Chapter 23 #4
I open the door and greet the unexpected officer. “Hello…” He assesses me. Glancing from the plaid towel over my hand, then back up to my face.
“Miss Mari?”
I nod.
“I’m Officer Kent, with the Boston Police.”
I nodded again, still unsure why he’s here.
“May I come in?”
I look over my shoulder remembering that I’m alone, then turn back to face the man in uniform. Chewing on my lip, I reply, “Umm, I think I’d prefer right here.” I didn’t mean it to sound so meek.
He gives a curt nod in response.
I stepped out into the hallway, leaving our apartment door ajar.
“I’d like to ask you a couple of questions about your time working at the Star Mart off Washington Street.”
My heart begins to pick up pace, like a slow jog transitioning into a sprint.
“I understand you worked there for an extended period of time,” he continues.
Shit. Why does he want to talk about that place? Then it hits me. What Mairead told me. The question I've asked my stalker multiple times, but he never gives me a direct answer. Did you kill my manager, Craig? I quit slash “got fired” right before he turned up with an earbud down his throat!
Is this… an interrogation? Do I need a lawyer? I all but stopped taking in oxygen. Act normal. Calm down! I shout at myself. You didn’t do anything! Although, I may have an inkling as to what happened to that vile human.
I give him a tight-lipped smile and dip my head a few times, to indicate I was listening and not having an existential crisis on the spot. Fuck. I probably resemble a bobble head. Stop nodding!
“Are you aware that your manager,” he pulls a notepad from his breast pocket and flips a few pages in, “Mr. Craig Moore… was found dead on the morning of October 20th, at your previous place of employment?”
I’m still as a statue.
“The PD has been investigating the incident, following leads, as all evidence is pointing to homicide. I’d like to go over your time working there and how you left on poor terms.”
See! This is why I hate cops! Always thinking the worst of the guiltless! I feel like I am in a glass fishbowl, trapped within a translucent prison. All I can do is watch helplessly as the situation unfolds. The questions start off easily enough.
“How long did you work at Star Mart? Did you work with Mr. Moore often?”
Then the line of questioning turned.
“How was your relationship with your previous manager? What led to your release from the position?”
Of course they would think I was fired! Each question is more invasive than the next, eventually leading him to ask, “How was your last interaction with Craig Moore?”
I attempt to steady my heart. Taking a deep breath in, ahead of letting it out slowly through my lips.
My shirt is wet from where the saturated towel still rests against me.
I know this officer already came here knowing all the answers to his questions, but I’m forced to obey regardless.
Calmly as I can muster, I tell him everything that happened, including the sexual advances Creepy Craig made on me.
I also informed him that ‘I quit,’ not the other way around.
He jots down notes, making noises like, “mhmm,” then glancing up from his notepad from time to time. The pen was moving, but I swear it seems more like doodling than forming actual letters or words. Mid-sentence, he cuts me off.
“I think that’s all I need, Miss Mari. Thank you for your time.
” At the point he begins to walk down the hall, while I recede back into the safety of my apartment, when he turns suddenly.
“Do you have both of your earbuds?” Like a punch to the gut, that uneasy feeling returns despite the toast. “A coworker of yours said you were listening to music the day you stopped working there. They also said you only wore one. Is this because of…” He gestures to his own ear drawing a swirl to represent what I can only assume is him mimicking a hearing aid.
A wave of frustration and worry crashes through me.
Can a fish drown in water, because that’s exactly how I feel at that moment!
I arm myself with a half breath before responding, “Yes. I was listening to music, and I still have both in my set.” My voice shook, but I knew the best deceit came from half-truths, because I did in fact have MY full set.
I just didn’t disclose that I also had a single earbud, delivered by a possible murdering stalker, where its matching pair most likely resided deep in the throat of my predatory ex-manager.
The officer studies me for long moments.
What he was looking for, I’m not sure, but I wasn’t going belly up, despite his tactic of ‘shaking the tank.’
“Very well.” He surrenders. I try not to sway over the quick shift in his demeanor, suddenly sounding chipper. “Enjoy your day, Miss Mari.” Just as abruptly as he came, he was gone again.
I slip back inside and lock the door. Temporary relief washes over me, but deep down… it was tortuous. So much has changed over the past couple weeks, I couldn’t make sense of anything. I may have fended off drowning today, but I was a fish out of water. Fighting to survive in an unforgiving world.