by Willow Rose
“That’s rough,” Sophia said.
I exhaled and finished my cup. Maya came into the kitchen and grabbed a cup. She had started drinking coffee when the amnesia thing happened. I felt sad as I watched her drink it. Everything was changing, and I wasn’t sure I liked it. I wanted to go back to the way it used to be. I wanted everybody to go back to who they used to be.
27
July 2014
“WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD!”
Jesper Melander could hardly hide his excitement. He was smiling from ear to ear as he lifted up the gift basket he had wrapped himself before coming to the house.
The woman he knew was called Christine looked at him, startled. Her husband stood right behind her in the doorway.
“Who are you?” the man asked, pushing himself in front of her.
“I wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood by giving you this basket. Sorry, I’m Jesper.”
Jacob shook his hand reluctantly. “Haven’t I seen you somewhere before?”
“Well, I don’t know,” Jesper said with a grin. He was wearing black sunglasses, even though it was dark. He could tell how it confused them that they were not able to see his eyes.
“It’s a little late,” Jacob said, looking at his watch. “It’s almost ten o’clock.”
“Ah, come on,” Jesper said. He walked closer to the door, still grinning. “Never too late for a nightcap with your new neighbor is it?”
They looked at each other. Jesper took off the glasses. It helped. Made them feel safer. “I brought you some rum. It’s from Guatemala. Supposed to be the best in the world, they say.”
“Well, that is awfully nice of you,” Jacob said. “I guess we could have a glass. It is, after all, Friday.”
Jacob stepped away from the door and let Jesper inside. “Christine, you know where everything is. Could you find us some glasses?”
“Sure,” she said, and walked to the kitchen.
Jesper studied her every move. “Quite a beauty you’ve got yourself there, huh? Lucky guy.”
Jacob relaxed further. Flattery always made people feel more comfortable.
“So, a brand new house, huh? I love new houses. It’s like a clean slate, right? Start all over. The beginning of something new and wonderful.”
Christine returned, carrying two glasses. She put them down with an insecure smile. “Thank you,” Jesper said. “You’re not having anything?”
She shook her head shyly. “No,” she said, and touched her belly without realizing it.
“Ah, I see,” Jesper said.
“I’m going to bed; I’m tired,” Christine said.
“Goodnight, sweetheart. I’ll be up in little while.”
“No need to hurry. We don’t want to offend our new neighbor. Good neighbors are hard to find,” she said, and kissed him gently on the cheek before she turned around and disappeared.
Jesper stared after her. He felt thrilled. He could hardly believe his luck. The woman was pregnant. They didn’t come any more beautiful and innocent than that. He couldn’t have planned it better himself. Oh, the beauty of this. He could hardly restrain himself.
His heart was beating fast and he was breathing heavily, as he pulled out the bottle of rum from the basket and opened it.
“Then, I guess it’s just for the two of us, then,” he said, and started pouring. He lifted his glass. “To good neighbors,” he said, and they toasted.
“To good neighbors,” Jacob answered.
“Ah. That’s good stuff, huh?” Jesper said, after having emptied his glass.
Jacob had only sipped a little bit of his. Jesper laughed.
“What’s so funny?” Jacob asked.
“Oh, nothing. It’s just that…well, I can’t wait till I see your face once you realize what else is in the basket. It’s just such a THRILL to meet new people, isn’t it?”
Jacob looked confused. He looked at the basket. Then he smiled. “Oh, there’s chocolate in there too?”
“YES!”
Jesper yelled so loud it made Jacob jump in his chair.
“But, there’s more…something I can’t wait to give that beautiful wife of yours. Something she can wear.”
Jacob looked baffled, then looked inside of the basket again. He pulled out a pair of ruby red slippers.
“What is this?” he asked.
At first, he smiled, but seconds later, Jesper watched as his facial expression changed drastically, probably when he remembered the shoes being mentioned in the news as being found on one of the recent victim’s bodies.
Jacob stared at Jesper with terror in his eyes, then threw the shoes on the floor. “What kind of a sick joke is this?” he asked, as he rose to his feet.
“Oh, it’s no joke,” Jesper said with a light laugh. “It’s not funny at all.”
“I think I have to ask you to leave my house immediately,” Jacob said.
Jesper tilted his head. “Now, tell me, dearie, how can you talk if you don’t have a brain?”
Jacob shook his head. “What are you talking about? Are you asking me a riddle? I think you’re mad. Please leave.”
Jesper didn’t laugh again. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife, then walked quickly towards Jacob. Jesper spotted a flicker of horror in the man’s eyes. Jacob tried to cover himself.
“Please, don’t hurt me,” he begged.
Jesper smiled and stroked his cheek. Oh, how he enjoyed these seconds. Those fragile rare seconds when his victims knew it was over, when they realized there was nothing they could say or do. He enjoyed the terror in their eyes while they searched for a way out, for a way to escape this certain fate of death. Jesper brought the knife to his throat, then sliced it with a satisfied groan.
While the blood rushed out of Jacob’s throat and onto the floor, Jesper held him against the wall, looking into his eyes, watching as the life was sucked out of him. Just before he let him fall to the ground, he whispered into his ear, “I don’t know either…but some people without brains do an awful lot of talking…don’t they?
