With a fresh cup of coffee in hand I headed back to the porch. As I passed through the dining room and then the living room I couldn’t help but notice the immaculate condition they were in. Something else I can put on Carla. She was very good at keeping the house clean and tidy. It’s just, everything seemed even tidier than usual. The furniture gleamed with new polish, the sofa looked even plushier, if that’s a word. Even my leather recliner had an extra shine to it. And not a speck of dust anywhere. Maybe I was getting through to her, I just didn’t know it. When I find her I’ll have to compliment her with some flowers. After I punish her for not being around of course.
I reached the front door and managed to catch sight of my neighbor across the street through the side window. Old Miss Greene, talking to a cop through her door. She kept pointing to the side of my house for some reason. Hmmm, I’d like to know what that’s about. I slowly grabbed the door knob and opened the door without a care in the world, hopefully demonstrating I had nothing to hide. She saw me and seemed to get flustered as I stepped out onto my porch. Then she retreated back inside, slamming her door shut.
The cop who was questioning her took a look at me, then started talking into his radio. He left Miss Greene’s door and started looking for something. Two seconds later it became clear he was looking for back up. A brand new puppet show began as several cops joined him in the street, watching me while trying not to make it look like they were watching me, all while I slowly sipped my coffee. All they needed was a suit to join them, oh, there he is. I wondered what that woman told the cop as I watched the new puppet show begin.
A slim, tall man with black hair in a dark suit that was just above cheep approached me, with his back up right behind him. His badge hung around his neck like jewelry, still standard issue, just real shiny. “Hello, Detective Neal Brown is it?” he said. “I’m Detective Darren Trent. I’m investigating the murders next door. Do you have a minute to talk?”
“Sure”, I said. “Took you guys long enough to get here. Wait, don’t you guys usually travel in packs?”
He laughed. “In packs. That’s funny. No, my partner is checking on a few things from the crime scene, he’ll be here shortly. May I come in?” Even with the laugh he had that cop tone, both warm and cold, a seasoned voice of a veteran. One I knew well.
“If it’s ok with you we can talk right here.” I didn’t want him in my house. They were getting a warrant anyway, why make it easy for them? “Oh, and I’d offer you some coffee but I just ran out.” I didn’t, I just wasn’t feeling generous.
“That’s fine,” he replied. “And just so we’re clear, you’re not a suspect. I’m just following up on what you reported earlier. Now if I understand correctly, you discovered the bodies?”
“Yes I did”.
“May I ask why you were there?”
“Well it’s like I told the other officers. I woke up to find my wife missing. I thought she may have went next door and that’s when I found the bodies. There were two cops with me when we made the discovery, didn’t they tell you?”
“Yes, yes, they did.” He gave me the side eye, then asked “Does your wife go missing a lot?”
I looked at him and wanted to say that that was the stupidest question anyone could ask. Instead I said “No”, with the just the right amount of incredulity. Does this guy really know what he’s doing?
“Perhaps she had an early appointment somewhere. I wouldn’t worry just yet. Next thing you know she’ll be walking down the street with groceries probably, or maybe she had a doctor’s appointment or something.”
“Yeah, sure,” I said. I know her schedule, so all of that can be ruled out. So now I’m thinking this guy is fishing, looking for me to take his bait. “Can we get on with this? I’ve got to get to work.”
“Sure, sure,” was the reply. “That’s right, you work in the city. I’m sure you’ve seen worse things than this, with all that big city crime. Probably be too much for us small town cops. It’s not everyday we see a family butchered like that. I think the wife got it first, followed by their ten-year-old daughter who looked as if she was eating her breakfast when the assault happened. The husband must of heard the screams and came running from upstairs and walked right into it. None of them had a chance.”
Was this guy trying to make friends? His tone was really getting on my nerves, and my patience was slowly withering away. The look on my face must have said more for me than I wanted to say myself as he continued. “I’m sorry, I can tell that I’m keeping you. I just have a few more questions.”
Detective Trent continued, “So what time did this happen”
“Which, me discovering the bodies or the time of the murder?” I asked.
“Well, both. I’d like to get your opinion on this.” The chummy thing again. I gave him my aggravated look, like I was talking to a grade schooler, and said, “I discovered the bodies around 6:45-ish. I’m usually up at 6am, but my wife didn’t wake me. So fifteen minutes later I awoke to her being gone. That’s why I went next door. They seemed to be friends, I thought maybe they knew something. The scene looked fresh, like it happened maybe fifteen minutes earlier.”
“Are you friends with them?”
“No, I like to keep to myself. Besides my hours don’t give me time for a social life.”
“Of course. My wife tends to get on my case about that too. I guess we do have something in common, besides the job.” Still being chummy. The cops behind him looked a little fidgety, waiting for something to happen. One of them had rested his hand on his holster. I wonder what that was about.
“Ok, I think I have enough, unless you can think of anything else?” By this time his partner had come from around the house and got Trent’s attention. “Excuse me, one second” he said, and stepped off the porch to talk to his partner. He whispered something in Trent’s ear, and Trent whispered back. Back and forth they went for a minute, and then both looked at each other silently.
Trent turned to me and said, “I think we need to see what’s in your basement.”
I chuckled at them. “Not without that warrant.” Not that I had anything to hide. I just wanted to make things difficult.
“The thing is,” began Trent “we have a witness who saw someone going into your basement…”
“Miss Greene?”
Unfazed by the interruption Trent continued. “That’s something we’d rather not speculate about. The point is we have a witness and my partner here found some blood on the doorknob to your cellar. As you yourself aren’t bleeding we have enough for Reasonable Suspicion, as you well know. At the very least, we can see if the killer made it into your home. I don’t think it’s safe until we check. Do you mind?”
Now I was intrigued. And I was curious about what that old biddy across the street said. I sipped at my coffee, and said “Sure, why not. Right this way”, as I motioned into the house.
“Actually, we’d like to go in through the basement door, if that’s ok. Unless it’s locked…”
I took another sip of my coffee, then said “Yes, it is. But I have the key on me. Shall we?”
I closed the front door, placed my mug on the porch railing and stepped off of the porch. As I led the local talent around the side of the house I said “You’d think I would know if there was someone other than me in my house.” “I’m sure you would” came the reply, from which detective I didn’t know.
As we walked I noticed another of the uniformed cops pop up his head. He then tapped his partner and they both joined us by the door. Too bad being summoned couldn’t be more subtle, but these were small town cops. I fished the keys out of my pocket and descended the three steps to the basement door. I looked back at Trent and asked “Are you sure about this?”
Trent looked right at me and said “Yes sir.” Again, unfazed.
I just shrugged my shoulders and opened the door. I was closely followed by Trent and his partner, with the uniforms right after them.
I flipped the light switch to show I had nothing to hide. Yet right in the middle of the cellar were my pajamas, covered in blood, as well as my axe which should have been hanging on the wall. But that’s not what caught my attention. I had finally found Carla.
