Page 46 of The Neighbor
A few tears stream out of my eyes, impressing even me since I haven’t been able to cry not even a single one since my parents passed. “He was upset. He thought you were spying on us, but I told him that wasn’t it at all. We had some words and then he left. The last I saw of him was when he was walking up the street toward his house.”
“Oh my God! That’s why he didn’t talk to me when he walked by me that night. He was furious because he thought I was intruding on your date. I wish you would have told him the real reason I came here. I hate that he was upset with me.”
Kimmy shifts Misty to her other hip as I bite my tongue to stop myself from saying that it really doesn’t matter since the guy is dead. I love Kimmy, but the woman gets her priorities all mixed up sometimes.
A police cruiser drives into the cul-de-sac and stops right in front of Adam’s house, joining two others and the coroner’s van. Kimmy and I watch as they bring him out in a black bag laid out on a stretcher, and it takes every ounce of willpower I possess to not smile with utter satisfaction at the sight. Finally, he’s paid for what he did to my family. It took far longer than I had wanted it to take, but I did it.
And no matter what anyone ever says about revenge, don’t believe them. It’s as sweet as sweet can be.
Kimmy turns away, shielding little Misty’s eyes from the scene up the street. “Oh, this is so horrible. I can’t believe this is happening again, but this time we actually know the person.”
So much for our mourning for Sara. We really didn’t know her anyway, and in the world of our cul-de-sac, she was a villain for sleeping with Jared and breaking up his marriage.
A very stern, very round police officer slowly makes his way down the street and stops in front of my house. For a long moment, I stare down at him as he stares back up at me, and I wonder if he sees the utter jubilation I’m working so hard to hide.
I gently grab Kimmy’s arm to act like I’m upset as she says to the officer, “Do you know what happened to Adam?”
“No ma’am, but I’d like to speak to you ladies.”
Kimmy turns to look at me with pure terror in her eyes like she’s the one who’s guilty of killing him. Giving her arm a squeeze, I say, “It’s okay. They have to investigate. It’s their job, right?”
That calms her, and we walk down to where the officer stands waiting for us. He’s even rounder up close, so much that he reminds me of Humpty Dumpty. I press my lips together to stifle the smile at the thought of this man teetering on top of a wall and work to make myself look sad again.
“Officer, we’re so upset right now. Adam was our friend. He came to our block parties, and we got to know him,” Kimmy says, practically in tears.
“I understand, ma’am. What is your name?”
“Kimmy Marshall,” she answers. Pointing across the street, she says, “I live right over there.”
“Okay. Now, can you tell me how long the victim lived in the house up the street?”
Instantly, I hate the way he refers to Adam as the victim. He wasn’t a victim. He was a goddamned murderer who preyed on helpless girls. He ruined my family by killing my sister. How dare anyone call him a victim?
“A couple months. He moved in back in June, I think. He wasn’t here that long, but he became part of the neighborhood. He brought chips and salsa to the last block party just the other day. I can’t believe he’s gone,” Kimmy says and begins to sob.
The officer with the nametag that says Murphy turns to look at me, probably thinking he’s not going to get anything useful from Kimmy since she’s quickly turning into an emotional mess right in front of him. I notice his eyes are pale gray, a very unusual color to find in eyes. And they’re just a hint too close together, like they’re intruding on the space his nose should be taking up.
“Ma’am, what is your name?”
“Caroline Townsend,” I answer, nearly tripping up and using my real last name.
“And did you know the victim? The woman up the road said you and he were closer than anyone here.”
“Not really. I moved into the neighborhood after him. We only spoke a few times.”
That makes Officer Murphy’s eyebrows shoot up into his forehead. “Is that so? The woman up the road said the victim was at your house last night. That sounds like you were a lot closer than just speaking a few times.”
“It’s a small group, officer. Everyone thinks they know everyone’s business here. Adam was at my house that night to bring me a housewarming gift. Whatever else you heard is just gossip.”
He jots down a few words on a tiny notebook he’s taken out of his shirt pocket, and as I wait for him to continue, he turns his focus back to Kimmy. “What can you tell me about Adam before he moved here, ma’am? Did he ever talk to you about his past?”
As Kimmy starts to explain the conversations she had with Adam, the coroner’s van slowly passes by with Adam’s bodyinside and my mind drifts back to fifteen years ago and that past Adam thought he left behind.
My mother yells for me to get ready because we need to leave for the movie soon. It’s Saturday, our movie day, and I wouldn’t miss it for the world.
“I’ll be right down!” I call out.
I straighten my bedspread and fluff my pillow like I’m supposed to while looking out my bedroom window at the beautiful day waiting for me. I watch that boy from across the street walk alone toward the woods. Weirdo.