Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Questions - 4

Jenny sat alone at the police station. The old police officer had gone to get her some water, leaving her alone in her grief. She had one hand pressed tightly to her stomach, feeling somehow that the baby inside her was the only link she had now to Alex. Somehow the thought was comforting, knowing that a part of him lived on in her. The officer returned and set a bottle of water on the table in front of her. "Here you go," he said. A kind smile crinkled around his eyes. Jenny tried to smile back, "Thanks," she mumbled.
"The detective is coming to interview you. He'll be here in just a minute."
"Thanks," she whispered.
The old cop took her small hand in his and patted it softly, "Are you going to be okay?"
Jenny shrugged, "I'll get through it. I have to." But she didn't look like she could get through it, not to the cop. She looked frail and worn, like she might break at any moment.
There was a loud rap on the door and a moment later the detective entered. To Jenny's surprise it was a woman, a young woman wearing a sharp outfit, heels that clicked loudly on the concrete floor, and a scowl on her tight features. Jenny's automatic response was to shrink away from her.
The detective set a file on the table and sat down in front of Jenny. "I understand you're..." she paused, glancing at the file, "Mrs. Harper?"
"Yes."
"Do you know of anybody that may have wanted Mr. Harper dead?"
"No."
"Where were you, when he was killed?"
"I was at my friend's. We... Alex was late and I left," Jenny's voice faltered, "I was so mad at him... I should have stayed." A tear dropped onto the table, "I should have stayed," she whispered again.
The detective shuffled through the file, "It says here that Alex was out of work. Could he have gotten involved in anything illegal?"
"I...I don't know. He didn't talk about work after he got fired."
"How did you get by after he lost his job?"
"Savings. I got a job."
"I see." The detective stood abruptly, "Thank you for your help Mrs. Harper. We'll call you if we need anything else." She nodded at the kind cop next to Jenny, "She can go."
Jenny stood, confused, "Can you tell me who killed Alex?"
"No. We don't know."
"What do I do now?"
The detective stared at her, "Nothing. We'll solve the case."
The old cop took Jenny gently by the arm and guided her toward the door, "You just take the time to get through this," he told Jenny quietly, "I'll keep you updated, and I'll check on you to make sure you're okay."
This time Jenny's small smile was genuine, "Thank you, for all of your help."
The old cops eyes crinkled again. He would be Jenny's rock through the coming months, he knew it as well as she.