by Ivy Thorne
Why the hell would he ask me something like that? He doesn’t even know me!
Ashley stood up awkwardly. As she shot out of her chair, she accidentally bumped the table.
“Excuse me, I’m not feeling too well,” she stated. “I’m going to the bathroom.”
Without looking at Rain, Ashley rushed out of the reception area. She had no intention of returning. Something about Rain wasn’t right. Every part of Ashley was telling her she needed to get out of that funeral home as soon as possible.
They’re on to you, the inner voice said. No matter how fast you run, they’ll catch you and lock you away forever. It’s what you deserve.
A whimper escaped Ashely’s lips as she dashed down the stairs. She didn’t want to live the rest of her life having to run from the authorities.
The minute her foot touched the first floor, relief washed over her. The heavy wooden doors leading to her freedom were within her sight. All she had to do was exit through them. The police couldn’t find her. She’d been careful not to leave behind any evidence. Although…
There had been something she’d done after killing Reggie that she’d forgotten. The memory now came back to her. After slashing Reggie’s throat, Ashley had exited the house in terror. She’d gone around to the side of the house and had hyperventilated in the shadows. Once she’d managed to come to terms with what she’d done, she’d re-entered the house. There had been a part of her that had wanted to make sure Reggie was dead. Another part of her wanted a chance to mourn him. Ashley had both hated and loved the man at the same time. Never had she thought it was possible to feel two contrasting emotions toward someone at the same time, until that moment.
The television still had been on full volume. Reggie had been watching a sitcom. Ashley had expected him to be in bed, asleep. He worked early shifts and did hard labor as a construction worker. So, she’d anticipated him being in bed snoring. Instead, he’d been up.
Until his death, Ashley never had seen a dead body before. What had unsettled her the most, besides the carnage, was his foggy eyes staring aimlessly. Something about them hadn’t looked real. It’d almost appeared as though they were made of glass. Wanting to make him appear more at peace, Ashley had closed his eyes by pressing her fingers against his eyelids and pulling them down. Had she given herself away by marking his face with her fingerprints? Was that something the police would have checked?
Ashley refused to consider it any further. She flung her body into the double doors and bolted out of the funeral home into the heat of the afternoon.
Chapter 19
It had been about twenty minutes since Marla had seen Dane’s car drive into the parking lot. Marla wondered how he was doing inside with Ashley. She’d never been the patient sort and preferred always to be involved with everything that was going on. Therefore, the twenty minutes that had gone by felt more like an eternity to her.
Twenty-one minutes now, she thought, glancing at her phone.
She sighed. Maybe if she’d had more patience, she wouldn’t have gone through so many boyfriends in the past. Marla had a history when it came to dating. None of her relationships seemed to exceed three months.
How did Roger manage to last a year with me? Marla wondered.
Roger was the man she had been dating when she’d lived in Reggie’s house. He’d been an intimidating looking guy, but was quiet and reserved. Before she’d moved up north for a new job, she’d had a discussion with Roger about the status of their relationship. Because they’d be so far away from each other, she’d brought up the idea of having an open relationship.
At the time he’d seemed okay with the idea. However, later, when Marla had told him about a new guy she’d met up north, it had become immediately clear that he’d never been okay with the concept. Why hadn’t he communicated more clearly? Had he given her signs that he didn’t want her seeing other guys? Signs Marla had missed? Or, had he hidden how he’d truly felt? Perhaps if she’d put more effort into understanding Roger’s needs, she’d have avoided hurting him.
As for all her other short-lived relationships, Marla was beginning to understand what had gone wrong with them. Being the career-focused gal that she had been, Marla had given little thought to anything but her job. Boys always came second to her work. But, now that her career had taken off, there was no need for her to be placing so much focus on it. She didn’t have to keep canceling dates because of work or forgetting to return calls. Healthy, stable relationships required work and Marla never had been very good at that.
I have to be better for Dane, she thought. If I don’t pay more attention to my partners, I’ll be alone for the rest of my life!
“What the hell are you doing here?”
The voice startled Marla out of her reflective state. It had belonged to a man, an abrasive man.
Crap!
Marla looked up to find none other than Speckleman standing before her on the sidewalk. She stood from her place on the bench. Being cast in Speckleman’s shadow wasn’t something she enjoyed. The gears of her mind turned quickly for a response. No doubt she appeared suspicious seated on a bench outside of her place of work, which she’d been told to avoid.
“Just going for a walk,” she stated.
Speckleman sniggered, crossing his arms in disbelief. He spat a wad, causing Marla to curl her lip in disgust. She hated it when people spat in front of her. It was repulsive.
