Belonging To The Stranger
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“You’ve been gone a long time, haven’t you?” the man said. He was short and thin with deep-set eyes that seemed to be looking right through her. His hair had once been white but now it was mostly gray. It hung in his face like an old woman’s wispy strands of thread. “I’m sorry about your mother.”
She looked up at him from where she sat on the ground beside the fire pit, trying not to appear too frightened by this strange man who’d just appeared out of nowhere without warning or explanation. She didn’t know how he knew anything about her—or why he should care anyway.
But then again, maybe he did have some reason for being here…maybe even one as good as hers. Maybe they were both searching for something lost. Perhaps their paths would cross somewhere along the way and become intertwined somehow. That might make things easier if nothing else.
And besides, there wasn’t much choice involved; either accept what came next or get left behind completely. There really weren’t any other options open to them anymore.
The stranger smiled sadly at her before continuing: “It must feel very lonely down here all alone,” he went on. “But don’t worry. I’ll stay close so no harm can come near you while you’re sleeping.” Then he turned away abruptly and began walking back toward the forest. After a moment, though, he stopped and glanced over his shoulder at her again. “Do you want me to tell you my name? Or do you already know?”
He waited expectantly for her answer.
“My name is…” Her voice trailed off as another thought occurred to her. What if he told her his real name and it was the same as hers? Would that mean she would never find her own true self again after hearing such a thing spoken aloud? No…she couldn’t let herself think like that. If she did, everything would end up hopelessly confused. So instead, she simply shook her head silently.
After watching her for several moments longer, the man finally nodded slowly and continued moving forward into the darkness. As he walked farther away, she could hear the sound of his footsteps fading until eventually, they disappeared entirely.
For a few seconds, she remained sitting motionless beside the fire pit wondering whether or not to follow him but then decided against doing so. Instead, she got to her feet and started following in his wake as quickly as possible.
And when morning arrived, she still hadn’t caught up with him yet.
***
Finally, after more than two months, Daniel managed to find just the right person. His name was Peter, and he worked as a researcher at a pharmaceutical company. At least, that was how he described himself during the interview process.
However, Daniel suspected that he may have lied about his actual job title. Regardless, he was sure that he could trust him. After all, Peter appeared to be trustworthy enough to work for a major corporation such as Pfizer. In fact, he probably had quite a bit of experience working under pressure.
Daniel also liked how friendly he was. When he first contacted him, he immediately responded with enthusiasm and excitement. They exchanged e-mails frequently thereafter, often sharing personal stories about themselves.
Although he tried hard not to reveal too many details about himself, he occasionally slipped up and mentioned certain facts which made clear that he lived in New York City. This information led to further discussions about favorite restaurants, bars, and clubs.
Soon afterward, however, he realized that he shouldn’t have shared those kinds of things because it gave away the location of his apartment building. So he asked Peter to stop talking about such matters altogether, telling him only to use generic terms whenever discussing food, drink, and entertainment around town.
Over the course of several weeks, they gradually became closer friends. Eventually, Daniel felt comfortable enough to ask Peter if he could borrow money from him. He needed it urgently, he explained, since he was currently unemployed and desperately in need of cash. Of course, he assured Peter that he would repay the loan promptly upon receiving his next paycheck.
Peter agreed readily. Besides, he figured, if anyone ever found out that he lent someone money, especially a complete stranger, he would look bad. People would assume he was stupid or greedy. Either way, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself afterward. Therefore, he willingly offered to help Daniel out.
As soon as the check cleared, he deposited it into his bank account and sent an electronic transfer to Daniel’s checking account. Shortly thereafter, he received a message from Daniel thanking him profusely for helping him out.
The amount was exactly $5,000 less than what he owed, but he didn’t mind. It was still plenty of money. Moreover, he was glad to see that Daniel seemed genuinely grateful for his assistance.
A week later, he received another e-mail from Daniel. Apparently, he’d discovered a new job opportunity that required him to relocate to California. Since he wanted to start working there as quickly as possible, he wondered if he could possibly pay back the remaining balance now.
Although he considered asking for a small extension, he ultimately decided against it. After all, he knew that Daniel had been through a difficult time recently. Plus, he really did want to get paid back as soon as possible. That said, he wasn’t going to make any promises. Instead, he replied by saying that he would send the rest of the funds once he returned home.
