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The Panties Thief
The Panties Thief
Category:
Crime
Publisher: Joanne Moore
Type: Non-Fiction
Pages: 163
Copyright: 11/10/2013
ISBN-13: 9781628904468
Price: $3.99 (eBook)
The Panties Thief is a novel about relationship stalking.
The Panties Thief is based on a series of true events that occurred in
the Lehigh Valley Area of Pennsylvania.
SUMMARY
After only a few months following their break-up, Dana Miller came home one winter evening and was astonished, confused and terrified to find her ex-boyfriend, David hiding in her bedroom. He was arrested and charged with nine crimes including criminal trespass, harassment and stalking. But Dana's emotions ran wild that night. After David was led away in handcuffs, the police performed a search of his car. They discovered several pieces of Dana's underwear and lingerie hidden in the trunk.
Anger and confusion consumed Dana that night, however this narrative is quickly set in motion. On that cold January night, Dana's happy life as she knew it was forever changed. David is far from finished. He continues to defy the law and comes after Dana time and time again using every opportunity possible to shatter her life and mental well being. Dana's world is turned upside-down as she is thrown into the unfamiliar territory of what was becoming a constant and unbearable state of fear and utter humiliation. As she tries to cope, David is relentless in pursuing her and has no regard for the Courts or the repeated punishments imposed on him. Jail time, hearings (at both the Pennsylvania Magisterial and Court of Common Pleas level), a restraining order, psychiatric testing, attorneys and large bail amounts will not stop him from taking drastic measures to use stalking as a way to win her love back in an undeniably sick and merciless manner.
Stalking is a crime of the mind, the body and the soul. Stalkers control their victims by conjuring up creative ways to terrorize his or her prey, leaving thier subjects with lifelong scars of fear and paranoia. Dana never knows when or how David will attack, thus he controls her every movement, work, and her emotional well being.
As David is a former political official in Easton, PA., the local television and paper press blast embarrassing facts about Dana's personal life across the Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton area of Pennsylvania, reporting on each offense and seemingly having a field day with this ongoing case. As her fear is on the rise and she appears to be steadily sinking into a state of depression, below the surface, a powerful hunger to strike back is also growing inside of this willful and strong young woman. This mix of emotions leads the reader to the violent and tumultuous ending of this plot.
Dana's story of the whirlwind emtional rollercoaster inflicted upon her by David will surely unlock the reader's eyes to the veracity of "relationship stalking."
"
Excerpt
Prelude
The Panties Thief is a true crime novel written on a series of true event that happened in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania. Names, places and dates have been changed to protect the innocent and the not so innocent. This author attended each and every court hearing for the victim and knows the story well. Although it happened years ago, the author saved the actual news articles that were written in the Lehigh Valley. Names of the Newspaper articles have also been changed. Fictional events have been added to this novel.
Stalking is a crime that is very common, yet hard to prove. This novel brings the crime of stalking to the forefront of society and the author is hopeful that it in reading this novel, it will help the victim understand that their emotions and fears are normal. Although this novel does not elaborate on ways to stop stalking, it is written only to help the victim. Hopefully, one day the laws of stalking will change and harder sentences will be handed down to the perpetrator.
The author would like to thank the following people for helping her with the research and process of law in Pennsylvania concerning the hearing and police work, arrests, sentencing guidelines for criminals, encouragement, graphics and photography. Without these people, this project would not have been possible.
Melissa Rudas, Esq. (Legal)
Noria DeLuzio, Esq. (Legal)
Eric Harding (Graphic Design)
Isabella Manasses (Photographer)
Tara Meyer-Robson (Encouragement, positive influence,creative guidance and mentor.)
Judge Gay Lee Elwell (Court proceedings and protocol)
For Judge Gay Lee Elwell
05/22/58 -12/03/2012
The Panties Thief
A true-crime novel by Joanne Moore
Chapter One
He found a spot about ten feet into the woods with a perfect view of the driveway.
He waited patiently until Dana, dressed in blue jeans, sneakers and a brightly colored winter jacket came out of the house.
He saw his dog by her side. Sam, the Lab. He loved Sam and had even picked him out of the litter of puppies two years ago.
She opened the passenger side of the red Chevy Blazer and the dog leaped into the front seat. How many times had he washed that car? Vacuumed its interior? Kept it running perfectly? He watched as she walked around the front and got in the driver’s side.
Her long dark hair flowed out from the bottom of a knit cap. She was tall, almost as tall as he was. Her green eyes mystified him, even now. At age 29, she looked 22. She was beautiful. She would always be beautiful to him. He saw her lean over to the dog sitting upright beside her in the seat. She nuzzled the dog’s face with hers.
He calmly watched as she drove off. He turned and looked around, carefully taking in all of the scenery. No one was in sight. He walked out of the woods toward his home.
He quietly entered the house and stopped to make sure no one else was inside. He was alone. He ventured methodically from room to room, taking his time, admiring the professionally hung artwork, running his hand over the walls, marveling at the beautiful, natural woodwork, and becoming yet again familiar with his dwelling.
