Edge of Midnight

15



A recent lightning storm had finally taken out Karen Diambro’s antiquated laptop. The electronics store’s going-out-of-business ads in the Wednesday newspaper proclaimed savings of fifty percent or more, so she figured it was worth a shot to see if it had one within her budget. As she cruised the crowded aisles perusing the display models, however, she realized just how little she actually knew about computers.

“You don’t want that one,” a man remarked as she tried out the keyboard on a sleek-looking number. Karen looked at him. He was tall with slightly receding dark hair and blue eyes behind horn-rimmed spectacles.

“I don’t?”

“The manufacturer has a reputation for service issues and overseas technical support.” He indicated a different laptop. “Now this one’s an excellent brand. It also has a better processor and you’re paying only a little more.”

The screen was smaller than what she had in mind. She pointed at another model. “What about that one?”

It seemed clear he didn’t think her second choice was a great selection, either. “I’d go for the best hardware you can afford. That one’s cheaper because it’s already obsolete. You can upgrade the processor and memory in a year or two, but it will end up costing you almost as much as buying a new computer.”

Karen arched an eyebrow. “Do you work here or something?”

He smiled and stepped out of the way of a shopping cart being pushed past. “No, but I probably should. Electronics are a hobby of mine. I’m Allan, by the way. I hope you don’t mind the advice. I’m rather passionate about computers.”

She shook the hand he extended and smiled back. “Karen. And actually I appreciate it. There’s not enough salespeople in here to go around.”

“They’re all kids, anyway. A few know their stuff, but most will just tell you what you can read yourself off the back of the box.” They talked awhile longer about the laptop he’d recommended before Karen decided to purchase it, even though it was still more than she had planned to spend. Removing one of the boxes from a shelf beneath the display model, he loaded it into her cart.

“Thanks for the help,” she said, slipping her dark hair behind one ear.

“You’ll enjoy it.” Her gave her a congenial nod and strolled off.

Karen felt disappointed their conversation hadn’t gone further and he hadn’t asked for her number. He was clean-cut—her type—and she noticed he wasn’t wearing a wedding band. As she waited in line at checkout, a banner overhead announcing All Sales Final, she glanced around for him in the store. She spotted him in the television department, looking at one of the flat-screens. She needed a new television, too. Karen considered being bold and asking him for more advice, but it was her turn to pay. After placing the purchase on her credit card, she rolled her shopping cart out of the store. It was already dark outside but overhead lights illuminated the parking lot. The box the laptop came in was big but didn’t weigh much, so she put it in the backseat of her Chevy Impala and got inside. She drove off, mentally calculating how much she would have to pay on her credit card each month in order to have the new computer paid for by the end of the year. Since the divorce, money had been tighter and she was working to keep down her debt.

She lived just south of the city. Taking Phillips Highway, eventually she drove into what was known as Old Mandarin, with its stately homes on the river and ancient, moss-draped live oaks. Karen loved the old-world, Southern elegance, although she herself lived in one of the area’s newer suburbs comprised of much smaller, cookie-cutter tract homes. Traveling on a side street, deep in thought, she realized with a start the traffic light in front of her had turned yellow. She braked abruptly to avoid running a red light. Her head bobbed forward as she both heard and felt the crunch as another car bumped her from behind.

Great. Karen looked in the rearview mirror and saw a man getting out of a new-looking Infiniti SUV. In her mind she heard her husband’s voice—now her ex—reminding her to take safety precautions. Stay inside and roll your window down just a crack. Keep your cell phone in hand. Her stomach somersaulted in surprise as she recognized the approaching male. She opened the door and got out.

“Karen?” Allan shook his head in surprise. “I’m so sorry. I don’t believe this.”

“You were following me?”

He appeared perplexed. “What? No! I was just on my way home. What a coincidence and an unfortunate one, I’m afraid. Do you live around here, too?”

