Disappearance

by Ryan Wiley

  When I bring Abby home, she’s tired but we still celebrate. Both of our parents are here for company. It’s a bit awkward having them together as they have nothing in common, but we are all in good moods so the atmosphere is terrific. We have a few drinks, watch some football, and get some much-needed relaxation.

  By evening, our parents leave and it’s finally just Abby and me home again. It seems like it’s been forever since it was just the two of us here. This past week, I know, will change us forever.

  Sunday is our first day back to normal. I’ve called my bosses and told them I’ll be back to work on Monday. Personally, I don’t want to go because I never want to leave Abby again. Also, I’m dreading seeing how people act around me. I’m sure I’ve been the talk of the office. I’ll get funny looks and people coming up to ask questions (questions I don’t feel like answering yet). Abby thinks it’s best for my sanity if I get back to work, and she’s probably right.

  As for her, the doctor said she’s ready to go back whenever she wants. I told her to take a couple weeks off and her boss said to take a whole month off. Abby is stubborn, though, and enjoys being out of the house. I had to convince her not to go back tomorrow. We compromised on a week.

  Since my dad already went to the grocery, there’s nowhere we need to go today. It’s a very lazy Sunday watching television. I carry my cell phone in my pocket, checking it constantly to see if I missed a call or text from Deputy Vogul. My mind would be so much more at ease if she called. The call never comes.

  When I wake up on Monday morning, I turn over to look at the clock. “Shit!” The power must be out. Did I sleep in on my first day back to work? I hope my bosses understand. After all, I have had a rough couple of weeks. When I turn over, Abby isn’t there. Oh no, this isn’t happening again, is it? Am I in another coma? Is this just a dream? I rush out of bed.

  “Abby,” I shout. No answer. My heart starts to beat out of my chest. “Abby,” I shout again, this time even louder.

  “Over here.” It’s Abby’s voice. I walk into the kitchen and see her. Relief pours over me.

  “Is there something wrong with the power?” I ask.

  Abby walks over to the light switch and flicks it on. To my surprise, the light comes on. “Nope, seems fine. Can I get you anything, Andrew? How ’bout some orange juice?”

  “Sure, that sounds great.” She gets some OJ out of the fridge and pours both of us a glass. When she hands it to me, she says, “Drink up, you have a big day today! Can I make you some breakfast?”

  “I’m fine, thanks. I’ll just have cereal,” I say as I gulp down my drink.

  “It’s going to be alright, Andrew. I’m sure it’s not going to be as bad as it seems. Wait right here; I have a little surprise for you.”

  I smile, a surprise? I have no clue what it might be and I’m very interested to find out. When she comes back, though, my giddy excitement turns to shock. She moves towards me, a gun in her hand pointed directly at me.

  “Why don’t you have a seat, Andrew.”

  I freeze up, not having a clue what’s going on. “Abby, what are you doing? Where did you get that gun?”

  “Have a seat. I want to have a little chat.”

  I do as I’m told, sitting down at the kitchen table. Abby slowly starts walking toward me, keeping a safe distance away. The gun is still pointed at me.

  “You and I need to get our stories straight. I want to know what you think happened the day I was kidnapped.”

  I can’t believe this is happening. What has happened to my Abby? Where did she get a gun? I didn’t even know she knew how to shoot.

  “Wha..what do you want to know? Abby, why do you have a gun?”

  “Never mind that!” she interrupts. For the first time, I’m truly scared of her. She doesn’t look herself, like she’s another person. “What happened when you got to the reservoir?”

  “I…uhh… when I got there, I saw there was the huge hole. So I walked up to it and saw you were down there. Then, I saw you point up. Someone came up behind me. I’m pretty sure it was Zach. I thought I grabbed him and we fell down the hole together. Apparently, though, that’s not what happened. Deputy Vogul showed me the photos. I guess I killed Zack… and pretty gruesomely. I don’t even remember doing it.”

  Abby looks down like she’s trying to put puzzle pieces together. For a brief moment, I feel at ease, like we’re on the same team trying to un-code a mystery. Then she does something I don’t expect. She starts bursting out laughing. Not the kind of laugh after you’ve heard a funny joke, but the fake kind of laugh that has a hint of evil behind it.

