter was definitely a pro at that!
“I’m sorry honey. I have a lot on my mind today,” Marissa said, more to herself than Maggie.
Marissa was relieved when Tad’s vehicle turned the corner. How would she explain it to her children if they noticed his car? She was almost sure, no positive, there was someone else in the car with Tad, a woman with long hair.
She turned into the parking lot at Burger World. There had to be a way to prove Tad’s infidelity with Dr. Amanda Greer. Marissa knew he was cheating. Connie’s cousin Douglass was a detective. That would be the next step. There was a bank account in her name only that Tad didn’t know of, and she would keep it that way.
Detective Douglass Reed was frustrated. He just missed Dr. Amanda Greer by a few minutes. According to her office schedule, it looked like she was open until 5pm. When he got there at 4:30 he noticed Amanda was leaving her office with a good-looking man that looked like more than a friend. Together they drove off in his red BMW.
He did get some good background information on Dr. Amanda Boyle Greer. She was 32 years old and originally from Burbank, California. She earned her PHD in psychiatric medicine in 2012 from UCLA. Douglass noticed that she was employed by a larger mental health facility for several years prior to opening her own practice five years ago. He also learned that she was a contestant in the Ms. California pageant a few years ago and was a runner up. She had also competed in Miss California 12 years ago, but didn’t place.
Amanda Greer was also in the pageants with Natalia Novita, the singer that Barney Blevins was obsessed with. It was obvious Amanda knew her from those competitions.
Douglass was also curious how long Barney had been a patient of Dr. Greer’s and why she didn’t pick up on his dangerous behavior in therapy. There were so many questions he had to ask of her. But tomorrow was another day.
Now to go home to his empty apartment. Being divorced sucked. It was kind of nice not having anyone telling him what to do, but at the same time he missed that. If he was honest with himself, he knew that her presence was what he really missed. He was lonely as hell.
Tonight, he would reheat spaghetti again. He had some skills as a cook. He did most of the cooking when he was married to Tia.
Douglass put his keys on his kitchen counter and riffled through the mail. Ads. Bills. A notice from AARP. This was life approaching 50. He looked into the mirror and realized he looked like a tired beaten man. Life had gotten to him, chewed him up and spit him out.
He would get out on the road with his bike tomorrow. Cycling. He needed to do that more than anything right now to straighten out his mind.
His phone buzzed. A text. Usually, clients didn’t text his business line in the evening. It was his cousin Connie. She had a friend who suspected her husband was cheating and was looking for a private detective. Douglass could give her a consult and refer her to a private investigator. He almost didn’t want to bother with that, but it was networking and business, and it was Connie. She was always good to him.
Douglass messaged her back, saying he would be happy to help her friend out, and told her to pass on her contact information to him. Something else he didn’t need to do, but he needed a distraction from Barney’s case. It was constantly on his mind, playing in a loop.
The woman’s name his cousin gave him was Marissa, she only wanted to go by her first name, if that was her real name. He picked up his phone and crafted a text. It was Friday night. The kids were at Tia’s this weekend. Work. What else was there to do?
Chapter 28
Amanda smiled up at Tad as they lay sprawled across her bed. Sex was amazing with him as always. She went to get out of bed, and he pulled her back with his strong arms. She could feel herself melting against him, again.
“Where are you going?” he murmured into her hair.
She was under his power, as much as she tried to resist. “I’m going to get dinner and feed the cats,” she said not wanting to get up. Amanda wished this moment would last forever, just the two of them. She wanted to hold on to the illusion that he didn’t have a wife, or a family and it was only them.
“I have to get going soon too,” Tad said with a yawn.
Amanda could feel her heart drop. The illusion was shattering again. He was returning to his wife and family. It was always the way it was with her and other men. It was that way with her ex-husband Steve too. He was back and forth between other women before he committed to Amanda. They eventually got married but he ended up going back to his ex-girlfriend, Natalia Novita! Amanda could feel the rage building up thinking of her. Now Steve was in jail. She hoped the bastard would stay there and rot.
Tad sat up in bed and stretched. He pulled on his pants and tugged a shirt over his broad shoulders.
“We could have dessert,” Amanda said seductively. She leaned towards him revealing her lush cleavage. There was no way he could resist this.
“I’ll have to take a rain check. I have a lot of work to do. The case,” he explained getting off the bed and walking across the room.
Amanda wanted to say to “and your wife”, but she didn’t. “I can’t believe your case is going for a retrial. They must have some good evidence.”
Tad kissed her on her forehead. “You know I can’t discuss the case.”
Amanda turned away from him and started to pout.
“This was fun,” he said.
Tad gave her another quick kiss and headed out the door. She was alone once again.
Amanda wanted to scream. She was falling for him, something she said she wouldn’t do. Now the joke was on her.
She was able to get into Tad’s business account with some help from a client of hers. Men were like putty in her hands, plus she had secrets on her clients too.
There was a new forensic report done on Natalia and new evidence was found that was pertinent to the case.
Amanda shivered as she remembered that night a few years ago. It wasn’t supposed to happen like that. She only wanted information and to scare Natalia. Amanda didn’t think that Barney would take everything she told him literally. The hypnosis backfired. It worked a little too well and she had to clean up his mess.
Now Barney was starting to have vivid nightmares, and he was remembering what actually happened. It was only a matter of time before he opened his big mouth. Amanda was becoming concerned that detective Reed was trying to track her down to talk again. She had nothing to say to him without an attorney present.
Walking out to her apartment deck, she noticed it had turned cooler, but she needed a smoke. So much for being healthy. Under so much fucking stress, she was entitled to a cigarette.
She lit up and watched the flame and took a puff. Her plan almost worked so well, she told herself. There was evidence that Tad was aware of. Evidence they would soon find once they searched his entire property. Amanda had to find it before anyone else did. She had to get there and make sure that wife of his was out of the way.
Amanda looked out into the dark night and shivered, feeling a deep chill. In Tad’s file she saw there was also a new witness being introduced to the case. It stated that the witness would be able to prove that Steve was not at the crime scene the night Natalia was murdered. What evidence could that person possibly have to prove that, and more importantly who was it?
By: Jane Deegan
Edited by: Mike Deegan