The Neighbor

by Joseph Souza

  “Sure.”

  “You really do care about me, Clay, don’t you?”

  I pause before answering. “Of course I care about you.”

  “We’ll soon be together again, Clay. You, me, Zack, and Zadie. Then we can move back to Seattle and get on with our lives.”

  I can’t begin to envision such a bleak future. I must now accept the inevitable or counter it with a lie. I could tell the cops that Leah was the aggressor and that she shot them in cold blood. They would have no reason to doubt me. Then the kids and I could live happily ever after. Yes, I decide that is what I’ll tell the police.

  “Don’t worry, dear. I’ll be home very soon.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  She lifts her cuffed wrist and shows me the cell phone in her hand. “I’ve got their confessions. I’ve recorded every last word that was uttered in that room. The truth will set us free.”

  The cop slams the door shut. I see Leah waving to me as the car circles around our depressing cul-de-sac. A neighborhood of one now. The car speeds onto the main road and disappears. I suddenly realize that I’m the only one left standing. Alone and numb and afraid. Sweat pours down my face and chest. I feel dead inside as Mr. Shady runs out and scrapes his paws against my shin. I look up and stare numbly out at the barren fields behind our home. Then I see them.

  Those damn starlings.