Symbol of Death

It was Laura’s first night in their new home. Her husband, Jason had insisted they relocate to a remote town in Arizona for a new position. The new house was much larger than their old one. It was a beautiful two-story house near the mountains. The area was very quiet, and their closest neighbor lived approximately a mile away. Laura had spent the entire day unpacking and was finally about to relax when she heard a loud thud outside. Laura immediately went over to her window to investigate. As Laura slowly pulled back the curtains, she coughed as a cloud of dust entered her nose. The curtains were left behind by the previous renters and Laura hadn't realized how dusty they were.

Laura looked around and noticed a large owl on a tree branch. She quivered as she remembered her mother once saying owls were a symbol of death. Laura gasped at the sound of glass shattering downstairs. It sounded as if something had been knocked off a table. Laura nervously glanced at the clock, suspecting it was too early for her husband to be back home. Jason told her he wouldn’t be back until 9:00PM, and it was only 6:30 PM. Maybe something happened, and he got off early, she decided; letting her guard down. “Jason,” Laura yelled. Laura heard footsteps and called for Jason again. Laura still didn’t get a response but continued to hear footsteps. Laura thought about hiding but curiosity took over, and she decided to go and look to see who it was.

As Laura was about to enter the hallway, she screamed in horror, as her worst nightmare became her reality. At the top of her stairs stood a tall muscular man with a mask. The intruder attempted to make a dash for her, and Laura immediately turned around and ran back into her room; locking the door. The intruder frantically turned the doorknob for a few seconds and then attempted to kick the door down. Laura immediately raced to her balcony. As she looked down, she realized it was too high to jump. Laura froze as she contemplated her options. She could attempt to make it into the pool, but it was too risky. If she yelled for helped, nobody would hear her. The only other option was to stay and see what he wanted but that wasn’t really an option. Laura saw the intruder approaching the balcony door out of her peripheral and without a second thought she hauled her body over the rail.

Laura’s body barely made it into the pool. When her body hit the pool, it felt like her entire body shattered into thousands of pieces. Laura was met by darkness and quickly made her way to the top, gasping for air. Laura realized she must have lost consciousness for a few seconds. Laura jumped out of the pool and raced toward the front of the house where her car was parked! “Ahhhh!” she moaned in agony as pain took over her body. Laura was dizzy and in excruciating pain but pushed through and continued running with a limp until she finally made it to her car. “Noooo,” she exclaimed as she realized her key was in the kitchen. Laura looked over to the kitchen window and saw the intruder by the doorway. She began to panic and attempted to open her car door.

Thankfully, Laura's car door opened, and she jumped inside. Laura had a push to start and decided to attempt to start to car. To her surprise, the car started. Laura looked up and was met by the barrel of a gun. She quickly put her car in reverse and started reversing full speed toward the gate. Laura sighed in relief as she made it to the main roadway. As Laura approached her neighbor’s house, her car started to cut off. Laura jumped out of the car and raced to her neighbor’s door. Laura rang the doorbell twice and after about 30 seconds, she was met by a kind smile. “I need to call 911 and my husband,” she asked desperately before her neighbor could even spit out a word. Her neighbor appeared to be in her mid-thirties, and her name was Rachel.” Rachel’s eyebrows furrowed. “Is everything ok?” she asked; ignoring the obvious. “No, it’s an emergency, pleaseee,” Laura begged. Rachel looked around, stepped aside, and allowed Laura to enter. Laura decided to call her husband Jason first.

Jason sat nervously in his office staring at the clock, as he waited for the call from the hit man he hired to kill his wife. The guy he hired was an amateur, but he was all he could afford. Jason had gotten into financially problems and had a one million dollar life insurance policy taken out. Laura was always expendable to Jason, and he saw her as his way out. The only reason he moved her to Arizona to begin with was so that he could be closer to his lover. Jason eventually planned on simply leaving Laura, but his financial troubles caused him to take more drastic measures. Jason’s heart skipped a beat as his phone finally began to ring.

Jason looked confused as he saw Laura’s name appear on the caller ID. “Hello,” he asked; hoping to hear the hit man on the other line. “Jason, babe, omg someone broke into the house and tried to attack me. I’m so afraid! I need you,” Laura explained. Jason rolled his eyes and tried to act surprised. Are you serious? You didn’t get hurt, did you?” he inquired. “No, I made it to the neighbor’s house Laura said in relief. “Have you called the police?” Jason asked. Laura suddenly felt stupid as she said no. “Don’t! We don’t need that type of attention, Jason said, to her surprise. Within seconds of getting of the phone, there was a knock at the door. Before Laura could process what was happening, Rachel had already opened the door. “Can I help you?” Rachel asked with a smile. Laura tried to peek around the corner but couldn’t see who was at the door.

Laura jumped in astonishment as she heard a gunshot and saw Rachel’s body collapse lifelessly to the ground. Laura immediately tried to make a run for it and ran toward the back of the house. As Laura attempted to open the door, Rachel regained consciousness. She was in a lot of pain but luckily the bullet only grazed her ear. Rachel losing consciousness was more due to shock than injury. Without hesitation, Rachel reached for the gun she kept under the chair by the door and aimed it at her attacker. Just as Laura was about to run outside, she felt her body get jolted as she was yanked by her hair and slung to the ground.

