Fall in New England Pt. 01

Eighteen year old Janine and her 39 year old mother, Susan Worthington had spent a pleasant evening taking advantage of their family's financial well being at the new mall on the edge of the small New England town they called home. It was early October and the brisk cool air with its hint of frost proved that winter was almost upon them. The maples that had, so recently, decorated the hillsides with colors no artist's palette could hope to truly replicate, were now closing down for the winter as leaves accumulated on the ground beneath them.

It was this change in seasons that had prompted the shopping spree the two had so enjoyed. For Janine, it had been the opportunity to update her wardrobe to the latest styles, or at least the latest styles among girls her age. For Susan, it was another chance to give her daughter all the things she never had as a child.

Marrying Sam before either had finished college had seemed foolish to many at the time. Neither one of them had any hope of having an inheritance or trust fund to support them. Everyone knew that Sam was a nice guy with a quick sense of humor and a brilliant mind. But nobody, least of all Susan's parents, was sure he had the drive necessary to succeed professionally. But Susan loved him and believed in him so, perhaps with a bit more anxiety then they would have liked, they supported their wedding. They had little choice. It was clear that the marriage was going to happen anyway. And, as unsure as Susan's parents were about the prospective groom's future, they realized that she could do far worse. Certainly Sam's prospects were at least as good as anyone else Susan had ever shown an interest in.

Time quickly proved that their fears were unfounded. Sam and his college roommate began selling computer parts out of their dorm room. In the process, they developed an inventory program that, even at that young age, they realized was better then anything else commercially available at the time. It quickly became an industry standard and led to more software development designed specifically to support the inventory needs of small business. While the company never became a household name, it had successfully established itself as a leader in specialized applications individualized for specific business needs.

Janine had come along unexpectedly early in the marriage. Susan had received her degree in accounting while seven months pregnant, a degree she put to good use as Sam's company grew, As money became less and less of a concern to the young family, Susan made a conscious decision that her daughter would not become one of the spoiled self absorbed children she had so despised while growing up in a middle class family in an upper class community. In this, she had been remarkably successful.

By all accounts, Janine was a compassionate hard working young woman. She was in her senior year of high school and was one of those talented students that colleges were actively recruiting. Few days passed without at least one letter being received from some college asking her to consider applying there. But she already planned to attend her parents alma mater so these letters were dutifully read then dutifully tossed away.

Her academic success made her parents proud and her volunteer spirit was appreciated by the many organizations to whom she dedicated her free time. The fact that she was considered the cutest girl in her class never really came to the forefront of her consciousness. She was tall and slim. Her brunette hair fell to her shoulders although it was always drawn back in a pony tail. Her eyes were blue and her lovely smile came easily. If she had any fault at all, it was her shyness. This was not anything so pathologic that it crippled her social life. In fact, Janine made friends easily. But she was not one to reveal personal details about herself even to her closest friends. Even her boyfriend, Cory, found it difficult to draw her out in that regard.

In fact, Janine was very much like her mother. She too was tall and, even at 39, she remained slim and fit. Daily workouts at the gym kept her in excellent physical condition. Her hair was shorter then her daughters and a bit lighter in color. Neither she nor Janine were large breasted. But neither were they flat chested either. Both mother and daughter were, by anyone's standard, very attractive women. It was this that first caught the attention of William Stroud.

William first saw Susan when she entered her husband's office building. It was nothing more then a chance encounter. William was there to visit his brother, Jason, who worked for Sam's company. Jason, though, had not considered it so much a visit as a solicitation. William was always broke. He had never been able to hold a job for more then a few months. He would start each new job well and would be quickly thought an ideal employee. He seemed affable and humorous at first. But, it was never long before he began to criticize everything he encountered and everyone he worked with. Soon, he would start coming in late and eventually, his explosive temper would show itself at some diligent employee's expense. Soon afterwards he would be visiting his brother asking for a few dollars to hold him over until he could find a new position.

Finally, even his brother had had enough. He refused to provide any more "loans". Jason, knowing his brother's temper, had taken the precaution of having security called when William arrived. They gladly escorted William from the building. Had they not been armed, William may well have used the knife he brought with him to inflict upon his brother physical wounds to match the imagined injustice William felt. Instead, there was nothing he could do but storm out of the building feeling maltreated and wronged. It was while leaving the building that he first saw Susan. She had only glanced up as they passed. She would not remember him. But he certainly remembered her. She was different then the women he knew. She was "classy", while he spent his time with the women he could pick up at the cheap bars he frequented all too often.

He remembered her and was astounded when he saw her again crossing a street in Winchester, the town Susan and Sam had chosen years before as the place they would make their home. William was in Winchester only to pass through on his way to the Interstate Highway. He never took that route but an accident on the road he usually used had stopped traffic so he chose this way simply to get to his new job at a construction site where he had signed on as an electrician. In fact, William was an outstanding electrician. No one denied that. But, like every other job he had ever held, the foreman had begun to sense that something just wasn't right about William.

