False Witness

by Worthington, T. S.

  Declan wanted to shrug it off, but didn’t. Somehow he figured that would seem rude and his former comments would somehow sound phony.

  “I’ll do my best,” Declan said.

  With that he said goodbye and walked back to his office. Once the door to his office was closed he breathed a sigh of relief and sat down in his chair. He pulled out a small bottle of scotch and took a few much needed swigs off it.

  Then he put it back in his secret hiding place and took a few breath mints to hopefully mask the smell. He doubted that anyone would have said much to him if they did smell it, especially today of all days. He’d almost been killed a few hours ago.

  He supposed that was not the only reason he was happier about snuffing out John Farnsworth’s last breaths from his body. It had felt good to take the life of that piece of shit. All the time’s he’d thought about that bastard sticking his thing in his wife went through his head in that moment. By the time John gurgled his last breaths of air Declan was laughing his ass off. He sat there trying to muffle it, but the giggles were there.

  He never thought he’d be standing over a dead body laughing like that and it made him wonder what was happening to him. Had he truly gone off the deep end? Had it finally happened and he’d completely snapped himself insane? He didn’t like to think so, but it was very much possible. He wouldn’t have been the first cop to completely lose it.

  Now he had to see that damn shrink. It would be a boring, typical hour long session where she asked him what he thought about what happened, if he was having nightmares, did he find himself dwelling on it when doing other activities that required his full attention, did he have survivor’s remorse, etc. Therapy of any sort was a complete waste of time. Those “doctors” could hide behind their phony degrees that were all based and rooted on theory, not practice. He’d seen many cops go into therapy, some of them doing it regularly, and it did nothing but force them to relive their pain and ask themselves the questions they were already asking themselves and didn’t know the answers to.

  Declan checked his phone right then and saw he had three missed calls, all from Maria. Well, guess she cared if he lived or died after all. Or was she just worried about missing her meal ticket? It was true that he didn’t make a great deal of money. Cop salaries were beyond pathetic, especially for the work they did, but he made more than her. And they had somehow long ago worked out an unspoken agreement that most of the money she kept was hers and his money was for the both of them. Well, that shit was going to change.

  He’d been thinking that was part of his problem. He’d become so focused on the job that when he got home he had allowed himself to become complacent, milquetoast, and too laid back. A woman like Maria screamed for a man to be in charge and he was going to have to get back to that. He was going to have to be tough again, closer to the type of man she’d married.

  He pressed callback and waited for her to pick up. She did on the second ring.

  “Hey, baby. I’ve been worried sick. I called the precinct and nobody would tell me anything and it’s been all over the news. Are you ok?” Maria’s voice was shrill and frantic sounding. She sounded genuinely upset. He liked that.

  “Yeah, honey. I’m just fine. I got lucky,” Declan said. “But my partner, well he didn’t fare so well.”

  “I heard,” Maria said. “I don’t know why the precinct wouldn’t talk to me or tell me what was going on. I’m your wife, for God’s sake.”

  “Well, it’s just precaution. Do you know how many reporters call here pretending to be relative’s wives and husbands to find out information they aren’t supposed to know yet?”

  “Well, I guess that’s a point,” Maria said as tears welled up in her voice.

  Declan rolled his eyes. His wife could get emotional and become a bit of a crier from time to time.

  “Honey, it’s ok. I’m fine. I would have called you sooner, but I’ve been tied up with giving statements and so forth.”

  “I know,” Maria sobbed. “When are you going to be home?”

  “I’ll be home in a few hours. After something like this happens they typically let you go home a bit early.”

  “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you,” Maria said.

  Listening to those words Declan could feel that she really cared about him and he’d made the right choice. She obviously didn’t give a rat’s shit about her boy toy being murdered, unless she was just really good at hiding it and he wasn’t totally putting that behind her. After all, she was a good enough actress to carry on an affair right under a cop’s nose, for a little while at least.

  Still he was trying to give her the benefit of the doubt. He was going to make a few changes and he was going to make sure that she never forgot who she was married to again. She would never feel the need to stray.

  Because if she did, he might have to kill her to.

  “You aren’t going to lose me,” Declan said. “I’m right here. I’ll be home in a bit.”

  He didn’t wait for her to respond before ending the call.

  Killing that punk was definitely the right thing to do and he was feeling better and better about it. This was just the thing that needed to happen to remind Maria of how much she loved him and now he had wiped the slate clean.

  It was time for a fucking change.

  Chapter 5

  “Appearances are Everything”

  I can’t believe I’m doing this.

  Declan took a deep breath and continued to speak.

  “I did not know Officer Farnsworth long, but in that time we became a very close team as partners, and formed a very tight friendship. He reminded me so much of myself as a young cop ready to take on the world and make a difference. I was glad that I was able to impart some of my experience and wisdom onto him, and he was gracious for the opportunity to learn and to grow.”

