Read Waiting for Jo for Free Online Page A

open the door with
the softball bat still in my hand. I push Malcolm back with my leg
so that Will can make his way into the house.
    Will looks down at the bat. “You must really
be scared.”
    “I definitely am. Thanks for coming over. You
have no idea how much better it feels to have someone here with
me.” Will makes his way into the living room and bends down to
greet Malcolm. He extends his hand, and Malcolm wags his tail
frantically as he takes a few seconds to sniff it.
    “Have a seat,” I say. I motion toward the
sofa in my living room and he complies. “Can I get you anything to
drink?”
    “No thanks. I’m fine,” Will answers with a
slight grin on his face.
    I look at him curiously. “What’s so
funny?”
    “Well, I was just thinking that you’ll be
fine. You look pretty threatening holding that bat while wearing a
fuzzy pink robe.” I realize how ridiculous I must look and laugh.
His joke lightens my mood and makes me feel at ease. I’m glad that
he’s here.
    Will leans back on the sofa and puts his feet
up on the ottoman, making himself comfortable.
    “So, who texted you?” he asks.
    “I have no idea. The caller ID just said
unknown.” I pull my phone out of my robe pocket and show him the
text. “I had been awake for a while, and I was just drifting back
off to sleep. It made me wonder if someone was actually watching
me.”
    “Geez. I’m sorry you had to deal with that.
That is a seriously creepy text!”
    “Tell me about it. This isn’t the first
communication I’ve received from this stalker either.” I get up
from the sofa and retrieve the cigar box from the bookshelf at the
other end of the living room and hand it to Will. He opens it and
peruses the contents. “I’ve been receiving notes from him for the
last six months or so. They started out pretty innocent, but lately
they’ve had a hostile tone to them. Tonight was the first time the
he’s sent me a text.”
    I then watch Will read every single note. “Do
you remember the order in which you received all this stuff?” he
asks.
    “I think so,” I fiddle with the notes a bit
and do my best to put them in chronological order on the ottoman.
Will is quiet as he takes a few moments to look at everything
again.
    “Please tell me that you plan on calling the
police. I think this guy is getting closer and closer to doing
something crazy.”
    I sit back down on the couch. “I don’t think
so,” I say. “The police never seem to do anything. They always have
a ‘boys-will-be-boys’ attitude. Also, there isn’t anything that’s
even a real threat. What am I going to tell them? Hey officer, I
got a text from someone who wonders if I think about them.”
    “Well, I’m going to try and get you to go to
the police, but if you don’t, I’m at least going to help you find
out who is doing this. I won’t take no for an answer,” Will says
with authority in his voice.
    “That’s really sweet, but--”
    “But, nothing. I know how these guys work,
Jo. I don’t like talking about this, but I had a really good friend
who had to deal with a jerk like this. Sarah, Scotty, and I were
pretty close all throughout high school. During our senior year
Sarah started getting notes like these. They showed up in her
locker and under her windshield wipers. Then the phone calls
started. At first the guy would just breathe loudly. Then he
started saying creepy things in a disguised voice. She brushed it
off too and didn’t go to the police.”
    “Oh my gosh! Did she ever find out who it
was?” I ask.
    “Yeah. One night she was at work at the Dairy
Shack. She and another employee named Mike were alone, closing the
place up for the night. He cornered her and tried to kiss her. She
tried pushing him away, and he slapped her and then pushed her up
against the wall and choked her. Luckily, a customer that had eaten
there earlier in the day had come back to get a pair of sunglasses
he had left. He saw what was going on and yelled for Mike