When he saw Susan walk out of the boutique she frequented, he was stunned. In his twisted mind he concluded that seeing this woman again, whom he had been so attracted to before, could not just be chance. He resolved then that, somehow, he would have her. So he followed her to her home. He was pleased to see that her home confirmed his suspicion that she was not some typical middle class housewife. The house, a three story colonial, was large and sat on two acres of land. Sitting well back from the street it was well landscaped with every shrub perfectly pruned and with not a single weed in the expansive lawn. Across the street was a forested park. From here, William spent many hours over many days watching the house. At first, his job limited the time he could spend. But, he quickly came to the conclusion that the job was unimportant. He began missing shifts and, before long, his time was, once again, free to do with as he pleased.

William took notes and quickly learned the family's ways. He knew that Sam left for work at 6:30 AM and returned at unpredictable times. Susan followed him to work a few hours later. She returned at about 3:15 PM and would be home when the young lady who must be their daughter arrived home from school. On Tuesdays, though, she would return later, doubtless for some after school commitment. William took all of this in and became ever more attracted to Susan, and even more so to her daughter.

His opportunity came on a Monday night. He watched from his hiding place in the woods as the husband placed a suitcase in the trunk of his car and drove off after a kiss from his lovely wife and daughter, the women William had been obsessed with now for weeks. When the two women drove off together at 6 PM he knew the time had come for him to act. He emerged from his hiding place in the woods and, after quickly changing his clothes in his car parked in a parking area at the edge of the woods a half mile away, he casually approached the house.

Moving slowly around it he went to the garage, broke a window in a door and, reaching through the broken pane to unlock the door, he entered it. Exploring carefully he found the burglar alarm system. Being the skilled electrician he was, he had assembled and disassembled a number of systems. He smiled as he realized he was very familiar with this model. Again, he thought, fate was with him. He opened the panel and, working quickly with tools he found in the garage, he bypassed the system making it safe for him to continue his explorations.

He smiled again when he found that the women had, foolishly he felt, left the door into the house from the garage unlocked. This was too easy he thought. But that put no fear into him as he entered the home and began searching through it. He gathered up two cell phones he found upstairs and placed them in his coat pocket. Perhaps, he felt, he might find a use for them later. It would also keep them out of the hands of his intended victims. He opened the telephones upstairs and tore out any wire he could find to assure himself that they would not be useful. The telephone downstairs in the kitchen he left untouched, just to be certain that no one would be suspicious if the phone failed to ring if the home was called. His preparations complete, he sat down in the den and waited.

It was 9 PM when the women he had first seen at his brother's office and her daughter returned from their shopping trip at the mall. He had been careful to make sure that everything was as it was when he arrived. The only change was the broken window in the garage. But this was in a corner set up as a wood shop and well away from the entrance to the house and to anyplace Susan, whose name he did not yet know, parked her car. He had also taken the time to clean the broken glass from the floor. Quickly, he ducked into a closet in a spare downstairs bedroom and waited. Reaching into the waistband of his fashionable khacki slacks, for he had taken the time to dress for the occasion, he withdrew the chrome plated 9 mm Beretta handgun he had purchased weeks before when he first realized what he was going to do. He wore a sport coat and a mock turtleneck. He was well groomed and had bought a pair of Italian shoes just for the occasion. He had been keeping all of this in his car and had taken the time to shave and shower before his nightly visits to the woods so he would be ready when his opportunity arose. Now, at last, it was upon him.

Janine entered the house first through the door he had used to enter. Susan followed closely behind. The two chatted casually, Janine lamenting the fact that her mother had refused to buy her the expensive shoes she had wanted while Susan merely laughed and made the usual parental comments about how she never had such expensive shoes when she was her age. William listened carefully. There was no sign that either had detected the broken pane of glass. So far, so good he thought. He heard someone climb the stairs and realized it was Janine as Susan, now standing near the door to the bedroom where he was hiding, called to her suggesting she get started on her homework. William knew that this was his chance, the moment for which he had waited so long. Quickly, and silently, he exited the closet, walked across the room, and waited just inside the door. As Susan passed he moved swiftly behind her, wrapped his muscular arm around her neck and pressed the gun to the side of her throat. "Not a sound, do you understand?" he whispered harshly into her ear.

Stunned and surprised, Susan let out a slight yelp as what had happened and what he had said registered in her startled mind. Then, eyes wide in near panic as she turned her head slightly to try to look over her shoulder, she nodded her head.

"Very good". William whispered relaxing somewhat his grip on her neck. He quickly showed her the weapon and the placed it back against her throat. "Just do as I ask and I won't hurt you. Do you understand?"

Susan didn't understand, at least not completely. All she knew was that a stranger was in her home with a gun. What he wanted and why he had chosen her house was a mystery.

"Do you understand!" he hissed firmly. "Answer me!"

"Yes, I understand" she said responding only to the immediate question, for she did understand that. Just give him whatever it is he wants and live.

"What is your name?"

"Susan." She replied.

"Are you alone here Susan?"

Suddenly, she realized that whatever happened to her, she had to protect Janine. That was the most important thing she had to do. "Keep your wits about you, Susan" she thought to herself. "Just get the money, and get him out of the house. But protect Janine at all cost."

"Yes, I am alone." Susan replied.

