TheBanyanTree: MURDER ONE

[Sharon Mack]

I wrote this for one of my other workshops...thought I'd share.

Written from Journal Prompt 11/13/03 "If you were the sole witness to a
crime by a loved one..."

MURDER ONE

She never knew that I saw her, my friend, Elizabeth Dinn.  I came
around the bushes just in time to see her pull the trigger.  She was up
close and had it shoved into his stomach.  It hardly made a noise as the
layers of his clothing helped to muffle the sound.  I stepped back
breathing fast and heavy.  I tried to slow it down.  I didn't want her
to hear me or know that I was there and had seen her do the deed.

I heard footsteps.  Were they coming toward me?  I backed further into
the bushes and waited and listened hard. No, they were moving away. I
let out my breath and then without fully leaving my cover, I ventured a
peek.  The streets were dark and empty.  No cars, no people, no sounds,
just me and the dead man.   I slowly moved forward.  He lay on his back,
the bloodstain huge on his coat.  It had seeped through the layers.  I
stared at him and wondered who he was.

Why on earth would Elizabeth do such a thing?  Had he harmed her in
some horrible way?  Abused her?  Raped her?  I felt a huge sadness creep
into my heart.  Elizabeth and I had grown up together and though we
hadn't stayed in daily touch we still met up on holidays when we went
back home or had lunch in the city when our busy schedules allowed it. 
I loved her like a sister.  She was special.  Beautiful, smart and kind,
I had always wanted to be like her.  She was always smiling, always
laughing.  I had to see her, had to talk to her.  I needed to know why. 
I needed to understand.

I decided to make an anonymous call to the police, but I had to find a
public phone first.  I didn't feel comfortable using my cell phone.  I
went back to my car.  First I called Hal and told him I was having car
trouble and I'd be late, then I started to drive around looking for a
public phone.  They were scarce these days as the telephone companies
removed them for not turning a profit.  People with cells didn't need
them anymore.  At last at a small liquor store several blocks away, I
found a public phone and made the call.  I was sweating but felt cold as
I told the officer where the body was and then I hung up*quickly!  The
store clerk was watching me.  I smiled and bought something, anything to
break the tension.  I left for Hal's.

**************************

I didn't see Elizabeth for a couple of days.  I tried to call her but
she never answered either at home or on her cell.  I was really feeling
desperate.  I watched the papers and the TV news but the story was never
reported.  I figured it wasn't sensational enough.  Finally, I decided
to call back home to see if she had left town and returned to family. 
Bingo!  She answered her mother's phone on the first ring.

"Elizabeth," I breathed her name more than spoke it.

"Yeah?"  She hesitated while she tried to determine who was calling.

"Elizabeth, it's me*."  My voice trailed off.

"Susan?  How did you know I was here?

"Took a wild guess.  I've been trying to reach you for days.  I need to
talk to you.  When will you be back in the city?"

There was no answer.

"Elizabeth?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, when I can I see you.  It's really important."

"I'm not coming back.  My mother and my sister need me."

"Are they ill?"  I hadn't heard anything.  Surely my mother would have
told me.

"Ahhh, yeah, they're sick*with the flu.  They have a really bad case. 
Look, Susan, I gotta' go."

"Wait, Elizabeth, wait."  She waited.  "I'll come there.  I'll leave
this morning.  I'll see you in a few hours. Honestly, this is really
important."  I was emphatic.

"You don't*"  

I didn't wait for any more conversation.  I was leaving.  I hung up the
phone, almost as quickly as I had hung it up on the policeman.

I drove quickly, breaking the speed limit as often as I could.  I
didn't want her taking off. I didn't want her worried about what I was
going to say or what I wanted to talk to her about.  I figured she was
feeling frightened enough over what she had done. I didn't want to add
to her worries so I had to get there and talk to her soon.  I also knew
that my conscience wouldn't let me keep this quiet for much longer.  If
I didn't see her and find out why, I would have to turn her in anyway. 
I was hoping that whatever the reason was, perhaps I would be able to
help my friend.  Stand by her, get her a lawyer, whatever she needed,
but I wanted her to know that it was me that had witnessed the crime and
that it was going to be me that had to turn her in if she wouldn't do
that herself.  If she came forward on her own, it might be better for
her and I wanted to be there*by her side when and if she did.  Afterall,
I was her best friend, wasn't I?