Mine Not Yours- a Stalker Story

He wasn't expecting a letter. At least he assumed there was a letter in the large envelope that he pulled out of the mail box. It was thick with padding and squishy to the touch. Flipping it over, he looked for a return address. His name was written in large, black block letters he assumed was done with a Sharpie marker but no return address was listed. Stymied, he grabbed the rest of his mail, left the post office, hurried to the car and tore open the envelope.

A folded piece of paper fell to his lap along with several photographs. Confused, he grabbed a photo of his wife sitting at her office desk and held it up. A smile crossed his lips seeing her talking on the phone oblivious to the camera. Thinking this must be some kind of trick, he picked up another photograph. His wife in the grocery store, shopping. The next was his wife playing with the kids. A strange sensation made the hairs on his neck spike up, his wife had no idea she was being photographed. He reached for his cell phone and speed dialed his wife.

"Hello," his wife's voice sang into his ear.

"Melissa," he breathed.

"Brian, what's wrong?"

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Nothing very interesting is happening here. What's up? You sound upset."

Silence greeted her while Brian flipped through the rest of the pictures, all of them featuring his wife as the main star doing every day activities.

"Brian... hello....?"

"I'm here. Have you noticed anything strange lately?"

"No. I don't think so."

"How many bars are on your phone?"

"Brian, what's wrong? Why? Let me check. Crap, it's down to two. I have to remember to charge it before I leave."

"Do it now."

"Why?"

"Melissa, don't question me, please, just do it."

"Alright, but I have to hang up the phone. I'll see you when I get home after picking up the kids from my moms. I love you, bye."

"I love you, too." He said before she clicked off.

Brian sat in his car holding the pictures and wondering what he should do. He knew Melissa was safe since she answered her phone. He wouldn't feel better until he had her safe at home though. The photographs were not incriminating. He knew that Melissa was not having an affair. It just wasn't her style. But someone was following his wife.

It was a thought that made him angry. Seeing the kids in the photos caused that anger to roll over to a boil. He threw the pictures on the passenger seat and gripped the steering wheel of his car. Lowering his head to the wheel, trying to think, he saw the paper in his lap.

Sitting upright, unclenching his fingers from the wheel, he picked it up. His heart skipped a beat when he read...

I HAVE HER.

Crumpling the letter he reached for his phone, dialed and started to shake when a man answered.

"Melissa is not available right now."

Brian turned the ignition on, almost clipped a car as he reversed out of the parking lot, turned onto the main road and headed toward his wife's office. A red light glared in front of him which he ignored. The car's speedometer jumped 40, 60, 75, 85.

The brakes screeched as he reached the office and made a left into the parking spot. His wife's car was in the lot, two vehicles owned by her coworkers and a van which Brian prayed was a clients.

Jumping out of his car, Brian ran into the office gripping a hammer that he pulled from the tool bucket he always left in the car. Silence greeted him where his wife's voice should have. Slowly, he made his way through the office and pushed open the first closed door. A body on the floor, blood and the smell of gun powder hit his senses.

"Melissa!" he forced his voice to yell.

Moving, he went to the next door and kicked it open, hoping he wouldn't see his wife on the floor. He saw Sam lying on his desk with his gray jacket turning a shade of dark brown on his shoulder.

Stunned, Brian tried to think. A loud crash sounded and then a steady buzzing which pulled Brian from his shock.

"Melissa! Where are you? Melissa!" he yelled running toward the sound.

Brian halted at the sight that greeted him.

There his wife stood. Beautiful eyes wide, her body shaking, a stapler raised in hand and a body at her feet mangled in the copy machine sparking with electricity and humming as if making a thousand copies.

Melissa looked up feeling Brian's gaze.

"I told him I wasn't his."

Dropping the hammer, Brian went to hold his wife.