The Midnight Bandit by Melissa Willingham (book series to read .txt) 📕

One she'd spoken with him, he assured her he'd be right over. Cautiously, she proceeded into the house. Janet put away the food and searched for any signs of forced entry or burglary. There seemed to be nothing out of place. At least he hadn't come inside to invade her turf.

Thirty minutes later, Detective Bowers drove up.  A police cruiser pulled in right behind him and a couple of officers stepped out. The men joined Janet on the porch. One officer put on gloves and recovered the gifts, placing them into an evidence bag.  He got out a fingerprint kit and dusted the door, as well as surrounding areas for fingerprints.

Afterwards, Janet led the way into her house. The men looked around for any indication of the perp's having been in the home. Finding nothing, one officer filed a report, taking her statement. Soon, the two officers departed, leaving her to speak with the detective alone.

She invited him to sit down on her sofa and poured him a glass of tea. Settling across from him in a soft armchair, she filled him in on all she knew, regarding the case. With some reluctance, she included what Millicent told her about receiving presents as well. Of particular interest was Alice getting gifts on her doorstep shortly before her rape.

"Detective Bowers, I don't know what I'm going to do. Should I stay here? Will I be safe? Or should I hole up in some motel like Millicent. Maybe I should just disappear like Alice did."

"Please, call me Lee, Miss Hansen," the detective told her. He smiled warmly at her and flashed a concerned smile in her direction. "By the way, I really need to speak with Millicent about this case. Would you have her phone me, please?" 

"Ok, sure. Why don't you call me Janet? Anyway, I'm afraid now that I know I'm his next target. I never imagined this would occur. Why did he have to pick me of all people? Will he harm me?" she wondered.

Lee regarded her seriously, as if scrutinizing her. "I believe he picked you because you're a beautiful, vibrant, young woman. All of the other women were, too. He searches for that in a victim. He doesn't seek to destroy beauty, only to admire it and partake of it."

She met his gaze and held it steadily, almost overwhelmed by the compassion and care she saw there. He was a very good-looking man, in his mid-thirties, with brown hair and deep brown eyes. She guessed him to be about six feet tall and around two hundred pounds. She could tell he found her attractive also; by the way he looked at her. If they weren't mixed up in this and she didn't like Dennis, perhaps she might be interested in the detective.

"What will I do? Nothing like this has ever happened to me before."

Clearing his throat, Lee replied, "If you choose to remain here, an officer can drive by every couple of hours. If you decide to hide out elsewhere, let me know where you'll be staying. Does that sound like a plan?"

Janet hesitated for a moment. "Yes, I think so. But, I just feel there's more I could do to get this guy off the streets, before he hurts another woman."

"What did you have in mind, Janet?" he asked gently.

"I'm not sure exactly. Maybe set a trap for him of some kind or something."

"That could be very dangerous and it might backfire, you know?"

"Yes, I realize that, Lee. But, I believe I must do what I can to help nab the bad guy. He isn't going to stop unless we stop him. More women, possibly me, may end up becoming another casualty of this guy. And if there's anything I can do, I'm willing to try it."

The detective finished his tea and sat the glass down on the coffee table. "Listen, leave the detecting to the professionals, okay?"

"All right, if you insist. I really don't want to leave my home because of this individual. So, if you can assure me I'll be safe enough, I'll stay here."

"I can't make any promises. This intruder is a slick, intelligent individual."

"I'll have to take my chances then. I'm not letting him run me off," she stated defiantly.

"Suit yourself. I'd betting be getting back to headquarters. Call if you need anything," he told her. He stood and bid her adieu, before heading out the doorway.

Janet stared after Lee as he walked off. Then she got her phone and put in a call to Millicent, informing her of all that took place that day. Her friend sounded mortified to learn of the new development. She promised to speak with Detective Bowers and tell him why she moved into a motel room.

***

The very next day, Janet received a phone call she wasn't expecting, but was hoping for. It was Alice and she sounded nervous, though eager to talk.

"I can't stay on here for long. I just heard from Millicent last night. She said you found a gift from the Midnight Bandit on your door. Dear Lord! He couldn't get at her, so now he's after you. Please, don't stay at your house all alone. He'll come for you, too. Just like he did me," she warned.

Janet felt a chill shoot through her at her friend's words. "I'll be careful, I promise. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." She tried to keep her voice from quivering.

"Yeah, that's what I thought at first myself. I imagined it was a prank someone was playing on me. If I'd only called the cops and told them, maybe he'd have been caught. But, no, I waited until it was too late," Alice lamented.

"Well, I spoke with a detective, Lee Bowers. He had the door fingerprinted and the evidence bagged."

