Tik Tok Stalker

Chapter 4- Detective James

My best friend's cold body laid at my feet while his devoted widow wept in my arms. Jayson Rooney and I had been closer than blood since he moved in next door to me the summer after 8th grade. In fact, at the end of that summer, we scraped our palms with a pocket knife and became blood brothers. I rubbed the shadow of a scar on my hand as I reminisced, tuning out the preacher's voice and Mary's sobs.

We got in a couple fistfights with each other that year, but the quarrels never lasted long. They were usually over a girl. I guess I didn't handle being ousted from my Big Man On Campus position by Jayson very well. As soon as the girls caught a glance at him, they didn't care for me anymore.

Mary stole my attention first. We were seniors and she was a sophomore. Who knows what happened after freshmen year but she walked into school that first day a woman. I made a move quick, even took her out on a couple dates, but once Jayson third-wheeled, he was all she cared about. They never dated back then, though. Jayson was always bouncing around from girl to girl. But after she graduated from college and returned to our tiny hometown, he finally paid her attention. Never mind that I was the one who ran into her at the grocery store and invited her out to to the townie bar that night. Once she and Jayson laid eyes on each other, for the second time, they were like the opposite ends of magnets. And now we were here, at Jayson's funeral.

I tuned back in as the preacher said, "And now, I invite Detective Stephen James to say a few words about Jayson."

A deep breathe released from my lungs as I took my place on the grass beside the hole in the ground that would soon contain my friend's body.

"Mary. I want to start by addressing you." Jayson's wife looked up when I spoke her name, pouty lower lip trembling. "You know, Jayson stole you from me."

She let out a soft chuckle at the memory.

"She wasn't the first girl he stole from me and she definitely wasn't the last." The massive crowd of mourners chuckled as well, between their sniffles. I continued to share about my friendship with Jayson and what it meant to me. When I got so choked up that the words halted in my throat, I looked at Mary and her silent nod gave me strength. "Jayson was like a brother to me." I held up my palm to show the scar that Jayson and I shared, explaining the significance to the crowd. "Jayson left a mark on all of us. Marks that we'll carry with us for the rest of our lives. Marks that remind us of the vast impact Jayson had on so many. When I missed him, as we all will, I'll look to my scar for comfort."

As I spoke about Jayson leaving his mark on each of us, Mary's expression caught me off guard. She flinched and stared into the coffin with an odd expression. One thing was for sure, it wasn't sadness. It was far more sinister. The way her lip twitched upward was reminiscent of a smile. I kept my expression even, masking my confusion. The shadow across her demeanor passed as quickly as it began. But my concern lingered.