Matt looked up at the living room window atop the four-storey apartment building where he and Audrey lived. The lights were on, and he could make out movement in the room. Briefly, he thought he discerned more than one outline but with a quick blink of his eyes dismissed it. Strange, he thought glancing at his watch. It was 10 p.m. Normally, she would be tucked away in bed by this time. Though he was exhausted, he felt a sense of relief to know that she was still awake. He needed to talk to her. Since his less than fruitful visit to the Police Commissioner’s office, his day had come to a frustrating dead end. Attempts were made to find the Commissioner, but Stuart Granger had simply disappeared. And that was out of character for Stuart.
When Audrey had separated from Philip, she had dated Stuart. The scuttlebutt making the rounds at that time was that her infidelity with Stuart was the reason for the dissolution of the marriage. But, like all things when given enough time, rumor gave way to a much more delicious veracity that fell squarely on Philip’s plate and highlighted how life can be and often is messy. Yet, somehow up to the time she met Matt and until three weeks ago, she and Stuart cordially rendezvoused for coffee every Tuesday afternoon. They were as she adamantly told Matt, two friends who decided to stand against the wind and get in the world’s face. Then suddenly all of that stopped. Matt never knew why. Prudently, he refrained from asking her why because he knew he would be told it was none of his business. And he guessed that she was right. Still, he couldn’t deny the undercurrents of jealousy that abounded inside him. That resentfulness, unfounded or not, gnawed at him to do otherwise. So, when he opened the front door of the building and crossed the lobby to the flight of stairs to begin his climb to their apartment, he was resolved in his goal. He knew he could justify it to her because it would be void of the usual appendages associated with jealousy—insecurity, resentment, possessiveness, mistrust. His direction would be more professional than personal. He needed to know more about Stuart Granger and only she could tell him what he needed to discover.
Matt had barely slipped the key into the lock to their apartment door when Audrey opened it and flung her arms around Matt’s neck and kissed him hard on the lips. Pleasantly surprised by the unexpected greeting, he stepped back and gazed lovingly into her eyes.
“Wow!” he chuckled. “I should come home late more often.”
“Don’t you dare,” she snickered. She grasped his hand and pulled him into the hallway.
Dropping his briefcase, Matt kicked the door shut with his heel and attempted a more seductive embrace. “Have I misunderstood?” he asked, unable to grasp why she was fending him off.
“We have company,” she answered, her face taking on a strangely contorted expression that communicated she wished otherwise.
“Who?” The question had barely left his lips when he noticed the figure at the end of the hall leading into the kitchen. Disengaging himself from Audrey, he stormed off to confront him. “What the hell is he doing here?!” he demanded, briefly peering back at Audrey before his eyes re-engaged the unwelcomed intruder.
“Stuart needed to talk to you!” she snapped. “And this was the safest place to do it!”
“Surely, he could have done that at the office!” His scrutiny remained fixed on him.
“Let up, will you, and give him a chance to speak,” she insisted, her fists pressed hard into either side of her waist. “Matt! You need to listen to what he has to say!”
Matt drew in a deep breath and backed off. “I’m all ears, Commissioner.”
The three went into the living room and sat down.
“May I have a glass of water?” Stuart asked Audrey, looking up at her from the couch.
He and Matt sat in silence staring at each other across the coffee table. When Audrey returned, she placed the glass of water on the table in front of Stuart and sat in the other wingchair facing him.
“Thank you,” Stuart said, picking up the glass.
Matt noticed a slight shakiness in Stuart’s grip. He was obviously uncomfortable about something and whatever it was it was enough to garner Matt’s immediate attention.
Suddenly, the glass shattered in Stuart’s hand. The expression on his face transitioned from surprise to disbelief. His gaze watched the crimson spot’s circumference grow on his chest. The life behind his eyes snuffed out and left the unsettled emptiness of a dead fish’s empty stare gaping out at them.