“Yeah! Right!” Speckleman blurted out. “You expect me to believe that you decided to go for a walk to the funeral home during the exact time of Reggie’s service? Look at you. You’re wearing a hat with your hair all tucked up in the back and a pair of sunglasses. It’s obvious you’re trying to disguise yourself.”
“From what, the sun?” Marla retorted. “Excuse me for trying to protect my eyes and face from damaging ultraviolet radiation.” She then pointed the finger back at Speckleman. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be in the funeral home supervising?”
Marla already knew the answer to her question. Speckleman was temporarily ditching because he’d run out of cigarettes. He was on his way to the convenience store down the road to buy more.
“The service is over. Everyone is stuffing their faces full of brownies and coffee in the reception room now,” Speckleman stated. “What am I supposed to do? Feed them?”
“You could at least make sure their water and coffee are full,” Marla said. “It’s your job. Mr. Oswald doesn’t pay you to inhale tobacco smoke.”
Annoyed, Speckleman stepped closer to Marla, his beady eyes glaring at her. When he spoke, Marla could smell his stale coffee breath.
“Mr. Oswald also doesn’t pay you to go out and kill people, though I’m sure he’s thankful for the business,” Speckleman snarled.
The man’s breath was truly rancid. Marla hated how close he was to her. She could see in detail all of the pockmarks on his cheeks. His face contained so many craters it looked as though it was modeled after the Moon. It was then that she remembered what Dane had told her about Speckleman’s motive for being a bully to Marla.
“I didn’t murder Reggie,” she stated. “The only reason you made that call to the police and contacted your little mistress to have that article written is because you can’t stand the fact that I’m a better worker than you.”
Now Speckleman looked furious. There was a vein distending at his temple and his fists were balled at his sides. Marla knew she probably should stop provoking him, but she couldn’t help herself. After everything the man had done to her, he deserved a taste of the truth.
“The only way you think you can surpass me is through dirty tricks,” she continued. “Even you know you’re a lazy piece of crap. That’s why instead of working harder to best me you throw around insults. You think you can antagonize me until I quit or get fired, but you’re wrong.” Marla lowered her voice to an intense whisper. “You don’t scare me.”
Speckleman’s response was one of fury.
“You psycho j
erk!” he growled. “I could have you arrested right now. All I have to do is call the police. They already think you’re a suspect.”
He pulled his phone out of his pocket and held it up threateningly.
“You being here just proves you killed Reggie. I bet you stopped by to reminisce about the murder. Maybe you even hoped to get a glimpse of Reggie’s corpse being loaded into the hearse and taken to the crematorium.”
While Speckleman continued to eject verbal diarrhea, Marla’s phone vibrated in the pocket of her shorts. She subtly pulled it out to check if Dane had sent an update text.
The message read: ”She’s on the move. I thought she was headed for the side exit, but she must have chosen the front. Keep an eye on the door. I’m on my way.”
Marla looked past Speckleman’s shoulder. He continued to rant, completely oblivious to what she was doing or what was going on behind him.
Just as Dane had predicted, Ashley emerged through the front door. She seemed in a hurry and was peering back at the funeral home to be certain no one was following her. Ashley picked up her pace while continuing to check behind her. She was coming straight toward Marla, though from Ashley’s perspective she wouldn’t be able to see Marla due to Speckleman blocking the view.
Ashley was seconds away from passing them. From the corner of her eye, Marla saw Dane’s car coming out of the parking lot. This was her chance to stop Ashley from escaping.
Thinking fast, Marla lashed out at Speckleman, slamming her body into his chest. The force of the hit caused Speckleman to stumble backward, right into Ashley.
Like dominoes, the three of them toppled over. Ashley shrieked in surprise, while Speckleman hollered vulgarities. None of them had fallen hard enough to cause serious injury. Speckleman’s beer belly had completely cushioned Marla from the hard sidewalk.
Tires screeched as Dane’s vehicle jerked to the curbside, directly in front of the human pile-up that just had occurred.
“Police! Stay down!” Dane yelled to Ashley, though she didn’t appear in any condition to flee.
Tears streamed down her face. Sobbing bitterly, she said, “I’m sorry I killed him. Please don’t hurt me!”
Dane helped her up before affixing a pair of handcuffs around her wrists. He then began to recite her rights as he guided her into the back seat of his car. Before driving away, he nodded his thanks to Marla.
“What the hell is going on?!” Speckleman demanded.
He stood up, brushing the dirt from the seat of his pants.