The intruder grunted as he prepared to finally finish the job. He was so focused on Laura that he didn’t realize he too had become a target. Rachel was in so much pain that it took her all not to scream. She tried her best to stop shaking and then rolled to her side and took a shot at him. “Ahhh,” he yelled as a bullet ripped through his back and sent his body crashing to the ground. Laura screamed as she scurried over to her neighbor. “Call the police,” she demanded. Laura made a dash for the phone and immediately alerted authorities. After she called the police, she called her husband back.

Jason starred at his phone in disbelief when Laura’s name popped up. “Hello,” he said, obviously annoyed. “Babe, where are you? He tried to attack me again and shot our neighbor! Thankfully, she had a gun too and shot him too. We’re just waiting for the police.” “What? Shot our neighbor? Is she ok?” Jason asked. “Yes, she’s fine,” Laura responded. “I’ll be right there,” Jason assured. As soon as Jason got off the phone, he went into an immediate panic. What if the idiot didn’t have enough sense to erase his phone number and the police connect the dots, he pondered. “I have to get that cellphone,” he said out loud to himself. Jason jumped up and grabbed his car keys. If he could get close enough to the body to grab the phone, he would be in the clear. Jason raced to his car and began to speed to their neighbor’s house.

As Laura, and Rachel waited for help, an eerie feeling overcame Laura. Jason was acting really strange, and she couldn’t understand why he initially didn’t want her to call the police. “Penny for your thoughts,” Rachel asked as she observed Laura in deep thought. Rachel also had an eerie feeling. It didn’t sit right with her that Laura’s husband would instruct her not to call the police, and she didn’t understand why someone would just attack them in that manner. She had lived in that town for over 10 years, and it wasn’t known for crime. Laura rested her hand on top of Rachel’s and remained silent. Rachel shifted as her ear continued to burn. Laura felt terrible that she had been shot as a result of her coming there. “What’s taking them so long,” Laura finally blurted out in frustration, breaking the silence.

When Jason arrived, he observed three patrol cars and two officers standing outside. Jason took a deep breath as he tried to get into character. How hard was it to the kill the witch,” he mumbled in anger. Their closest neighbor lived a mile away, and he was still in disbelief that his dingy wife was able to escape and outsmart a seasoned criminal. The man he hired was an amateur, but he had just finished a 10-year bid. Jason was aware he didn’t do this on the regular but thought he was more than capable to get the job done.

Jason finally jumped out of the car and accosted the two officers. “Where’s my wife,” he demanded. One of the officers, Officer Reid adjusted his glasses and directed his attention to him. “Who is your wife?” he inquired. There was something off about Jason, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. “Laura …. She was involved in the shooting,” Jason explained. “Are you the homeowners husband?” Officer Reid questioned. “No, why? Is she ok? Jason asked in a panic. “Yes, she’s fine.” Officer Reid responded with confusion. He didn’t understand why Jason didn’t seem as concerned about his wife. “You can’t go in yet though. However, I would like to ask you some questions,” Officer Reid continued. Jason immediately panicked. “Do I need my lawyer?” he asked. As soon as the words left his lips, Jason realized how foolish he had been. He had just made himself the number one suspect within one minute of being there. Officer Reid asked Jason to come down to the station for questioning and told Jason he could call his lawyer if he like but manipulated Jason by hinting only a guilty man would. Jason decided to go to the station without restraint and refused counsel.

The 20-minute ride to the police station felt like the longest ride of Jason’s life. When they arrived at the station, Jason started sweating profusely. He wasn’t restrained, but he still felt like he was under arrest. I just need to act concerned and convince them I don’t know anything, he assured himself. Officer Reid opened the door where Jason was seated to escort him into the station. Officer Reid found it odd that Jason still didn’t ask about his wife on their way to the station. Showtime, Jason said to himself. Jason finally swallowed the glob of spit that had been gathering inside of his mouth and followed Officer Reid into the station. The station felt colder than usual. Everyone inside watched intensely as Jason and Officer Reid walked toward the interrogation room. Jason had never been in a police station before, and it was a lot smaller than he expected. Prior to ordering the hit on Laura, he had lived a pretty vanilla life. If it wasn’t for him facing a financial hardship, he likely would not have ever committed a crime.

The interrogation room was dark and boxy. It had an old stained berber carpet, a small table with a recording device and two seats directly across from each other. As soon as Jason walked in he noticed a large blurry mirror on the wall. Jason held his breathe as the aroma of cigarettes, pee and musk hit his nose. Jason sat in the chair and starred at the mirror. The thought of being watched made him even more nervous. Jason had watched enough movies to know that someone else was likely on the other side observing the interview. Jason tried his best to hold it together. Officer Reid offered Jason a cup of water and left the room to fetch it. Jason couldn’t stop thinking about his number being in the call log and decided he needed to come up with a plan.

