Murder! Too Close To Home

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

March 9, 1997

Entering the room again from who knows where, I headed to my chair and parked it, grabbing my coffee and taking a large swallow of the hot brew. It was very hot, yet it didn't burn, rolling instead down my throat like a life-giving elixir.

Refreshed, I leaned forward and fixed my eyes on at the chess board, determined to win the ongoing game with my unseen opponent.

Something seemingly was not as it should be however. There was something about the placement of the pieces that was tugging at my meager brain.

Finally I saw it!

A series of moves had happened that would have me in check in three turns if I don't alter course.

Excitedly, I mulled over the alternatives and finally settled on a strategy that got me out of the dog house...for the moment.

The overconfidence that had enveloped me earlier had been trimmed down a bit. The whole process seemed to have taken about a half an hour, although time was different in the room. The fact that I had not taken a sip of coffee the whole time had left me feeling slightly deficient.

Sitting back and taking a long draw of the heavenly brew, I had the sudden feeling I was being watched, by whom and from where I could not determine. I tried to ignore my paranoid reaction and continued sipping from my cup, savoring the magnificent taste that I never seemed to tire of.

Bringing the cup to my lips once more, I was halted by a slight noise seeming to come from behind me. Staying stock still as I listened intently, I heard no other sound except the crackling of the fire in the fire place.

Setting the cup down, I leaned my head back into the chair, letting out a long breath as I closed my eyes to relax. The slightest of sounds reached my ears once again, sounding much like what I would guess a mouse might sound like crossing the floor.

I opened my eyes, leaning forward slightly and turning my head slowly to see what the source of the noise was.

I jerked awake in my bed, the sound of soft breathing next to me the only noise apparent. Rolling over and squinting at the alarm clock revealed the time to be 5:30 AM...as usual. My body has been on the same schedule for years, jolting awake at this early hour whether it was a weekend, workday or vacation.

Rolling onto my back and staring at the ceiling, I thought back to my dreams, wondering for the thousandth time what they meant and why I had them. Yielding no new revelations this time, it had made me wonder if I had just missed something.

Of course having always been alone in the room on previous occasions, the feeling that I was in the presence of someone this time certainly put a new spin on things.

Thinking on this for a few more minutes and coming to no good explanation, I quietly rolled out of bed so as not to wake Betty. At least she could sleep in on the weekends.

As I made my way downstairs I was met by Lucy. The sound of my footsteps had always sent her into her morning dance of rising up off of her front legs and doing circles around me until I opened the back door and let her out. She pushed through the partially open door and took off on her rounds, smelling the corners of the yard and taking care of her bodily functions.

I crossed the kitchen and got the coffee going, then headed to the front porch to look for the paper. Being a detective had never seemed to help me in my morning search for the news that my paper boy delivered. He seemed to take pride in finding new places to throw it each day. Finally finding it under one of the boxwoods off the side of the porch, I headed back to the door, shaking my head in wonderment at the consistency of the boy's inconsistency.