A Perfect Stranger

A PERFECT STRANGER

PROLOGUE

I'm Travis, 30 years old, 5'-10" and a solid 180. I'm kind of stocky, but not overly so. I'm pretty average looking - dark-blond hair, worn in a standard, short-length cut; average facial features with what I guess is considered a strong chin and jawline; I'm clean shaven; I have blue eyes, and apparently, a nice smile. I get complimented on it.

I live and work in the tristate corner of western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee and northern Georgia. It's a rural area with a half-dozen small towns scattered about. I do construction work for a living, especially carpentry and roofing. I work for several different local contractors, according to who has work at the time; and on the side, I fill in with small remodel and handyman jobs. My home is in the foothills of North Georgia and centrally located between several of the towns where most of my jobs are located. I live on 2-1/2 wooded acres, situated on a slight knoll. My house has covered front and rear decks and a detached garage - pretty comfortable. The only thing it lacks these days, is someone to share it with, besides my pets.

I'm divorced, two years now, and live with a barn cat named Lucky that adopted me, and a stray dog named Chance that I adopted. Lucky showed up last year and wouldn't leave, so I feed him. Chance showed up at my house two years ago, emaciated and weak. Some kind of German Shepherd mix, he was about three months old according to the vet, and grew into a big, healthy, ninety-pound dog. He's my faithful companion and a great watchdog, though he almost never barks - only when he senses a real threat. He's reserved around people, but friendly once he gets to know someone.

I like to hike and backpack, and go camping and fishing in the nearby Smoky and Blue Ridge Mountains. Not much else to tell, except for my story.

STORY

I. UNINVITED GUEST

I never pick up hitchhikers, especially females. Any guy who does that is just looking for trouble.

But sometimes, you don't have to go looking for trouble - it comes looking for you.

It was a Thursday night, in mid-December. I'd just finished work on a job about forty minutes from my home. We actually had to wrap up a little early because a thunderstorm rolled in. By the time I was close to my house, the sun was setting and the rain was really coming down - so hard, I actually had to drive under the speed limit. My wipers were working like wipers do in a downpour, which is to say, they weren't doing crap. It was just after six, and getting dark. I had my headlights on, but with the heavy rain, they were also about useless. As the rain intensified, I let my foot off the gas to slow down even more, when up ahead I saw a set of headlights veer to their right, pointing to the side of the road, then a second or two later, veer left towards me. For a split second, I thought somebody had lost control and was coming into my lane, so, I instinctively started to hit my brake. Just as my foot touched the pedal, the headlights pointed straight down the road as the driver apparently regained control. A couple seconds later, a pickup went screamin' by me, engine revved to the max.

"There's an accident waiting to happen," I thought, as the truck went flying by.

Then, a couple seconds after that, several things happened at once:

The truck that had passed me, hit its brakes. I saw the brake lights go on in my rearview mirror.

At the same time, I saw something out of the corner of my eye - a deer or something, flash across in front of my headlights.

I slammed on my brakes, and even with ABS and good tires, my SUV skewed a little on the wet pavement as I skidded to a stop, brakes chattering as the ABS system did its job.

The truck that had passed me was apparently turning around, doing a three-point turn on the two-lane road. As my focus redirected to in front of me, I realized I had missed whatever had crossed in front of my vehicle. In the split second after my vehicle rocked to a dead stop, I thought, "What the hell was that?" Before I could finish that thought, there was a loud slapping sound on my passenger-side window.

SMACK, SMACK, SMACK.

I lurched up in my seat, almost jumping out of my skin. I snapped my head right at what sounded like somebody slapping their open hand on the wet glass of my window, which I knew was impossible, as there would be nobody in their right mind standing on the side of the road, in the dark, in the pouring rain, on a deserted stretch of road - right?

As my eyes locked onto the passenger door, I heard a shrill scream, "HELP ME!"

In the microsecond that my brain took to process what the hell was going on, my hand, apparently of its own volition, hit the door lock release. The door flew open, a small, drenched person with long, stringy wet hair, jumped in the car and keened in a panic-stricken voice, "DRIVE, DRIVE!"

"HOLY SHIT!" My brain screamed. Then my mouth and brain connected, and I snapped, "Holy shit! What the hell..."

"You gotta help me. Drive!"

For another microsecond, I sat stunned - apparently a microsecond too long.