"I know, Millicent told me. I'm glad you did. Thank God you took it seriously, unlike me. I remember being questioned by Detective Bowers about my assault. He seemed nice enough. But, I just couldn't talk about it. I've sequestered myself away, because I don't want that maniac to find me. Anyway, I need you to listen to me carefully, Janet. I believe I've figured out who the rapist is. It was something you shared with Millicent when you were in her room. There's no way it could be coincidental."

"What is it, Alice? Who do you think it is?"

"I believe it's Dennis Pittman. I stayed late after class one night and the lights went out. He had to unlock the doors. The same thing happened to you and Millicent, too. It has to be him," she insisted.

After her friend clarified what she meant, Janet felt her heart sink. She really liked Dennis. The last thing she wanted to hear was that he might be the perpetrator. Even so, she extracted a promise from Alice. "Please, talk to Bowers and tell him everything you just told me. He has to hear this. It's the only way to catch the assailant red-handed."

"Okay, I will get Millicent to go with me to the police station later today. I'll answer any inquiries they may have. I won't withhold information like I did before. I was just so humiliated and embarrassed about being assaulted. I didn't want to go into the details."

"I understand. We have to let the police know everything though. Otherwise we're making their job that much harder instead of easier. We have to nab this creep or more women will be violated by him." She hesitated for a moment. "Will you tell me what he did to you?"

"The same thing he did to the other women he attacked. I'll tell you more later. Let's not discuss this over the phone. Will you meet me at the station at five o'clock?"

"Sure, of course I will. I've been hoping to see you. Thanks for sharing with me."

Once she'd hung up from Alice, she thought over all that had been said over the last few days. A great deal of information had come to light. She felt extreme disappointment at who the rapist appeared to be. Why did it have to be Dennis of all people? She shook off the letdown as a plan formed in her mind. She had an idea of how to reel in a big catch and prayed it would work.

She immediately called Bowers and let him know about the phone call from her friend. She informed him of her plans to lure the perp out of the woodwork.

Lee listened for a while, and then said, "Now Janet, don't go opening up a can of worms. What you're thinking of would be too unpredictable. Don't go getting involved in this."

"I'll be okay. I'm only going to tempt him to follow me home. Like he did when he was stalking Alice."

"And just what do you think you'll do if he takes the bait?" he queried skeptically.

"I'll whack him upside the head with a baseball bat, that's what!" she returned. "Hey, he's coming for me whether I entice him or not. I'll only be speeding matters along."

"Don't do it! I'm telling you, it's a bad idea," Lee cautioned her adamantly.

"I can handle this. Besides, I'm fairly certain I know who the Midnight Bandit is."

"Who do you believe he is?"

She explained to him what she'd learned from Alice earlier about Dennis. Her conclusions were based mostly on the similarities between what took place at the school, involving all three women.

"Yeah, it could be possible. But, you don't know that for sure. He may not be the one. What if was a coincidence?" he reasoned.

"It could be and if it is, I'll owe him an apology. Still, I have this funny feeling I'm right. I need to call him out." She paused briefly. "You know, you could have him arrested, couldn't you?"

"On what charges, the mere speculation of three frazzled females? I'm sorry, but that's not enough evidence. We'd need something to tie him to the crimes. We've collected samples of saliva and semen from the rape test kits already. We just need a perp to match them to. So far, we've turned up nothing. This guy isn't simply going to hand over his DNA for no good reason."

Janet digested this new information slowly, pondering over a solution. Suddenly, she said, "What if I was able to retrieve the samples for you? Would that work?"

Lee groaned in frustration. "And how would you do that?"

"Follow him around; wait for him to discard a Styrofoam cup or coke can. I've seen it on TV before. If that doesn't pan out, I'll try a different tactic," she offered.

"You're not thinking of sleeping with the guy, are you?" he asked doubtfully.

Janet paused before she answered. At one time, the idea of making love with Dennis excited her. Now, in light of everything, it seemed repulsive to her. "Lord, no. I hope it wouldn't come to that. Just trust me on this, all right. I'll get the DNA you require in order to prove who the bad guy is," she promised.

"Whatever you're thinking of doing, don't! Let me do the investigating. You must stay out of it. If not, you could end up getting hurt."

*** 

Janet failed to heed the warnings. Her mind was made up on the subject. She wouldn't be dissuaded from carrying out her plot to trap the intruder in his tracks. For the next few days, she stayed late after school and dressed in more provocative outfits. She meant to tease him into action.

Although frightened by the prospect of a visit from him, she was determined to see it through. She knew he planned to do this anyway. It might as well be sooner when she anticipated it, rather than later when she least expected it. This way she'd be better prepared by being proactive.

She followed Dennis around discreetly. She kept waiting for him to throw away something that contained his saliva, but he didn't. He only