Once upstairs, he walked into the makeshift office and turned on the computer.
He knew the password to her email, and he downloaded her new messages. Some were from her friends. Two were from her sister. He read them. No big deal. One was from a man; a name he did not know. A spurt of anger blanketed him and his face reddened with rage.
Looking around, he found a notepad. He wrote the man’s name and email address on a small piece of paper and stuffed it into his pants pocket. He read the message from the man then deleted it, along with the other messages in her inbox. He deleted the deleted items. She’d never know. He shut the computer down and left the room.
He walked into the bathroom and urinated in the toilet. He flushed it and washed his hands, using the purple scented soap in the dish on the vanity. He dried his hands with a towel hanging from a round chrome towel holder.
He opened the medicine cabinet above the sink. It contained a bottle of store brand aspirin, an old prescription for an antibiotic, deodorant and an array of hair care products. He took the deodorant, lifted his shirt and applied it to his underarms.
He went into their bedroom and lay on the neatly made bed for a while. The paisley comforter smelled like Dana. He rolled over and placed his head face down into one of the pillows and took in a deep breath through his nose. He smelled her hair spray and some perfume on the pillow sham.
The room was painted white, a color that enhanced the natural woodwork. The color was called “eggshell white.” He had chosen it himself. Heavy drapes that matched the bedding hung from the ceiling-to-floor windows.
The large antique bed was placed perfectly centered over a thick, wool plain blue rug. He prided himself on his eye for the colors he’d chosen for the room, which he found warm and inviting.
He stood and smoothed out the bed, making sure it was exactly as she had left it. He walked over to the dresser and began going through her drawers.
Chapter Two
It was cold outside. Mid-January seemed to be the worst and with cold weather it always seemed as though her hands were the first to feel the effect of the icy air. A painful numbness set in, even though she wore gloves.
She continued forward on the path along the Monacacy Creek, now beginning to feel the frigid numbness in her thighs.
Patches of snow leftover from a storm two weeks ago covered some areas of the trail. The ground was frozen, so the walking was easier than when it was muddy. She knew the path well; had hiked it every day for the past two years. Even though it was in Bethlehem, it was well worth the drive for her. She had seen each of the seasons change along the path and was looking forward to the spring bloom of wild shrubbery and trees.
Sam, the Yellow Labrador Retriever dashed in and out of the wooded area that bordered the path, seemingly unfazed by the frosty temperature.
She loved coming here in the late afternoon because the path was nearly void of people. The joggers had come and gone before noon and the families with children had already headed back to their warm homes in time for dinner. But the temperature on this particular Sunday was hovering at just over zero degrees.
She looked at her watch. 4:22 p.m. She had been hiking for only seven minutes but it seemed like ages. Sam needed at least another 40 minutes or he would drive her nuts for the rest of the day. He needed to de-energize. Damned if I do, and damned if I don’t. He needs to run off some energy and I need to get warm.
Sam, slowing his pace, wandered down the bank of the river.
“No Sam,” She warned. “DO NOT GO…”
Too late. He bounded into the icy water and swam toward the middle of the river, making easy headway against the gentle current. She rolled her eyes. Oh to hell with it. Let him swim. Better him than me, she thought with a smile. She picked up a stick, snapped it in half against her knee and tossed it into the water. Sam immediately redirected himself and swam toward the stick, lurching forward as if on an important mission. He reached out with one final push, took the stick in his mouth and turned around to swim back toward the river bank.
He climbed up the embankment, proudly displaying his trophy.
“Drop it!” She commanded.
Obediently, he dropped the stick at her feet and looked up at her expectantly.
She saw him slip into what had become an all too familiar warning-like body language: he was about to shake off.
She jumped away, but he was far too determined to inflict torture on his owner. Spaying her with river water, his body began the infamous dog body shake, starting at his head and ending with perfect form, at his tail.
“Thanks,” She said sarcastically. “I needed a shower anyway.” “Let’s go,” She commanded.
He obeyed and they turned around and resumed their trek toward the parking lot.
She could see only one other car in the lot at the beginning of the trail. She put Sam’s leash on him, and pressed the button for the remote to unlock her car. Her timing was perfect. The last remnants of daylight were rapidly disappearing the way it did in winter. Full nightfall would soon be upon the forest.
Sam hopped onto his place in the front seat, which was covered with an old sheet. An old towel lay crumpled on the floor on the passenger side of the SUV.
Sitting in the driver’s seat, Dana turned toward the passenger side floor, straining enough to snatch up the towel. She gave him a quick once over, rubbing his back, belly and tail. She draped the towel over his head, making him look like a poor old Slovak woman wearing a babushka. She laughed as she took the towel off his head and tossed it back on the floor into a crumpled pile. Oh well, it would freeze over anyway. She put the car in gear and began the 20 minute drive back to her home in Bath.
Chapter Three
As she drove, Dana found herself thinking about her father. She missed him, as she always did while growing up.
She loved her mother, but never understood why her father was taken from her at such a young age.
Dana and her older sister Janie were raised by their mother, Ann Miller in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Dana’s father had been killed in a car accident in 1977. Samuel Miller was the owner of Sam’s Towing, Inc.