"DRIVE, DAMN IT! HE HAS A GUN!"

Before my brain could process that, my foot did. It mashed on the accelerator and I tore out, slipping and spinning a little, but the dynamic traction control on my Subaru Forester kicked in and did its thing. At the same time as I stomped on it, I saw the headlights of the truck that had turned around come looming up behind me.

Now I'm flying down the road; the rain is coming down in sheets; I can't see for diddly; there's a sopping wet stranger in my passenger seat; and some nut is chasing me - apparently with a gun.

My first thought was to call the police, but driving like a madman in pouring rain, in the dark, I couldn't take my eyes off the road long enough to locate the little button on the steering wheel for the automated call function - and forget about the touch screen. So, I just kept pushing it to the limit of my abilities. I had to get to a public place before the apparent gun-toting psycho behind me caught up, ran me off the road and shot me.

My second thought was that the stranger was getting my leather seat wet...

As I sped down the two-lane, driving twice as fast as would have been sane - forget about safe, I kept checking my rearview mirror. The lights chasing me were not getting any closer, actually falling behind a little - which was my current goal.

I wanted to look at the stranger next to me, but my attention was frozen on the road in front of me. I went flying by the turnoff to my home - no way was I taking this interloper to my house, or leading the psycho who was chasing us to my place of residence. I knew that a mile ahead was a convenience store with a bright parking lot, and at this time of night, there should be any number of people there - and maybe if I was lucky, a cop. I was so focused on the road, I almost flew past it, but at the last moment, I got on the brakes and skewed into the parking lot, then gunned it for the front of the store, pulling up parallel to the building. I decided to leave myself the option of beating it out of there if the psycho pulled in.

As I skidded to a stop, I looked over my left shoulder and saw an older model pickup slide past the entrance to the parking lot, coming to a stop, slewed partially sideways in the road. It sat there for an interminable five or six seconds, then took off again.

I unclenched my butt cheeks and took a breath. I then turned my attention to my passenger.

She met my gaze, "Thank you sir for..."

"What the hell is going on? Who the hell was that? And who the hell are you? I damned near ran you over!"

"I'm sorry," she continued in a shaky voice, "That was my husband..."

"Well crap!" I exclaimed.

"My ex-husband to be. I'm divorcing him and...he kidnapped me...and..."

She went from shaking to sobbing and shaking.

"I'm sorry," I said, dialing it back a bit.

She continued, "He's out of control. I got a chance to get away, and..." she choked from sobbing and took a breath.

"It's okay. You're safe now..."

"NO! He might come back. We have to get out of here!"

I thought, "We?"

"Look, let's call the police and..."

"NO, no police! Look, I'm sorry, I'll explain later, but we need to leave, now, and no police!"

"Well, shit," I mumbled under my breath.

The woman had stopped sobbing but was shaking uncontrollably - from fear or from being cold and soaked. It was in the mid-thirties outside.

"Okay, where do you want to go? I guess you're right; we can't sit here. If he has a gun, I guess we're sitting ducks."

"I don't know, but I'm freezing. I need to get out of these wet clothes."

I thought for a moment and made a snap decision - yeah, the kind you usually regret.

"Okay, my house is about five minutes from here..."

"Thank you," she immediately remarked, teeth chattering, body visibly trembling, "thank you, but let's get out of here...quick!"

I looped around and out of the parking lot, heading back to my house, constantly checking my rearview mirror. And all the way there, I kept thinking, "This isn't good - a strange woman, a pistol-packing, psycho husband, and I'm taking her to my home - not good!" And why no police?

I demanded, "Tell me now, why no police?"

"My mother," she said, "he's threatened to harm her if I do anything stupid. It's a long story, but he's lost it over the divorce, and when I threatened to call the police on him, he said he would take it out on her if I did. I believe him."

"Okay, I see, I guess," I grumbled as we made our way down the narrow two lane to my house. The rain had let up a little, but was still coming down. I turned onto the private gravel lane that leads to my house - it was a river.

I pulled off the lane and turned up my drive. As I approached my house, the automatic floodlights came on. The light was welcome.

"We're here...Um, when we go in, I have to introduce you to my dog. He's not dangerous, but wary of strangers, okay?"

"Okay."

"He's kind of big, but he won't hurt you. Just stay calm."

"Okay."