Several days passed without a word from Daniel. But this time, Peter didn’t respond. A couple of hours later, he received an email from Daniel explaining that he had lost his wallet somewhere along the way. He apologized profusely for being unable to return the remainder of the money but promised to do so as soon as he was able. Then he signed off politely with “Best wishes.”
The next day, Peter went online and checked his bank statement. To his surprise, he noticed that Daniel had withdrawn nearly $10,000 from both of their accounts. And although he recognized the handwriting on the checks, he couldn’t recall writing them. Furthermore, none of the transactions were listed as pending. In other words, they had already cleared.
He called the bank and spoke with one of its customer service representatives. She told him that the withdrawals had occurred over the last three days, most likely while he was traveling between New York and Los Angeles.
Unfortunately, she added, the bank was legally obligated to honor the withdrawal requests even though they weren’t processed electronically. There was nothing he could do about it.
Feeling completely dumbfounded, he hung up the phone and sat down at his computer. Still shaken, he began searching for answers. According to various news articles he read, people who borrowed money from strangers sometimes ended up losing everything. Sometimes, it happened within minutes. Other times, it took years. Nevertheless, it always resulted in financial ruin.
After doing some research, he came across a website that featured dozens of stories about individuals whose lives had been ruined by unscrupulous lenders. Some of these cases involved loans taken out on credit cards; others were secured by real estate properties.
Regardless, every single story ended in tragedy. Most of the victims never saw a dime of the money again. Others committed suicide after realizing that they would probably die penniless.
Still shaken by the experience, he spent the following two months living on a meager diet consisting primarily of rice and beans. His only source of income consisted of sporadic freelance jobs which paid very little.
By the end of October, he finally managed to save enough money to buy a plane ticket back to New York. Upon arriving, he rented an apartment near the city center. Although he continued to work hard, he no longer cared much about earning more money. All he wanted to do was forget about the entire ordeal.
However, despite his best efforts, he couldn’t stop thinking about Daniel. Every night before bed, he dreamed about him: how handsome he looked when he smiled; how kind he appeared whenever he laughed; how intelligent he sounded during conversations; and most importantly, how sad he seemed whenever he thought nobody was watching.
As far as he was concerned, he was a good person who deserved better.
One evening, several weeks later, he heard sirens outside his window. Curious, he peeked out the blinds to discover a police car parked directly below. Four officers stood around the vehicle talking animatedly among themselves. One of them walked towards his building, presumably to ask the landlord for permission to enter the premises.
When he opened the door, however, he immediately realized that something was wrong. For starters, the officer standing beside the patrol car was wearing a bulletproof vest. Secondly, he was carrying a gun in each hand. Thirdly, he didn’t seem to be alone. Two additional men joined him shortly afterward. They also wore body armor and carried guns.
Immediately recognizing the situation as potentially dangerous, he closed the door behind him and retreated to the kitchen. Then he grabbed a knife and hid it under the sink. Once he felt safe, he stepped out onto his balcony and watched as the four men approached his front door. When they knocked, he answered it cautiously.
“Good afternoon,” one of them said. “I’m Detective O’Hara from the NYPD. May I come inside?”
Peter nodded nervously. The detective motioned for him to step aside, then entered his apartment. Several seconds later, he emerged holding a manila envelope.
“This is yours, Mr. Farrar.”
As he reached out to take it, another voice interrupted.
“Hold on a second!”
It belonged to one of the armed men. Turning around, he discovered that there were now six of them surrounding his apartment. Each of them was dressed identically—black suits, white shirts, black ties, and dark sunglasses. Their weapons were tucked neatly into their waistbands.
“What’s going on here?!” Peter exclaimed. “Why are you guys breaking into my place? What do you want with me?”
All of them responded simultaneously.
“We have reason to believe that your neighbor has been lying to us.”
***
A few moments earlier, Peter had returned home from work. He’d just finished unpacking his suitcase when he heard someone knock on his door. Assuming it was his landlady, he went downstairs to answer it. However, upon opening it, he found himself face-to-face with a group of heavily armed policemen instead.
