by Lance Murphy
There, I said it. The damage was done. Instead of releasing the grip on my shoulders, Morgan held on tighter. It was obvious she didn’t know what to do with this information, but the fact that she considered what I said through her dumbstruck pause showed me she had some suspicion. A wife with complete confidence in her husband would’ve reacted with outrage, not shock. Her breathing became dangerously deep and as the smell of yogurt reached my nostrils so came the visions.
It had to be one of their first dates, because the transformation from teenager to adult showed on Det. Shine’s face. They were lying on the hood of his car looking at the stars, giggling and laughing as if nothing was wrong with the world. At one point Shine turned to Morgan and said, “You know what little Miss Morgan…….I think the sky is jealous.”
Morgan entertained his sudden switch to a more serious tone and looked him straight in the eye.
“And why is that Mr. Shine?”
“Well……the most beautiful and brightest star is missing. Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if the sky went on a rampage in search of it.”
Morgan was a little puzzled by this analogy and Shine anticipated this reaction. “That star is lying right beside me, giggling and laughing as if that black hole right there”, he points to a black area in the sky, “isn’t a result of her absence.”
Morgan was enjoying this strange conclusion.
“Is that so? Well I did give the sky notice that I’d be away indefinitely. Are you scared I’ll be taken away during this rampage?”
“Of course I would be heart-broken if that happens, but my dad gave me this car as a graduation gift and if something happens to it I’m dead.”
Morgan burst out laughing and teasingly punched his shoulder. After wrestling until they could hardly breathe Shine ran his fingers down her cheek. “You really are the most beautiful star in the universe you know.” As he leaned in to kiss her the vision ended.
Shine’s decision to murder his wife wasn’t part of his plans, but the recent affair he started having literally paved his motivation. Neither Morgan nor I had moved. Morgan’s love for her husband was getting the better of her as her facial expression slowly started to change. The switch from disappointment to disbelief washed over her and she finally let go of my shoulders. Before she could retaliate I looked at the blood on the floor. She followed my gaze then looked up at me. Her eyes were enlarged from emotions she didn’t know how to handle. I was left with Morgan in the cold silence. I could’ve told her about the blood and several other hurtful details, but I figured the first sentence I spoke since my family was murdered was more than enough. She just covered her eyes with her hand as if a painful headache started to develop.
“Why would you say such a thing?” She spoke so softly I could hardly hear what she said.
Once again I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. My gift allows me to change a future outcome most of the time, but at that point I honestly didn’t know what was going to happen.
“You are making serious allegations young man and I suggest that you choose your words more wisely.”
The irritation in her voice closely bordered the realm of rage. Whether that rage was towards me and my statement or her blindness to her husband’s actions was still undetermined.
“After being quite rude, you decide that the first words you utter to me should be a lie? The people that are willing to take you in for a bit, you lie to? Do you need that much attention kid?”
Morgan strolled into the kitchen and I was left to figure out what comes next. I was overcome with an urgency to fix the problem. I wasn’t able to save my family or Baxter from being shot, but maybe I was able to save Morgan. The only way I would be able to do this was by pushing my fear aside and just tell her what I know. My determination saw me following Morgan into the kitchen. She was busy mopping up the blood, but I could see her thoughts were somewhere else.
“He brings you a cup of mixed-fruit yogurt every morning before he goes to work and makes sure that you eat it. He blames the sometimes funny taste on your progressive condition and for the last six months you have been getting sicker and weaker.”
Morgan didn’t say a word. She just stood there, looking at the floor. I took this as a sign to continue.
“Every Tuesday and Thursday night he tells you that he is having drinks with other guys from the department when he is actually seeing a woman named Linda. They met at a parent-teacher conference about eight months ago.”
She was listening intently, but she refused to let herself be convinced. I had to make her see the truth before the tragedy of my family received its sequel.
“When you were dating he called you the most beautiful and brightest star in the universe while lying on the hood of his car.”
If nothing else did the trick this last statement sure did. Tears started filling up in her eyes and her hands started shaking. It was clear, that moment had never been shared with a soul. No one else knew or could have known. She was convinced, both that I was not lying and that I was an odd freak of nature.
“Who are you? Are you a gypsy? A psychic? What are you?”
I could have taken this opportunity to make myself better. I could have impressed her with my incredibly high IQ scores. I could have told her how special and gifted my dad always proclaimed me to be. But in this moment, that was not needed, so I simply and calmly told her, “I was born this way.”
With a tone that combined fear and confusion with a shatter heart, she uttered, “I adore my husband.” Morgan welcomed additional truths as she racked her brain for why her husband desired another woman, especially to the point that he was willing to dissolve not only their happy marriage, but her as well. Where had she gone wrong? What was driving her precious Shine into the hands of murder and the bed of another woman?
“The miscarriage that happened a year and a half ago was not on accident,” I said. With this last bit of damaging information, Morgan just sat and quietly wept.