We dashed for the cover of my front deck and ran up the steps. I hit my fob and turned the alarm off, then unlocked the door and let us in. Chance was sitting at attention, wagging his tail, ready to greet me, but froze when he saw the woman.

"It's okay, Chance. At ease, buddy. It's a friend, okay," I said as I directed the woman to come in.

"Let him check you out," I said, then had Chance come up. He slowly approached the woman and sniffed her. After a second, he gave her hand a small lick and wagged his tail.

"Well, you're good," I smiled. Then I noticed the woman was still shivering like crazy.

"Oh, sorry...um, what's your name?"

"Anita," she said through chattering teeth.

"Anita, I'm Travis. Let's get you out of those wet clothes and into a hot shower."

"Thank you, but first I need to make two quick calls. I don't have a phone..."

"Oh, sure, here," I handed her my cell.

She punched in a number, "Mom, Daniel's on the warpath. I need you to stay at Roberta's tonight...Yes. I'm fine. I'm safe...I'll explain, tomorrow. I'll call you at Roberta's. Don't go home until I tell you...Yes, go right now...Okay...I have to go...Love you, too. Bye."

She punched in another number, "Hi, Stacey...no, I'm fine. It's a long story, but Daniel sort of kidnapped me...no, I got away from him, and a nice gentleman helped me out. I'll be home as soon as I get things under control...No, I'm safe," she looked up at me as she said that, "Yes, I'm sure...Keep your doors locked...I'll call you later; I need to go...Okay, bye."

"Thank you. That was my girlfriend. I'm staying with her, and she didn't know what happened to me...Um, I need to get warm..."

"Oh, yes, come on," I replied as I led her to the guest bathroom. "Leave your clothes outside the door, and I'll wash and dry them. I'll get you a robe. It won't fit well, but it will keep you warm till your clothes are ready."

"Thank you, so much."

"You're welcome, and sorry if I was a bit short earlier..."

"Oh no. Under the circumstances, you've been great."

"Okay, well, you should find everything you need in there. I'll be back to get your clothes in a minute. Oh, I'll make something hot to drink - coffee or tea?"

"Hot tea would be nice."

"I'll put some water on."

I turned and headed to the kitchen. I put the water on, pulled out the teapot and diffuser, filled it, then set the table. I heard the bathroom door open and close, so I went and gathered up Anita's wet things and put them in the washer. I felt a little funny handling her bra and panties, which were wet, too. Poor gal - she was soaked to the bone. I put the clothes on a short cycle to get them done as quickly as possible, then went and got my winter robe and some wool socks for her. I folded them up and put them beside the bathroom door, then returned to the kitchen. After a bit, I heard the hair dryer going. I went back and knocked on the door.

"Anita, there's a robe and some socks by the door."

"Oh, okay, thank you."

When I heard the door open and close, I poured the water in the teapot to let it steep. Then I heard the washer beep and I moved the clothes to the dryer. After a couple minutes, the bathroom door opened and Anita came into the dining room, bundled up in my robe. It was about six sizes too big for her. It almost reached the floor. She was petite, not much more than five-foot tall, near as I could tell. Her long, blond hair was still a little damp, but no longer stringy. I hadn't noticed before, but she had a pretty face, slightly roundish, with lovely features - a small straight nose, medium-sized mouth and average-sized, but perfectly-shaped lips. Her eyes were her remarkable feature - vivid blue, and nicely framed by eyebrows that hadn't been plucked to thin lines.

I stood, "Tea's ready; have a seat. I don't know how you take it, but there's sugar, cream, and sweetener, so..."

"Just a little sweetener, thanks. And thank you for the robe and socks. I'm finally thawing out."

"Your clothes will be dry in a few. And I have to ask why you didn't have a coat or raincoat on? It's pretty chilly, and with the rain..."

"Oh, yes, well, my husband came by the house where I'm staying. He pulled in under the carport and started honking his horn. I wasn't going to go out, but he kept honking, so I went out to see him and get him to stop. He said he just wanted to talk. I told him to go home and leave me alone. He said if I didn't get in and talk to him, he'd go straight to my mom's house and burn it to the ground."

"I see. Would he really do something like that?"