  “You’re so stupid, Andrew. You’re not a hero. Did you really think you came and saved the day?”

  “I…umm… I don’t know what’s happening anymore.”

  “Well, I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you exactly what’s going on. You see Andrew, I’m not who you think I am. I’m not little goodie good Miss Priss wife. I have a dark side. I kill people.”

  I look at her, not knowing what to say or whether she’s telling me the truth. The gun pointed at me must mean she’s serious, though. “What do you mean you kill people?” I say.

  “You know the man in the black car, the man you killed? He’s my accomplice, or I guess I should say was. You see, I met him before you and I were together. He showed me how to kill, how to research people, how to attack when they’re at their weakest moment. We made an excellent team, killing dozens of people over the years, hiding each and every body at my place at the reservoir. You wouldn’t notice, because you’re so stupid and unobservant, but there are bodies buried all around that area. It was such a rush bringing you there when you had no clue what was nearby. It ended up coming in handy, too.

  “You’re probably wondering about Zach Jones and where he fits into all of this. That little twerp piece of shit took me off guard, I’ll admit. He’s always been a little stalker, and I guess it turns out he’s been following me around. He found my place at the reservoir and said he was going to bury me along with all the other bodies I left there. He came to my office. Not real subtle, but I give it to him he always had courage. He threw me in his car and put something over my mouth that made me pass out. Right before he threw me down into that hole, my eyes opened and I could see where I was. That’s why I called you. You’re the only one who knows how to get to my place at the reservoir — well, except for the man in the black car. I was too out of it to call him, though, and I wasn’t sure I could trust him. Turns out I was right about that.

  “So you get there and see me in the hole. It was Zach who came up behind you. I wonder what he was planning on doing with you. He probably would have dumped you in the hole with me. You said you wanted to be cremated, sweetie. We were almost buried together.”

  Abby paces back and forth, making sure to keep me in the corner of her eye while she continues. “It’s only a guess, but I’m ninety-nine percent certain what happened next. The black car man must have found out I was kidnapped and came out to the reservoir to look for me. He must have had a little fight with Zach — no surprise who came out ahead there.” Abby starts laughing, “He has quite the temper sometimes,” she says affectionately.

  “If he were here now he’d probably thank you, Andrew, for bringing that ax. I heard Zach was in pieces! That’s never really been my style; I try to be as clean as possible with my kills. The black car man likes to use his imagination. He thinks it’s important to let the police know the murders are his, so he leaves a patch of black dog hair by the bodies. He told me some bullshit that it symbolizes the victim was no better than a mutt. Personally, I thought it was stupid… and sloppy. I like to be as inconspicuous as possible, but I didn’t dare tell him otherwise. He seemed kinda crazy, ya know?

  “What really bothers me…” Abby stops, an angered expression on her face. “Is why that piece of shit turned on me. What did I ever do to him?” She looks over at me as if I’m supposed to answer her, but I only give her an empty stare.

&n
bsp; “You see, what happened sweetie is the black car man tore little Zach Jones to pieces. Then he did some artistic work to make it look like you did it. I hope you didn’t actually think you did the axing. You know you couldn’t hurt a fly. My guess is the black car man must have tipped the police off to where we were, and he was just going to leave me there to die. Why would he do that? I thought we had fun together.” Now Abby’s not even talking to me. She’s talking to herself like she’s trying to work out a problem. “I just don’t understand it. What did I do to him?”

  She looks back over to me and smiles, “Gee, where are my manners? This is probably a lot to take in, I know. I’m sure you have lots of questions, but let me finish the little story first. You see, when the police got there I was pretty heavily sedated and could barely remember anything. You, on the other hand, must have been really messed up. My guess is the black car man must have given you some good stuff. You were in a coma for a week. That’s crazy!” She laughs again, each time it gets scarier.