The first thing he noticed was the fact that all five of them were staring straight ahead. It wasn’t until they turned around that he learned why. In addition to being equipped with handguns, they were also wearing bulletproof vests. Furthermore, they were carrying rifles slung over their shoulders. Finally, they were accompanied by two other men whom he assumed to be detectives.
Although surprised, he remained calm nonetheless. After all, this was nothing new. Ever since he moved in, he’d experienced numerous instances where the police showed up unannounced. This time, however, things were different. Why? Because they weren’t looking for him. Instead, they seemed intent on finding somebody else.
Several minutes passed without anyone saying anything. Meanwhile, Peter kept waiting for the cops to explain what was happening. Unfortunately, none of them did. Eventually, he decided to speak up.
“Whoa! Hold on a minute. Who are you guys after? Is it my neighbor?”
He pointed at the man standing next to the cop who’d spoken.
“Is that guy the perp?”
Nobody replied. Instead, they simply stared down at him like he was some sort of criminal. Not knowing what to make of it, he asked again.
“Are you arresting him or not?! If so, can we go somewhere private to talk about it?”
They ignored him once more.
“Look, if you’re gonna arrest him, please let me know right away. Otherwise, I’ll call my lawyer.”
Once again, they refused to respond. At this point, he knew something was seriously wrong. So much so, in fact, that he began to wonder whether these people might actually be terrorists. That possibility only increased when he saw the man who’d spoken earlier approach the table. A moment later, he pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to the detective.
“Here’s his address. We need to question him ASAP.”
The detective looked back at Peter.
“You understand that we don’t have any choice but to search your apartment, correct?”
“Okay… Sure…”
After reading the note, he took a deep breath and nodded. Then he led the way upstairs while the rest followed close behind. As soon as they arrived, he unlocked the door and stepped aside. All six men filed inside and then proceeded to conduct an extensive search of every room.
Although he tried to stay quiet, he couldn’t help letting out a gasp when he spotted a rifle leaning against the wall in the living room.
“Hey! Where did you get that?!”
One of the officers glared at him.
“Don’t worry about it. Just sit tight.”
Then he walked over to the window and peered outside. Seconds later, he returned with a pair of handcuffs dangling from his belt. Before long, three of the others came back carrying several bags filled with various items.
They placed them on the floor beside Peter before leaving the room. When they were gone, he sat down on the couch and waited patiently. Moments later, the remaining officer returned with a manila envelope containing his passport, driver’s license, bank statements, and credit card bills.
“Now, would you mind telling me what’s going on?”
Still ignoring him, the detective continued searching through the contents of the bag. Once he finished, he put everything back inside and closed the zipper. Then he stood up and approached Peter once more.
“I’m afraid we’ve come to the conclusion that your neighbor is guilty of fraud.”
Peter felt his heart sink.
“Fraud? How could that possibly be true?”
As far as he was concerned, his neighbors were perfect.
“That’s what we intend to find out,” the detective said matter-of-factly. “However, we won’t be able to do so unless you cooperate fully.”
“How am I supposed to help if you aren’t even willing to tell me what happened?”
“It doesn’t really concern you. Now, will you please give us a hand?”
He shook his head.
“Sorry, but I refuse to participate in such a ridiculous charade!”
“Oh yeah? Well, how about this: You either assist us willingly or we’ll take matters into our own hands.”
At last, the detective revealed his intentions. Without warning, he grabbed hold of Peter’s arm and dragged him off the sofa. The moment he did, one of his colleagues quickly produced a set of handcuffs and cuffed both wrists together. He then pushed Peter toward the front door.
“What are you doing?! Let go of me this instant!”
Ignoring him, the officer shoved him forward until he reached the entranceway. There, he turned around and locked the door. Then he motioned for two other detectives to join him. Together, they marched across the foyer and headed downstairs. Afterward, they entered the elevator, which promptly ascended to the second floor.
“Wait! What are you trying to prove?! Are you serious?!”
Although he shouted loudly enough to attract attention, nobody responded. In response, he stormed over to the window and threw open the curtains. It didn’t take long for him to spot his neighbor walking past the building.
However, instead of following her, he watched as she stopped by the side of the road and spoke briefly with someone else. She then got into another car parked nearby and drove away.
