Bed of Lies

Chapter 4: Lie Now

Norma Bates sat in the motel office sighing at the lack of reservations. She thought back to last night having dinner with everyone and she was so happy that Alex came, it was nice for him to be a part of the family for once. It was what 'friends' did, which proved that they were friends. Her thoughts were interrupted when her son Dylan entered the office. 'Hey' he said casually. Norma smiled at him. 'Last night was lovely, I'm so glad Alex came. It was amazing, wasn't it?' Norma asked cheerfully.
'Yeah, it was. I enjoyed last night too. Anyway, I'm headed up to the farm for a couple of days. I need to finish building the barn so I'll be staying there for a few nights' Dylan said. Norma didn't really like the fact that Dylan wouldn't be around to help with Norman. Norman's mental health had been deteriorating a lot recently, he was having more blackouts and violent outbursts. She was worried about him and especially worried about looking after him alone. 'Ok' Norma sulked. 'Well you be careful, I'll see you in a few days'. She walked around from behind her office desk and gently placed two hands on Dylan's face, kissing him on the right of his mouth. 'I love you' Norma told him. Dylan wasn't good at showing emotion/affection, but half smiled back at her. 'Love you too Mom' he replied. He leaned in and hugged Norma tightly as though he were the parent. Norma had always wanted to have a strong bond with Dylan, and in his secure arms, she felt like they have achieved that. 'Bye Dylan' Norma said sadly.
'See you in a few days. Bye, Norma'. Dylan turned and walked out of the office, hopping into his truck. Norma waved him off with a sad expression on her face. First Alex had left and now Dylan. Safety didn't exist for Norma anymore.

That afternoon, Norma was ambling up to the house when she heard a car behind her. She spotted her old Mercedes and squealed in excitement. At first she was confused, but then she saw Alex in the car. 'You got my car back! Alex!' She screamed happily. Norma clapped her hands like a 3 year old and caressed the car like it was her child. 'I cannot believe you did this for me! You understood how much this car meant to me. How much do I owe you?' She asked. Alex shook his head. 'You don't owe me anything. Just go and grab the return slip, I'll take the car back for you' he said. Norma didn't get why he was being so nice. When she picked Alex up because he was drunk, she told him about the car. He obviously remembered. If he remembered that, he also would've remembered trying to pull her in for a kiss and telling her that he thought she was beautiful. The thought made Norma fuzzy inside. 'Thank you, Alex' Norma beamed up at him. Alex pretended that he wasn't doing it because he cared and took a nonchalant approach to her gratitude. 'Well you know, I'm a cop. Just serving people' Alex shrugged. Norma knew that wasn't the reason but she didn't care - she was too happy about her new car. 'That is so nice' Norma said. She was still curious and pressed on. 'Why did you do it?' This question made Alex cringe and his cheeks went crimson. 'Uh, I don't know. I just... Couldn't stand the thought of you being sad about it, if there was something I could do to fix it - whatever that means' he laughed nervously. Norma knew right then that Alex cared about her. He wanted to make her happy, this was evident in the way he said he couldn't 'bear the thought of her being sad about it'. She leaned in while staring at his lips and as soon as she got close to his face, she panicked internally. Norma still wasn't ready to cross that line. With a flirtatious smile on her face, she decided to tease Alex and kiss him right next to the side of his mouth. Her lips deliberately stayed there for quite some time. When she pulled back, she smiled at him before turning on her heel. 'I'll go get the return slip' she clapped her hands and squealed while charging up the steps to the house. Alex stared after her in fascination.

Later that night, Norma was reheating leftover food from last nights dinner when she heard a knock at the door. When she peeped through the curtain to see who it was, she was happy to see that it was Alex. 'Hi Alex! I'm hearing up some leftovers, you wanna come in?' Norma asked sweetly. Alex stood with a stern and serious look upon his face. He had come over to confront Norma about some information he had discovered about her son Norman. He had been suspicious of Norman ever since the death of his teacher Blair Watson. He knew Norman wasn't innocent when he found a semen sample belonging to him in Blairs body during the autopsy. Alex observed how child like and fake she was acting, it made him chuckle. Norma frowned and narrowed her eyes at him. 'What?' She asked. It was making Norma anxious to see Alex act so strange, it made her uncomfortable. 'Do you want to come in?' She asked again. Alex walked away from the door which let Norma know he didn't want to come in. She followed him out on to the porch where he avoided eye contact. She put her hands in her pockets, waiting for him to speak. 'You remember the first time we talked Norma? When I asked you about the disappearance of Keith Summers? It's quite funny because you were standing right there at the door - and you were lying to me'. Norma felt uncomfortable that he brought that up, and she was also confused why he would. Was he saying she was a liar? 'What are you talking about?' Norma demanded. She backed away and gestured to the door. Alex shook his head. 'I don't want to come in. I wanna ask you something and don't tell me a story - tell me the truth. I know what your impulse is gonna be, but don't do it. Just this once' He instructed. Norma looked at him as though she didn't understand. 'Just this once?' She mimicked.
'How did your husband die?' Norma felt a surge of terror run through her body. Why would he ask her that? She didn't want to lie to him but if she told Alex that Norman killed his own father, he would take Norman away from her. She couldn't let that happen, so she went with the story that closed the case. 'You know how he died, in an accident in the garage. A heavy shelf fell on him'. Alex's face scrunched in pain - she had lied to him. She didn't care about him or trust him enough to tell the truth. He started to get angry. Alex would ask her one more time and if she didn't reveal the truth he already knew - he was done with her. 'Last chance, Norma' Alex warned. Norma felt a tightness in her stomach. She hated to lie to him, but it had to be done. He could send Norman away for a long time if he found out the truth. To her he was Alex, a friend. But he was also Sheriff. Guilt filled her eyes. 'That is the truth' she lied again. Alex was so disappointed in her. She was using him, she always had been. Alex thought there was something between them but clearly it was all a facade on her part. He was done. 'Goodbye, Norma' Alex said coldly, turning away and walking down the steps. Norma panicked. Did 'goodbye' mean he would never talk to her again? 'Alex' Norma shouted. He ignored her and kept walking. 'Alex, please!' Tears filled her eyes. 'Alex!' She attempted one last time. It was too late, he jumped into his car and drove off, he was done with her. Norma started to cry. He was gone for real now.