It wasn't too long before Stardust became very popular in the chat rooms she visited. She found comfort and pleasure talking with her many acquaintances and friends she met on the Internet. Many of the chatters were like Stardust. They were widows or widowers who shared a lot in common. This newfound stay at home entertainment was just what Stardust had been looking for. She was not a very fast typist because of arthritis in her hands and wrists. It was difficult to type, but the pain was worth it when compared to boredom. She found her self' missing some of the greetings she would get whenever she entered a chat room.
"Hello to anyone I might have missed," she would say in apologizing for her slow typing.
Stardust had been chatting for a couple of years and was anxiously looking forward to meeting many of her chat room friends for the first time later this year when they held a get together at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. This would be her first real vacation since before Harry passed away. She would occasionally go shopping with Ann her next-door neighbor, but that wasn't very often. Ann was married and didn't even have a computer. She and her husband Charlie took vacations and it seemed as if they were always on the go. Stardust felt more comfortable being around her friends in the chat rooms.
She began to notice a particular chatter by the nickname of Dream Lover. He would flirt a little, but nothing so obvious as to make her think he was actually serious about her. He would follow her into the different chat rooms she visited. It seemed to be just a coincidence at first. According to his profile he was a retired banker and had recently moved to Arizona for health reasons. He seemed to be a nice enough person. He was polite, well mannered and charming. He had that charisma to make friends very easily.
He could never take the place of Harry, but I wouldn't expect him to anyway. It's time I came out of my shell and started to really live again. Anyway friendship is all I'm after right now, Stardust convinced herself.
"I don't want to over react here. Maybe he knows everyone I know and we just seem to bump into each other," she laughed under her breath.
Little did Stardust realize she was being stalked by one of the most dangerous criminals living today? Dream Lover was an escaped robber, rapist and psychopath killer from the United Kingdom by the name of William Arflin? He had escaped from Wakefield Prison in West Yorkshire, England (nicknamed the Monster Mansion) where he was serving a life sentence for robbing, raping and murdering three ladies he met on the Internet. He also spoke fluently in several different languages. According to the prison file records William had the IQ of a genius.