I tried to choose words of comfort; but the information had no aspects of comfort or discretion. As I wondered how Morgan would deal with her recent disappointment the perception of total responsibility rested within me. After she vowed me to silence, I went upstairs to the bathroom.
The home was designed and decorated with a singular theme……clean elegance. Even the bathrooms were pristine and luxurious. Our bathroom never looked like this, even after Grammie did her best cleaning. Every inch of it was immaculate, from the cold marbled walls to the colorful quilted bathtub base. The towels were carefully folded and each drawn together with a small gold rope. The sun of the morning peeked through the window and fell onto four figurines of tiny elephants that graced the left side of the sink. They were all of a different color; depending on which angle the sunrays were beaming. The enamel in the sink was the color of cream, silky smooth like butter that was complimented by a huge gold dusted mirror that hung directly above it.
As the bubbles of soap ran off my palms into the sink I remembered there were three of them, three men in our house. I could tell one of them was really young. He didn’t participate much, just did exactly as the other two nuts instructed him to. He seemed scared and I know if he could have had his way, he would have chosen to wait in the car until the blood bath was over. I remember hearing my dad struggling to breathe, he had suffered a heart attack two years earlier and he would always have trouble breathing. I haven’t really stopped to take it all in yet. That part of my emotion is blocked and tainted somehow. I can’t cry or get angry. After all, who could I be angry with?
Shine’s house now held a solemn silence of uncertainty. Morgan didn’t speak much and I couldn’t help but stop and wonder how the case was going and if they found the suspects that killed my family. Being here in the house with Shine and his family may be doing more harm than good. I need to know what’s happening. I need to know who eliminated my family. I need to know if they realize that I am alive. Someone needs to fill me in on the details of the case.
I became a man that night. I survived hell and everyone needs to respect that.
When Det. Shine came back after checking on Baxter and making a quick stop at Linda’s he was surprised to find me still at his house. He was gone for quite some time. Usually when someone is having an affair, they tend to be gone longer than usual. It turns out Baxter was okay, he was wearing his vest and they are now looking for the lady hitchhiker. I was sitting in the living room with the boys trying to figure out Madden when Shine walked past us.
“Hey boys, where is your mother?”
Preoccupied by the video game, neither of them spoke a word, but Tommy pointed in the direction of the kitchen. Shine grabbed Morgan around the waist as she stood by the sink, kissing her on her neck. A bit hesitant, she smiled and kissed him on the cheek.
“Um….didn’t child services or Daniels stop by to pick up Cody, according to my watch he should’ve been gone already”.
“There was no need for them to call or for Daniels to stop by. I called and asked if it were ok that he stay with us for a while. Considering what he’s been through, I think a family environment will do him good. Is that okay with you?”
Shine was momentarily curious as to why Morgan had a total and complete change of heart regarding my stay there. Before he left to check on his partner and mistress, Morgan wanted me gone faster than a zit on prom night. Now, she is telling her beloved that she wants me to stay, that it is best for me. Shine shrugged it off as maternal instinct and left it there. Whatever kept her occupied and not focused on his true activities was welcomed at this point.
Morgan put on an Oscar caliber performance at the awards ceremony. She was the perfect, loving, doting wife. There was a part of her that wanted me to be wrong, although she had long suspected that something was off. According to Grammie, Morgan had been experiencing women’s intuition. Morgan knew deep within her heart that I was correct, because Linda was her primary care physician. The woman Shine met at a conference was instructing him on how to get away with murder.
After they left for the ceremony we all sat around and watched a movie with Nikki, the sitter. Danny revealed that Shine convinced their mom to switch doctors after she suddenly started feeling ill. He was in the business of catching killers, so who better to construct the perfect murder? Danny added that Morgan had a substantial inheritance. He said they would have loud arguments about it all the time. Nikki mentioned that Morgan used to be an investment banker and it didn’t take her long to double what her parents left her. Her money could last long enough for her grandchildren to enjoy. Danny was quite the talker and the older of the two at 13 while Tommy was days from becoming 9.
It was quite weird anticipating their return, or wondering if they would return at all. Would Shine end it all tonight and slip something into Morgan’s wine at the ceremony and carry her lifeless body out over his shoulder like a rag doll while making others believe she simply had too much to drink? Or would he be more dramatic and stand her in front of the car, push the pedal to the metal and run her over like road kill? I felt sorry for the boys. My ordeal was filled with blood, gore and screams, but at least the people responsible weren’t pretentious family members. It’s worse when your own father is a self-serving prick who doesn’t care about anybody but himself.
As I began to fall asleep, I gazed up at the glowing stars placed on the room’s ceiling. I could not help but wonder how Morgan could continue to remain with Shine knowing about the smoking gun pointed at her head. How was she able to smile as she looked into the eyes of her future murderer? How was she able to be so calm? Especially since she almost lost it when I refused to speak.
