A Murder Of Our Own (Inevitable Darkness)

by Michael Thompson

  “What are you doing?” He said.

  “I as just looking at an old picture.”

  “Oh. I’m going to get ready for bed. I just feel exhausted.” Victor said climbing into his bed.

  “Oh, I’ll go.”

  “I want you to stay. You don’t have to leave.”

  “You need your rest. It’s better if I am not here as a distraction.” Kyra walked out of the room and downstairs to the living room. She sat on her couch constant staring at the picture, trying to put two and two together without causing any turbulence in the process. She picked up one of her books that she reads off the coffee in front of her. She turned to the random page in the book and placed the picture inside. She closed it and sat it back down on the table in front of her. She covered her mouth at the thought of him having an affair. She kept relaying the thought that she could be over-reacting like she did before with the car accident. She walked into the kitchen and leaned against the counter. She didn’t know what to think. She didn’t know whether she was supposed to go upstairs and strangle him or just to not let it bother her. Just go with the flow of life like Victor said before. She scoffed at his idea. How could she let something like this pass her mind? How could she let the fact that she killed a man go? She had a family to take care of, she thought rationally but she still had the mysterious photograph left. What could she do though? Confront him on it? She knew that would backfire so she did what any other stressed woman would do in a time of crisis. She reached into her cabinet and pulled out a bottle of Merlot. She looked for a corkscrew and eventually tired for her search used her hands to pop it off. Successful she took her out a glass and took a sip.

  Matt sat in the destroyed remnant of what you could call a home. It was his only home but he only imaged the debt that he would fall into. He picked up the mess and threw most of it in the trash. It was useless what would he do with destroyed documents and broken glass. After a few minutes he went to his room and sat at the edge of the bed. He took off his shoes one by one and threw them into the corner. He backed to his pillows and laid his head down staring at the wall.

  “Where did it all go wrong? Why do the bad have to be triumphant over the good?”

  He closed his eye and fell asleep.

  Brian stayed awake woke up walking around Lynn’s home. His mind wasn’t set on a destination but he felt horrible hiding his secret away from her. He stumbled across a room with pink foam letters and flowered stickers plastered everywhere. He slowly opened the door and saw a small bed with stuffed animals surrounding it like a shrine. He turned on the light to see the room more clearly. It exploded into more vibrant colors than before. Her walls bright pink, drawings were frame and hung as they were in a museum. It was like upon looking at them he could see her life. Short lived but full. A tear ran down his face that he quickly dismissed and wiped away. He crept back out of the room and closed the door. He felt horrible about what he was doing, worse than before but he was too far gone. Quitting would make all the pain for nothing. All the time and money that was invested was wasted. He could have just dismissed the case in the first place. But he didn’t so he had to finish what he started no matter how cold-hearted and sickening he realized he become. He had tip-toed to the bathroom. He had looked himself in the mirror. He looked tired and drained. He was and he knew why. Winning was killing him. It made him sick constantly because he loved Lynn and the Evelyn turn something special to ash. He hated her and wished he was never in an agreement with her.

  “There has to be a way out.” He thought.

  He turned off the lights and walked back to the bed. He didn’t fall asleep right away. He just sat thinking, registering what was going on. He never thought he would fall in love but most of all he never would guess he would meet his maker in a game he created.

  He closed his eyes falling to sleep with a gut wrenching pain, growing in enormity as the night went on.

  Kyra woke up with the bottle of Merlot in hand sitting in the bathtub of her master bedroom. She didn’t remember what happen last night. She remember drink her first glass, and then a second. If her plan was to drown her sorrows than it would have been over kill. She staggered out of the tub with a headache that shot threw her head faster that she swallowed her drinks. She had looked herself in the mirror straightening her hair with a brush. She walked into the bedroom to see that Victor has left and the air was still so Lily haven’t awaken yet. She walked into Lily’s room to see she was gone too. Maybe Victor had went out for a drive with Lily. She tried not to make a big deal from nothing. She called his phone and he didn’t answer, so she left a voice message. She tried to clean but she kept finding herself back to her phone dialing his number. She would erase what she typed and go back to cleaning the house. Sweeping, mopping, anything to keep her mind off of her husband. She stopped and dialed his number again calling and having it go to voicemail in her ear. She hang up her phone on the brink of throwing it. She went through this for two hours. Cleaning and stopping to call, leaving an abundance of messages until eventually she gave up.

  At the end of what seemed to be endless she left five messages and eleven missed calls. She sat on the couch with her phone in her hand. She heard the front door click as it opened. She carried in Lily in one hand and a bag in another.

  “Where the hell did you go?” Kyra said.

  “I just went out to get coffee and a few things from the store.” He said sitting down the bag and cradling Lily with both hands.

  “Why wouldn’t you answer your phone?” She said.

  He pulled out his phone and looked at it. He notifications filled with the missed calls, voicemails, and junk emails. He saw the little icon at the top that signified that it was on silent.

