Stalk Me

“Tommy, your parents didn’t have a Ferrari, and I’ve heard all about your hell raising from your mother. You’re right: they wouldn’t have let you, but it wouldn’t have stopped you. You would’ve just snuck out and done it anyway.”

Tommy laughs. “Yeah, I know. I’m glad you don’t do stuff like that. Really, you’re a pretty good kid.”

“Gee, thanks, that means so much coming from a terror.”

“I wasn’t a terror. My mom exaggerates.”

“Last time your friend, Bobby, was here, he was telling us about the time you stole your mom’s car, climbed the water tower, and spray painted, this town sucks on it.”

“That is alleged. There is no proof I did that.”

Tommy is getting ready to plead his case when Avery rushes in the room screaming, “Look, Daddy! Look at this!!! Prince Eric gave me a note! See, it has an A on it for Avery!”

Tommy tries to read what she’s waving in front of him but appears to lose the battle. He finally shakes his head, gives up, and says, “Well, that’s really exciting, Ave. Did you all get letters from Prince Eric?”

Her eyes get big. “No, Daddy! Just me! I’m special!”

“Well, let me read it to you then,” he says, finally snatching the envelope out of her hand.

Tommy looks at the front of the envelope and turns a shade of green. He puts his forearms on the bar to steady himself and slowly says, “Avery, where did you get this?”

“We went to see the parade yesterday! You know that, silly Daddy! Na

Tommy doesn’t seem to be able to move, so I walk over and see why. The envelope does not say Avery. It says Abby.

I swipe the letter out of his hand and examine it. It looks exactly like the letter Mom found in her trailer and like all the ones she’s gotten from the same fan over the years. Mom sort of blew off the fact that he got in her trailer, even though Tommy and James were upset about it. But this is different. This was in Avery’s backpack. That means he got very close to her. Which is why Tommy looks so green.

I bend down next to Avery and say, “Daddy has to go make a very important phone call, sweetie. I’ll read it to you. Prince Eric is my favorite too.”

Tommy swallows and pushes himself up from the bar.

I open the envelope and read.

Abby-

For years, I have idolized and loved you, but not anymore. 

You are nothing more than a common whore. 

You must pay for what you’ve done, and I already know the price. 

—No longer your greatest fan.

Oh my God.

I feel faint.

Avery is pulling on my shirt. “What’s it say, Kiki? What’s it say?”

I find my voice and lie. “It says, Avery. So glad I got to see you! I waved at you in the parade. Love, Prince Eric.”

She tries to jump up and grab the letter from me. “Give it to me. I wa

“Um, I need to show it to Daddy real quick, and then I’ll bring it to your room, okay! Why don’t you go get some gum for your sisters?”

She tears off, climbs onto the kitchen counter, gets gum out of a canister, and runs it to her room.

I take the letter into Tommy’s office.

“What’s it say?” he asks. “James is on his way. So is Garrett Smith, the president of the security firm we get our bodyguards from when we travel.”

I read the note to him.

“Oh my God. Do you think that’s what he means by the price? Do you think he’s talking about the girls? Is she the only one that got a note?”

“I don’t know. I’ll go check, but I need to make a fake one to give to her first. She thinks it’s from Prince Eric.”

I quickly write up a note to take to her. “I’ll go into the girls’ room and see if there’s anything else. I’ll be right back.”

Tommy nods and keeps staring at the note.

I go into the girls’ room, give Avery her fake note, and ask the girls to see if they have any notes in their pockets or backpacks. While the girls are busy, I take Na

“The note was from that creeper dude. Avery thinks she got it at the theme park yesterday. Did she have her backpack with her there?”

The na

“Where were you today?”

“We had gymnastics and dance this morning, got pizza for lunch, went to the park, and then got yogurt. I did leave their backpacks on the bench at the park while I helped them on the monkey bars. That’s kinda scary, really.”

“Yeah, it is. Okay, I’m go

I go back into Tommy’s office.

“It’s got to be the same guy, right?”

Tommy nods. “Yeah. It’s the same type of print. Same envelope. Where did she find it?”

“It was in her backpack.”

He shakes his head in disbelief and pours himself a Scotch.

We both sit and stare at his drink. I’m sure his mind is going to the same ugly places as mine.

Mom and James, who must have already been on their way home, come rushing into the room.

“What did it say?” Mom says in a panic. “Where was it? When did it happen?”

Tommy, who is already on his second Scotch, says, “It was in Avery’s backpack. It happened today, but we don’t know when, and Na

James’ phone buzzes. “Garrett is here. I’m going to let him in.”

“I’m scared, Tommy,” Mom cries, as he wraps his arms around her. “If he could have snuck something in her backpack without anyone noticing, doesn’t that mean he could have grabbed her just as easily?”

James escorts Garrett into the office. Garrett lays out a plan for more security for the girls. Previously, they’ve only had security when they’re traveling with Mom and Tommy, and really, that has been mostly to keep the paparazzi at bay. When they’re here, they go all over the place with just the na

I tell him what the na

Garrett reads over the note and turns to Mom. “So this guy has been in love with you and sending you notes for years. Why does he think you’re a whore all of a sudden? What did you do?”

I pour Mom a glass of water and hand it to her.

“It has to be the sex scenes for the movie I’m working on. They’re pretty intense. The character uses men, so the scenes look bad in that respect. One scene in particular is pretty erotic.”

“Could he have seen them already?” I ask.

“If he works in the movie industry or knows someone that does, I suppose it’s possible.” She takes a big drink of water. “He’s sent me a lot of stuff in the past, but it’s always been sweet. I think he’s a little weird, personally, but he’s never threatened me before. And it’s one thing to target me, but the kids—that’s another thing entirely. I’m afraid.”

Mom admitting she’s afraid of anything makes me scared for the girls too.

Garrett says, “We’ll take care of you and the girls; don’t worry.”

“What about Keatyn?” Tommy says. “Do you think she needs security?”

“Me?” I chuckle. “Why would I need security? I’m not going to talk to anyone I don’t know. I’m not five. And I’m always with my friends and stuff. You really don’t need to worry about me.”