  “If you haven’t figured it out yet, Andrew, I’m a pretty good actress when I need to be. Lying in that hospital bed, I was scared to death. I didn’t know what the black car man had in store for me, but I was sure it wasn’t good. Why didn’t he just kill me? That’s something else I don’t understand. Why tip the police off knowing I might make it out alive? Anyway, it doesn’t matter now. I knew as long as I was in the hospital I was safe. Police were everywhere and the black car man is crazy but not stupid. I had to fake being worse than I really was. I figured it would be a few days before you would make it out all right, but I didn’t expect it to be a week! When you did recover and see me, well, you know what happened then. I told you to leave and kill the black car man. I wasn’t quite sure what he would do to me when I got out, but I knew damn sure what he would try to do to you. As pathetic as you are, Andrew, I figured I’d give you a chance and see how you would do. Turns out you were splendid! I knew there was a reason I married you. I can’t imagine the look on his face when you pulled that gun on him and blasted him. He obviously underestimated you like I did.

  “What I don’t like, though, is this Deputy Vogul woman. She’s quite a dirty cop, making you do all the risky work while she cleans up the tracks at the end. I would consider finding a different killing partner, Andrew. She’s not pulling her weight. You and I would make a pretty good team; I’ve got a lot of tricks up my sleeve.”

  I don’t hesitate with what I say next. “I’m not a murderer. You’re an insane lunatic!”

  “Oh sweetie, that hurts my feelings. You know me. I’m not a bad person. I take care of you, don’t I? I clean the house, cook you dinner, and make love whenever you want. Yes, I’ll admit I have a very strange hobby, but who doesn’t? You’ve been happy with our marriage, haven’t you? All I have to do is slip a little something in your drink before bed on the nights I go out. You get a full night’s rest and I get to have a little fun. It’s a win-win for both of us,” she smiles.

  “If you’re interested to know, we liked to do our killings on the weekends so I could sleep in the next day. To be honest, I don’t really know much about the black car man. We had this hobby and we were only together when there was business. We never dealt with personal matters. If you’re concerned, I never slept with him or anything. I’ve always been very faithful to you.” She laughs again, “I’ve just told you I’m a serial killer, I’m sure the least of your concerns is whether I’ve been cheating on you.

  “I know it sounds bad but it’s really not that big of a deal. We didn’t just kill anyone, Andrew; everything was thoroughly researched. Most of the people we killed did something bad at one point in time — rapes, cheating, stealing… you know how much I despise thieves. I also convinced the black car man to help me go after some of those hoodlums we ran into last year. You remember them right?” She smiles, “you should have seen the look on their faces!

  “Of course, during all that there were one or two innocent ones, and I do feel kinda bad about that. They were at the wrong place at the wrong time, though, and you gotta do what you gotta do.

  “Which leads me to you, Andrew. What am I going to do with you?” She points the gun back at me. “You’re not going to tell Deputy Vogul or anyone else my little secret, are you?”

  Inside I’m thinking of course I’m going to tell her; you’re a psychopath! I know I’d be a dead man if I said that, though. “No, of course not. I love you Abby.” I say as convincingly as I can.

  “Oh, how sweet. I love you, too. I really do, Andrew. I’m so happy I married you. You’ve always been wonderful to me, but you’re a pretty shitty liar.”

  At this point, I know I’m a dead man. That’s why I’m so happy when I see Deputy Vogul burst into the room.

  “Hold it right there!” Deputy Vogul says, her gun aimed at Abby.

  Abby gives off a smile, a look that’s really starting to irritate me. “Well, well. Deputy Vogul, I presume? It’s nice to finally meet you.”

  Deputy Vogul doesn’t say anything. How long has she been here? Before anything else is said, I notice I don’t feel right. I’m very dizzy.

  “Abby, what’s happening to me?” I say.

  “Oh yes, I almost forgot. Did you enjoy your orange juice?”

  I look down at my empty glass, Abby’s full glass of orange juice sitting next to it. She drugged me. That little bitch drugged me. The room keeps spinning. My God, this isn’t good.

  “I knew I’d catch you one day,” Deputy Vogul says. “Ten years of searching, but here we are finally face to face.”

  “Please!” Abby says smugly. “You’ve never come close to catching us. The only reason you’re here this time is because the black car man and I seemed to have gone our separate ways.”

  I try keeping my eyes open. I want to hear what’s said next. The drink Abby made me has some powerful stuff in it, though.

  “Oh, enough of this talk,” Deputy Vogul says. “I don’t care what you have to say. I’ve waited ten years and I’m not waiting any longer.”