  “My phone was on silent.” He said sounding like he was confused.

  “Why was your phone on silent?” She asked crossing her arms.

  “I probably just sat on the volume buttons. What is your problem?!”

  “My problem is that you have been acting shady for the past few weeks.”

  Victor sat lily down in her play pin.

  “Acting shady?” He continued. “Because I have been out of it since you got hurt. You think that you were the only one who was effect by that accident?”

  “Don’t you try to make this like it is my fault? I have called your phone several times because you didn’t leave or note or anything telling me where you were.”

  “I figured that we would be back sooner.”

  “I was worried that something happen to you two and that’s not an excuse.”

  She walked passed him heading upstairs.

  He sighed, sitting down on the couch in the same seat that Kyra sat.

  Christian left his home. He decided to take a walk. It was something he desperately needed, a calming walk. He had thought that he might want to go down to his office. Something told him that he was being attacked again. So then he walked sped up to a jog and then to a sprint through the town. He cut through the park to cut down time that he could have spent walking around. He darted across the street that was bustling with traffic stopping several cars at a green light. He made down to the town hall and turn to his office door, opening it up.

  He looked inside anticipating to see torn document, a toppled desk and chair, shattered glass from his picture but everything was normal. His desk and everything surrounding it was in place. He knew now that even in his head he wasn’t safe. She was psyching him out, making him believe that she was trying to get back at him some other way when she sitting watching him squirm. He was certain to not have her run her life. He left the room closing and relocking the door and leaving the town hall.

  He walked calmingly down the same path he ran down panicked earlier. He took a deep breathe overlooking his whole day. This whole case. It was such a mess but he was glad it was almost over. Just a few more weeks until we reach a verdict. Just a few more. He saw Connor walking on the sidewalk walking to the corner at the bus stop. The next thing you hear
d were the screeching of car tires along the asphalt of a street. The car sped to the intersection turning toward Connor. Christian sped across the street to try to get to Connor who was unaware of the speeding car barreling toward him. The car hit the curb and Connor MP3 and earbuds fell to the concrete.

  Chapter VII

  The bookshop at the corner was filled with chaos as the glass from the window exploded as they went rummaging through books and read. Most of the people were just cut from the flying glass and others was just startled by the collision in the building. Still oblivious on what happen, Connor stands from the concrete.

  “What the hell man?!” Connor yelled.

  Christian still laid on the ground breathing heavily, with his eyes wide open. Connor looked up at the car that was sticking out of the side of the building and the broken glass that was in the inside of the book shop.

  “That car was going to hit me.” Connor said in total disbelief.

  Christian still lied on the ground breathing heavily. He pushed himself up and sat against the opening.

  “You saved my life.” Connor said still in a state of disbelief.

  “Oh, no kidding!” Christian spoke between breathes in sarcasm.

  He stood up and looked into the car that was now empty. He turned toward Connor who stood looking down at the ground still in shock.

  “Where did the person driving that car go?”

  “I don’t know. He was just there. Everything just happened so fast I just don’t know.”

  “He?” Christian said.

  “Yeah, there was a guy driving the car. I didn’t get to see what he looked like though.”

  Christian thought about who could have been affiliated with such a deed and thought back to his mother’s promise to make his life a living hell. Well it would have just been easier just to kill him off instead.

  “No need. I already know who tried to kill you.” Christian said walking away and dusting the powdery glass off his suit.

  “Where are you going?” Said Connor.

  “I’m going to handle business you see if everyone is okay inside.”

  He crossed the street as people watched the scene.

  Christian knocked on the door of Evelyn’s home loudly that it echoed through the building. She came to the door and opened it.

  “Hello son. What brings you here?” She said wearing a yellow dress with a sun hat.

  “You can cut the crap. I can’t believe you would step so low.”

  “Why couldn’t you. I personally hired me to destroy your home and I gave you what you fear the most. Doubt.”

  “You know murder is not your thing.”

  “Murder? What are you talking about?” She said.

  “You know exactly what you tried to do. You hired someone to kill my client so that no one could be convicted for my crime, also getting back at me because you knew that I would feel guilty for not dropping the case and having someone being killed in the process.”

  “A brilliant plan but I am not he mastermind behind it. Besides I don’t have anything against your client it’s just business.” She said walking down the walk way.

  “What do you mean business?” Christian said following behind.

  “Believe it or not, I don’t do this for fun. I do it because I was paid.”

  “Who were you paid by?” Christian asked.

  “I can’t tell you. Haven’t you heard of a confidentiality agreement?”

  “Oh yes, but see you are now the accomplice for a felony. You might want to break your agreement before the only colors you are where are orange. And we both know that orange is not your color.” Christian said.

  “I guess you didn’t hear me before I can’t be touched. You think I will actually be sent to prison when my husband is the most powerful person in this state.”

