In the Shadows

Chapter 7

      Several days passed and nothing else had happened. No sightings of Summer or anything out of the ordinary, and the police still had no idea where she was.
Luke had moved back to his flat, but he had started checking the real estate listings for rentals. He had to move, although he knew if Summer wasn't caught she would somehow find out where he was living and keep stalking him. The police surveillance on his flat continued, but Luke noticed it was back to one officer in the car again. They probably didn't have enough manpower to have two officers watching him every night.

Almost every night he dreamed about her. He would be lying in bed, she would be leaning over him with her long hair brushing his face, and she would talk to him in her soft sing song voice "Lukey, kiss me Lukey and we can be together forever." Then he would see the knife glinting in her hand as she raised it ready to strike.

Then one morning at work he received an unexpected phone call.
"Luke Paterson?" said a female voice, "We've never met but we know someone in common, Summer Mills."

Luke took a deep breath, "Who is this?" he asked.

"My name is Bethany Bannister. Summer is my sister, well actually she's my step sister. My parents adopted her when I was four. Did she ever mention me to you?"

"Umm, no she didn't. I was surprised when the police detective told me about you a few days ago."

"Oh so you've heard of me. I was wondering if we could get together, maybe for a cup of coffee. I'd like to talk to you about her. Maybe you could choose a café or coffee shop we could meet up at during your lunch break?"

Three hours later Luke sat down at a café near where he worked. He looked at the young woman sitting opposite him. She was nearly as tall as Summer with a pretty face with freckles and long red hair. "Bethany," he said, "Before we talk about anything else do you know where Summer is, and are you aware that she is stalking me and trying to kill me?"

Bethany shook her head sadly. "No I haven't seen her since she escaped. I visited her a few times in the institution. I know she is bitter and twisted. She has an obsession with you and that's why she is stalking you. When I visited her she told me her only goal in life was to make you pay for what you did to her."

They talked for a while. Bethany told Luke about her childhood days growing up with a wild rebellious sister who was always getting into trouble, and Luke told her about his own experiences with the extremely volatile and dangerous woman who was stalking him.
When Luke left the café to return to work he and Bethany agreed to keep in contact by phone. "If Summer contacts me, Luke, I will do my best to tell her to leave you alone and get away from Sydney, go somewhere safe where the police won't find her."

Luke seriously doubted that Summer would ever give up on him until one of them was dead!

***

Another two weeks passed and Luke still hadn't found a flat or apartment in his price range. There had also been no further sightings of Summer, so it was no surprise when Detective Linda Cummings came to see him one afternoon after work to tell him the surveillance on his flat would be suspended.

"We're convinced Ms Mills has lost interest in you," the detective explained, "She is either laying low somewhere, or she has left Sydney. We just can't afford to keep up the surveillance any longer, but the local police will do several patrols up and down your street at random intervals every night, and if you see Ms Mills or anyone lurking around outside your flat call this number and officers will be here in a matter of minutes." She handed him a card with a phone number on it.

After she had gone he sat down and thought about what the detective had said, and what Bethany had said, 'laying low or has left Sydney....her only goal in life was to make him pay for what he had done to her.' She was laying low and waiting for her chance. He was convinced of that. Now that the police were gone Luke wondered how long it would be before Summer came after him again. 

He didn't have long to wait.

****

It was late in the evening and Charlotte lay back panting on her bed after two hours of energetic sex with her housemate. She loved having Summer living with her for her company and of course for the sex, but after her dream two weeks earlier she was terrified the police would find her harbouring a fugitive and the consequences that would go with it.
"Umm sweetie, I'm sorry to ask again, but have you found anywhere else to live yet? I love having you here, but it's dangerous. If the police find you here my career will be finished."
"It's okay, my love," Summer murmured, "I'm leaving Sydney next weekend. I just need to collect my pay from my job on Thursday and I'll have enough money for my plan."
"Next weekend?" Charlotte felt a pang of regret, "I know it's the safest thing for you to do to leave Sydney, but I'll miss you."
"Will you really?" Summer smiled and they fell into a passionate embrace.