"He's out of control. Um, see, the thing is, I'm divorcing him because he became abusive...well, over the last few months he started being verbally abusive, then started grabbing my arm and things like that. But recently, he started hitting. That's when I left him and filed for divorce. Anyway, as soon as I got in the truck, he tore out and headed out of town, all the while telling me I had to come back to him, that I had no choice. He apologized for hitting me and swore he would never do it again. Then, just before I met you, I said something that made him mad, and he reached and grabbed my arm, squeezing it hard, hurting me. I slapped at him, and he slammed on his brakes and pulled over. I bit his hand and broke his grip on me, then jumped out of the truck. As I did, I yelled that I hoped that was a cop coming when I saw your headlights. He took off and I decided to try to flag you down."

"Well I almost ran you over. I was looking in my rearview mirror when you ran across in front of me."

She gave a weak smile, "Sorry, but I'm glad you missed, and I can't thank you enough...This is good tea, really good."

"It's my own blend, well, our own blend. My ex and I came up with it."

"Well, very good, and I'm finally feeling warm again. Thank you."

"The dryer just stopped. I'll get your clothes."

"Oh, I'll get them. Just show me where."

I led her down the hall to the laundry room. Chance followed, interested in the new stranger. After getting her clothes, she went to the bathroom and dressed. When she came out, I noticed she was in stocking feet. I also noticed she had a pretty nice shape to her.

"Where's your shoes?" I asked. I'd never noticed she was in stocking feet.

"At home. When I got in his truck, I only had socks on. I didn't know I was being kidnapped," she remarked, smiling a little.

"I see," I chuckled. "Oh, I'm sorry, you're probably hungry. I know I am. In the excitement, I forgot about dinner. Um, all I have that will be quick is some chili in the fridge, which I can heat up, if you like, or we can make sandwiches?"

"Yes, I could eat a little something, and chili will be fine."

I put the chili on and poured us another cup of tea. We sat and drank that until the chili was ready. I offered something to drink with it. We settled on sodas, and I got some bread and butter, then we sat down to eat.

"This is very good, spicy. You made this?"

"Yep. I hope it's not too spicy."

"No, I like it this way."

After we finished eating, I asked, "Do you want me to take you home now, or will that not be safe?"

"Um...if it's not too much trouble, could I stay here tonight?" she asked, timidly.

"Sure. Probably best. When you're ready, I'll set you up in a spare bedroom. In the meantime, you're still shaking. Would you like some more hot tea?"

"Oh, I'm not cold. I'm just a little shook up. Everything is catching up with me, and I'm realizing how close I came to something really bad happening...Um, do you have anything to drink, you know, stronger than tea?"

"Sure, I have some wine, beer, and I can make a couple of different mixed drinks. I have some vodka and tequila, and I have orange juice...I could make some screwdrivers or tequila sunrises."

"Oh, you pick."

"Okay, strong or weak?"

"Not too strong, please."

"Coming up; I'll be just a minute."

I made us a couple tequila sunrises and joined her.

"Thank you. You have a nice house here. Do you live alone?"

"Just Chance and I, and a stray yeller cat. Chance showed up here as a starving pup a couple years ago, and Lucky, the cat, showed up here last year. Lucky is an 'outside only' critter. I tried letting him in the house, but he went straight to shredding the furniture."

"Well, it's nice of you to take in the strays. I feel sorry for homeless animals."

"Yeah, me too. And strays are the best. They seem to know they're fortunate and make great pets."

"Did you name them?"

"Yeah - Chance, because I took a chance on him, and Lucky, because he's lucky I put up with him...Actually, I'm fortunate, too. Before he showed up, I had a problem with mice and moles - nary a one now."

She smiled, then questioned "So you're divorced? You said something about an 'ex'..."

"Yeah, I got divorced a little over two years ago."

"Um, do you rent or own this home?"

"I own it...well, the bank owns it, but..."

She gave a light laugh, then asked, "And is this the house you shared with your wife?"

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"Oh, um, I'm surprised you were able to keep the house."

"Mm hmm, well, she moved to South Carolina with her boyfriend...husband now, I guess."

"I know I don't know you, but you seem very nice. May I ask what happened, you know, what caused the divorce?"

"Well, in my case, we probably shouldn't have gotten married. We never got along that great or saw eye-to-eye on things, and her family and I didn't get along. Anyway, she met a guy who was in town for a commercial construction job that I was working on, and they hit it off, I guess. She met him when she was bringing me lunch a couple times. I knew nothing about them till I came home one night and found a note."