  Declan had felt like a deer in the headlights when he’d been asked to deliver the eulogy at John Farnsworth’s funeral. Everyone expected him to do it, being his partner and all, and being there when he died. This was definitely something that Declan did not expect to happen when he killed the bastard.

  But there were no truly easy jobs in the world. Just when you thought you were done, some new catastrophe seemed to show up to send you back to the drawing board.

  And it wasn’t all bad. After all he did get to stand up in front of all of his colleagues and his beautiful wife and look like a true man of honor to deliver this speech. Maybe he should have been embracing this opportunity to shine instead of totally regretting it. He was gaining so many points of respect and adulation here today.

  “Many of you have asked me what happened in the final moments of John’s life. Well, I’ll tell you, the man put up a stronger fight than I’ve ever seen anyone do. He just happened to be slightly closer to the assailant-- whom we did not know was armed-- and therefore he was shot at first. My experience was the only thing that saved me. Somehow I instinctively knew where the bullet was coming from a split second after I heard the pop of gunfire and I was able to gun the assailant down in a heartbeat. I just wished I’d been a little sooner and been able to save John’s life. I keep asking myself if there was any sign, a snapping twig, a shift in the air, or even just an overall feeling that I might have missed that could have given the gunman away before he got that round off that took the life of my friend and our fellow officer, but alas I’ve had to come to grips with the fact that there really was nothing more that I or anyone else could have done in that situation.”

  “I’ve wanted to blame myself for what happened. They like to call that survivor’s remorse, but I have come to accept that it wasn’t my fault and that John would not want me to feel like it was. John died a hero, doing his job to make the streets safer for our city. And he will be sorely missed and always remembered. Thank you.”

  Declan stepped out from behind the podium and took his seat beside Maria. She took his hand in hers and rubbed it with her other h
and. He smiled at her quickly and then put his head down as the Captain Mathews took the stand to begin his short speech.

  Declan hated going to theses officer funerals. They seemed to happen a lot, even though it was only a few times a year really, but attending the funeral of someone you didn’t even know, but shared a job description with was a bit odd. Still his precinct believed in total brotherhood and unity and if you didn’t show up to these things without a damn good reason then you would find yourself stuck on desk duty for weeks.

  Of course this time it was a bit different.

  He could not believe all that garbage he’d been forced to say about that piece of shit. The man was a horrible cop and an even worse human being. And he had violated Declan’s and Maria’s beautiful marriage.

  But as he sat there listening to the rest of the funeral he felt overall satisfied. His wife’s hands holding his, loving and tender, was worth the price of admission of what he’d done. Now it was over and he was looking forward to putting it all behind him.

  Looking around he almost expected there to be some sort of media presence there, but if it was it was limited to just a few local paper reporters. Nothing would be on the nightly news or anything else. Just journalists and bloggers. That was really all. He was glad in the sense that John did not deserve any attention at all, but he wished there had been at least one camera on him from a news affiliate so that he could see himself on the news. He had done more for this city in his tenure as a cop than most would ever know and it was about time that he started to get some damn credit for it. He was tired of being ignored, especially after the amazing speech he’d just given. That was done mostly off the top of his head and it had worked out beautifully.

  But looking around most of all he could see were cops and family of cops. John’s parents were in the front row in tears, as was to be expected from a doting family. Declan wondered if they were anything like their son, or at least knew what a piece of shit they’d raised.

  As the service finished up Declan waited around shaking hands and helping people cope, pretending to be in mourning for the loss of a partner he had only known a few months. And it had been a few months too long at that. But a cop’s partner was expected to be like family and to be treated that way. That was part of the code of conduct in the police department and he had to continue to act the part. His face was already getting sore from pretending to be sad about it all, but he had to continue kissing ass and being sad and torn up for a bit longer.

  And of course he had to meet the family. John’s parents were suddenly in front of him, his dad reaching out to shake Declan’s hand.

  “I’m Arnold and this is my wife, Audrey. We are John’s parents,” the father said.

  “Well, sir it’s an honor to meet you. John was a great man and I’m so sorry for your loss,” Declan replied.

  “Thank you,” Arnold replied. “John always spoke very highly of you and how much he enjoyed having you as a partner.”

  “Well, thank you. That means a lot to me,” Declan replied. I’m sure he loved my wife more.

  As Maria introduced herself Declan felt like taking the honors of telling Mr. and Mrs. Farnsworth that their son was the object of her infidelity. He might have mumbled something even as his mask slowly started to drop—it was tough keeping this charade going all morning—but Declan’s eye caught something peculiar.

  Off in the distance, standing there completely unnoticed but nevertheless out of place was a man. Declan could not recognize him, but he seemed a little more than average height, medium build, and he was wearing a black suit with a black hat and a pair of sunglasses. He looked almost like a member of the Men in Black.

