Emily had insisted she be allowed to stay by Jack’s side when the police arrived for their interview. The argument easily swung her way upon showing off the new engagement ring on her finger, to which the two officers offered their congratulations before getting into the questioning.
The questions began fairly standard with them asking Jack to recount his version of events. They listened to how Jack had returned to the restaurant to retrieve his phone, and how he had realized there had been a problem. Then they began to ask more specific questions: what told him something was amiss initially, where was Hank, how did they get out, what did the attacker look like. To be sure, Jack privately thought if they had let him finish recounting the event they’d have the answer to most of their questions, but didn’t say anything about it.
The cops didn’t seem to believe Jack’s description of the attacker, and their expressions looked less and less believing as the story continued.
“So, the guys had a cold or allergy thing then?” one had asked.
“Wasn’t so much a sniffling as a short sniff, like a dog,” Jack corrected.
“Uh huh,” the cop nodded. “So, you guessed he was tracking your scent, like a bloodhound, that it? Guess I’ve heard stranger things before, right Frank?”
“If you say so Jimmy,” the other merely shrugged. “The way you covered up your friend makes sense then, if you were trying to hide him.”
“I did hide him,” Jack said, raising an eyebrow.
“Officers,” Emily spoke up calmly, “are your comments meant to imply my fiancé hid his friend, for other reasons beyond saving his life?”
The two officers shared a look.
“Well, we’re not supposed to comment on an ongoing investigation,” the one called Frank muttered.
“Eh, not like they won’t hear these facts on the media later,” Officer Jimmy pointed out.
“True, alright then,” Officer Frank shrugged. “So kid, honestly, your story sounds a bit loony at first glance, especially since we can’t find a trace of the perp beyond the destruction he supposedly left behind. Now,” he raised his hand before Emily could protest, “we ain’t saying you lied kid. The backdoor to your restaurant looks like it was hit by a wrecking ball from the inside, and the wounds on you and your buddy are consistent, so we aren’t thinking this some weird self-mutilation murder attempt thing. Kinda hard to claw your own face at that angle after all. But, like I said, we can’t find a trace of the perp anywhere. There’s no blood, and nothing in the wounds on your friend to give us a lead. Not even a hair.”
“Well, he did look, weird,” Jack admitted, thinking of the monster’s freakish form. He hadn’t told that versions exactly, more that it had been a large man with claw weapons. Somehow, he didn’t think anyone would believe the actual truth. “Seemed to wearing something that wrapped around his body; hard to see.”
“Sure,” Officer Frank shrugged. “Can’t imagine a guy who like cutting people up with claws would look normal, and if this wasn’t his first time he’d do his best not to leave evidence. Still, you claimed you fought him off with an iron pipe, right? Where’d you get such a pristine piece like that?”
“Somehow, I’m getting the feeling that you don’t quite believe that I pulled it out of the garbage can,” Jack said dryly.
“Think you’d have better odds winning the lottery than finding a pipe that clean from a garbage can,” Officer Frank agreed.
“Again, not suspecting you of anything,” Jimmy interjected. “The pipe is more than clean, honestly. It’s like it got hit by a rust removal laser and completely smoothed, even nicer than a newly forged piece. The squints in evidence agree it would be impossible for you to have gotten this done in the amount of time the attack took place, and that there isn’t a place within a hundred miles that could do as a good a job.”
“So, what then?” Jack asked. “Am I in trouble? Or, in danger?”
The cops merely shrugged. “Lot of guesses, few leads. Likely another cold case to be honest,” Officer Frank admitted. “We’ll do our best to find the perp, but without more to go on, it’ll be hard to follow up. Maybe your friend will have more to say once he wakes up,” the older man admitted.
“Just in case, stay in the city in case we have any more questions, or something changes,” Jimmy advised. “I know you might feel like getting out to avoid stress, but it wouldn’t look good for your story.”
“Don’t think I’m going anywhere,” Jack chuckled, indicating his eye, still covered by the bandage.
“Yeah, hope you get better there kid,” Officer Frank nodded. The two cops said their goodbyes and left the room, leaving Emily alone with Jack.
“So, what do your lawyer senses tell you?” Jack asked his fiancé.