“This is outrageous! Why does everyone think I’m involved in whatever’s going on here?! And why haven’t you told me anything yet?!”
By now, he was beginning to lose control. His voice rose higher and louder with each passing minute. Unfortunately, no one seemed inclined to listen to him. On top of that, he noticed that the police had begun to surround the house. Clearly, they intended to keep him there until they figured things out.
“What should I do?”
He glanced back at the door, wondering whether he ought to try to escape. But after a few seconds, he gave up on the idea and slumped onto the couch.
“Well, I guess it can’t hurt to wait and see.”
***
Several hours passed without incident. Eventually, the sun began to rise above the horizon. By then, all of the policemen had left except for the ones who guarded the front door. At some point during the morning, the police also confiscated Peter’s phone and laptop, along with several books and magazines.
Furthermore, they removed the rifle from the living room and stowed it somewhere safe.
Eventually, the silence became too much to bear. Although he tried not to let anyone know, he couldn’t stop himself from talking to the empty air.
“Why hasn’t anybody explained any of this to me yet? This is insane! If my neighbors have done something wrong, then fine; just arrest them already! Don’t drag me into their mess!”
The longer he remained silent, however, the angrier he grew. Soon, he found himself shouting again.
“And don’t tell me I need to ‘cooperate’ with these people! They’re treating me like an idiot! Can somebody explain what’s going on before I blow my lid completely?!”
His outburst attracted the attention of one of the officers standing guard outside the front door. When he saw that Peter was still awake, he walked over and asked him to lower his voice.
“Sir, I hate to say this, but we’ve been ordered to detain you for questioning.”
“Questioning? For what reason?”
“We suspect that you may be connected to the crime.”
“You mean…you think I killed Mr. Folsom?”
“No, sir. We only want to ask you a few questions.”
“So, what exactly are those questions?”
“They relate to your relationship with the deceased.”
“But I hardly knew him! All I ever talked to him about was gardening and birdwatching!”
“Nevertheless, we’d appreciate it if you answered our questions truthfully.”
When the policeman made no attempt to elaborate further, Peter decided that he would simply remain quiet and hope for the best. As far as he could tell, the cops weren’t looking for information related to the murder itself. Instead, they were probably interested in finding out more about the victim’s personal life. Given that, he doubted that he needed to worry too much.
After a brief pause, he continued speaking. “Look, I understand that you guys are investigating the death of Mr. Folsom, but I promise you that I wasn’t involved in his killing.”
“I’m sorry,” replied the officer, “but we won’t be able to release you unless we get answers.”
Peter sighed heavily. He had expected this outcome, so he felt little surprise when it finally came. Still, though, he couldn’t help feeling disappointed. The last thing he wanted was to spend the rest of his day cooped up inside the house while the police interrogated him. Although he hadn’t known the man very well, he did feel somewhat responsible for his untimely demise.
In response, he took a deep breath and said, “Okay, I’ll answer your questions. Just give me five minutes alone first.”
“That will be fine.”
As promised, the officer waited patiently before leaving the room. After he closed the door behind him, Peter sat down on the sofa and prepared to speak.
“Alright, I suppose I owe you an explanation. So, here goes…”
***
“Mr. Folsom was a good friend of mine. That’s how I met him, actually—we both worked at the same company.”
A short time later, Peter finished explaining everything that happened between him and his neighbor. Having spoken to the police, he didn’t hold back on sharing every detail of the story. In fact, he even went as far as admitting that he might have accidentally caused the old man’s death.
“It’s true that I used to go fishing with him sometimes, but it never occurred to me to kill him. Besides, I wouldn’t have had enough time to sneak away from work and return home before he died anyway.”
Although the police listened carefully throughout his entire account, they showed no sign of being satisfied with what he had to say. Nevertheless, they seemed content to leave things at that.
“Thank you for answering our questions, sir,” said one of the detectives. “However, there doesn’t seem to be anything suspicious about your involvement in the case. Therefore, we believe it’s unlikely that you’ll face charges.”
“What?! Are you sure?”
“Yes, we’re confident that you played no part in the murder. However, please keep in mind that this investigation is ongoing. Should new evidence arise, we reserve the right to reopen the case.”
“Thanks for clearing that up, Officer.”