  “But won’t that test the actual love that you think he feel for you?” Christian said looking at her ask stood frozen.

  “What are you trying to get at?” Evelyn said.

  “See, why would he help you get out of prison for attempted murder and tarnish his reputation when he could just leave you there to rot for years to come.”

  “He wouldn’t do that to me. He loves me.” She said turning around looking at Christian.

  “You did it to me.”

  “I didn’t send you away because he would ruin his reputation.”

  “At least that’s what you think.”

  “That is not what I think, I know.”

  “He didn’t want more children in his family because he knew that everyone would be asking where I came from and the last thing is for everyone to find out your age because he wanted someone young and vibrant not an old maid. That’s why he buy you expensive clothing and make up otherwise he would probably be screwing his young secretary. And plus that, the only reason he kept you this long is because he has you brainwashed and he knows you will do anything for him.”

  A tear ran down her face, running black with her eyeliner and mascara.

  “Start talking.”

  Chapter VIII

  Hoffman sat in his car with his head on the steering wheel. He looked up and watched as Christian left his apartment and began his walk. Hoffman drove his car into the alley that was on the side of Christian’s apartment building. He parked along the side and got out. He walked under the fire escape and looked up at the ladder. He pulled the ladder down and climbed up to the top floor. He walked over to Christian apartment window and slid it open. He climb into his house and looked around. He walked he looked into his suitcase, in folders, and cabinets and didn’t find what he was looking for. He opened up his computer that was already unlocked and on a document. It was an all his witnesses and the possible evidence. He deleted and closed his computer and sat it back down where it was. He went back to the window and climb back out. He climb down to his car, driving off down to the other outlet of the alley.

  He drove by Evelyn’s house. He knocked on the door and Evelyn came in. She invited him in to sit.

  “I found a way out without hurting Lynn. I deleted all his research on the case and I think that should knock him back considering that the case is nearing its end.”

  Evelyn laughed.

  “You really think that he wouldn’t have copied it or saved it somewhere else? Do you think he is an idiot? I just went to ransack his house. He is going to take every precautionary measure so he can win this case. I told you what you have to do. You either do what I told you or lose. It’s up to you because love is not going to help you.”

  Hoffman stood and left going back to his car slamming his hand down on the horn repeatedly in anger. He sped out of her driveway heading into town.

  Brian pulled out his phone and began dialing a number. Lynn answered the phone.

  “Hello?”

  “It me.” Brian spoke.

  “Oh what’s up is something wrong?” Lynn asked.

  “I just want to tell you that I loved you.”

  Lynn awed at his confession.

  “I love you too Brian.”

  Brian shuffled his finger impatiently.

  “I have to go now. I hope to see you later.” He said.

  “Yes I do too.” Lynn said before Brian hung up the phone.

  He started up his car and pulled out of his parking space along the street. He drove to the intersecting having his tires screech and they accelerated. He made turned around his car and had directly pointed at Connor who was listening to his music unaware of his surroundings.

  “This is the only way out. This is my only choice, it’s either now or never.” He slammed his foot on the gas as Christian ran over just as the car’s wheel hit the curb and drove into the window.

  He saw his plan had fail. Once again Christian had gotten in the way of his work. That’s all that he has really been good for lately. He opened up his car door that slid out from the scene as the people rushed to see the destruction.

  He made it to an alley and touched his head to see that i
t was bleeding.

  “Dammit!” He said as he stormed down the other opening. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed. Evelyn answered.

  “What a mess you gotten yourself into. You could have just avoided all of this if you would have just followed my directions.”

  “Yeah, but I have compassion that’s why I decided to take my own way out.” Brian said walking on the street opposite the direction of the ambulance.

  “What are you going to do when they find you?” Evelyn asked watch the news as they reported the attempted assassination of Connor.

  “They won’t I have that covered. You do have to worry.”

  “I won’t, I’m not the one on the run.” She hung up the phone. She took a sip from her wine glass.

  He dialed Lynn’s number. The phone rang but went to voicemail. He grunted in anger and continued to walk on.

  Brian made it to Lynn’s house to see she wasn’t home. He walked up to the bathroom and looked into the mirror and began wiping away the dried blood and glass from his skin. He heard the door open downstairs and assumed it Lynn coming home from a trip to the grocery store but he didn’t hear any footsteps going up the stairs. He turned off the running water to see if he could hear and footsteps at all. It was dead silent and if it wasn’t for his steps on the wood floor, the air would be still. He walked at the top of the stair case and seen her purse hanging on the coat rack and her keys on the key key-hooks on the wall. It had gotten darker outside and there is faint tapping on the glass windows of the house. It had started raining. Brian walks down the stair and turn into the living room. Lynn stood pacing back and forth stopping as she realized that Brian was in the entrance.

  “What’s wrong?” Brian said.

  He seen the sadness that lied in her eyes. A tear ran down her face.

  “We need to talk.”

  Chapter IX