Peeping Tom

“Women in the Stonebrook are tonight being warned to be mindful of a peeping tom seen in the area. Police are yet to capture the man and strongly advise women to ensure they lock doors and windows and close curtains. In other news…”

“Oh great!” Henrietta groaned. “It’s stinking bloody hot and I’ll have to keep every window and door in my house shut!”

“Oh yeah, that guy’s been perving at chicks in your neck of the woods, hasn’t he?” Graham said. “I can come and keep you company?” he wiggled his eyebrows up and down, grinning cheekily.

“I think I’d rather take my chances with the perv, thanks! At least I have half a chance of escaping unscathed from him!” Graham clutched his heart, staggered backwards melodramatically and touched his forehead with the back of his hand.

“I’m crushed.”

Henri rolled her eyes and clipped him playfully under the ear. She adored him. It was completely platonic, of course. She’d seen him break too many women’s hearts to ever be romantically attracted to him. He knew it too, but it didn’t stop him teasing her.

“The only thing that would crush you my friend, is if your little black book went missing.”

“Well, of course I would be!” he cried. “It’s a Moleskin! Those things are magnificent!”

“Indeed. But I think you’d be more crushed at losing all those phone numbers you’re too secretive to save in your bloody phone.”

“Phones die, Henrietta. Little black books do not.” He kissed her on the forehead and waltzed off down the starkly lit corridor.

The two had met when they both started nursing at Stonebrook General Hospital several years earlier. While they didn’t really associate together much outside of work, they were as thick as thieves on the clock.

The local Peeping Tom had been active again for a few weeks. His peeping was sporadic, making it near impossible for the police to catch him. Just as he started to get bold he would slink off and not be seen or heard from for months - in some cases, even a year or two. The police had done their due diligence as far as looking at the town’s regular visitors; truck drivers, seasonal workers etcetera, but all to no avail. Henri suspected he lived right here in town and despite the gaps in his activities she was pretty sure he only stopped to avoid capture. Law enforcement would probably disagree and say that kind of restraint just wasn’t possible, but really, with the evolving nature of criminals and perverts who can be sure of any damn thing?

Graham’s offer had been tempting. With no air conditioning and temperatures in the high twenties overnight it was going to be an uncomfortable night. She had no security doors, nor any security screens that would allow a breeze. Everything is going to have to be locked up tight until the pervert grew bored or hibernated again.

She broke out into an immediate sweat as soon as she stepped out of the hospital’s cool air conditioning. It was even more balmy than she’d anticipated. The night sky was clear of clouds and clustered with stars. Maybe she should just drive out into the bush and sleep in her car with all the windows down. Mosquitoes would be a bitch, but it was still an appealing thought despite the threat of ugly and itchy red welts for days on end.

He prowled the neighbourhood stealthily. He was twitchy. Every dog bark, and every twig snap he froze. He didn’t want to be seen. It wasn’t often he had the freedom of the night. Not often enough, at least. He crept along, sticking to the dark shadows, hiding behind parked cars whenever he heard a vehicle.

He heard voices. They were coming straight for him. He darted across the road and peeked out from behind a tree while he waited for them to pass. Dog walkers.

“Archie!” they scolded the dog. “Archie – heel!”

The dog had seen him. He inched ever so slowly back behind the tree. He didn’t want people investigating barking dogs to spoil his fun, so he waited. He was okay with that, he was patient.

Henri’s journey home had been uneventful. She decided to drive around her neighbourhood and see if anything stuck out as unusual. It didn’t though. The neighbourhood was all quiet. She saw no strangers, and even if she did what would she have done about it? If he was there, would he be lurking in shadows, or maybe bold enough to walk around as though he belonged there? Maybe he did belong there. She shivered at the thought one of her neighbours - that someone she knew, could be responsible for scaring so many women.

