Page 2 of Matlock
He lay on his stomach, with a dozen or more stab wounds covering his naked back. My sister, who had bruises on her face, was no longer crying. Blood-soaked streaks stained her face, her eyes lifeless as she stared at the wall.
I kneeled on the floor in front of her, unconcerned about getting blood on my clothes.
“This is what you are going to do. First, give me the knife.” I held my hand out to her, and she looked up at me, hesitating.
“Simon—”
“Give me the knife, Sadie.”
She looked at the weapon in her hands and then back at me. Slowly, she lifted the knife and let me take it from her. I set it on the floor beside her and helped her to her feet.
“Do you have clothes here?” She nodded. “Okay, go take a shower and change. Put the clothes you’re wearing into a bag and leave them in the bathroom. When you’re done, I want you to be very careful about where you step and come back out to the living room.”
“What are you going to do, Simon?”
“Don’t you worry about that. Just do as I asked.”
Sadie slipped down the hall and disappeared into Alan’s bedroom. I looked around the room. This was a clusterfuck of epic proportions. I waited for Sadie to finish cleaning up, and when she returned, I told her my plan.
“How much gas do you have in your car?”
“A full tank. I just filled it the other day and haven’t been anywhere because...” Her voice trailed off, and I knew it was because of the bruises on her face. I’d been manning the salon alone most weeks because Sadie was ashamed of her appearance.
She wasn’t the one who should have been ashamed.
“Okay, I want you to go home, pack a bag, and leave.”
“Leave? Where? Simon, I can’t run. I have to call the sheriff.”
“No, you were on vacation. You weren’t here when this happened.”
“Simon, I can’t run. I did this. I need to call the sheriff.”
“Baby sister, you will do as I say. Give me your phone.” I held my hand out, waiting for her to hand it over. When she finally relented, I picked up the knife and used the handle to smash the glass. Then I stuffed it into her purse. “When you get far enough away, throw it out,” I ordered, then led her out the door.
“Drive. Anywhere. I don’t care where you go. But leave a trail. Use your credit card. In two days, I want you to call the phone company and tell them you lost your phone. Get a new one with a new SIM card but keep your old number.”
“But if I don’t use my card until today—”
“You were using cash before then. Trust me.”
Sadie nodded and climbed into her car. She had an older model that, thankfully, did not have a built-in GPS. She’d been saving for a brand-new car when she met the asshole who was currently dead in the kitchen. He’d convinced her to turn over her savings to him.
I didn’t know how my smart, beautiful sister had missed so many red flags.
Once she was gone, I went back inside and got to work. I picked up the knife and kneeled down in the blood beside the body. Bracing myself with one hand, I stabbed the bastard over and over again, making sure blood splattered all over me.
Then I sliced my hand and moved around the kitchen, touching walls and counters. I pulled out my phone, called the sheriff, and waited for him to come and arrest me.
When the sheriff walked in, I was sitting in a chair at the kitchen table, staring at the wall. I did my best to look shocked. As though I was not completely present.
“Simon.” I startled at his voice and turned my head. “Can you tell me what happened?”
“I think it’s pretty obvious what happened, Sheriff.”
“Simon, can you tell me how Alan ended up stabbed in the back?”
“Sheriff, I think maybe I should call my lawyer.”