During the late afternoon of a cold November day, he received a call from AAA that a woman had locked her keys in her car. Ann was in the kitchen preparing dinner.
Their daughters’ Janie, age five and Dana, age three were making a ruckus on the second floor of the house. Samuel had been watching a movie on television.
He hung up the phone and reluctantly got up from the sofa, went outside into his garage, took a multi-car-opening tool from the tow truck and tossed it onto the front passenger seat of his Ford Pinto. He popped his head into the kitchen and spoke to his wife.
“I’ll be back in a bit.”
Ann walked over to the door, kissed him briefly then smiled at him and resumed her work in the kitchen.
He made the five mile trip from his home in Allentown, Pa. to the small town of Macungie, knowing this would be a quick call. He wanted to get back to the Clint Eastwood Marathon he’d been watching.
Within five minutes of retrieving the woman’s keys from her car, he was on his way home.
Light snow was falling that night. He was on Route 100 heading east toward Allentown when the Pinto started sliding. He slowed, carefully tapping the brakes when necessary.
While proceeding through a green light at the intersection of Route 100 and Brookline Road he glanced to his left just in time to see the tractor trailer coming through the intersection. Everything slowed down as the eighteen-wheeler smashed into his driver’s door, sending Samuel’s car careening toward a telephone pole. Samuel died instantly from blunt force trauma.
Dana answered the knock at the door later that night. The little girl with the rosy complexion, green eyes and dark curly hair looked up to see two State Policemen staring down at her.
After the funeral, Ann Miller, a no-nonsense, strict but loving mother, was determined to plow forward in her life after the tragedy. She returned to work as a nurse at Sacred Heart Hospital in Allentown, just one week after the accident.
She worked days in a Medical/Surgical Unit. She was able to show the same amount of compassion and care to her patients she had in the past, in spite of the gaping open wound inside of her heart.
Ann was strong in her resolve not to let the girls see the agony she felt from the loss of the man she had loved nearly all of her life. But one night, only three months after the accident as Dana lay in her bed, she heard the unmistakable sound of sobs coming from her mother’s bedroom.
Dana crept out of her bed and darted into Janie’s room, jumping into her bed and throwing the covers over her head. Janie, awake and also very much aware of the wrenching sobs coming from their mother’s room, put her arms around her little sister and held her throughout the night.
Over the years Ann pushed the girls in their studies and stayed up late at night many times going over spelling words and math problems with Janie and Dana. She guided them through life and, by example, taught them the need for good manners, morals and a great love of people and respect for nature. She instilled in her daughters the meaning and importance of honestly, compassion and forgiveness, as well as the rewards one is able to reap when they have the ability to recognize their own faults.
Thanks to good financial planning, Samuel Miller departed this life, leaving his wife with a comfortable savings, a number of good investments and over $100,000.00 thousand dollars in life insurance. The settlement from the trucking firm responsible for Samuel’s death allotted her an additional $500,000.00 dollars to be divided equally amongst his surviving wife and daughters.
Ann was frugal, living below her means. She took the baton passed to her by her late husband and was able to put the settlement money aside and live solely on her salary. She used some of the money to send the girls to summer camp and another time for orthodontic care and braces.
Dana was a typical teenager; confused and anxious to leave the hell that is adolescence. She excelled in her high school studies. With her mother’s kind and loving encouragement coaching Dana every step of the way, Dana held firm in the conviction that she would not be derailed from her studies by peer pressure.
She was a popular girl who attended an occasional party, but never allowed the drinking and drug scene that ran wildly rampant at her high school to infiltrate her being. Her mother had endured enough pain and Dana was not about to cause her more grief. Instead, Dana stayed as impartial as possible with her classmates. She got along well with everyone, kept to herself, maintained a small but close circle of friends and stayed out of trouble.
She enrolled in Syracuse University in upstate New York in the fall of 1992.
It was at Syracuse that Dana re-discovered a passionate love of nature that her mother always had. After discovering Lincoln Park with its beautiful hills and views of the city, she began hiking its trails on weekends. Her tuition was paid by the college fund set up for her in both her and her mother’s name on her eighteenth birthday.
After her second year, she shared a small but comfortable apartment off-campus with a young woman with whom she had become friends. Her name was Katie Michaels. They got along well; both of them being neat-freaks and sharing similar interests in art and nature.
The most common bond they shared was the desire to do well in college. Mostly their nights were spent in silence, studying for exams or reviewing the material given by instructors that day.
They shared the cost of the food and utilities; Dana’s share fed by the stipend allowed by the trust.
Her mother would not approve disbursement of funds for her to buy a car, which annoyed Dana throughout her entire four-year tenure Syracuse. Her mother stood firm in her decision on that issue, telling her daughter that the last thing a college kid needs is a car.
Although vehemently opposed to her mother’s position, Dana knew in her heart why her mother felt so strongly about the issue. With all the parties and drinking on and off campus, Ann was not about to risk losing another loved one.