Suddenly the grip on her neck tightened and the gun pressed into her flesh. She knew immediately that her lie had been too obvious. He knew she was not alone.

"When I ask you a question, you will tell me the truth. Tell me even one more lie and I will let you watch me kill that young lady upstairs. Do you understand?" he hissed.

It took all of Susan's concentration to keep from screaming. But her education and lifelong self discipline allowed her to remain rational, even in this most irrational situation. "I understand" she replied, whispering. "I am not alone. My daughter is upstairs. But please, she doesn't have to know you are here. Just take what you want and go. I will get whatever you need. But please, don't hurt her."

"Whether she is hurt or not really depends on you, Susan. Are you expecting anyone else to come here tonight?"

Susan thought about telling him that Sam would be home any minute. But she thought better of it. He may know that this was not true and she could not risk his hurting Janine.

Sensing her hesitation, he whispered again, more forcefully, "Are you expecting anyone, answer me!"

"No, I am not. Please just take what you want and leave. No one needs to know you were here. I won't tell anyone, I promise."

William smiled. He realized that he now was completely in control of the situation. She told him the truth. He knew that Sam was away. He had seen him leave that morning. She would do whatever he asked to protect her daughter. He felt pride in knowing that he had correctly guessed she would worry more about a threat to Janine then to herself. "This was going very well so far." he thought to himself.

"Susan, I'm glad you decided to tell me the truth. I already knew that your husband was away. I saw him leave this morning. If you had lied to me I would have had no choice but to hurt the girl."

Susan, too, realized that she had no control over what was happening in her own home. He obviously had been watching them. How else would he have known that Sam was away. What else did he know? How long had he been watching? Did she know this man? Did Janine? Or was this someone Sam knew? She realized that, as long as he held the gun, she had no choice but to answer his questions and give him whatever it was he wanted. Although, at this point, it had not yet occurred to her that what he wanted was her and especially not that he wanted Janine. It was simply unthinkable.

"Susan, what is your daughter's name?"

"Just leave her out of this. I'll get you whatever you want."

His grip tightened and she again felt the weapon press into her flesh. "What is your daughter's name?" he repeated.

"Janine, her name is Janine." she said as tears slowly welled up in her eyes.

"How old is Janine?"

"She is only 18. Please leave her alone. She doesn't have to know you were here. Please!"

"What happens to Janine depends on you, Susan. I thought I made that clear."

"I'll get you anything you want. I promise. You won't have to involve her at all. I'll do anything. I promise you.'

"I will hold you to that promise Susan. Just do what I ask and neither you nor Janine will be hurt. OK?"

"Yes, thank you." Susan replied assuming she had finally assured her daughter would be safe. "What is it you want?" she asked.

"Sit on the bed so I can talk to you face to face." William commanded as he released his grip.

Quickly sitting down, Susan was startled to see how the man she now faced was dressed. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but this clearly wasn't it. She faced a well dressed man, about 35 years old, with black hair and piercing blue eyes. He was obviously in good physical condition although not muscle bound. In any other circumstance, he would be considered quite handsome. But here, all she felt was fear and confusion.

William walked across the room and, with his free hand, grabbed the back of a chair and dragged it to a spot about six feet in front of Susan, who remained seated quietly on the bed as she watched him, her eyes focused on the gun that he never pointed away from her.

William sat down and leaned forward. Susan, instinctively leaned forward as well. His tone was no longer threatening. It bordered on soothing. Like a father talking to his daughter.

"I want you to listen very carefully, Susan. You will do exactly what I tell you without fail and without question. Do you understand?"

"Yes"

"Very good. In a few minutes, we are going to go into the living room. You will sit in a chair quietly until I tell you to speak. Do you understand so far?"

"Yes" Susan replied confused as to where this discussion was headed.

"I'm glad you are paying attention Susan. It is important that you pay careful attention."

William paused for a few seconds and looked into Susan's eyes absorbing the confusion that was apparent in them before continuing.

"When I tell you," he continued, "you will call Janine downstairs and have her stand beside you".

At the mention of Janine's name, Susan could feel the first twinges of panic closing in on her. "Please, oh please, you said you would leave her out of this".

"No Susan, I never said that. What I said was that if you do as I ask, neither you nor Janine will be hurt. Are you sure you understand that?"

"I don't understand any of this. Why are you doing this? Who are you?"

"It really doesn't matter who I am or why I am doing this now does it? All that matters is that you understand that, unless you do what I ask, I am going to hurt your daughter. You understand that don't you, Susan?"

"Yes, yes I understand that. Just don't hurt her. I will do whatever it is you want. But I don't know what that is! And whatever it is, you don't need her. I will get you anything you want, I promise."

"Susan, You're no longer paying attention. Are you going to listen or not?"

"Yes, yes, I'm listening. You want me to call Janine downstairs and have her stand next to me. I understand". Susan's voice now registered a combination of fear and resignation. William recognized this and smiled. He was clearly gaining ever more control over the situation, exactly as he had hoped.

"Very good. Now what I am about to say is important. It is absolutely essential that you make Janine understand that she is to cooperate and listen to you carefully without speaking. Is that clear?"

"She will listen to me if I tell her too. There is no need to worry about that."