Stalker by Hazel Edwards Read Free Book Online Page B

started. She wished Max would go inside. But he stood there watching as she turned the wheel, tried to back out and had to go forward again. Until she got the Red Peril out of the carpark and onto the road, Lily was nervous. Then she started enjoying the throb of the engine. At the traffic lights, a young guy glanced at the Red Peril and gave her the thumbs up. She felt terrific, like a real celeb, cruising along in her wheels.
     
    Carefully she indicated, and brought it to a stop at the kerb outside the flat.
    There was no lock-up garage or even a carport. The wall blocked in the back, so she couldn’t even run it up a driveway. The car would have to stay on the roadside. She edged it up partly onto the kerb for protection. Carefully she locked it. Then went back to check. Fine. She hurried towards the house. Just as she put her front door key in the lock, wondering if that was going to work this time, the door opened and Genny shot out.
     
    ‘You’re late back. Thought you were going to give me a lift into the city.’ Looked like Genevieve was working again. She did follow up on things, like job leads. At this rate of working, even at low rates, she might save her fare soon.
     
    ‘I’ve just spent half an hour trying to get the car to start.’
     
    ‘Why?’ Genevieve was burrowing in her bag.
     
    ‘Why do you think? ‘Suddenly the wonderful feeling she’d gained from driving the Red Peril vanished and Lily was back with ordinary stuff, like grumpy flatmates. ‘I couldn’t get the car to start. Well, that’s not right. I couldn’t even get into the car.’
     
    ‘Oh, forgot your keys again, did you?’ Genevieve twiddled with her nose-ring which matched her navel ring. Body space was limited. Even Genevieve couldn’t find enough space for two rings everywhere. But her hair was so spiked, she looked permanently surprised.
     
    ‘No. Someone’s re-programmed the bloody lock. The electronic lock. You know, that beeper thing.’
     
    Genevieve yawned. ‘I didn’t know you had a beeper on the Vomit. You seem to be having problems with keys this week. Don’t blame me. I put the spare key back outside under the African Violet. I don’t know who’s taken it.’
     
    ‘Well you should care. It means someone might be able to get into our place.Just walk straight up and open our door.’
     
    Genevieve shrugged. ‘So? You couldn’t, the other night.’
     
    Genevieve had signed the lease on the flat, only in her name, so Lily was stuck for a while, unless she could find somewhere cheaper.
     
    ‘Why would anyone want to do that?’
     
    ‘I DON’T KNOW!’ Lily shouted. ‘That’s what it’s all about. How can you work out the mind of a nutter. He’s freaky. He just seems to keep doing things which muck up my life for no reason… other than to make me mad.’
     
    ‘You said “he”.’
     
    ‘So?’
     
    Genevieve could really get you going at times. ‘How do you know? It could be a ‘she’.’
     
    Maybe someone had made a mistake. What if Genevieve had driven a stalker mad with her stupidity but he’d got the wrong girl. Lily almost smiled to herself. No-one would buy that theory. Besides Genevieve worked for a tele marketing company, sold her voice, used it for money, as she kept repeating .
     
    ‘I just…know…’ Lily finished lamely. ‘Jamie asked that too.’
     
    ‘Say, who owns THAT?’ Genevieve pointed to the Red Peril gleaming at the kerbside.
     
    ‘Me. For a week. Instead of pay as a volunteer.’ Lily said quickly.
     
    Genny didn’t believe her. Fumbling in her backpack, Lily couldn’t resist zapping the key. This time it worked!
     
    ‘I thought you said ‘he’ changed it,’ said Genny disbelievingly.
     
    ‘Forget it!’ said Lily exploding inside. She wasn’t making things up. This was really happening. Someone was out to get her. The Follower. The Stalker. Call him what you like. He was THERE! What he did was freaky, and it was getting to her. She was