Normal was a different word now.\u00a0 Morgan had an appt. with her dentist.\u00a0 Steve was going to drop off a trailer for someone to use after work.\u00a0 My daughter-in-law had a birthday and Steve and I were going to be normal grandparents, \u00a0babysit while \u201cthe kids\u201d went out for a dinner alone.\u00a0 And Morgan would not be home, so it all could work out. \u00a0it all sounded so, “normal”.<\/p>\n
Morgan came home from her dental appointment and was getting ready to go out for the evening.\u00a0 At least until we came home.\u00a0 She was cleaning up her room, and amassing a pile of laundry in the hall.\u00a0 Sometimes her room looked like the proverbial bomb had just gone off, and sometimes it was quite organized.\u00a0 Today it was moving toward organized. \u00a0She loaded the washer and left for Carbondale.\u00a0 A little later, just before four she texted me, \u201cWhat time do you need me?\u201d<\/p>\n
I did not see it, and didn\u2019t answer until 5:02 pm when I said, \u201cDon’t worry about it we are taking the truck now to drop off the trailer\u201d.\u00a0 Morgan answers, \u201cSweet. :)\u201d, she was with her friends in Carbondale, and Steve and I were on our way to Glenwood Springs. \u00a0It was the first time we got to babysit while our son and his partner went out to dinner and we were very excited about babysitting our grandchildren.\u00a0 We were very engaged with the grandkids, and not thinking of very much else.<\/p>\n
Then Morgan made a mistake – a mistake that stalking victims inevitably face during their stalking.\u00a0 She felt it was getting so back to “normal” and she decided that it would be okay to come home alone, for a just a few minutes, to switch her wash and grab something to eat, even though we had asked her to never go home alone.\u00a0 She is home alone, busy going from her room to the laundry room, when she hears our dog Tessi growling, and barking furiously, and throwing herself at the front door.\u00a0 She is frightened, stays inside her room, locking the door, and piling whatever she can if front of it.\u00a0 Morgan tries to call us on the cell phone, but we don\u2019t answer.\u00a0 Cell service is not the best at our son’s house.<\/p>\n
She stayed in her room until Tessi stopped barking, and attacking the door.\u00a0 She thought it was about five minutes.\u00a0 She carefully ventured from her room and saw Tessie sitting quietly at the front door, looking out.\u00a0 There was no tail wagging, only intent starring.\u00a0 Morgan looked out the door, and saw nothing.\u00a0 She ran through the house and turned on every outside light she could think of.\u00a0 Stood at the front door for a while, and then with pepper spray ready, and keys in the other hand she ran out to the car, hopped in, and locked it.\u00a0 She drove out of the subdivision and decided to take the highway back to Carbondale instead of the back road, the highway had more lights and people. She wanted to be with other people – she felt safer with others than by herself in her own house…<\/p>\n
Morgan called again and this time I answered.\u00a0 I felt sick as she explained that she had gone home to switch the wash, just for a minute, and Tessi was barking like, \u201cnone other.\u201d\u00a0 She said we might want to check the cameras when we got home.<\/p>\n
Ryan and Leesa got home from a great dinner at 8:10 pm.\u00a0 We had a quick slice of cake with them and said we had to leave.\u00a0\u00a0 At 8:22 pm I texted Morgan, \u201cOn our way home.\u201d<\/p>\n
At home everything looked normal, and Steve and I went straight for the cameras to see what had caused our dog to bark like that.<\/p>\n
We have six video cameras, and 3 of them will catch different parts of the street in front of our house.\u00a0 First there is the task of seeing what, if anything, was causing poor Tessi to get so upset. \u00a0We were rolling through hours of video before we found this.<\/p>\n