28
July 2014
SOPHIA HAD HER mom stay with the kids and spent Friday evening at my house. We drank some wine and played cards, something we had started doing recently and enjoyed a lot. Jack came over as well, and joined us for a game of Whist.
What I had thought would be a terrible evening turned out to be quite nice. The three of us had fun. After two bottles of red wine and a couple of stronger drinks, we were getting quite drunk, especially me. I guess I just wanted to forget about my troubles with Morten and the fact that he was at that birthday party and I wasn’t invited.
“Why the heck didn’t he just tell that daughter of his that she had to invite you as well?” Sophia asked.
“I don’t know,” I said and took up a card.
“Well, I think he should have. Don’t you, Jack?”
Jack had kept very quiet when discussing Morten and me. His eyes met mine. I really wanted to hear his opinion.
“I…I…I d-d-don’t know,” he said.
I took a sip of my gin and tonic. Of course, he didn’t want to say anything bad about Morten. Jack never talked bad about anyone.
“But…I do know…that y-y-you d-deserve to be appreciated.”
“Aw, that’s such a sweet thing to say, Jack,” Sophia said. “He’s just such a sweetheart, isn’t he?”
I bit my lip and nodded. Jack was looking at me intensely. I had always liked him. A lot.
“You’re up, Emma,” Sophia said.
My eyes left Jack’s, and I took another card from the stack. I hardly looked at it. I couldn’t escape this strange feeling. I looked up and my eyes locked with Jack’s. It was very intense. My heart was beating hard.
“Hello? Earth to Emma,” Sophia said. “It’s your move.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I said, and looked down at my cards again. I put a card down and emptied my glass.
Jack poured me another drink. Our legs touched under the table.
What am I doing?!
I sipped my drink. My head was spinning. I wondered about Morten and how his night was. He was probably out having a lot of fun with his daughter. I couldn’t believe how she had managed to come between us over the last several weeks. The way she had managed to keep him away from me was so frustrating. And there wasn’t anything I could do about it. The more I tried to discuss it with Morten, the further he moved away from me.
I looked at the clock on my stove. It was almost midnight. I had told Morten he could stop by and sleep here if he wanted to. He probably wasn’t coming. I looked at my phone as well, to see if he had called or at least texted me goodnight. But there was nothing. Sophia put her hand on my shoulder.
“Forget him,” she said. “If he really wants you, then no one can keep him from you. Not even his daughter.”
“But, what if he doesn’t want me enough?” I could hear my voice getting thick. I didn’t want to cry, but it was hard not to. I felt so sorry for myself. With everything I was going through with the kids, now I had to have trouble with him as well? I really didn’t need it. I really couldn’t take anymore. Maybe it was just the alcohol. Maybe I was just too tired. This week had been exhausting. Plus, it annoyed me that I hadn’t been able to get as much done on my next book as I wanted to. My editor was waiting for me to make the last corrections, but I couldn’t really get to it properly. An hour here and there didn’t amount to much. It was going to help when the kids went back to school. That was certain. But I really just wanted to have it done, so we could publish it, and I could move on with my life.
Between that and the homicide next door and the trouble with my kids and boyfriend, I was ready to throw in the towel. It was just a little too much.
“I think I might need to go to bed,” I said, and threw down my cards. Just as I spoke the words, the kitchen door opened, and Victor walked inside. He looked at me without blinking.
“Victor, what are you doing...?”
But Victor didn’t hear me. He didn’t even look at me. With a terrified look on his face, he started chanting, “I do believe in spooks, I do believe in spooks. I do, I do, I do, I do believe in spooks, I do believe in spooks, I do, I do, I do, I DO!”
29
July 2014
“VICTOR, STOP YELLING. Please, just stop!”
But, Victor didn’t stop. He kept screaming at me like he wanted me to do something.
“I do believe in spooks. I DO. I DO. I DO!!!”
I grabbed his shoulders. “Stop it, Victor. Just look at me. You’re dreaming.”
“He must be sleepwalking,” Sophia said. “My kids do that all the time. Be gentle. Don’t scare him, Emma. It can be quite a shock for a sleepwalker to be woken up.”
I tried to calm myself down, but Victor’s screaming terrified me. “Please, sweetie, just stop screaming. It’s all right. Mommy is here.”
The door to the kitchen opened again, and Maya walked in. “What’s going on?” she asked. “I heard someone scream.”
“It’s nothing, sweetie. Victor is just having a nightmare and won’t wake up.”
Victor was now covering his ears and bending forward while yelling. “I DO BELIEVE IN SPOOKS!”
“Calm down, sweetie. Please, just calm down.” I tried to hug him, but he pulled away from me.
“I know that,” Maya said.
“What was that?” I asked.
Maya walked closer to her brother. “What he’s saying. I know it. It’s from the movie again.”
I gasped. “The Wizard of Oz?”
“Oh, yeah. That’s right,” Sophia said. “It’s what the lion says, you know the one without courage.”
I looked at Victor, and suddenly, I was extremely sober.