“They’re stumped,” she noted with a frown. “They told us more than I honestly was expecting, but it’s what they didn’t tell us that’s interesting.”
“Like?” Jack raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
“Like how they didn’t comment on you losing phone service during the escape,” she pointed out, “or their speculations on the motive of the crime, and they went right to assuming the case would likely be going nowhere. They weren’t detectives, but they weren’t beat cops either. Something in their experience told them there wouldn’t be much to find, which means this might not be the first instance of this type of crime.”
“A serial killer?” Jack frowned. Remembering the monster’s last chilling words, and how its body had vanished into the shadows, he couldn’t help but shudder. “Great, am I going to have to get a gun for self-defense?”
“First off, you know how I feel about guns. As for whether it’s a serial killer or not, maybe,” Emily muttered. “When I start my internship at the DA’s office, I’ll have access to older files and crime reports. I can check and compare to see if any past cold cases have any connections. That’ll start next week, though I’ll call in and ask for a delay if you need it.”
“You’re not risking this internship for me,” Jack insisted with a frown. “We both know how competitive getting that internship was, so no way you’re leaving yourself open for replacement.” He stared firmly at Emily until she gave in with a nod. Jack returned the nod, and then sighed wearily as he leaned back into the bed. Emily held his hand and squeezed.
“You should get back to the apartment and rest,” Jack advised her. “Since you insisted, I stay another day, I might as well try to get some more sleep.”
“Alright,” Emily relented. “I do have to finish some last bits of paperwork for the internship. I’ll come back tonight and take you home.”
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Jack merely nodded and hugged her goodbye. Once she was gone, he settled into his bed and closed his eyes. He thought sleep wouldn’t come easy to him, but before he knew it, he was out.
***
Jack ended up sleeping through most of the day, waking up just as Emily returned to take him back to their apartment. The bill, as it turned out, had thankfully been mostly settled by his insurance with the co-pay not ending up being too bad. Emily revealed she’d been able to bring up one of the local laws related to crime to help lower the bill, to which Jack was immensely grateful.
Doctor Fawkes had shown up again to get his numbers before his discharge, informing him that he could remove his bandage in the morning and that he should schedule a follow-up with an eye doctor when he the time. The attractive doctor had cleared his discharge papers and released him into the care of his fiancé without another word. It was strange, but Jack got the feeling the two women somehow didn’t see eye to eye.
Emily drove them both back to their shared apartment, a single bedroom unit on the third floor of Farmview Apartments. The building was actually one of the older apartments, having been built back when there had still been small farms within the valley before urbanization overtook them. The seven-story building had been kept up to date and still offered reasonable rates on their lower floors, but otherwise still resembled an old brick building on the outside.
Jack and Emily nodded in greeting as they passed the security guard who lived on-site.
“Evening Mr. Virgil,” Jack greeted politely.
The much older man looked up from where he’d been sweeping and looked Jack up and down. His ever-present scowl deepened at what he saw. “The heck happened to you? Fight your own shadow?”
“Something like that, I guess,” Jack rubbed the back of his head. Emily had told him in the car that he shouldn’t tell people about the attack unless asked, and even then, to not give every detail. They both agreed neither one wanted any media attention, especially if the attacker could come back to finish the job. “Um, just a flesh wound though. Should be better in a week.”
“Uh huh,” the old man said gruffly. “If you say so. Next time run away faster.”
“I’ll try my best sir,” Jack agreed.
The old man returned his attention to his sweeping, while Emily and Jack swiped themselves past the security door and entered the elevator hall.
“Four years here, and I still think I’ve done something bad whenever I see him,” Jack muttered as they entered the elevator. “Really reminds me of an old school teacher I had once. Maybe less strict though.”
“Seems strange considering how helpful he is,” Emily agreed as she pressed the button for the third floor. “And I feel that look we get is more for me than you. I don’t think he’s ever much liked me to be honest.”
Jack shrugged as they reached their floor and got off. They entered their apartment a short walk later and were greeted by the smell of something wonderful coming from the kitchen.
“I set the oven to keep it warm before I left,” Emily explained as she behind the counter and opened the oven, pulling out a freshly baked lasagna with a wink. “Your favorite.”