Dana graduated in 1996 with her degree in graphic design. Upon graduation, her mother allotted enough money to Dana for the purchase of a new car. She chose a brand new red Chevy Blazer 4X4. She was also offered enough money for a down payment on a home of her own, but Dana chose to put the money aside for a few years. She knew that someday she would want to be self-employed and would save the money for that purpose.
Katie, originally from the Philadelphia area was an accounting major. Although the two had remained friends throughout their four years at Syracuse, Dana moved back to Pennsylvania, and Katie continued her schooling to obtain her Master’s Degree and ultimately passing the test for her certification in public accounting. They lost touch after Dana moved back to Pennsylvania.
A few years went by and one afternoon, Dana was pleasantly surprised to receive a phone call from Katie. Katie had coincidentally planned to set up a private practice in Bethlehem. Pa.
Bethlehem was about seven miles south east of Bath. Katie chose Bethlehem for the small-town feel of the Bethlehem community. Her office was amongst many dress shops and cafes on the very quaint, tree lined, Main St. Although the rent in this area of town was extraordinarily expensive, her business began to thrive almost immediately.
The two rekindled their friendship immediately and had a sister-like relationship. They spoke almost on a daily basis and had a tradition of meeting for lunch at least once per month.
Katie had been Dana’s main source of emotional support through her break up with David. Dana was grateful for Katie’s kindness and broad shoulders, upon which Dana cried many times. Katie was a true friend. She did not fuel Dana’s fire by telling her what she thought Dana wanted to hear. Katie was straight and honest with her advice, even if it involved constructive criticism or words Dana needed to hear if she needed to be set straight on an issue. She had enormous respect and love for Katie and Katie felt the same about Dana.
Dana happened to land her first job at an advertising firm also located in Bethlehem. She rented a first floor two bedroom apartment on the north side of town, within walking distance to the downtown area. She used one of the bedrooms as her own and the second one as her in-home office.
Bethlehem was separated from Allentown by two bridges that crossed the Lehigh River. She could be at her mother’s house in 15 minutes if the need arose. She would have her independence and still have her family nearby.
The Lehigh Valley, as it is referred to, includes the cities of Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton, along with a spattering of smaller towns outside the perimeter of the three larger towns. Centrally located in Eastern Pennsylvania it is a two hour drive to New York City and an hour to Philadelphia. Dana loved “The Valley” and called it home. It felt good to be back in her element. She also saw the area as an excellent starting place for her life’s career.
Her high level of intelligence combined with a vivid imagination, her artistic ability and a desire to succeed, allowed her to excel in creating unique and eye catching computer images for her company’s clients.
Her older sister Janie, following her mother’s career path, was finishing the Master’s Of Nursing program at DeSales University and continued to live at home and commute the short distance from Allentown to the DeSales’ campus in Center Valley, Pa.
Janie had chosen DeSales not only for the college’s Nursing program, but for the convenience of being close to her mother.
In 1999, Dana made the transition from employee to employer. She had dreamed of starting her own business since college graduation. Her three year stint at the ad agency had given her both the needed skills and the motivation to break off onto her own.
Her mother and sister, knowing Dana’s potential, hailed her decision.
Dipping into the last of her trust fund, Dana began running her own business out of her apartment. Clients came from word of mouth advertising and within a few years, Dana was running a small but thriving business.
She continued her education in the form of seminars and training workshops;keeping herself up-to-date with the latest information technology trends.
She developed an assortment of new friends through both clients and competitive agencies. With some clients located in Philadelphia and New York City, she often traveled to those cities to meet with her customers. She tried to keep her travel to a minimum and to consolidate trips into one or two days whenever possible.
Chapter Four
Dana was 24 when she met David during the summer of 1998. He was 38-years-old and an advertising executive with an Allentown firm. They started dating heavily right from the start. Dana laid down the professional ground rules for him: David needed to be loyal to his firm and Dana needed to be loyal to her employer as well.
Rather than deal with the competition and any possible conflict of interest, David made a career move into municipal management. He took a job as the City Manager for The City of Easton, Pa. When Dana started her own business in 1999, the issue became moot.
After a two year stint with the City of Easton, in 2000, David moved to work for himself in the private sector of marketing.
With their lives seemingly in sync, the relationship grew. They dined at good restaurants. He showered her with expensive gifts. The relationship continued to progress despite a few break ups for a few months at a time. In May, 2001 he proposed to her while on a cruise to the Caribbean. It seemed as if they had worked out all the kinks in the relationship. Dana felt ready to marry but more than that, she wanted to marry David. They talked about the life they could have together and they agreed that children, and lots of them, would be a part of their family.
When they returned from the cruise, they started looking at homes in the rural areas outside of the Lehigh Valley.
The home in Bath was the third place they looked at and 30 days later, on a hot day in June, 2001 they walked away from the settlement, house keys in hand.
Unbeknownst to Dana, David’s credit was terrible and when they initially went to finance the home, she was first made aware of his credit situation at that time. This took her completely by surprised, but since the transaction was rushed, she put her disappointment in him aside and plowed forward with the mortgage application.