“What’s wrong?” Sophia asked. “You look like you saw a ghost.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know…it’s just that…the last time Victor quoted something from that movie, our neighbors turned up dead.”
Sophia and Jack looked at each other. “It’s probably just a coincidence,” Sophia said.
She didn’t sound convincing. Just as abruptly as he had started screaming, Victor suddenly stopped. His eyes rolled back, and his body went soft. His legs collapsed under him, and I caught him just as he was about to fall. I picked him up in my arms and realized he was sound asleep.
“Let me get you back to bed,” I whispered. “You too, Maya. You need your rest.”
“I better get home as well,” Jack said, and grabbed his jacket.
“Yeah, me too,” Sophia said with a yawn. “I’ll drop in tomorrow to make sure you’re alright.”
“Thank you guys for coming tonight, so I didn’t have to be alone.”
The two of them left and I carried Victor up the stairs. Maya followed me, after having locked the front door for me. Since the neighbor incident, I was being extra careful to not have any windows or doors left unlocked. Morten had told me the killer probably came in through a window in the basement, since they found it wide open. I wondered how a grown man could have gotten through those small windows, and figured we weren’t dealing with a big guy.
I placed Victor in his bed and kissed him, wondering if he would sleep through the rest of the night. I walked out to Maya in the hallway. Knowing Victor was now safe and calm, I couldn’t stop thinking about the killings again. Why would the killer take the victim’s heart? Neither of the victims had been sexually abused, nor had anything in the house been stolen. The majority of killings had a sexual motive, or had something to do with money. This seemed to have nothing to do with either.
What was it about then? Was it Paul Beckman’s revenge for his daughter? But what was the idea of the red shoes then? Did his daughter wear red shoes? Did they belong to her, maybe?
“I remembered something again,” Maya said, as I walked her to her room. She crept under the covers and I kissed her forehead. “I know, honey. I’m so happy you have finally started remembering things. I’m certain you will remember everything soon. Then, everything will be less scary for you.”
“I remembered something else,” she said. “Just before, when Victor was screaming, I remembered something else.”
“What was that?”
“I remember asking one night you if you and dad were splitting up. I was a small child. Victor was just a baby. You had a huge fight.”
I felt a knot in my stomach. I remembered something too from that time. I remembered the feeling. The sense that something was wrong, the terrifying feeling that it wasn’t going to last, that we were breaking apart…the uncertainty.
Exactly the way I was feeling now about Morten and me.
I exhaled deeply at the realization. “And what did I say?”
“You told me that was never going to happen.”
30
June 2009
IT WAS THE HAPPIEST day of her life. Louise knew all brides thought so on their wedding day, but she also knew that their happiness couldn’t be measured against hers. Hers was special. It was more than normal.
She was ecstatic.
Finally, she was breaking out of her shell. Finally, she was no longer going to be her mother’s little fragile girl, who couldn’t do anything on her own, let alone make any decisions.
She had made one now. A big one. An irreversible one.
She twirled in the splendor of her wedding dress as she walked up the aisle of the prison church.
It wasn’t her father walking by her side, giving her away. It was one of Bjarke’s best friends, who had agreed to step up. Her parents had refused to come, and told her that if she married that monster, they would never speak to her again.
Even better, she had thought. Another reason to do this.
Not only was she marrying the man of her dreams, she was also getting rid of her lifelong plague. It was what they called a win-win situation, wasn’t it?
Bjarke was waiting for her next to the prison priest, smiling from ear to ear as well. The look in his eyes made Louise shed a tear o
f joy. He really loved her. He really did. She could tell. She had seen it in his eyes every Wednesday when she came to visit him, and she felt it on her body when he did all those things to her in the visiting room. She knew he loved her when he held her down and pressed that thing of his inside of her mouth. She knew he loved her when he almost choked her in an act of passion while making love to her…and when he played those games where she had to pretend she was someone else, like a young girl on her way home from school and he pretended to be raping her. She just knew it. He’d told her over and over again.
You know, they say that you only hurt the one you love, he would whisper in her ear. And then he would do just that. He would hurt her. He’d bruise her badly in places the guards wouldn’t see, and she would take it, let him, because it showed her how crazy he was about her, and she had never known love like that. He told her he knew what she liked. He knew she liked pain. And they were perfect for one another, because he liked to see people in pain.
He was so smart. Much smarter than Louise. And he had so much life experience. He knew everything. Louise felt so secure with him, and she couldn’t wait to become his wife. And she was okay with only seeing him once a week for the next sixteen years.
What’s the worst that can happen? She had asked herself after his proposal in the visiting room at the prison. What if he’s lying? What if he did kill those people?
Well, at least he was in jail, right? Louise believed in his innocence, but she also knew she wasn’t the brightest among girls. She figured that, even if he was lying, even if he was as bad as everyone tried to tell her he was, then at least he would be in prison. There was no way he could ever harm her. Not that he would ever want to. He loved her. It was different with her. He had told her that she was the first one he had ever loved.
It was perfectly safe.
Her parents had tried to stop the wedding from happening. They tried to disempower her with the argument that her mental illness made her unstable and unable to make decisions on her own.
