August 1985 was a hot and sweltering time. I was pregnant with Hannah. We did not have any air conditioning then - at least we didn't - it had been invented!! And there was a madman on the loose in LA - and he had even struck in Monrovia - over on Alta Vista.
To say we were nervous and frightened is an understatement. The papers were full of the horrific crimes this man was committing. Every day brought more disturbing details in the news. The houses were all yellow. The victims were all women. He only struck at night. He came early and jimmied windows and then let himself in later.
The facts were not always accurate. All the houses he struck were not yellow. He had attacked and killed men and children. He struck when he had the opportunity. He usually just looked for unlocked doors or windows.
One hot August night, we were lying in bed - all the children were asleep. We had a fan going, but it did not really cool the house or us for that matter. Then we heard a noise. You know how you recognize noises in your house? How you have a squeaky floorboard that everyone knows the location of?
We heard a noise like that. We both paused - I think I stopped breathing!! Harry slid out of bed and glided quietly to the phone on the wall. He dialed 9-1-1 in the dark. He whispered to the operator that we heard a noise in our house that sounded like someone was in the house.
She kept him on the line as the police came to our house. "They are there." "They are on your front porch." "Go let them in." I was terrified!
They came in. They searched the house thoroughly. They searched every room and every closet and every cupboard. The children - not a one of them - did not wake up!!
We felt a little silly. Like maybe we had over-reacted. But the officers said, no, you did exactly what we want every citizen to do when they think something is going on. You called us. You didn't grab a gun or a baseball bat to go hunting by yourself.
One officer volunteered that he was pretty sure it was raccoons under the house. He said that the noise they make bumping the floorboards sounds just like someone walking on the floor.
We slept a little easier that night. And a few days later, the reign of terror finally came to an end.
Like many criminals, the Night Stalker made enough mistakes to finally get caught. The photo above shows the neighbors in the area where he was caught signing off on a map that someone posted. (He was caught by locals who saw him acting strangely after he got off a bus from Arizona. They were pounding him pretty severely when the police came. News reports said he was begging the police to get him away from the incensed citizenry!!)
Reading today that he had died while waiting on Death Row, a chapter ended. For his victims, the chapters will never end. Many of us don't think often of him - only when someone else is crazy and uncaught and on the loose.
It was a scary, crazy time. I'm glad it's over.
And after the police came to our house that night, Harry sealed up the entries under our house. Maybe rats still get in, but the raccoons don't!
2 comments:
Oh man - I remember you talking about him when I was a kid & pointing out the window he broke into at the Alta Vista house. I was terrified of him long after he was locked up!
That was such a scary time. My sister and I were just talking about it yesterday. I remember spending the summer with the windows closed (also no air conditioning) and scared to fall asleep. That is one of those time that you can just put yourself back into and have those same feelings. Creepy how one person can affect so many people.
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