She wanted that home. The bank took into consideration Dana’s good credit as well as a large down payment.
Although they had financed the home together, David, by himself would never have been able to get financing. He was, however, able to come up with a larger lump sum of money. Dana never pursued the issue or asked where he got the money. She was just happy that he was somehow contributing.
After several months of living in the home together, Dana realized that dating and living together were two totally separate situations; both living together and marriage were decisions that should not be taken lightly.
She began to notice that her feelings for David were changing. Little things he did were beginning to annoy her.
He hung his wet shower towel on the door knob of their bedroom. He tossed his clothes on the floor of the bedroom for Dana to clean up. He tracked mud into the house after walking Sam. He chewed with his mouth opened. To Dana, the list of irritants could have gone on and on. She knew they were petty, but the fact that they bothered her so much told her that she had some serious underlying issues concerning their relationship.
She caught him lying on many occasions, but he was quick to back pedal and rationalize his words to her. She accepted his explanations but not without a building suspicion in her mind. Her suspicions turned into a total dislike for him and like some sort of vicious cycle, the small irritating habits he had seemed magnified to Dana, causing the love she once had for this man to dwindle.
Once she got past her own denial and it became clear that he was not what she had been looking for in a soul mate, she asked him to move out. He reluctantly agreed.
Clearly he was in love with her and did not want the relationship to end, but he was not one to argue either.
In early August of 2002, he moved out.
By that time, she had no love left in her heart for him. She was disappointed more than anything during their split up. Dana retained possession and full responsibility of the home. He took with him only his personal items. He also agreed to sign a quit claim deed, taking his name off the deed of the home, but leaving his name on the mortgage.
Initially, their relationship had remained cordial and cooperative in dividing up the personal property. It was a very simple and amicable separation. They decided that going back to their former lives of simply dating would be better for the relationship.
But Dana had her doubts. She knew herself well enough to know that once a certain line is crossed with her; once her feelings for a person had changed there would be no going back.
They saw each other sporadically that month, but by September, Dana made it clear that she no longer wanted him in her life. David’s reaction surprised her. He had no reaction at all.
Chapter Five
The car had warmed up and her hands had thawed as she pulled into the driveway of her house on Grant Road. She marveled at her dwelling as she had on many occasions in the past.
The property surrounding the 100-year-old brick farmhouse included a half of an acre of thick wooded brush that deliberately blocked a newer housing development about 400 yards away. It also included about one third of an acre behind the home, which Dana had fenced in for Sam.
The subdivision was called Riverdale. She referred to it as McMansionville.
The homes were cheaply built. Some ambitious contractor had made a fortune turning a lovely wooded 30-acre tract into a bunch of yuppie homes. The homes were exactly the same except for the obvious competitive front yard landscaping.
Each spring, the owners seem to exhibit a yard obsession. They spent countless hours planting flowers and shrubs, and then mulching. Bunch of yard Nazis, she thought with humor.
The residents of Riverdale were high-salary business people with the perfect job, perfect family and perfect cars. Dana snubbed them, rather preferring to enjoy the home she loved that was filled with so much character. A home that she was sure was loved over the past century by many a mother, father and, she hoped, many a child.
It remained nestled in what was left of the wooded area surrounding the home. The home itself, measured about 2000 square feet of living space. It was far enough from McMansionville for her to have her privacy.
Dana made sure to keep as much of the original structure, including the flooring in her home intact. Upon entering the front door, the first room off to the right of the hallway was a large living room, which included a large stone walk-in fireplace with large bay windows encasing each side. The wide plank pine floors were discovered when she lifted up a sample of old carpeting from a corner in the room. She continued to lift, cut and remove row after row of the carpeting, finally exposing the beautiful flooring. She did nothing to change the floors except to clean them.
The walls were painted in a deep barn-red color, which enhanced the look by an Oriental rug and soft overstuffed furniture.
The hallway, also consisting of the wide plank flooring was highlighted by newly installed pewter colored lighting placed every five feet on the top of the right side of the wall. It then led to a wide dining room furnished only with a small mahogany hutch and matching dining room table that seated six.
To the right of the dining room a door opened into a spare bedroom.
At the very end of the home was a large eat-in kitchen. The kitchen was described by the realtor as semi-modern. That meant it had a built-in dishwasher. Lots of worn antique cabinet space spanned the upper walls and below the countertop. Her goal was to replace the countertop with slate.
Old linoleum remained on the floor; tattered but clean. That too had to go. A small laundry room was part of the kitchen, but separated by white louvered doors. The back door, including a doggie door led outside to the fenced-in yard for Sam.
The second floor had three bedrooms; a large room to the left beneath the attic stairway, and two additional rooms on the right hand side. The largest room was her master bedroom, which again was decorated with her desire to preserve the old character, such as an oak antique bedroom set.
She also allowed some modern conveniences, such as newer, more contemporary recessed lighting in the bedroom. The second bedroom was used as her office and the third was her second guest room/junk room.
Chapter Six
When David lived with her, paying the bills came easy, but he had been gone nearly five months. She had to buckle down and the renovations had to stop.
