The Man: a dark romance story

Part Six

In spite of Peter's best efforts to keep the cops off my heels, they eventually caught up to me.

Though he was right about one thing: it did save me from being stuck in a precinct for hours on end. It did not, however, preclude me from cop involvement entirely.

I wasn't at all surprised when two detectives showed up at Kate's front door that Saturday morning roughly two weeks after Tyler's disappearance.

It was pretty uneventful. Obviously, I didn't tell them about Peter. I told them so far as Tyler and I's toxic relationship and the abuse he subjected me to for multiple years; Kate showed them the pictures she took of my neck and bruises when I arrived in Albuquerque. When they asked why I didn't report the choking incident, I shrugged and explained that it had been a futile effort in the past so why would it help now?

They didn't like that answer.

I told them the last time I saw him was at our apartment before I left Katy and that's when he choked me, but I fought him off and left and hadn't heard from him since.

Kate didn't even bat an eye when I lied straight to their faces about the last time I saw Tyler. I knew I loved her for a reason.

They took a few notes as well as Kate and I's information and thanked us for our time. It's been two months since then and I haven't heard anything else about it thus far.

I know it must have been Tyler's mother who told the cops about my move to Albuquerque. There's no way they could have known otherwise. No evidence that I could recall.

Stupid old cunt.

I did tell Kate about Peter. I had to: there was no way to avoid it. Of course, I did leave out a few minute details such as Tyler losing his head and the resulting dissection and disposal of his corpse afterward.

I had to stop myself from smiling thinking about his remains rotting away in the quarry, giving much needed sustenance to the local wildlife.

I told Kate that had Peter not been in the right place at the right time, I'd be dead right now, which I fully believe to be true.

"So, he just kicked Tyler's ass, grabbed you and then you left together?" she questioned.

I nodded.

"Why did you leave your car and all your stuff?" she asked. "Why did you go three quarters across the state with a complete stranger?"

I grimaced each time she questioned me, feeling like I was in an interrogation cell. Shit, this was possibly worse than being detained. Every time I was done responding, I hoped she would pick up on my body language and let it go.

Kate and I normally shared everything with each other, but having to deal with it so soon after a major trauma and two day road trip was depleting.

If only one thing could be said about Kate it would be that she's nosy as fuck.

"I don't know. It all happened so fast. He was just trying to get me safely away without Tyler following. Neither of us was really thinking."

"And you spent the night with him?"

"Yes."

"Did you have sex?" she asked.

Jesus, Kate. It's not that I wasn't expecting her to ask; it was the suddenness in which she did it that took me aback.

I wavered, deliberating on how much information I should give her.

"No. We made out. That's it," I replied, telling the half truth. I tried to keep my face smooth and expressionless.