Philip Dampier's Blog

Episode 14

Wanda found some cereal, and there was milk in the fridge. She located a bowl and spoon and sat down to eat. She was facing the door when she heard footsteps on the sidewalk. She got up from the table and started towards the door. It was then she saw the knife again. It was still laying on the counter. Arvie must have left it there, and she had told him a hundred times not to leave knives out where Jill could reach them. Without thinking she picked up the knife and reached for the drawer, her back slightly turned from the door.

A uniformed police officer stepped through the door and saw Wanda with the knife.

“Put the knife down, lady.”

His voice startled her. She had expected a knock on the door. She spun around to see who was in the house with her, the large knife held up in her hand. The policeman had his gun drawn as a safety measure, as did his backup who was just behind him. The policeman knew about the knife. Not only had they been briefed about “the psycho” but he had been there the day before and helped with the phone installer. He knew what Wanda was capable of with a knife.

When Wanda spun around with the knife raised, he didn’t hesitate but pulled the trigger almost on instinct. The bullet hit Wanda in the chest, penetrating her heart. There was a momentary look of surprise and then she crumpled to the linoleum. She was dead when she hit the floor.

When the news was relayed to Arvie, he felt relieved and sad at the same time. He had loved Wanda and had managed to cope with her weird behavior for several years. He had hoped she would be apprehended and put in a treatment center. He didn’t know for sure, but he thought if she could get treatment, maybe some kind of medicine, she would be able to function again.

He never thought about her being killed it seemed like such a waste. Probably she couldn’t help what happened to her mind. He identified her body and then went to pick up Jill. Explaining the whole thing to her was going to be hard.

Martha Smith had been watching the two girls play. They played like they were sisters she thought. Well, if Arvie’s wife got locked up maybe he would get a divorce and if he got a divorce… She dropped that thought long enough to think about what she was going to fix for supper. Her mother had told her that the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach. She was a good cook, and she intended to make a meal that Arvie would remember. She also had to give some thought to what she would wear when he came over. Martha looked at her left hand where her wedding band had been. You could still see the mark of lighter skin where the rings had been.

Her first husband had been somewhat of a disappointment. The only thing good to come out of their marriage as far as she was concerned was Frannie. The early years of their union had not been bad but year by year things had gotten worse. They fought all the time until Frannie came. That ended the fusses for a while but when Frannie was able to talk and walk, she turned more and more towards her daddy. It made Martha jealous, and so the arguments began again.

Who knows what would have happened if George had not had that accident. She had warned him about using the ladder when she wasn’t there to hold it, but no, he wouldn’t listen to her. He never listened to her; that was the problem.

The police had investigated the accident but could find no sign of wrongdoing. His work boots had some oily substance on them, which turned out to be WD40; they concluded that he had somehow stepped in it in the shed.

Martha had answered their questions, playing well the grieving widow but didn’t volunteer any other information. The case was closed, and she received a large settlement from the life insurance company who paid double for accidental deaths. She had invested the windfall, and she and Frannie lived well off of the income and Frannie’s social security check from her father’s social security account.

***

Arvie arrived at Martha’s to pick up Jill, his face a roadmap of expressions.

“What’s wrong, Arvie?” Martha asked, “Your face is pale and you look sick. Are you okay? What happened? Come in and sit down. I’ll get you a glass of water.”

“Wanda is dead. She was shot by a policeman in our house.”

“Oh, no. I’m so sorry. Come on inside. I’ll get Jill.”

“No, don’t get her yet. I need to think about what to say to her.”

“I’ll help you, Arvie, it’ll be alright. Frannie and I will help you with Jill. You have friends to lean on now.”

***

Four months later Arvie and Martha returned from a brief but exciting honeymoon. It had been a wonderful if whirlwind romance. Arvie wanted to pinch himself to see if it was real. Martha loved Jill and Jill had taken right to her. Frannie was warming up to him, and the two girls were inseparable.

There were too many bad memories in the house on Chestnut Street, so they decided to live in Martha’s house. The mortgage insurance had paid off Martha’s home mortgage when her first husband had died. With Martha’s investments, Frannie’s social security benefit from her father and Arvie’s salary they were going to be very comfortable.

Things were really going well, and the two families were meshing together. It was almost like a dream. The dream ended on a Saturday shortly after the honeymoon. Martha was sweeping the floor, and Arvie pulled the garbage bag out of the plastic container and tied the two red strings together. He was grabbing the back door when Martha looked up.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she asked.

Arvie turned and looked at her. It was the first angry face he had seen Martha make. He just looked at her, kitchen garbage bag in his left hand, right holding onto the doorknob.

“I’m taking this smelly garbage out to the dumpster.”

“Put it back!”

“Why? It smells, and I need to stretch my legs.”

“Put it back and don’t touch it again. I’ll take it out when I’m ready to take it out. This is my house. Nothing goes out, and nothing comes in unless I say so. Do you understand me?”

Arvie’s face turned white; he dropped the garbage bag. He went looking for Jill…

THE END

Hope you enjoyed Wanda. Check my books available on Amazon. You may find something else you like as well.