She waved at Cynthia and Greg as she drove by. Archie, their Bull Mastiff, was taking them for a walk. They trudged along behind trying unsuccessfully to slow him down. Luckily Greg was a strong man and could stay on his feet with the constant pulling. Cynthia had found out the hard way she couldn’t hold Archie back. Archie had been over-excited at seeing another dog one night and he had pulled Cynthia in front of a car. She was lucky it was a sensible person driving and not someone reckless and speeding.

Cynthia and Greg waved back. Henri liked them. They lived a few doors up and occasionally invited her up for barbecues. Greg was an awesome barbecue chef. They’d tried to hook Henri up a couple of times with different guys, but after a nasty divorce twelve months ago she was quite happy to be dateless for now. She wasn’t quite desperate… yet.

He spied her as she parked the vehicle on the roadside. He knew where she lived. He had seen her many times as he wandered the streets. He glanced down the street and was relieved to see the people with the brute of a dog had turned the corner. He watched her as she sat in her vehicle with her door partially ajar. He could do it now. There was nobody around. He could break cover and –

No.

He must be patient. He was keen to hear her scream, but he must be able to get away cleanly and without capture. He couldn’t do that in an open street. He still needed the cover afforded to him in her front yard. Trees and shadows. There was an abundance of both here. He had peeked through her window many times, and she had never seen him. Oh sure, she saw him walking around during the day. She didn’t often see him at night, though. It wasn’t often he was out at night. It was never often enough. Too many nights cooped up, trapped inside his house.

Henri’s handbag had tipped over onto the floor. She turned on the interior light and stretched down to pick everything up, muttering several obscenities in the process. This guy had her spooked. Times like this she really wished she had a garage with access to the house from within. She unplugged her phone and put it in her bag.

She was vaguely aware that she probably should minimise the time she sat unprotected in a car with not only unlocked doors, but a door that’s partially open. She knew better. She knew that was her most vulnerable time – car to house. How many self-defence class instructors had stressed parking as close to your front door as possible and having keys at the ready to get inside as soon as possible?

Henri flung the door open and looked up and down the street. Nothing. She was safe. She breathed a sigh of relief and closed the door softly. She pressed the lock button and strolled to her front door. At least she had her keys at the ready. She did something right at least. She grinned at herself.

Snap!

Henri’s heart smashed against her rib cage and raced like a greyhound at the track. In her fright, she dropped her keys.

“Shit!” she muttered angrily. “Who’s there?” she hissed.

There was no answer, of course. Whoever was there was now quiet as a mouse. It was eerie, the quietness, it was far too loud for her.

“Who’s there!” she whined. “I have a knife.” She didn’t even convince herself of that. She was frozen in fear and panic. She didn’t know how fast her heart could beat, but surely it couldn’t beat much faster than it was right now? She desperately wished Graham was here now and regretted foolishly fobbing him off.

She fumbled through her bag – not taking her eyes off the shadows for a second. She inched her way toward her front door, refusing to turn her back on where the twig had snapped.

“I’m calling the police!” she said triumphantly as she ripped her phone out of her bag.

Her triumph was short lived. The phone caught on the lip of the bag. She lost her grip on it and let out a strangled cry of frustration as the phone sailed away from her, the screen smashing as it hit the very edge of the gutter.

He watched her eagerly. She was out of the car and walking towards the house. He stepped closer. He was near the fence line and still had several trees and shadows for cover. His beady eyes were fixed on her as he gently placed one foot, and then the next, ever so slowly and deliberately. In a few short steps he would have her.

That’s when he made his mistake. A twig! He stepped on a twig and gave away his position. He saw her freeze. He heard the shaky voice. He crouched low and close to the nearest shrub. She couldn’t see him – he was sure of that.

He chanced a few more quiet paces in his crouched position. He could see her now. She was rummaging through her bag. She said something more and then let out a strangled cry. Something smashed to the ground. That was his cue. He loved to frighten people. He leapt from behind the bush. He leaped as high in the air, and as close to her, as he could.

“Meeeoooooowwww!” the tomcat screeched and sprinted off into the darkness once more. He was delighted to hear his next door neighbour screaming at him.

“OSCAR! You stupid bloody cat!”