She walked around the back of her car to assess the damage. The rear bumper had a large dent and hung slightly askew. The SUV was less impacted. A few cars passed around them on the dark, quiet street.

“This is all my fault,” he fretted. “I have insurance.”

“Maybe we should exchange information?”

He nodded. “Let’s get our cars out of the way first before we cause another accident.”

Looking around, he pointed to a nearby waterside recreation area with a playground and basketball courts. It had a parking lot that was dimly lit and shrouded by trees. “We could go over there.”

The suggestion made Karen a little uncomfortable. She’d really just met this man, and she still wasn’t certain she believed him about not following her from the store. They were miles away from the shopping plaza now.

“What street do you live on?” she asked.

“Morning Dove Lane.”

She recognized the name. It was two streets over from the school her son attended. He did seem to know the area.

“I really am embarrassed about this.” Hesitating, he made a small, helpless gesture with his hands. “To be honest I’ve got a lot on my mind and wasn’t paying attention. I’m recently divorced and I’m still having some trouble adjusting. My wife…she left me for someone else.”

“I’m sorry.” Karen felt a rush of empathy, thinking of her ex-husband’s twenty-four-year-old secretary. The new Mrs. Diambro. Absently, she touched the faint indentation on the ring finger of her left hand where her wedding ring used to be. Even after the divorce was final, it had taken her months to stop wearing it. She stepped back as another car careened around them on the street.

“Maybe we really should get out of the way.” He indicated the nearby lot again.

Consenting, Karen returned to her car and drove it into the empty recreation area with the SUV trailing behind her. Maybe their fender bender really was fate. With a nervous release of breath, she turned off the engine and took a quick glance at her reflection in the rearview mirror, wishing she had on some lipstick, before getting back out. Allan was already walking toward the car. The lazy croak of bullfrogs came from the nearby water, and several large moths circled the streetlamp in front of the public restrooms.

“Do you have kids?” she asked.

“A son. He’s with his mother this week.”

“Does he go to Jason Creek Elementary?”

He shook his head. “He’s in private school.”

She felt another fleeting wave of apprehension, aware their cars were blocked from street view by the trees. Ducking back into her car for her purse, she pulled out her wallet to retrieve her ID and insurance card. Straightening, she turned and met Allan’s gaze. He’d moved a little closer, and her eyes flicked to his right hand. He was casually trying to hide something. Karen was a pediatrics nurse. She approached small, frightened patients in the exact same way. She saw it then. He was holding a syringe, and in the faint glow of light she suddenly realized his hand was encased in a latex glove.

“What…?”

Dropping her wallet, she stumbled backward and threw herself into her car, but he wedged his body in the door, keeping her from closing it. Karen screamed and lunged for her cell phone inside her purse. She felt the sharp sting of the needle as he plunged it into her thigh. She kicked at him as he dragged her out, his hand covering her mouth and muffling her cries. Karen elbowed him hard, heard his oomph of surprise. Breaking free, she tried to run but her legs felt suddenly heavy and uncoordinated and she ended up sprawled face-first on the asphalt. Whatever he’d injected her with was strong. Her frantic pulse pounded in her ears.

He flipped her over and towed her by her upper arms to the waiting SUV. She felt little flares of pain as loose gravel on the lot cut into her bare calves. She tried screaming again, tried wriggling loose of his tight hold, but her body no longer responded beyond a few weak mewls and flails.

Last night’s evening news…the FBI sketch of the man who’d been abducting women…it all came together in her increasingly muddled head. Terror turned her lungs to stone. He hoisted her into the front passenger seat of the SUV with a hard grunt. Karen’s head lolled on her shoulders. He used the seat belt to keep her in place.

“You’re a nice woman, Karen,” he purred, brushing her dark hair back from her clammy cheek. “But if you don’t mind me saying so, you seem a little desperate.”

He took her hand and studied her fingers, frowning. The last thing she saw before blacking out was Allan heading to her car and removing the boxed laptop from the backseat.