Laura started to become hysterical when she realized Jason still had not arrived. “Where’s my husband?” She blurted out in disbelief as she sat waiting to be questioned. There were currently four officers in the house. One was walking around, two were examining the body and the other was speaking with Rachel. Everyone ignored her. As Rachel answered the questions, she got a notification on the phone. The text read... Get his phone, I’ll explain later. I did it all for you. Rachel became numb. It just occurred to her that her lover, Jason was the person behind everything. She had been dating Jason for 2 years, and he had always been so kindhearted and loving. She couldn’t believe he could be behind something so cynical. Rachel didn’t want to become his accomplice, but his text made her feel obligated.

Rachel excused herself to the restroom to gather her thoughts. Where are you? What have you done, she texted back. When she exited the room there were two officers standing over the body, and she was sure the courier would be there shortly to transport the body. I have to think fast, she thought. Rachel decided that it’ll be best to make a scene, trip over the body and pocket the phone during the commotion. Rachel cringed at the thought of all the extra pain she was going to be in.

Rachel crept down her hallway and saw the officers standing near the back door. Rachel began sobbing loudly as she dramatically existed the restroom. “How could this happen? Why would he do this?” she sobbed as she stumbled toward the body. The officers looked at Rachel with concern. Rachel continued toward the body. “I want it gone! I want you all gone! I want everybody out of my house,” she further sobbed as she frantically waved her arms around. Rachel took one final step and then her body went plummeting into the body. “Ahhhhh,” she screamed in pain. Rachel began flipping around as if drowning and quickly slipped the phone in her pocket as the officers helped lift her back onto her feet.

Laura’s eyes bulged out in shock after witnessing the whole charade.“Why did you do that?” she yelled in anger, pointing at Rachel. “She took his phone, she put it in her pocket,” Laura screamed, still not quite understanding what was going on. When Laura witnessed Rachel pocket the cellphone, she realized she was somehow a part of it. “Hand me the phone,” one of the Officers, Officer Garcia demanded. Rachel nervously took the phone out of her pocket and handed it over. “Cuff her for murder and obstruction of justice,” he ordered. “Noooo,” Rachel pleaded. “I don’t know how that got there, I’m innocent,” she further reasoned. Laura only cared about the content of the phone. “Can I please see if I recognize any names or numbers on the phone,” she asked politely. Officer Garcia handed her the phone without hesitation. To her surprise, there was no lock on the phone. It was one of those old school phones that you could purchase for under $50.00. Laura immediately went to the call log. Laura froze when she saw Jason’s number appear repeatedly. The phone slipped out of Laura’s hand as she collapsed to the ground and fainted.

“Ma’am, ma’am, are you ok? What did you see? Ma’am, you have to get up.” Laura’s eyes fluttered open as she saw two officers standing over her. This is really happening, she thought to herself. The thought of her husband trying to have her killed made her sick to her stomach. “It was my husband, he did this,” she mumbled as tears started rolling uncontrollably down her face. Officer Garcia was not long informed that Jason had been taken to the station for questioning. Officer Garcia shook his head as he kneeled beside her. “Hang tight, we have paramedics on the way to check you out, and we already have your husband at the station,” he assured as he patted Laura on the shoulder. Officer Garcia rose to his feet and went off to call and advise his boss not to let Jason go.

Where are you? What have you done, Jason read as he sat waiting for Officer Reid to return with his water. As soon as he prepared to text Rachel back, Officer Reid returned to the room. Jason straightened up and tried to get back into character. Officer Reid handed him a cup of water and was about to sit when he was called out of the room. Officer Reid’s Sargent advised him that Jason’s number was found on the hit man’s phone multiple times along with a transaction for $500. In addition, Rachel was so afraid that she agreed to attest to the fact that he tried to get her to destroy evidence in exchange for immunity. Officer Reid returned to the room after about 10 mins. “Why did you do it?” he said in disgust as he gave Jason a deriding look. “Da da do what,” Jason stuttered as he wondered what just took place. “Save it, maybe you should call that lawyer after all,” Officer Reid teased as he left the room. Jason sat in regret as he prepared to spend the remainder of his life in prison.

Jason immediately realized that prison was not for him. Jason was very square and didn’t fit in with the other inmates. During his second night, he was targeted by one of the other newbies attempting to appear tough. Jason looked like an easy target and during his second evening, he was involved in a fight at dinner. Thanks to all of his childhood summers of karate, Jason won and felt he had earned some respect. As Jason shower that evening, the inmate he had got into it with entered the shower with a shank. Jason was later found and pronounced dead.

Laura was staring at an owl out of the window when her phone startled her. The last time Laura saw an owl, she was attacked. “Hello,” Laura said. When Laura was told about Jason’s death, she was unmoved. She still not had fully processed the fact that he had an affair, moved her away from all of her friends and family to a home next door to his lover and then tried to have her killed. Once the body was released, Laura had Jason cremated and decided against a ceremony. Laura’s only focus was on their one million dollar life insurance policy. Once the funds were release, Laura decided to move back to the city and start fresh. She found a nice high-rise within a week and finally decided to start her interior decorating business. Laura smiled as she took in her new view. Laura turned suddenly as she thought she saw an owl in her peripheral. “Whew, just a pigeon,” she said with a chuckle as she closed her curtains and walked away