His Mistress
The phone rang at three in the morning. Detective Gideon hated when it rang then, because it meant that another body was found. Gideon was tempted to throw his phone at the wall sending his fourth phone to the same fate as the last three he had. He didn't because he could barely afford the one he had and had no money to replace it. "What", he grumbles into the phone.
The voice on the other end answers back, "Aren't you a ray of sunshine. You are wanted at the Galaxy Hotel."
Gideon answers with a, "Fine", and hangs up. Out of habit he turns to the other side of the bed to wake up his non-existent wife to tell her he was going out on duty again, but that side of the bed has been cold for months now. She couldn't handle being married to a Detective. A man who always put everyone else in front of her, she joked with him many times that his job was his Mistress. He didn't disagree. The divorce wasn't messy though because luckily they didn't bring any kids into their lives, and all the stuff around the house he didn't want anyways. He only wanted their dog Lucky, and she took him as well.
Gideon maneuvers through his pitch black small apartment wearing nothing but his underwear. Donna his ex-wife hated when he didn't wear pants around their house, so there was one plus side to her being gone. He turns the coffee on, and heads back into his room to get dressed. It doesn't take long for Gideon to get dressed since it was routine getting dressed at all hours of the night. He laces up his boots and looks once again at the empty part of his bed. Rage taking over. Lack of sleep for years from being on the force. And that cold spot in his bed where Donna used to sleep. Gideon than launches his phone at the wall. Sending wire and plastic flying everywhere. I guess he will have to get number five in the morning.
It took thirty minutes to drive to the hotel, which used to be a city landmark, but now sadly a home for many of the homeless when the streets got to cold. Gideon thought they must have found another John Doe who was going to sit in the morgue, nameless, and with no justice served because no cared for the forgotten Grandfather or Uncle anymore.
Gideon walks through the doors he used to love walking through of the hotel. The truth is this place has a special place in his heart, because this Hotel was the destination of many romantic getaways and rendezvous for Donna and him. It's where they first had their first dinner which led to their first kiss in the hotel's quaint cafe. Escaped the hustle and bustle of everyday life even it was just for one day. He also proposed to her in the hotel lobby, and they spent their first night as husband and wife in the honeymoon suite on the top floor of the historic building. Gideon couldn't help but be haunted by the ghosts of good memories, and terrorized by the nightmare he was now living in. Being alone.
Gideon walks into the lobby and finds a bloody wedding dress, but no body contained within. The white lace now stained permanently by blood, bleeding into the color turning the white into a more pale pink. It didn't matter the color though because Gideon recognized that dress, it was Donna's. He remembered taking it off of her and throwing it on the ground in this same hotel. He couldn't help but fight the smile that formed as he remembered the good memory of his nude wife getting off the bed and picking the dress up, and draping it on a chair instead. He remembers her words exactly as if she was there speaking to him, " I don't want it to get ruined. I want to be able to preserve this moment for ever and never tarnish the beauty of the day, that will and forever always be our day."
A uniformed officer named Duncan sneaks up behind Gideon, "Any ideas Detective. Is it still a murder without a body?"
Gideon was knocked out of his fantasy and saw the grim reality he was in again. Gideon didn't want to believe she was gone. Yes he hated her for leaving him, but he still and always would love her. Gideon ignored the officer question and looked around the scene for anything else. Maybe more women got married in that same dress design. He always heard wedding dresses were one of a kind, but he always thought that was just a saying to justify the price gouging that happens on all wedding dresses. Then he saw Donna's wedding ring. It hung on a blood knife. A knife being held by a stuffed tiger. The same tiger he bought her on their first date as Husband and Wife when they went to the zoo on their honeymoon in New York. The same knife Donna gave him on their wedding anniversary. He then knew without a shadow of a doubt that this was Donna's wedding dress.
Gideon breaking all rules of protocol grabs the tiger and the knife clangs to the ground. Reaches down and grabs his dead wife's wedding ring, and staring at the tiger as if it was laughing at him. Gideon had proposed with that same tiger in the same spot, and now he standing in that same spot with the same tiger where his wife's life ended. Confused and saddened why someone would murder Donna, and here of all spots. He sat there going through his head thinking about how many people knew of the significance of this spot for them. The sad truth was everyone knew it was special.
Detective April finally made it onto the scene also expecting another homeless murder that same thought as Gideon. The only difference is she wasn't wowed by the memories of this historic building so she was able to soak in all the details and find pieces of the puzzle that Gideon just walked over. In the door way she two of the same boot prints going into the hotel as well as one set of heel prints, but only one set of boot prints leaving. April always knew that was a bad sign for whoever was wearing the heels.
