McKean nodded, stood up, and knocked on the window. The door opened and the officer left the room.
For a few seconds there was silence.
Then George, with his eyes facing the floor, said, “I don’t care if you don’t believe me. My boy is dead. I have more important things to think about.”
Martin grinned.
“Oh, I believe you, George. I believe you. But you strangled the wrong guy. I wasn’t inside the schoolteacher when you killed him. I moved on. I was inside that crazy bitch you heard, having a good laugh.”
Martin put a wrinkled hand on George’s lap and smiled. And when George looked up he saw that the cop had aged a thousand years. His eyes were glistening. Worst of all, his smile was all wrong.
He had a smile that looked like a scream.
* * *
MONSTERS:
BABY
“Wait!” Jennifer said, somewhat urgently. She was standing in the doorway with a white coffee mug in her hand, looking excited and worried and absolutely beautiful. The cute little hearts on her silk pajamas were shiny and red, complementing the cherry polish on her fingers and toes. Her dark hair was cut boldly short. If her face wasn’t so stunningly gorgeous the cut may have looked terrible because she had a boy’s haircut, really. It was brave and it worked, but somehow it seemed best suited for a nine-year-old brat with ice-cream stains on his t-shirt and the knees knocked out of his blue jeans.
Richard, standing on the driveway next to his car, turned towards his wife. Complementing his bright green eyes and his slender nose was a smile that seemed more dimple than lip. With a smirk, he said, “What is it?”
“Just come here for a minute.”
“But––” Richard had a travel bag in his left hand and his car keys in his right. He lifted them up and flaunted them, as if doing so was a statement onto itself.
“I know, honey,” Jennifer said, using her ‘baby-needs-some-loving’ voice. “I know, but I have to tell you something. It’s important.”
Richard unloaded a hearty laugh. “Now? You need to tell me something important, now? The clock is ticking and I’ve got to go! Steve is probably wondering where I am already.”
“Please, hon. I thought it could wait but now I don’t think it can.” She tilted her head to one side, scrunched up her expression and stood on her tippy-toes. Coffee splashed inside the mug.
Richard placed his luggage on the driveway and dragged his feet towards his wife. With his shoulders slumped, his eyes sad, and his face long, he looked like he was visiting his mother on death row. Should have been a stage actor. “What is it?”
Jennifer wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him on the lips. Once the kiss was planted she nuzzled into him, and said, “I love you.”
Richard laughed. “Well that’s fantastic. I love you, too.”
“No, I want you to really hear me. I love you, Richard Beach. I love you with all my heart. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me, and I’m unconditionally yours.”
“Aww…” Richard felt his belly flip as an unexpected batch of tears threatened to break free from their hiding place. She had said that very thing on their wedding day; it was part of her vows. Hearing it again was wonderful, and––my Lord, he treasured this woman. She was everything he wanted and more. She was artistic and beautiful; she knew how to make him feel like the luckiest man alive. Every hour they spent together seemed better than the one before it. And sure, his friends might argue that they were still in that honeymoon stage; they might even point out that things were bound to change, but still––if Jennifer wasn’t the perfect woman he wasn’t sure such a thing existed. With his eyebrows raised and his arms around her, he granted her a soft and loving squeeze. “You’re so sweet.”
“Tell me that you love me.”
A smile blossomed. “I love you.”
“No… really tell me. Make me understand.”
Richard kissed his wife with as much passion as he could muster. He ran one hand along the center of her back while caressing her neck with the other. He whispered, “I love you Jennifer Samantha Beach. I love you more than you’ll ever know. I’d die for you in a heartbeat, because you are the very best part of me. You are my everything; my center; my one. I’m so lucky to have you in my life, Jenn. I know it