An Apple for Zoë ~ The Forsaken Read Free Page B

this."  
    Kirkland opened the note to read its contents. " Pretty Ballerina , what the hell does that mean? You think the killer is suggesting the guy's a fag?"  
    "What?"  
    "Yeah, think about it. The guy is in the closet, a term used for those who haven't come out yet, and he leaves a note that says 'pretty ballerina,' could be."  
    "Actually it's a song."
    "What?"  
    "Yeah, The Left Banke , remember them?"
    "I remember, Walk Away Renee.  
    James nodded, "Same band. Anyway I think this note was left for me personally."
    "Why?"  
    James took in a deep breath; he rose from his chair and closed the door to his office. Kirkland could see the conversation was about to get very serious. "I've never told anyone this, but when I was 14, I was at a girlfriend's house. We were in her bedroom making out and someone was standing at her window watching us. We heard a noise outside her window, I looked and saw some guy walking away down to the corner at Washington and Maple."  
    "Okay, so, you got a peeper who gets off watching kids screw around. How does that have anything to do with this?"  
    "The song playing on the radio that night was Pretty Ballerina.  
    Kirkland sat looking puzzled, as James unfolded more of the bizarre events.  
    "And that night wasn't just any old Saturday night in San Francisco. It happened to be October 11, 1969." Kirkland uttered a stunned whisper. "Zodiac."

CHAPTER THREE
      Zodiac

    "I met him you know," said James.
    "Zodiac?" asked Kirkland.
    "It was later that same night. As it happens Julie lived just two blocks from Washington and Cherry. After I calmed her down, we both thought it best that I head on home before her father did catch us.   I started home right about 9:40 p.m. and as I'm walking up Cherry towards Washington I see a figure walking towards me from the other direction. I wouldn't have given it another thought, but I noticed the guy was lumbering along. Just like the guy who I saw standing at the corner about 40 minutes earlier. He continued his slow lumbering walk, and I stopped to think about crossing the street to avoid him, when he called to me."
    Kirkland could see the uneasiness return to James as he recounted the story.
    "He says, ' Hey kid, can you tell me the time?' I start to say sure, when I see the guy already has on a watch. Which only creeps me out even more. I quickly glance at my watch and say 21:45. The guy stops and looks me dead in the eye. It's dark out and there's no light I can't really see anything except the top of his crew cut and edges of his horn-rimmed glasses. But his eyes were white. I mean really white Mike. Scared the shit out me. He then says, ' So you know military time?' I say the only thing I can think of which was, my father, he taught me. He's a retired navy man.   The guy then says 'Navy man huh?' Then the guy got really quiet and looked around as if he's trying to make a decision. Then without looking at me says. 'You better get on home kid, it's getting late. The Zodiac might get you.' Then he just walked past me, continued down the street, turned the corner and was gone. I was so scared, I ran the rest of the way home, and I swear Mike, I have never told a soul that story. I mean no one. You are the first person I've ever repeated it to." James sat down heavily at his desk. He felt weary from talking about his brush with death.
    "So after you became a cop, you never looked into the Zodiac files? You never talked to any of the guys who worked it?"  
    "Come on Mike, I was 14 when this happened. I never said anything because if I tell and they don't catch him then I'm as good as dead. By time I joined, Zodiac was beyond being a cold case, and it wasn't as if I could really help the investigation any further," stated James.
    "Are you kidding Tom? If you really were face to face with Zodiac, then you're probably the only person he ever let go."  
    Both men sat in silence. James stood and stared out the window. His mind was a flood of