  Then, in my last moments of consciousness, Abby turns toward Deputy Vogul and points her gun at her. I hear a gun blast, and then everything goes dark.

  Epilogue

  When I wake up I see trees. I’m lying on the cool ground unsure of where I am. I hear the sound of a shovel sliding into dirt. Someone’s digging a hole. The sounds stop and I hear panting. Whoever is doing this is trying to catch their breath. When they sigh, I can tell it’s a female voice. Who is it, and how did I get here? I try to remember.

  I know I woke up, and then went to the kitchen where Abby was. I remember her pulling the gun on me and telling her deepest, dark secrets. What happened after that, though? I’m pretty sure Abby put something in my orange juice. That must be why I don’t remember how I got here. Is this really happening? Am I her next victim?

  Right when I gather enough energy to roll over and look around, I see Deputy Vogul standing up in front of me.

  “Well hey there, Andrew. How are you feeling?” she asks.

  “I uhh… not good. I think Abby drugged me.”

  She laughs, “Yeah, I think she did too. Not sure what she gave you, but I guess it wasn’t lethal.”

  I give off a half-smirk, and then ask, “Where is she? What happened to her?”

  Deputy Vogul pauses, thinking how best to spill the news. Evidently she decides on the blunt truth, “She’s dead. I’m sorry. I had no other choice. She was about to shoot me, so I pulled the trigger. This must be very hard to hear, Andrew. I heard your conversation. Believe me, I was as shocked as you were. I knew something was wrong with that girl, though, when she told you to kill the man in the black car.”

  We both remain quiet, letting what happened sink in. I can’t believe my Abby, my sweet and wonderful Abby, is a serial killer. How could she be like this for so long without me noticing? To cover up something like this for a decade you would have to be insane — and a damn good liar.

  I start to regain some co
nsciousness, enough for me to look at where we are. The place looks eerily familiar, like I’ve been here recently. When I sit up, I see the hole Deputy Vogul’s been digging. When I look further I see what looks to be the remains of the black car. Now I know exactly where we are, Deputy Vogul’s place in the reservoir!

  “Hey, what’s going on? Why are you digging that hole?” I ask, terrified knowing what the answer may be.

  “Andrew, you seem like a smart guy. Do I really have to answer that?”

  I look around, hoping to see Abby’s body but I don’t.

  Deputy Vogul continues, “It’s not for Abby. It’s for you.”

  She reaches from her side and pulls out a gun, aiming it right at me.

  “Deputy Vogul, what are you doing? I thought you were on my side!”

  “I was. I really was, Andrew. Things change, though. Circumstances come up and you have to play the cards you’re dealt.” She walks over to me and sits up against a nearby tree, making sure to keep a safe distance away. “When I shot Abby, I would have been more than happy to say you did it, give you the heroic story you deserve. Problem is, Abby drugged you and I couldn’t think of a story where that doesn’t fall back on me. The best I could come up with involved Abby drugging you then, in your last desperate attempts to survive, you shot her. I’ve been in the police force for a long time to know this story is too risky, though. No signs of a struggle, the entry of the bullet — all of that they’ll be able to figure out when they look at her body on your kitchen table. Also, quite frankly, for you to find out you’re drugged and shoot her in that short a time invokes skepticism. It all leads dangerously close to my involvement.

  “Compare it with this next story, the one the police report is going to say tomorrow. I used your gun to kill Abby, so whenever they find her on your kitchen table the reports will come back making you a very strong suspect — even more so when you’ve mysteriously gone missing. This is where the beauty of the story comes in; are you ready for this?” She gives off a short laugh then continues. “I’ll volunteer for the case to go looking for you, which I’ll get because I’m closely tied with the case already. I’ll still have the black car man case but it will be a lower priority, even lower after a couple years when there aren’t any more murder victims. During that time, I’ll be searching day and night for you. Making up a few leads here and there as I go along. Andrew, you’ve bought me another five years of detective work trying to find you. Somewhere along the way I might say you’ve gone to California. I’ve always wanted to go there. Maybe Hawaii or overseas to Paris, too.” she snorts with laughter. “It all works out so perfectly!”