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Chapter 27: Nikola Spots Her Follower

The next day, Nikola had planned to spend the day inside working, but couldn't concentrate. The sunlight streaming in through every window of her studio drew her towards it, and finally out of the apartment.

It was a beautiful Fall day, crisp, but not yet cold. Nikola strolled around Soho, window shopping. She enjoyed being outside in the sunshine, watching the colorful crowd that parades through the streets of Soho every weekend. It was a very different atmosphere than during the week, when the artists, dealers and natives had Soho more to themselves. Between the tourists and street vendors, Nikola felt as if she were in the middle of a carnival. Her jubilant mood was interrupted, however, when once again, she felt that someone was watching her. 

Her first reaction was panic. She stopped and looked around herself frantically in the hope of spotting something, but only the usual street crowd met her eyes. Everyone seemed to be minding their own business, but it was difficult to tell while surrounded by the crowd. At times tourists stared and even pointed at her, but she had seen that reaction before. The paint-stained clothing she wore marked her as an artist, therefore one of the tourist attractions of Soho. However it made her current situation impossible.

Scanning the sidewalk was getting her nowhere, so she tried to regain control of herself and think. She forced herself towards the nearest plate glass window and stood in front of it, staring in. She could hardly see the collection of hand made jewelry on display in front of her - instead her mind was working furiously, trying to find a way to spot her phantom stalker. She froze with indecision, looking rather unnatural as she stood in front of the store, her eyes steadfastly fixed on one point in the window, her body stiff and immobile.

She began to feel uncomfortable in front of the window and entered the store. Once inside, she discovered that she now had an advantage over anyone trying to follow her. The store was small and had only two other customers inside, so her follower couldn't enter without being noticed. Therefore, he would have to watch the entrance and must be within sight of it. Theoretically, she should be able to spot him from inside.

She pretended to browse through the earrings on display in the store, while frequently glancing out. The store was equipped with a large plate glass window that covered it's entire width, so Nikola had a good view of the street. Unfortunately, what she saw was not very helpful. The store was located on Spring Street, one of the busiest streets in Soho, and the sidewalks were covered with people. She noticed at least a dozen people who were either waiting on the sidewalk or browsing nearby, any one of whom could be following her. The task was made more difficult by a saleswoman who started pressing her to buy something.

After a few minutes in the jewelry store, she walked back out again, frustrated but determined to continue her search, now that she had discovered a method and the courage to begin. It became almost a game for her. She plotted her next move carefully as she strolled through Soho, stopping frequently to browse, trying to appear to be a casual window shopper, with no cares in the world.

She tried to notice the other people on the street, but it was difficult to look around without feeling conspicuous. She wanted to find another store to duck into, preferably on a less crowded street.

She turned up Greene Street, which was much less populated, but it didn't have too many stores on it. She walked for a bit, looking up and down the street. She still had the strong sensation of being followed, but she couldn't spot anyone unusual behind her. She finally found what she needed in the form of a small antique shop with a large, if dusty, window. 

She entered the shop and immediately placed herself in a position to have a good view out of the front window. She tried to pretend to browse, but it was hard to hide the fact that her attention was completely absorbed by the view. The shop's proprietor, an elderly gentleman who sat towards the rear, eyed her inquisitively, but remained quiet.

Nikola scanned the street in front of the shop and spotted him almost immediately. He was across the street, leaning against a building, looking directly at the store. Nikola jumped back in fear when she saw him. There were other people on the street, but she didn't need to check them to know who her stalker was. It had to be this man. This time she had a full view of his face and she was sure she recognized him, both from the dreams and the break-in, and his image terrified her.

After a moment of reflection, Nikola decided that since it was bright outside and rather dark in the store, he probably couldn't see too far in. His attention had begun shifting from the store to the street and back again - Nikola had the impression that he was not aware of being observed, and she took the opportunity to study him more carefully. 

Once again he was wearing black and stood out from the gray building against which he was leaning. He seemed rather tall - over six feet, and heavyset. More chunky, actually, because he doesn't really look all that strong, Nikola thought as she peered through the glass. I still wouldn't want to fight him though, with all that weight to throw around. What does he want from me? She stepped back from the window in fear and almost walked into the shop's proprietor, who had positioned himself behind her.

She jumped up in surprise and turned around. He was eyeing her suspiciously. "Oh excuse me," Nikola said quickly. "I didn't realize you were there."

"Is there something I can help you with, or did you come for the view?" he asked with one eyebrow raised.

"Well, actually, I came for the view," she said as she backed away from him. He was much shorter than she expected, and his face was covered with deep wrinkles, making him look like a wizened old elf, but this elf seemed to be annoyed that his store was being used for purposes unfathomable to him.

"Sorry to take up your time," Nikola said as she backed out of the store and into the street. As soon as she got out, she saw the intruder again across the street. A wave of panic washed through her and she started running. Not entirely sure where she should go, she ran for her apartment. When she got there, she locked the door securely behind her, and went straight for the phone to call Greg. She stood by the phone, still wearing her coat, anxiously counting the rings, desperately impatient to hear his voice. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to Nikola, he picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

When he finally answered, her words came out all in a rush, "This is Nikola. I spotted him - the guy following me - it's the intruder. I don't know what this guy wants from me - I'm really scared. What do I do next?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm being followed by the guy who broke in here last week! You must remember, you fought with him!"

"Yeah, yeah, I remember. He's following you?"

"Yes, and I need your help. I don't know what to do next."

"What do you want me to do about it?"

Nikola looked at the phone in disbelief. Greg was so helpful two days ago, that she couldn't believe that she was talking to the same man.

"Well, excuse me, but a few days ago, you gave me the impression that you actually cared about me and my plight. However, if I am mistaken I will be more than happy to hang up and stop bothering you."

"No, no, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. I do care about you, really I do, and I want to hear what you have to say. I guess I was just a little preoccupied before. I got some bad news yesterday and I'm kind of distracted."

"Oh really? What kind of news?"

"Nothing that important, really. Just an assignment that I was sort of counting on that fell through. Not a big deal really, it just makes my finances kind of tight, that's all."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't worry about it. What were you saying before?"

"I spotted our intruder following me, and I was wondering what to do next."

"Are you sure it was him?"

"Absolutely. I couldn't see his face too well when he broke in here, but I got a good look at the rest of him, and how he moved. And I got a clear view of him in the street just before. I'm sure it's the same guy."

"All right, well I'll tell you what. I can't get out there today, but I'll be there first thing tomorrow. In the mean time, is there any reason you have to go out tonight?"

"No."

"Okay, then stay in and keep the door locked. I figure if he was going to try anything he would have done it already, but you never know. So keep everything locked and hang tight until tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll be looking forward to seeing you, and thanks for everything."

"No problem - don't worry about it too much."

"I'll try."

When Nikola hung up, she felt better, although she was still shaken by the whole thing. She wished that Greg would arrive immediately rather than the next day, but she knew she had to wait. She wondered a bit about Greg's shifting attitude towards her, but it was only a passing thought, quickly overridden by images of that man in black watching her every move.

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