  Why was he there? Why was he watching? Was it someone who worked with Josh Rames and his crew? Maybe someone sent to investigate? The man seemed to be watching things very intently.

  It was tough to tell from his position but it seemed almost as if the man was looking right at him. Declan felt the hairs standing up on the back of his neck, like his cop instincts kicking in that this guy, whoever he was, was up to no good and that maybe he should be leery of him.

  The man suddenly turned around and started walking away right then. Within minutes he rounded a corner and was gone.

  Declan wanted to go after him and see who he was, but he was being detained for the time being. He had no reason to go after someone based on a hunch right then. It might have been nothing. It might have been a friend of John’s family who did not feel comfortable being there for whatever reason. Some people did not feel right being around that many cops.

  Declan tried to shake it off as he walked away from the Farnsworths and headed towards his car. They were going to be moving to the gravesite service now. Then he would be free of this whole mess.

  Later that night he and Maria made love for the first time in almost two months.

  She’d just gotten out of the shower and Declan was lying on the bed watching some television. He had made it a point to catch up on his Sportscenter. He used to love sports, and still did. It had been great to watch the baseball game live the other day. It was one of the few things he did that really hit home for him.

  He’d had a chance to play minor league ball at one time and possibly if he’d been good enough he could have gone on to the majors. But a silly shoulder injury forced him to pursue other avenues. But if he was really honest with himself he was not good enough to compete at the pro level, although he was one of the best players on his college team. But even the minor leagues were a world’s difference away from that.

  Maria had just finished her shower and walked into the bedroom, dropping the towel to the floor. His interest in sports was instantly diverted to the gorgeous naked woman standing in his bedroom then. She wasn’t doing it to turn him on as near as he could tell; in fact she did this same routine every single night when she showered. He was usually passed out in the living room in his recliner and half the time he never did really make it to bed, but tonight he found that he was immediately aroused. He could feel himself getting harder through his boxers just watching his astounding looking wife walking around nude.

  She opened up the closet, which was right beside the bed.

  Declan reached out and grabbed her arm just then.

  She looked at him inquisitively, puzzled. Declan was staring deeply into her gorgeous eyes, and she knew right away what was on his mind.

  He pulled her towards him until she collapsed on top of him, his mouth smothering hers. As he kissed his beautiful angel he remembered all of the great times they’d had and the passion they used to share. It might have been his fault after all that this stopped. He’d let the stresses in his life create a rift between him and his wife, and he had let himself get so caught up in it all that he didn’t even see it coming. He never knew it was there. He drove her into another man’s arms. He realized it was partially his fault. He would never admit that it was all his doing, because deep down he did not believe that. She did not talk to him or tell him how she was feeling and Maria still took a horrible action by betraying everything they had vowed to each other on their wedding day.

  Declan was not a religious man. He didn’t believe in anything one way or the other because he never really thought about it. There were a few times throughout the years that he wished he had more faith in something higher. It was normal to want there to be something protecting you, watching out for you, but he did not know if he honestly really had a belief system in place for that.

  But he did believe in the sanctity of marriage. The vows were real. The promises were real, and under no circumstances were they meant to be broken.

  But he was willing to forgive her for her transgressions and never bring it to her attention that he knew. He was becoming the man she had married again. He was becoming the man that she was meant to be with and deserved.

  Declan pulled his boxers down just far enough for Maria to slide on top of him and engulf his hard member inside of her.


  He lay there, enjoying the ride as Maria became more and more excited, grinding him as her passion became more frenzied with every second. It was almost as if she’d been waiting for him to get rid of John. Of course she had no idea he had done that and he hoped she never did find out, but sometimes to correct a problem you just have to get rid of a few key ingredients altogether.

  After the sex was over Declan laid there for several minutes, cuddling with Maria. Her head was resting on his chest, listening to his heart still pounding and the sweat pouring off his chest.

  Everything felt right with the world.

  And sleep found him soon. He had never slept better.

  Declan awoke the following morning feeling more refreshed than he’d felt in ages. His typical back pain and neck pain were miraculously gone, his head felt clear since he did not fall asleep drunk, and the need for a drink was nonexistent. Hell, maybe he would give up the bottle for a while, maybe for good even.

  But one step at a time.

  Maria was not in the bed when he awoke, but he could smell the fresh aroma of breakfast being made downstairs. He could practically hear the crisp bacon sizzling and the coffee brewing emanating its wonderful gurgling sound.

  He figured he had time for a quick shower and getting dressed before his wife began harping up the stairs for him to come to breakfast.

  The hot water felt great on his skin first thing in the morning. Usually he was half asleep when he got in the shower and he had to concentrate on not throwing up with the typical hangover he was almost used to, but today he felt energized and excited about the day ahead. His only complaint was that he had overslept a bit because he really felt like going for a morning jog. He used to do that when he and Maria were first married and she would sometimes join him. It kept him in shape and it was a great part of a morning routine that got him energized for the day ahead.