Page 34 of Echo
I flipped the lock and opened the door. “I don’t know if he’s still in the house or outside. I hid, and I lost track of his movements.”
He half pushed past me, flipping on the lights, and his eyes fell to Mark immediately. To be fair, it was a startling pop of color amongst the earthy tones and florals of the room.
I pressed my back to the wall, so nothing could sneak up on me. I’d never been so happy to see a cop before in my life.
“I’m Officer Reed.” Then his critical glare landed on me with the weight of an anvil, and that sense of relief knotted in my stomach. “What happened?”
“I don’t know,” I stuttered, trying to keep my voice low. “I went to bed, and I thought Mark had come upstairs with me. I…”
How did I explain that I thought I was having sex with Mark? He’d never believe me.
“I thought we were together, but when I came downstairs, I found Mark on the couch. That’s when I realized someone else was in the house, and he started chasing me.
“Uh huh.” His eyes fell to Mark again. “So this person brutally slashed up this man and went upstairs to convince you that everything was normal?”
When he said it like that, it sounded insane. “Yes.”
“Why did you come downstairs?” he asked.
“Please clear the house, then question me. I get it, I’m the girlfriend and I’m suspect one, but can we please make sure no one is here with us first?”
“Answer my question, Ma’am.”
Tears filled my eyes, “Is this your first day or something? You are really bad at this.”
“Ma’am.” More authority filled his tone. I studied his fresh, youthful face. This man was right out of the academy.
“Because I was mad at him.”
“So this person supposedly spoke, and you didn’t notice anything amiss?”
More than that, but I didn’t think it would help my case. “No.”
“You’re under arrest.” Officer Reed grabbed the cuffs from his shiny new belt.
I slid away, holding my hand out, knocking some pictures off the wall in the process. “Do what you have to do, but for the love of whatever god you believe in, please check the house.”
I didn’t realize I’d pinned myself to the ancient TV, so when he lurched for me, I had nowhere to escape. He may have been a rookie, but he took me to the ground with no problem, cuffing me like it was what he was born to do.
The dark growling filled the air, raising all the hair on my arms on edge. I hit my forehead into the floorboard. There I was pinched and trapped like a trussed up turkey with my tits pressed uncomfortably to the ground. There was no way I could fight him off.
“Get me up! Help me up!” I cried out.
Instead of doing that, he pulled the gun from his belt. The way his hands shook told me everything I needed to know. This man wasn’t going to save me.
“Please,” I begged. “Get me out of here.”
“This your accomplice?” Officer Reed hissed. His heavy boots thudded as he walked away, making it easy to follow his movements throughout the house.
I waited on baited breath for that thing to appear and finish the job he started. Other than the officer’s steps, all I could hear was Ranger barking, confirming that at least my dog was alive.
“Where is he, huh?” Reed asked me.
“I don’t know!” I yelled, sick of his idiocracy. “You are going to get both of us killed.”
Maybe I should have called a church or something instead. Maybe a mental asylum, it was hard to tell for sure. But this motherfucker was not the help I needed.
“I’m going to put you in my car, and then I’m turning this house upside down to find your friend.”