April followed the bootprints to the grieving Gideon, and saw him deep in thought sobbing quietly, and she took that for extreme concentration so decided not to bother him with a meaningless, "Hello". She took in all the evidence that was staring at her in the face that screamed murder, but still there was no body. She noticed the bootprints and one stopped, and there was another set that went up the stairs. She followed the dirty breadcumbs up as would any good detective.
She followed them all the way to the top of the floor, out of breath, wishing she took the elevator up now. She always wanted to stay at the hotel before it shut down, but she never got very serious with anyone to give it a chance. She always took the other detective's advice and gave up on dating and or trying to settle down with a special someone. It never worked out they always told her. Divorces and unhappy marriages always seemed to follow along with the title detective in her unit, and she was perfectly fine not being another staggering statistic in an already high number. She was married to dead bodies and justice and had no time for anyone else. The bootprints led her all the way down to the hall to the honeymoon suite.
April opens the door slowly expecting to find the missing body lying naked and dead on the bed, but found only a note. A confession note. She picks it up and reads it, "I killed Donna. Signed, G." April thought about radioing down, but didn't want to tip off Gideon. She grabs the note and flies down the flights of stairs. April had to be sure before she charged the detective with murder of his ex-wife Donna.
She slows down on the last set of stairs and casually walks up behind Gideon. He still not saying a word as if the entire world around him was non-existent and it was only him and his wife's dress that only existed in this world now. April looks down at the boot prints and matches the ones going up the stairs, and the ones that stopped at the body were the same. Gideon's boot print. Same size and same tread. She handed the uniformed cop the note that confessed his heinous act. Maybe he did it in a drunken rage, and can't remember that he did, but the truth was he still did it. All the evidence pointed to it.
She pulls her gun, "Detective Gideon put your hands on your head where I can see them! You are under arrest for the murder of Donna Johnson..."
Gideon didn't hear the anymore words, and knew he didn't want to live in a world without Donna, even if they weren't together. He reached for his gun, and April had no other choice but to fire killing the detective. His body falling on the last remains of his failed marriage.
Donna could hear the gunshot from her hiding spot in the alley. She watched as April the detective who always took her Gideon away walked in not knowing she going to be part of a planned out execution. Donna knew Gideon never slept with her, but he might as well as all the time they spent together. Donna knew she planted everything perfectly, and only had one question in her mind. Did the shot come from April or did her husband take the cowardly way out and kill himself? Donna had this night planned for weeks. The first step was the staged break in at her house where she was "robbed" of everything she has every owned. Her wedding dress, rings, heirlooms of her life, and all the things Gideon left behind in hopes of reconciliation. Even though she knew there was no chance in hell that would happen. All the signs would point to him killing her, but there was no body.
She knew that Gideon couldn't live in a world where he couldn't have her and his mistress. Crime itself. Even if he was cleared of murdering her they would surely take away his badge. She thought it was very fitting that his mistress was the one that ended up killing him in the long run, since it killed their marriage years ago as well. She walks to her car and pats Lucky on the head, "It's just us now Sweetheart."
Tomorrow the news will spread saying how a detective murdered his ex-wife, and she will miraculously show her face to the world, confusing the entire world how a dead woman can still be alive. That it was some other poor woman who was killed by the mysterious, G, and the detectives and officers on site killed the wrong guy. April would end up turning in her badge as well. Two birds with one bullet. Gideon will receive a hero's funeral, and she will play the role of the grieving widow, and finally life happily ever after.
Gideon walks through the doors he used to love walking through of the hotel. The truth is this place has a special place in his heart, because this Hotel was the destination of many romantic getaways and rendezvous for Donna and him. It's where they first had their first dinner which led to their first kiss in the hotel's quaint cafe. Escaped the hustle and bustle of everyday life even it was just for one day. He also proposed to her in the hotel lobby, and they spent their first night as husband and wife in the honeymoon suite on the top floor of the historic building. Gideon couldn't help but be haunted by the ghosts of good memories, and terrorized by the nightmare he was now living in. Being alone.
Gideon walks into the lobby and finds a bloody wedding dress, but no body contained within. The white lace now stained permanently by blood, bleeding into the color turning the white into a more pale pink. It didn't matter the color though because Gideon recognized that dress, it was Donna's. He remembered taking it off of her and throwing it on the ground in this same hotel. He couldn't help but fight the smile that formed as he remembered the good memory of his nude wife getting off the bed and picking the dress up, and draping it on a chair instead. He remembers her words exactly as if she was there speaking to him, " I don't want it to get ruined. I want to be able to preserve this moment for ever and never tarnish the beauty of the day, that will and forever always be our day."
A uniformed officer named Duncan sneaks up behind Gideon, "Any ideas Detective. Is it still a murder without a body?"