She preferred the financial struggle to having David around. He had a problem with lying and that topped her list of turn-offs in any relationship.
She found it difficult to spot a really good liar, because if they are good, they also tend to be careful and frustratingly convincing.
During the first few months following their break-up, he’d called her several times asking that she change her mind about their relationship. Dana held firm in her decision.
While dating him, she tried to revert back to the way things used to be with him, but it just didn’t work for her.
He was a liar. She knew that someone with that awful characteristic would never change, unless they underwent a frontal lobotomy.
With the terms of the break up settled she saw no other reason talk to him and began refusing to speak to him when he called. His only connection to her was that his name remained on the mortgage.
Things were quiet for a while, but within about two months following their final break up, David showed up back into her life. He began by sending emails and calling sporadically. She was carefully consistent in not responding to the numerous email messages he sent.
He left numerous messages on her answering machine calling her a piece of white trash and a slut. Seemingly within hours, the next message was one where he asked her out to dinner. His tone was erratic in each of the messages.
In one email, his words were filled with an outpouring of the pain he felt without her in his life. She read the message, feeling guilty, but the next message he sent reaffirmed her decision in ridding him from her life.
The message read that she was a slut and that he hoped she burned in hell. She was slightly unnerved by his words but chalked it up to a case of him needing to vent.
She was sure to keep and file the emails and save the voice messages in case things with him ever got out of control. Dana took precaution whenever necessary.
She hoped he would stop contacting her, and within a month he did. Over the past month, it seemed as if he’d again faded into the background.
She hoped he had a new girlfriend; preferably one with very few brain cells. That way he could lie all he wanted and she’d never know. A match made in heaven.
I’m so glad he’s out of my life. I can’t believe I was ever with such a jerk, she thought, turning the key to the back door. The house was dark. Feeling for the familiar switch just inside the door, she snapped on the hallway lights.
Chapter Seven
Sam and all of his 90 pounds pushed her aside in his race to get into the house, nearly knocking her to the ground. Nose to the floor, his tail was wagging furiously as he bolted toward the staircase, and barreled up the steps.
Alarms went off in her head. She looked around then carefully and quietly made her way into the kitchen. She grabbed an 18 inch skillet off of the stove.
Holding the iron pan, she hurriedly made her way back down the hallway and tip-toed up the steps. She reached the top just as Sam, now at the entrance to her bedroom, rounded the corner into the room.
He was greeting someone with heavy panting and a gyrating body. She could hear his tail thumping rhythmically against a wall and his toe nails scratching the hardwood floor.
Carefully, her back against the wall, she inched her way toward the doorway, both hands gripping the handle of the skillet at her right side.
She reached her bedroom door and stopped; her body rigid against the wall.
“Who’s there?” She asked, trying to hide the terror in her voice. She strained to listen but heard nothing except Sam’s happy panting. She suddenly wished she had gotten a Pitt Bull. Sam would be happy to see Ted Bundy! Okay. Be strong. Be tough. Damn-it, why don’t I have a gun in the house?
One good swat with this pan over the head should knock whoever this is down. I’ll whack him and run like hell.
Mustering up her nerve, heart pounding, she turned the corner and stood in the doorway of her bedroom to confront the intruder. She relaxed her grip on the skillet and lowered it.
“What are you doing here?” She asked in an angry and stern demeanor.
Her fear transformed immediately into a state of confusion. He was standing against the far wall; shame apparent in his eyes.
“I want to talk to you.”
“I have nothing to say to you. How did you get in here?” she asked him, her tone remaining strong even though her legs were about to collapse.
Familiar as he was to her, the reality of the situation was beginning to sink in. His presence was both unwelcome and confusing, but at the same time, she knew him; had lived with this man. He would never hurt her. Would he? A jolt of adrenaline shot through her body and she tightened her grip on the handle of skillet.
“Dana, I need to speak to you…I want to….I don’t know…what I want,” He answered softly.
She locked her eyes with his, and then turned carefully to go downstairs.
As she left the room, he was reaching down to scratch Sam on the head.
“911 what is your emergency?”
“This is Dana Miller at 718 Grant Road. I came home tonight and my ex-boyfriend is in my house,” she said, beginning to lose her calm but stern tone. “His name is David Keaton. He’s about six feet tall, blue eyes, dark hair, medium build. Send someone out immediately please!”
“Does he live at the residence ma’am?”
“He moved out this past August. I’m not sure why he’s here or what he wants.” Her mind began to race after hearing her own words. Her imagination was now running wild.
“There are two units in route to your home Miss Miller. Stay on the phone with me. Where is he right now?”
“Upstairs in my bedroom, I think,” she answered. “I can’t tell. I’m in the kitchen. How long will it take to get someone out here?”
“The units are in route and should be there shortly. Stay on the phone with me,” the dispatcher repeated.
“Don’t worry. I will,” she said.
Dana clutched the phone to her ear and strained to see around the corner. She looked through the dining room and could see the stairs at the far end of the room. She heard a floorboard creak over her head. Another jolt of adrenaline shot through her body. She continued to watch the steps, and could tell by the creaking above her that he was walking down the staircase. She realized that she was still holding the skillet.
