House of Dolls

The Interview

Nathan awoke from his peaceful slumber as dawn approached, not losing any sleep over what he had done. His plan, however, remained in motion. All Nathan could think about was Anna and how he was going to get through his interview with Officer Stanley. He heard Anna descend the basement steps as he sat up in bed. He knew he had to keep up his masquerade.

He performed as if he were an actor in a major play, remaining in character to throw off any suspicion. He hated lying to Anna, but knew she would surely turn him in if she got wind of what he had done. He simply lay there waiting for her to enter the room. His heart beat faster than it had before as he prepared himself for his next act.

"Good morning Nathan; how are you doing?" Anna appeared worried about Nathan, who sat with his head in his hands. He still needed to appear grief-stricken over the loss of his parents. Nathan continued with his impersonated tears, which he was an expert at on command.

"I'm OK, Anna; I just can't believe my parents are gone; it doesn't feel real." He knew then he had Anna entirely engrossed with his suffering." I'm just going to get up and take a shower. I have to meet Officer Stanley soon." Nathan stood and began to make his way to the bathroom as Anna grabbed his arm.

"Wait, I brought you some old sweats and a t-shirt from my dad's drawer. I'm not sure if it will fit, but it's something. When you're done getting ready, I'm going to drive you to pick up your car since it's still at the farm. I'll be upstairs if you need me." Anna faced Nathan, placed her hand on his shoulder in a sympathetic way, and turned to walk up the stairs.

"Thanks again, Anna," Nathan said softly, "Thanks for everything." A few lowly tears rolled down his cheek as he effortlessly forced them out.

Anna glanced back and gave Nathan a heartwarming smile, "Of course, Nathan. I'll just be upstairs whenever you are done. Take your time, though. No rush."

"No rush," he thought, "Yeah right, this is the girl of my dreams. I'm not waiting for another second to spend time with her."

Nathan and Anna set out to retrieve his car from his family farm once he was ready. Nathan wallowed in his phony sorrow the entire way there. Anna would reach over and put her hand on Nathan's knee to comfort him. Outwardly, he would exude despair, but on the inside, he would celebrate his victory. When they arrived at the farm, Nathan hopped out of Anna's car and went to get his old four-door sedan. As he walked to his vehicle, Anna called out to him, "Nathan, do you want me to meet you there? I don't mind going with you. I mean, if you want."

Nathan gladly accepted her invitation. "Thank you, Anna; I didn't want to do this alone." Nathan knew he had Anna in his trap, that it would be hard for her to escape his grasp.

Anna followed Nathan to the police station a few miles away. They both walked up, entered the old brick building, and requested to see Officer Stanley. "Go ahead and take a seat. I'll go grab him." The Officer at the front stated.

As Nathan turned to walk to the small seating area, Anna grabbed his hand. Her gesture made him beam on the inside. He would always welcome any touch from her. They took a seat, and shortly after, Officer Stanley approached.

"Nathan, come on back." Both Anna and Nathan stood in unison to follow. "I'm sorry, Anna, I want to speak with Nathan alone first." As Nathan heard that, his heart began to race.

"Why would he not allow Anna to come back?" He asked himself. What if his theatrics wouldn't work on Officer Stanley alone? Nerves set in, thinking the worst, but he had to snap out of it quickly. Nathan then returned Anna's look like a lost puppy.

She promptly mouthed, "It will be OK."

Nathan followed Officer Stanley down a short hall with matted gray carpet into the private interview room, "Go ahead and take a seat, Nathan. This shouldn't take too long." He gestured for Nathan to sit in the chair across from him. As Nathan took his seat, he mentally prepared himself for any questions he would have to answer.