“You spoil me,” Jack smiled before grabbing a couple of glasses and filling them with water. When he turned around, however, he found Emily staring at him with an odd look. “What? You don’t want water?”
“For a guy with only one eye, you don’t seem to be having any issue with depth perception,” Emily noted with a curious frown. “You didn’t even have to correct yourself?
Jack blinked, and looked down at the two glasses. He shrugged.
“They must have used some thinner eye bandage or something, because I haven’t been blind in my left side since I woke up,” he guessed. “Seems to let in just enough light for a sense of. . . space, I guess?”
“Looks like a normal bandage to me, but what do I know,” Emily also shrugged. “But, since it seems to be working, why don’t we go ahead and take it off?”
“The doctor told me to keep it on until tomorrow though,” Jack reminded her, though without any real commitment.
“Okay then Mr. Responsible,” Emily teased. “Then we’ll wait. But not for dinner, let’s dig in already. I’m starving over here.”
The two sat at the little table on the edge of the kitchen and enjoyed the lasagna. Jack asked Emily more about her internship, to which she happily got into what she was expecting and what this would do for her future. The young man didn’t say anything more substantial in their conversation, content to watch the spark in his fiancé’s eyes and hear the excitement in his voice.
‘Man, I’ve got it bad,’ he chuckled inwardly.
His thoughts were broken by the sound of knocking at the door. Emily raised an eyebrow.
“No, I got this,” she said as Jack reflexively got up to answer. “You stay there blind side.” Jack rolled his one eye and watched as she walked over to the door and opened it after peeking through the peephole. The door opened to reveal a man in what appeared to be preacher clothes.
“This apartment doesn’t allow solicitations father,” Emily said, and even from behind Jack could hear her frown.
“What? Oh, no I’m not a priest,” the man coughed awkwardly from the doorway. “Apologies, I was just helping at the drama club. Ahem, actually I’m your new neighbor and wanted to introduce myself. I’m Tim Ryans, high school substitute teacher.”
He shook hands with Emily, who appeared to be embarrassed now. “Right sorry,” she apologized. “We had an issue last year and, no its unimportant. I’m Emily, and my new fiancé back there is Jack.” Jack waved at the mention of his name, to which the teacher reciprocated.
“Well, congrats to the both of you,” Tim said. “And my my, you took quite the blow didn’t you young man?”
“Something like that,” Jack agreed. He didn’t particularly feel like giving his life’s story to a stranger. “Could have been worse.”
“It always could be,” the man at the door agreed. “Ah, I see you were eating. I apologize for interrupting. Just wanted to introduce myself, I’ll be going then. Enjoy your meal.”
Emily said her goodbyes and shut the door, returning to the table. “Strange guy,” she noted. “Who introduces themselves dressed like a catholic priest?”
“A catholic priest?” Jack deadpanned.
Emily rolled her eyes at him. “You know what I mean.”
“I mean I guess,” Jack shrugged. “Guy finished work and came home and found his new neighbors actually in their apartment. Didn’t know we getting another tenet though. About time next door got filled again. It’s been what, a month or two now?”
“Since Granny Shaka passed away? Two months and five days,” Emily recounted. “Too bad, I liked her. She always shared her recipes with me.”
“I’ll miss her cookies,” Jack agreed.
“Anyway, like I was saying,” Emily continued, “the guy kinda was giving off an odd vibe. And he seemed much more interested in you than me. It’s strange.”
“What, I can’t be a handsome guy?” Jack joked, but relented at her droll look. “Alright, I get it. Your people sensing skills have always been better than mine, another trick in your lawyer arsenal. You think he touches teens?”
“I wouldn’t exactly go that far,” Emily said with a bemused look. “Just, something, I guess. Maybe I’m just tense still from your encounter and we’ll get to know him and laugh about this one day. Movie night still on?”
“As long as its not a horror or slasher,” Jack said with a completely serious expression. “I don’t have the eye for those.”
“Carebears?”
“Carebears sound lovely, yes. Let’s hope your VHS hasn’t died yet.”
“Older than me and still going strong,” Emily said smugly. “Bring on the hugs.”