“Excuse me!” She said into the phone. “He’s coming downstairs now!”
“Stay on the phone with me ma’am.”
Sam, completely unbiased in this situation had come back downstairs and seated himself by her side.
David descended the staircase as if it were the most natural thing in the world to be in her home He walked casually into the kitchen and leaned against the counter opposite her. He was wearing jeans, a dark hooded sweatshirt and sneakers. She saw no sign of a weapon. She noticed that he had put on weight. His hair was disheveled and he hadn’t shaved in a few days.
“I can’t believe you are calling the police on me,” He said softly, his eyes leveled with hers. The shame was gone from his gaze. She saw no emotion and his calm tone was giving her the chills. Why was he being so nonchalant about all this? Has he lost his mind? She came home and he was in her house. The bizarre nature of the situation was beginning engulf her.
“And I can’t believe you came into my house. How did you get in?” she asked again, her voice rising in a deliberate attempt to show strength and lack of fear.
“You are a complete asshole. And what the hell were you doing in my bedroom?”
The female voice on the other end of the phone interrupted.
“Ma’am, please don’t confront your intruder. Just stay calm. The officers are pulling into your driveway right now.”
Headlights shone through her windows.
“Dana,” David said. “Hang up the phone.” She ignored him.
“Okay. I see a cruiser,” She said into the phone. “I’m going to hang up and open the door for them,” She said, still maintaining eye contact with David.
Thank God! She hung up the phone and ran down the hallway toward the front door.
David did not follow her and remained in the kitchen calmly leaning up against the counter. She hurried outside and down the front steps, tossed the frying pan into the grass, and walked deliberately to the first of two police cars.
“He’s inside,” She said to the first policeman as he was half way out of his cruiser. He was older with gray hair and an extra large belly. His badge read Zingle. His partner, who looked to be about Dana’s age and, in contrast to Officer Zingle, had a thinner build, got out from the passenger’s side of the car.
The second car’s troops were quickly exiting their vehicle. They were two men in full patrol uniform. They were young; in their twenties, with military style buzz haircuts. They looked like twins.
“Is he armed?” Asked Officer Zingle.
He hurried toward the house. Dana and the other three kept up his pace behind him. Even with his hasty pace, she could have passed him in seconds. The cache of crime-stopping gadgets in his belt was beating against his body as he hustled along.
“I didn’t see whether he had a weapon. He was in my bedroom when I got home then he came down to the kitchen. He’s acting really strange…..like too calm…like a robot or something.”
As they approached the front door of the house, Officer Zingle’s partner whose name badge indicated that he was Officer Jones, put his hand on her shoulder and said, “wait right here.”
Dana stopped and waited outside. She sat down on the bottom of three concrete steps and took in a deep breath. It was cold outside, but she was sweating. The cold air felt good.
The other two young cops automatically went in separate directions around the house toward the back yard. Zingle and Jones carefully approached the door which was wide open. Each of them stood near oppostes sides of the door, careful to avoid the front of it, guns drawn.
Officer Zingle, being older and probably more experienced, spoke in a respectful but firm voice. “Mr. Keaton? Bath Police Department! We’d like to come in and talk to you.”
Dana heard David say something but she couldn’t make out his words.
“Okay Mr. Keaton. We’re gonna come in and we want you to lie down on the floor and put your hands behind your head. Okay?”
Dana strained to hear another inaudible from David. With that they quickly entered Dana’s home. One of the younger guys returned from behind the house and stood near Dana for about five minutes.
“Don’t go inside the house yet,” He warned. His radio crackled to life. He spoke into it and placed it back in the holster on his hip.
“Okay, we are secure, let’s go talk to this guy Miss Miller,” He said.
She followed him into the house. The police had searched David. She did not see that he had a weapon and he was being very cooperative.
Zingle had placed handcuffs on his wrists and his hands were behind his back. They must have decided that the dining room would be a nice place to have a friendly chat. David was sitting in a high back wooded chair at the long, mahogany dining room table. Except for the fact that his hands were behind his back, he looked as if he was ready to have a meal served.
Officer Zingle said something unintelligible into his police radio. It cracked and a female voice said something back to him. He put the radio on his hip and pulled out a notepad.
“What is your name sir?” He asked David.
“David Keaton.”
“This lady says that you broke into her house. Is that true?” Dana stood silently against the wall opposite his chair, her arms folded across her chest. Officers Jones and Zingle sat at the table in side-by side chairs from which David sat. The third and fourth officers were monitoring the front door and back doors.
“I’m not saying another word,” David said.
“You are not saying another word?” Dana asked, her voice rising two octaves. “Brilliant David, you come in here like you own the place and now you won’t explain yourself? What’s the matter? Can’t think of a good lie off the top of your head?”
Officer Zingle spun around, looked at Dana and said, “You need to calm down. Right now! Let us do our job, okay?”
“Okay,” Said Dana without hesitation.
He stared at her, giving his warning a moment to register. Against her better judgment, and given the circumstances, Dana thought it best to listen to him.
