Page 9 of A Very Killer Christmas
He shakes his head as if in confusion, and my gut plummets with hopelessness. The police hammer on the door again, and I bite back a whine. Every second counts. We don’t have time.
“Okay, no deal. I’ll do it anyway.”
I expect him to grab me when I shove past, but he makes no move to stop me. I shoot down the stairs, sliding in my fluffy socks. My brain is in overdrive, thousands of dialogue options flicking through.
Good day, kind sir…
Why the fuck are you pounding on my door?!
I swear we’re innocent!
“We’re coming!” I shout, relieved when my voice comes out strong and just a tad alarmed.
I have no idea if this will work. For all I know, the killer will slash at the officers with his knife like an idiot, and I’ll be arrested for aiding him.
I pause in front of the door and force myself to take a deep breath, flicking on the lights. The future stretches ahead of me, but I only see as far as midnight. Two paths open. One: I tell them the truth. They arrest the killer, question me, and leave. I’m alone, with no one to talk to, no one to call, no one to see.
Everything inside me crumples and shrinks, cold, sticky loneliness filling my chest cavity.No.
Never again.
That leaves the second option. I save him, and he stays here. With me.
When I open the door, my mind is clear, my thoughts razor-sharp.
“Police? What happened?” I ask, taking in the couple of officers on my doorstep.
“Good evening, ma’am.” A stout man in his forties looks me up and down, rudely flashing a torch in my face. “We’re looking for a dangerous suspect. He’s tall, dressed in black, and wearing amotorcycle helmet. He’s armed. Have you seen anyone fitting this description?”
I glance at his partner, a slim woman in her thirties with a perfectly blank expression. Here comes my Oscar-winning performance. All I have to do is pretend this is a game.
Mission: Keep the cops from suspecting you’re hiding the killer.
I shake my head with confusion, taking in a long, calming breath.
Just a game. You’re good at games.
“Sorry, I was asleep. I haven’t seen anyone, but then, I didn’t leave the house all day. My boyfriend came earlier today to spend Christmas with me. We haven’t seen each other in a while, so we’ve been in bed. You know how it is.”
I do my best to smile sheepishly, but neither of the officers smiles back.
“Where’s your boyfriend, ma’am?”
“He’s just coming,” I say, shivers of relief running down my back when I hear the slow, measured steps on the stairs behind me. I turn, widening my eyes and hoping like hell he’ll keep up.
Mission: Communicate to the killer he’s supposed to be your boyfriend without making the cops suspicious.
“There you are, baby. They are looking for a dangerous suspect.”
His face is unreadable. I glance at his hands, almost sagging in relief when I see they are empty. He must have stashed the knife somewhere. Thank God.
I turn back to the officers, my nerves catching up with me. My mouth loosens, and a stream of words falls out.
“You can ask him, but I don’t think he saw anyone. We were very busy, you know, making up for all the time we were apart, and my baby was wiped out after traveling to see me. We were both asleep all afternoon. Long distance relationships are the worst, I’m telling you. But at least we’re together, right, baby?”
“Right.”
He stands behind me, and I arrest a soft gasp when his clothes brush mine. His arms come up and wrap around my front, pressing me firmly to him. I instruct my muscles to relax.Lean back. Don’t think that he’s probably going to kill you as soon as they leave. Breathe. Easy.