Gideon was knocked out of his fantasy and saw the grim reality he was in again. Gideon didn't want to believe she was gone. Yes he hated her for leaving him, but he still and always would love her. Gideon ignored the officer question and looked around the scene for anything else. Maybe more women got married in that same dress design. He always heard wedding dresses were one of a kind, but he always thought that was just a saying to justify the price gouging that happens on all wedding dresses. Then he saw Donna's wedding ring. It hung on a blood knife. A knife being held by a stuffed tiger. The same tiger he bought her on their first date as Husband and Wife when they went to the zoo on their honeymoon in New York. The same knife Donna gave him on their wedding anniversary. He then knew without a shadow of a doubt that this was Donna's wedding dress.
Gideon breaking all rules of protocol grabs the tiger and the knife clangs to the ground. Reaches down and grabs his dead wife's wedding ring, and staring at the tiger as if it was laughing at him. Gideon had proposed with that same tiger in the same spot, and now he standing in that same spot with the same tiger where his wife's life ended. Confused and saddened why someone would murder Donna, and here of all spots. He sat there going through his head thinking about how many people knew of the significance of this spot for them. The sad truth was everyone knew it was special.
Detective April finally made it onto the scene also expecting another homeless murder that same thought as Gideon. The only difference is she wasn't wowed by the memories of this historic building so she was able to soak in all the details and find pieces of the puzzle that Gideon just walked over. In the door way she two of the same boot prints going into the hotel as well as one set of heel prints, but only one set of boot prints leaving. April always knew that was a bad sign for whoever was wearing the heels.
April followed the bootprints to the grieving Gideon, and saw him deep in thought sobbing quietly, and she took that for extreme concentration so decided not to bother him with a meaningless, "Hello". She took in all the evidence that was staring at her in the face that screamed murder, but still there was no body. She noticed the bootprints and one stopped, and there was another set that went up the stairs. She followed the dirty breadcumbs up as would any good detective.
She followed them all the way to the top of the floor, out of breath, wishing she took the elevator up now. She always wanted to stay at the hotel before it shut down, but she never got very serious with anyone to give it a chance. She always took the other detective's advice and gave up on dating and or trying to settle down with a special someone. It never worked out they always told her. Divorces and unhappy marriages always seemed to follow along with the title detective in her unit, and she was perfectly fine not being another staggering statistic in an already high number. She was married to dead bodies and justice and had no time for anyone else. The bootprints led her all the way down to the hall to the honeymoon suite.
April opens the door slowly expecting to find the missing body lying naked and dead on the bed, but found only a note. A confession note. She picks it up and reads it, "I killed Donna. Signed, G." April thought about radioing down, but didn't want to tip off Gideon. She grabs the note and flies down the flights of stairs. April had to be sure before she charged the detective with murder of his ex-wife Donna.
She slows down on the last set of stairs and casually walks up behind Gideon. He still not saying a word as if the entire world around him was non-existent and it was only him and his wife's dress that only existed in this world now. April looks down at the boot prints and matches the ones going up the stairs, and the ones that stopped at the body were the same. Gideon's boot print. Same size and same tread. She handed the uniformed cop the note that confessed his heinous act. Maybe he did it in a drunken rage, and can't remember that he did, but the truth was he still did it. All the evidence pointed to it.
She pulls her gun, "Detective Gideon put your hands on your head where I can see them! You are under arrest for the murder of Donna Johnson..."
Gideon didn't hear the anymore words, and knew he didn't want to live in a world without Donna, even if they weren't together. He reached for his gun, and April had no other choice but to fire killing the detective. His body falling on the last remains of his failed marriage.
Donna could hear the gunshot from her hiding spot in the alley. She watched as April the detective who always took her Gideon away walked in not knowing she going to be part of a planned out execution. Donna knew Gideon never slept with her, but he might as well as all the time they spent together. Donna knew she planted everything perfectly, and only had one question in her mind. Did the shot come from April or did her husband take the cowardly way out and kill himself? Donna had this night planned for weeks. The first step was the staged break in at her house where she was "robbed" of everything she has every owned. Her wedding dress, rings, heirlooms of her life, and all the things Gideon left behind in hopes of reconciliation. Even though she knew there was no chance in hell that would happen. All the signs would point to him killing her, but there was no body.
She knew that Gideon couldn't live in a world where he couldn't have her and his mistress. Crime itself. Even if he was cleared of murdering her they would surely take away his badge. She thought it was very fitting that his mistress was the one that ended up killing him in the long run, since it killed their marriage years ago as well. She walks to her car and pats Lucky on the head, "It's just us now Sweetheart."
Tomorrow the news will spread saying how a detective murdered his ex-wife, and she will miraculously show her face to the world, confusing the entire world how a dead woman can still be alive. That it was some other poor woman who was killed by the mysterious, G, and the detectives and officers on site killed the wrong guy. April would end up turning in her badge as well. Two birds with one bullet. Gideon will receive a hero's funeral, and she will play the role of the grieving widow, and finally life happily ever after.
No comments:
Post a Comment