Officer Jones turned and asked her, “Now, do you wish to press charges against him?"
“Absolutely,” She said, her voice rising. “I don’t want him back here ever again. I also have emails he sent and voice mails he left on my answering machine if you want to hear them.”
Zingle turned slowly around and looked at Dana. “Why don’t you show Officer Jones those messages and let me talk to Mr. Keaton.”
She left the room with Officer Jones in tow. She heard Zingle speaking into his radio. It sounded like something about a search and arrest. Dana led Officer Jones upstairs to her office, where she played the voicemails for him. She then turned on her computer and on her email program, under the Saved file, showed him the emails. She printed them off before he could ask her to do so.
As they were coming back down the stairs, Dana heard Office Zingle say, “Mr. Keaton, We’re going to have to search your vehicle. Where is it parked?”
“It’s across the woods parked in Riverdale Subdivision,” David answered. His tone was friendly as if he could have been doing a kind deed by giving a stranger directions.
Dana let out an exasperated gasp.
Officer Jones led her into the living room and asked her to remain there while the search was being conducted.
“It’s for your own safety Ma’am,” He said.
She heard David say, “I’ll take you to it if you want me to.”
She heard the back door open and close, then silence. Three officers left her alone in the living room with Officer Jones.
“What’s going on?” she asked him.
“Sergeant Zingle will be in to talk with you in a minute,” He said, eluding her question.
Twenty five minutes later the three of them returned with David. Officer Zingle came back inside and walked into the living room, standing in front her.
“I’m going to need some information from you Dana,” He said.
Officer Jones left the room and she watched as he went up the staircase.
Officer Zingle, now speaking in a more compassionate tone, questioned her for over twenty minutes, asking mostly mundane questions about her proper name and her work. He inquired specifically about her past relationship with David; questions that she answered carefully. With each answer she gave, he wrote slowly on a notepad.
About halfway through her statement, Officer Jones descended the steps and approached Officer Zingle. He said something into his ear, which Dana could not decipher. Jones looked at Dana.
"So he never had a key?” He asked.
“Not to my knowledge,” She said.
Officer Jones wandered out of the room.
“And you said the place was locked up pretty tight?” Asked Officer Zingle.
“Yes. I live alone so, I’m very careful about that.”
“Well, we are seeing no sign of any forced entry.”
“Okay, so how did he get in? I changed all of the locks when he moved out last year.”
“We’ll have to ask him. He did have a small flash light on him, which, under these circumstances, is considered a possession of an instrument of crime."
“Why is having a flashlight considered an instrument of crime,” She asked.
“It’s a small but powerful flashlight. Good for walking around a dark house. Anyway, since he had it on him and he was in your home, we can charge him with criminal trespass and probably get him on a possession of an instrument of crime charge too. I’ll be taking him to the station for processing.
He left the room and headed down the hallway toward the kitchen. She heard the back door open and heard one of the twin officers telling David to watch his step.
Dana, still sitting in the living room chair, drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She strained to hear but couldn’t hear David say anything as the officers led him back inside the house. David along with three policemen, were now back in the dining room. Dana remained curled up in the chair in the living room within ear shot.
Officer Jones came into the room and sat with down adjacent to Dana on the sofa.
“Is he going to jail?” She asked. Her bravery was now beset by the prospect that the police would soon be leaving and she would be alone in the house for the night with David safely tucked away in a small jail cell.
“He’ll go before a District Judge, who will set his bail. I’m guessing he’ll spend at least the night in lock up.”
“What happens if he comes back?” Dana asked. “Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it, okay?”
“No. Not okay. Let’s cross that bridge now. I came home tonight and said, and that man was in my bedroom. It scared the shit out of me. I want some affirmation that he will be kept away from me!” She struggled to keep her tone clear and assertive but felt her emotions taking over again.
“Just give us a call if he comes back once he posts bail. You’ll be okay for the night.”
He walked toward the crowd in her dining room and again spoke briefly to his colleague. She could not distinguish what was said. She heard the back door open and close. It was Officer Zingle leaving.
She watched as the three officers walked a handcuffed David past her and out the front door. He glanced into the living room and stared into her eyes as he passed. The calm and shameful look was gone. She saw fury and something else that she could not recognize in his eyes, but the rest of his face was relaxed.
His look sent shock waves through her body. This has made him so mad.
When the front door closed, she quickly walked over to the bay window, and staying off to the side, peeked out through the curtains. She watched as one of the cops placed his hand on top of David’s head and guided him into the back seat of the police car.
Officers Zingle and Jones were looking around the yard with flashlights.
The cruiser holding David backed out of the driveway.
Dana felt a pit in her stomach. She sat down on the sofa and tried to absorb the strange events that had just occurred. Sam leaped up on the sofa beside her as if to offer comfort. She hugged him.
Finally she broke down in heavy sobs. Tears poured out of her eyes and down along her cheeks. She could taste the salty water in her mouth as she sobbed, trying to catch her breath. She was confused, angry, and frightened at the same time. Dana was not so tough after all.
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