Five
As night became morning, the detective began his day routinely; beginning with a shower that led into the preparation of Morgan’s lethal breakfast. Although he had no knowledge of what the capsules held, Linda knew, and he trusted that Morgan’s light would be snuffed out by its delivery through her yogurt. As he combined the capsules with Morgan’s yogurt, for a fleeting moment he remembered a time when his heart beat only for her; but that moment expired as the thought of Linda took residence in his head. Soon everything will be over. Soon they would be settling in their beach house without a care in the world. The boys knew Linda and they could also learn to love her.
I startled Shine as I went into the kitchen. Usually everyone is still in bed when he goes about his routine so he didn’t expect anyone to walk in on him. It was obvious he had just finished spiking the yogurt as he concealed the empty capsule in his hand.
“Hey there little man…..you gave me quite a scare. Why are you up so early? Don’t like sleeping late?”
I still didn’t feel much like talking to him, so I just stood there in silence, making him as nervous as possible. His hands began to shake slightly as his mind began an internal debate. I knew he wanted desperately to know what I had seen and exactly what I knew. My stern poker face and lack of desire to become vocal seemed to have him rethinking his early morning spike session.
“Well if you want some juice or cereal help yourself. I have to get this up to Morgan before I’m off to work.” I moved out of the way as he headed up the stairs. He was considering taking extra precaution if I was going to stay there for a while, given I’m an early riser. He should’ve been worried about his wife instead.
Opening the door to the bedroom he found Danny and Tommy sitting by Morgan on the bed. Shine was caught by surprise again.
“Hey boys! I take it you had a good night’s sleep.”
He moved to the side of the bed,
“Ah, did somebody fail to send me the memo on everyone being up earlier this morning.”
Shine placed the coffee, yogurt and muesli on Morgan’s nightstand. He kissed her forehead gently as if his ritual was out of love. As if Morgan was the center of his soul. She was unaware of her fate and that the cards of death were being dealt to her by way of the one that vowed to honor and protect her. One could only wonder what his performance would be once she truly does expire.
“Eat up honey. You know what Linda said about the power of yogurt and for a little something extra for the taste I bought some muesli.”
“Thanks darling. But I’m not feeling my best, so I don’t know if I should eat any yogurt today.”
Shine wanted to protest, but was quickly interrupted by Danny.
“Can I have it mom? I haven’t had yogurt in a long time.”
Tommy joined in, “Yes, me too. Can we share it?”
Morgan just smiled, there was devious intent in her eyes. This was her opportunity to test my ability, “Sure you can”, she said.
Before Danny could even begin to reach for the yogurt Shine snatched it. He reacted without thinking and now Morgan and the boys were staring at him with very strange looks. When he realized what he had done he quickly tried to spin some kind of excuse.
“Are you sure Morgan? This yogurt is a bit pricey and rich so we don’t want to waste it. Now, if you’re not going to eat it then I’ll save it for tomorrow. I’ll get you boys some of those chocolate flavored cup thingys down at the store today.”
Shine didn’t wait for Morgan to reply and hastily took the yogurt out of the room. Morgan and the boys sat on the bed, looking at each other. Morgan needed no further proof. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that I was telling her the truth. She sat somber in spirit and silently for a series of minutes. It was clear that her end was being served to her mixed with cream and fruit by the hands that were to protect and serve. What was she to do now? How could the hands of time be turned back? More importantly, how intent was he on moving her into eternity? Beads of sweat showed on Shine’s forehead as he came to kiss Morgan and the boys goodbye.
“I’ll see you tonight okay? Don’t stress your mother too much and I won’t forget your chocolate cups I promised you. Love you.”
Tommy yelled, “Dad, don’t forget my presents!”
“I won’t,” Shine chuckled in slight amusement and irritation. He was bewi
ldered by Morgan’s refusal of breakfast. As his wheels began to turn in search of a backup murder plan, he left the house. I remained silent as I had promised Morgan. Admittedly, there was a part of me that was proud that she refused the toxic meal and rattled his cage. I felt myself care, as I felt her contemplate her options for moving forward.
She had enough evidence flowing through her body to report him to the police department. As far as the affair, she could have him followed and snap a few incriminating pictures. But who could she trust? Police are widely known to protect their own. What if he already planted seeds in people that she was crazy and prone to self-harm? What if Linda was not the only person helping him rid the world of her? She had to become as calculating and callus as he had.
The entire morning she paced back and forth in the living room. Seeing as my fate was still being planned by social services, she encouraged the boys to keep me company. I felt really sorry for her. I also wondered why I had to always be the one to deliver the bad news. Couldn’t I have told her something wonderful, like Shine is taking her to Hawaii for 2 weeks or something like that? Instead I had to share the knowledge that her husband was turning into a murderer. After watching her struggle with her thoughts the whole morning I couldn’t help but try and comfort her.
“Is there anything I can do?”
When she looked up at me I could see her eyes were blood red from all the crying.
“Oh no sweety….I’ll be okay….I think.”
Morgan tried hard to put on a brave smile, but her extra doses of poison would not allow that to happen. Her emotions flooded down her face as a waterfall in the spring as she stumbled to change the subject.
“How are you doing by the way? You’ve been through a lot and all I’ve been doing is………”