“The woman who murdered Reggie just got arrested,” Marla responded, calmly. “What were you saying about me being a psychopathic killer again?”
She couldn’t help but snicker at the sight of Speckleman’s gaping face. Taking out her phone, she quickly snapped a picture of him before suavely bidding him adieu.
“Catch you later!” she called out to him.
For the entire walk back to the supermarket parking lot, Marla wore a smile on her face. Jackie was going to love the picture she’d just taken of Speckleman’s stupefied expression.
***
Marla was itching to hear how things had gone with the police and Ashley at the station. It killed her that she hadn’t been able to accompany Dane, but it wouldn’t have looked good if she’d shown up with him.
She sighed dreamily while putting away her groceries. Dane had looked seriously sexy arresting Ashley while wearing a spiffy suit.
Something else she’d been thinking about was Ashley’s motive for killing Reggie. Having heard what Sommer and Peter had said about the guy being a creep, Marla had a pretty good theory as to why Ashley had done what she had. Marla surmised that the two of them had been in a toxic relationship. If her notion was correct, then Marla felt bad for Ashley.
From the time Marla had moved in with Ashley, she’d gotten the impression that Ashley was a timid and gentle girl. For someone like her to have acted so viciously must have meant that Reggie had been a truly abhorrent boyfriend.
That night Marla sat up in bed, questions bouncing around her mind like kids on a trampoline. Had Reggie had something to do with Ashley’s request for Marla to find her a female roommate? Sommer had told her that Reggie only had harassed her once her boyfriend had left. He’d also avoided Marla, as Marla’s boyfriend always had been around.
Reggie must have felt threatened by other men. If Ashley had been his girlfriend, then it would have made sense for him not to want her living with a male roommate. Though, if this had been true, then why hadn’t he stopped Marla from subletting to Peter? The answer came to Marla as she began drifting off to sleep. Without a subtenant, Marla hadn’t been able to afford Reggie’s rent. He’d needed the money. That’s why he’d allowed Peter to stay.
Marla woke up the next day to the sound of her phone alerting her. She picked it up to see that she’d received an email from Mr. Oswald. His message read:
I received a call today from a young man with the Wallsberg police. It looks as though the person responsible for Reggie’s death has been arrested. Thank you so much for your patience during this tough time, Marla. This shows tremendous strength in character. I am so sorry you were accused of a crime you didn’t commit. We all miss you here. I hope to see you back at the funeral home this Monday. Please enjoy your weekend.
Sincerely,
Mr. Oswald.
The email made Marla smile. She felt a fantastic sense of relief knowing Reggie’s killer had been caught. At the same time, she was sympathetic. She’d known Ashley and had a feeling her speculations about why the girl had murdered Reggie were accurate. If Marla was right, that meant that Ashley had been in some serious pain the last number of years. The only way she’d find out whether her theory about Ashley was correct is if she talked to Dane. Since the arrest yesterday, Dane hadn’t been in contact with Marla.
Sighing, Marla settled down into her kitchen chair to have her morning coffee. Technically, it was now almost noon, as she’d slept in, but coffee was good at any point in the day. As she sipped the bitter liquid, she couldn't help but think, ‘What now?’ Would she ever hear from Dane again?
Maybe Dane would decide he didn’t want to get involved with a woman and wanted to focus on his career. That’s what Marla always had done. She’d chosen her career over her relationships.
Talk about getting a dose of your own medicine, Marla thought.
The image of her sitting alone at the very same table she was currently sitting in, but fifty years later, flashed in her mind. Her skin looked like the shell of a walnut. A centerpiece of flowers sat before her, but the flowers were wilted and rotting. Flies buzzed around her head and landed in her coffee, which she then drank apathetically.
Marla gagged on the last sip of her coffee. She poured herself a glass of water and quickly drank it to eliminate the imagined dead fly taste. It was then that her phone blipped.
“Thank God!” she exclaimed when she saw who the text was from. It was Dane.
The contents of his message had Marla smiling ear to ear. Dane was inviting her over to his place for dinner that evening. He explained that he would let her in on the details of Ashley’s arrest.
Marla clutched the phone to her chest and twirled happily into her living room, where she then collapsed onto her couch. She felt like a little girl who’d just been told she was going to meet a real princess.
The evening couldn’t have come fast enough. All Marla had done that day was fantasize about her dinner date with Dane. What would his place be like? Was he the sort of person who obsessively kept everything tidy and in its place, or was he more of a messy person? What would he cook? Could he cook? Was this going to be the sort of night where she should wear her fancy underwear?