With that, the policemen left the house. Once they were gone, Peter got up off the couch and headed toward the kitchen. His plan was to make some coffee, which he hoped would calm his nerves. While waiting for the kettle to boil, he looked around the living room, trying to take stock of his situation.
Then, after taking a sip of the hot drink, he returned to sit down next to the window where he usually spent most of his evenings reading or watching television.
He noticed that the curtains remained open, revealing the street below. It also meant that anyone passing by could easily see into his house. Consequently, he quickly pulled them shut again.
The moment he did, however, he heard someone knock loudly on the front door. Instinctively, he turned around to look through the peephole. To his surprise, he found himself staring directly at two men wearing dark suits.
“Who are you?” demanded Peter.
“Sorry to disturb you, sir,” said one of the strangers. “We need to talk with you.”
“About what? What do you want with me?!”
“Please come outside, Mr. Stuyvesant. There’s something we’d like to discuss with you.”
Although he still didn’t know who these people were, Peter realized that he had no choice but to comply. He grabbed his coat and stepped onto the porch. When he opened the front door, the men entered his home without asking permission.
“Mr. Stuyvesant,” began one of the detectives, “we’ve been given the authorization to search your property.”
“Search my place?” asked Peter. “Why?”
“You may find this hard to believe, but we suspect that you might have committed a crime.”
“Are you serious?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“Well, if you think I killed somebody, then why don’t you just arrest me already?”
“This isn’t about arresting you, Mr. Stuyvesant. We simply need to check whether any incriminating evidence has been hidden somewhere in your house.”
“But…you can’t possibly expect me to let you rummage through all my personal belongings!”
“If necessary, we’ll get a warrant.”
“Fine, whatever. If you must, then do as you wish. But remember: I’m not going anywhere until you tell me exactly what this is about.”
After hearing those words, the police officers exchanged glances. They clearly weren’t expecting such a reaction from their interviewee. Nonetheless, they decided to press on regardless.
“I understand your frustration,” admitted the detective. “Nevertheless, we really need to conduct this search now. Please cooperate.”
Peter sighed heavily. Then, turning to face the policeman standing beside him, he added, “Okay, fine. Just give me a minute to gather my stuff together first.”
While he spoke, Peter walked over to his bedroom and started packing his suitcase. The police watched him closely, wondering what he was doing. Eventually, though, they gave up questioning him and instead focused on searching his house.
As expected, they checked under beds, inside wardrobes, beneath tables, behind cupboards, in drawers, and everywhere else imaginable. After an hour or so, they finally finished and left his residence.
When they did, Peter went back upstairs and sat down on his bed once more. Although he wasn’t happy with having his privacy violated, he couldn’t help feeling relieved that the police hadn’t discovered anything incriminating during their search.
As soon as he felt ready, he put his clothes back on and set out for the station, hoping that the detectives would have made some progress since last night. On the way, he stopped at a café to grab a quick breakfast. By the time he arrived, however, he knew that nothing had changed.
In fact, the only news he received concerned the death of another victim. Apparently, the man named Francis Parker – who’d died six days earlier – had actually been murdered. Nowadays, the newspapers called him the “sixth victim”.
Not long afterward, Peter reached the police station. At least, he thought it was the police station; although when he arrived, he saw no sign of either a building or any other indication that law enforcement officials were present. Instead, there was only a large parking lot filled with cars belonging to various individuals.
“Excuse me,” asked Peter. “Where am I supposed to go?”
A middle-aged woman sitting alone in her car smiled cheerfully. She seemed friendly enough, and she certainly appeared to be very attractive. Nevertheless, Peter ignored her, because he sensed that something wasn’t right.
“Can you please tell me where I should report?” he repeated.
“Report? Oh, sorry! You’re looking for the police station, aren’t you?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Don’t worry, nobody will ever bother you here,” assured the woman. “In fact, you won’t even notice anybody else being here, except maybe for a few people driving past occasionally. That’s how quiet things usually are around here.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means you can relax,” explained the lady. “Nobody wants to cause trouble, especially not in this area. People live peacefully alongside each other, which makes everything much easier. And speaking of living…have you heard the latest news?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Then allow me to enlighten you. It turns out that our sixth victim was found dead yesterday morning. His body was located near a local park, and it looked like someone had strangled him.”
