Abediah Thornton

Chapter 4 - Thursday

It was two o'clock in the afternoon. Abediah had done all the jobs that needed to be done for now. She'd been more effective in the last few days than she felt like she'd been in years! Now she was sitting at the piano. The piano needed dusting. As she sat, running her rough fingertips over the friendly old keys she tried to remember the last time she'd sat here ...it had been too long.

There were things Frank didn't particularly like, and over the years she had just found it easier to avoid them. Frank didn't like dogs, he'd had a bad encounter when he was a child, so they'd never had a dog. Frank didn't like church (or religion in general) so they didn't go. And Frank really couldn't stand her piano playing. To be fair, she wasn't awfully good. Her parents had organised lessons for her through school and while she enjoyed playing, she was never going to be a professional. For many years she'd just played on the days when Frank was in the city. But as the years had passed she had found other things to occupy her time. Her fingers had become less flexible, more callused. And now here she was, wondering if she could even remember her scales!

Placing her thumb on Middle C she slowly made her way across the keys. The piano was a bit out of tune, but it had held up surprisingly well to her neglect. Her fingers, at first stiff and slow, grew more confident with each completed scale. Up and down, up and down. This time getting the fingering wrong in the left hand, that time getting it all mixed up in her right hand. Before long her fingers were feeling more nimble and her brain was sliding into 'piano mode'. She took out the last piece she had been working on. One of Satie's Gymnopedies. She rolled her eyes at the seeming innocence. It should be easy, she knew it should be easy! But those jumps in the left hand, those switching chords. She decided to focus on one hand at a time until she felt more confident.

When the doorbell rang Abediah jumped. As she made her way to the door she noticed the time: 5:30pm. She'd been successfully enthralled in the piano for hours.

She opened the door to two police officers. A man and a woman, both in full uniform. The man's bullet proof vest was straining at the zip, evidence perhaps of one too many doughnuts. Both had holsters at their hips and sunglasses on their foreheads. The woman was almost the complete opposite of her partner. Petite in size and stature she looked young and quite incongruous with the bulk of her uniform.

'Afternoon Ma'am,' said the male officer, speaking with a southern accent, he dipped his head and touched where his hat wasn't.

'Good afternoon officers,' said Abediah, 'what can I do for you?'

'Ma'am,' started the male officer, 'can I confirm that you are Abediah Thornton?' This put her on the back foot. She was expecting them to ask for directions or something.

Abediah raised her eyebrows in surprise, 'yes' she said, 'that's me.'

'I wonder if we might come in?' said the lady officer in a polite, quiet voice.

'Erm...' Abediah paused, 'may I ask what this is about?' She wasn't entirely sure she wanted or needed their official bulk in her kitchen.

'Yes of course, but I think it'd be better if we sat down,' said the male officer. He said it in a condescending tone, as if Abediah was old and frail and about to fall over. She caught herself before her anger got the better of her, realising that to him she probably did look old and frail.

'Ok,' she said, motioning for them to come in. 'Can I get you officers something to drink?'

'No Ma'am, we're good,' said the male officer abruptly. For this he received a sharp dig in the ribs and a meaningful look from the lady officer.

'Thank you, yes please. Tea would be lovely,' she said.

'Hmm,' said the male officer recovering himself, 'coffee for me if you have it Ma'am.'