“Why don’t you have a seat, Andrew.”
I freeze up, not having a clue what’s going on. “Abby, what are you doing? Where did you get that gun?”
“Have a seat. I want to have a little chat.”
I do as I’m told, sitting down at the kitchen table. Abby slowly starts walking toward me, keeping a safe distance away. The gun is still pointed at me.
“You and I need to get our stories straight. I want to know what you think happened the day I was kidnapped.”
I can’t believe this is happening. What has happened to my Abby? Where did she get a gun? I didn’t even know she knew how to shoot.
“Wha..what do you want to know? Abby, why do you have a gun?”
“Never mind that!” she interrupts. For the first time, I’m truly scared of her. She doesn’t look herself, like she’s another person. “What happened when you got to the reservoir?”
“I…uhh… when I got there, I saw there was the huge hole. So I walked up to it and saw you were down there. Then, I saw you point up. Someone came up behind me. I’m pretty sure it was Zach. I thought I grabbed him and we fell down the hole together. Apparently, though, that’s not what happened. Deputy Vogul showed me the photos. I guess I killed Zack… and pretty gruesomely. I don’t even remember doing it.”
Abby looks down like she’s trying to put puzzle pieces together. For a brief moment, I feel at ease, like we’re on the same team trying to un-code a mystery. Then she does something I don’t expect. She starts bursting out laughing. Not the kind of laugh after you’ve heard a funny joke, but the fake kind of laugh that has a hint of evil behind it.
“You’re so stupid, Andrew. You’re not a hero. Did you really think you came and saved the day?”
“I…umm… I don’t know what’s happening anymore.”
“Well, I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you exactly what’s going on. You see Andrew, I’m not who you think I am. I’m not little goodie good Miss Priss wife. I have a dark side. I kill people.”
I look at her, not knowing what to say or whether she’s telling me the truth. The gun pointed at me must mean she’s serious, though. “What do you mean you kill people?” I say.
“You know the man in the black car, the man you killed? He’s my accomplice, or I guess I should say was. You see, I met him before you and I were together. He showed me how to kill, how to research people, how to attack when they’re at their weakest moment. We made an excellent team, killing dozens of people over the years, hiding each and every body at my place at the reservoir. You wouldn’t notice, because you’re so stupid and unobservant, but there are bodies buried all around that area. It was such a rush bringing you there when you had no clue what was nearby. It ended up coming in handy, too.
“You’re probably wondering about Zach Jones and where he fits into all of this. That little twerp piece of shit took me off guard, I’ll admit. He’s always been a little stalker, and I guess it turns out he’s been following me around. He found my place at the reservoir and said he was going to bury me along with all the other bodies I left there. He came to my office. Not real subtle, but I give it to him he always had courage. He threw me in his car and put something over my mouth that made me pass out. Right before he threw me down into that hole, my eyes opened and I could see where I was. That’s why I called you. You’re the only one who knows how to get to my place at the reservoir — well, except for the man in the black car. I was too out of it to call him, though, and I wasn’t sure I could trust him. Turns out I was right about that.
“So you get there and see me in the hole. It was Zach who came up behind you. I wonder what he was planning on doing with you. He probably would have dumped you in the hole with me. You said you wanted to be cremated, sweetie. We were almost buried together.”
Abby paces back and forth, making sure to keep me in the corner of her eye while she continues. “It’s only a guess, but I’m ninety-nine percent certain what happened next. The black car man must have found out I was kidnapped and came out to the reservoir to look for me. He must have had a little fight with Zach — no surprise who came out ahead there.” Abby starts laughing, “He has quite the temper sometimes,” she says affectionately.
“If he were here now he’d probably thank you, Andrew, for bringing that ax. I heard Zach was in pieces! That’s never really been my style; I try to be as clean as possible with my kills. The black car man likes to use his imagination. He thinks it’s important to let the police know the murders are his, so he leaves a patch of black dog hair by the bodies. He told me some bullshit that it symbolizes the victim was no better than a mutt. Personally, I thought it was stupid… and sloppy. I like to be as inconspicuous as possible, but I didn’t dare tell him otherwise. He seemed kinda crazy, ya know?
“What really bothers me…” Abby stops, an angered expression on her face. “Is why that piece of shit turned on me. What did I ever do to him?” She looks over at me as if I’m supposed to answer her, but I only give her an empty stare.
“You see, what happened sweetie is the black car man tore little Zach Jones to pieces. Then he did some artistic work to make it look like you did it. I hope you didn’t actually think you did the axing. You know you couldn’t hurt a fly. My guess is the black car man must have tipped the police off to where we were, and he was just going to leave me there to die. Why would he do that? I thought we had fun together.” Now Abby’s not even talking to me. She’s talking to herself like she’s trying to work out a problem. “I just don’t understand it. What did I do to him?”
She looks back over to me and smiles, “Gee, where are my manners? This is probably a lot to take in, I know. I’m sure you have lots of questions, but let me finish the little story first. You see, when the police got there I was pretty heavily sedated and could barely remember anything. You, on the other hand, must have been really messed up. My guess is the black car man must have given you some good stuff. You were in a coma for a week. That’s crazy!” She laughs again, each time it gets scarier.
“If you haven’t figured it out yet, Andrew, I’m a pretty good actress when I need to be. Lying in that hospital bed, I was scared to death. I didn’t know what the black car man had in store for me, but I was sure it wasn’t good. Why didn’t he just kill me? That’s something else I don’t understand. Why tip the police off knowing I might make it out alive? Anyway, it doesn’t matter now. I knew as long as I was in the hospital I was safe. Police were everywhere and the black car man is crazy but not stupid. I had to fake being worse than I really was. I figured it would be a few days before you would make it out all right, but I didn’t expect it to be a week! When you did recover and see me, well, you know what happened then. I told you to leave and kill the black car man. I wasn’t quite sure what he would do to me when I got out, but I knew damn sure what he would try to do to you. As pathetic as you are, Andrew, I figured I’d give you a chance and see how you would do. Turns out you were splendid! I knew there was a reason I married you. I can’t imagine the look on his face when you pulled that gun on him and blasted him. He obviously underestimated you like I did.
“What I don’t like, though, is this Deputy Vogul woman. She’s quite a dirty cop, making you do all the risky work while she cleans up the tracks at the end. I would consider finding a different killing partner, Andrew. She’s not pulling her weight. You and I would make a pretty good team; I’ve got a lot of tricks up my sleeve.”
I don’t hesitate with what I say next. “I’m not a murderer. You’re an insane lunatic!”
“Oh sweetie, that hurts my feelings. You know me. I’m not a bad person. I take care of you, don’t I? I clean the house, cook you dinner, and make love whenever you want. Yes, I’ll admit I have a very strange hobby, but who doesn’t? You’ve been happy with our marriage, haven’t you? All I have to do is slip a little something in your drink before bed on the nights I go out. You get a full night’s rest and I get to have a little fun. It’s a win-win for both of us,” she smiles.