“That sounds terrible,” replied Peter. “Who could have done such a thing?”
The woman laughed. “Oh, don’t look so surprised! Everybody knows who did this. He used to work next door to the murder site, after all. Of course, the authorities didn’t know that yet, but everyone else knew the truth immediately.
Anyway, the murderer is still at large, and everybody’s keeping a close eye on him. So far, though, nobody’s spotted anyone suspicious lurking nearby. Still, I wouldn’t recommend staying outside too late tonight. Who knows what might happen…”
Although the woman sounded sincere enough, Peter remained unconvinced. However, before he could ask any further questions, she suddenly stood up and said, “Well, I’ve got to run. See you later!”
She quickly drove off, leaving Peter puzzled by her strange behavior. Noticing that several other vehicles had pulled into the parking lot, he decided to take a closer look. Sure enough, one of them belonged to a man wearing a suit. When Peter approached him, the stranger glanced at him briefly, then returned his attention to the road ahead.
“Hello,” greeted Peter politely. “Is this where I’m meant to report?”
Still ignoring him, the suited individual continued driving forward. Ignoring his own advice, Peter followed the vehicle until it parked in front of a small brick building. From there, he noticed a few other buildings scattered throughout the neighborhood, including a church, a school, and a shopping mall.
All three structures were covered in graffiti, and none of them appeared to belong to the government. Although most of these buildings weren’t occupied, others contained shops and restaurants that served both locals and tourists alike.
Peter finally caught sight of a policeman standing beside an old wooden desk inside the police station. The officer wore a uniform similar to those worn by the officers who’d interviewed him the previous evening, but he also sported a pair of sunglasses.
“Good morning,” greeted Peter. “I hope I’m not disturbing you.”
“Not at all,” responded the cop. “We always welcome new members. What brings you here today?”
“Actually, I came to offer my assistance.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Absolutely,” answered Peter confidently. “You see, I believe I may have seen the person responsible for killing five men over the past week or two. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a good look at their face, but I think I recognized the voice they spoke with.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. As soon as I realized that somebody was speaking to me from behind the wheel of a car, I started following them without hesitation. Eventually, I managed to catch up with the vehicle and follow it into your parking lot. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to make a phone call.”
After walking away, Peter dialed a number and waited patiently while the line rang. After a moment, a familiar voice picked up.
“Hi, Peter! How are you doing?” asked Alex.
“Fine, thanks,” replied Peter. “But listen: I just wanted to let you know that I’ve been able to identify the killer we’ve been searching for.”
There was silence on the other end of the line. Finally, Alex sighed deeply and said, “So, you actually saw him?”
“That’s right,” confirmed Peter. “He killed another man last night, although I wasn’t present when it happened. But I did manage to spot him again during the day. This time, he was talking to a woman who lives on the same block as the murder scene.”
“And do you want to share what you learned?” prompted Alex.
“Unfortunately, no,” admitted Peter regretfully. “At least not yet. I only told the cops about the conversation I overheard between the killer and the woman. They’re going to keep an extra vigilant eye on her now, and hopefully, they’ll be able to arrest him before long.”
Alex chuckled loudly. “Sounds like you’ve got yourself quite a story to tell. Maybe you should write a book someday. You certainly seem to have plenty of material on your hands. By the way, how did things go with the girl? Did you manage to find a place to stay?”
“Yeah, I found somewhere to crash,” explained Peter. “It’s nothing fancy, but it works out well enough. And yes, I met someone special yesterday. Her name is Rosemary, and she’s a real sweetheart. We spent some time together last night, and I can honestly say that she made my life much better already.”
“How wonderful,” agreed Alex. “Now, why don’t you come back home with me and introduce us properly?”
“Thanks, but I think we should wait a little longer,” replied Peter. “Rosemary and I haven’t known each other very long, so I wouldn’t feel comfortable bringing her around too early. Besides, I still have a lot of work to do. Once I finish writing down everything I remember, I plan to start looking for more clues. Hopefully, I’ll uncover something useful before long.”
“In that case, I wish you luck,” said Alex. “Just try to avoid getting hurt again. Okay?”
“Okay,” answered Peter, smiling warmly. “Bye!”
The End