Blood and Chocolate

“Today is Friday the 30th, 2021. The time is 1:30AM. I’m detective James Marllow. Badge number 3580. Sitting with me is Eric Porter. Hello Mr. Porter. I ask that you acknowledge that the interview is being recorded and that you consent to the recording.”

“I do.”

“Ok, Eric, we are here due to the incident that happened tonight at Willowbrook Lake. Can you tell me what happened?”

“It was an accident.”

“I understand. But I need you to tell me what happened.”

“I can’t.”

“All the evidence points to you, Eric. We know you did it. We know you killed, Marisa Clark. There’s no point in lying to yourself or to us. The sooner you tell us how and why, the sooner this will all be over.”

“I’m telling you I didn’t do anything. This is a nightmare.”

“A nightmare?”

“A nightmare that I want to wake up from!”

“If you want to wake up, then start at the beginning.”

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“Baby, baby wake up. Eric, wake up. You’re kicking me.”

“What?”

“You’re gonna give me a black eye with one of your nightmares, I swear.”

“Oh my god. Marisa, I thought you were… I thought I had killed you. I was being interrogated by the police, and…”

“What the hell is wrong with your head? I swear your dreams are all over the place. Have you made an appointment yet with that therapist? Since the accident, your dreams have gotten really morbid.”

“I’ll call tomorrow, I swear. You know I would never hurt you. Let’s just have a nice day today. I have a huge surprise planned for you once we get to the lake. Baby, I love you so much. Thank you for being by my side through all this. You have no idea how much you mean to me.”

“I love you too, Eric. We will get through this together.”

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“Eric. Eric! Hey asshole, hello!”

“I’m… I’m sorry… what were we talking about?”

“How you murdered your girlfriend, you fuck. Then you zoned out at the wall for five minutes.”

“I didn’t murder her. This is all a huge misunderstanding.”

“Why were you at the lake today Eric? Why did we find Marisa’s body with hand marks around her neck, drowned in the cold shallow water?”

“You don’t know. You weren’t there. I had taken her there for a picnic. I was going to propose. I was going to make her my wife.”

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“Eric, when can I take off this blindfold? I feel like I’m gonna break my ankle in these heels. If I knew we were going to walk in the grass, I would have worn my flats.”

“I’m sorry my love, I should have told you. You look beautiful though. This is my favorite dress of yours. Ok, and we’re here. Ready? Blindfold coming off…”

“Wow! It’s so nice! I had no idea you were going to set up a whole picnic for us. And by the lake too, so romantic!”

“I tried to get all your favorites. Brie, rosemary crackers, pistachios, oh baby, do you want a glass of Sauvignon Blanc?

“You are amazing. Yes! Why did you do all this? It’s not my birthday.”

“Marisa, you have been my rock since the accident. There have been so many moments where I thought I’d lost myself and you helped me come back.”

“I know what you are going through is hard. But it’s going to get better. Once you go to the therapist, maybe start medication, everything will be easier.”

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“I’m gonna make this easier for you Eric! You are going to jail for a very long time unless you confess! I’m getting sick of you zoning out like this isn’t important. You are disrespecting my time, yours, and most of all Marisa’s family.”

“It was the cake!”

“What do you mean, it was the cake?!”

“I put a ring in the chocolate cake. I was going to ask her to marry me.”

“And what? She said no? So you choked, drowned, her to death in a shallow watery grave?”

“She was going to say yes…”

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“I made this cake myself. I’m not very good, but I tried. This slice is specifically for you.”

“Why, did you poison it? Just kidding babe. Thank you. Mmm… it’s so delicious!”

“Take another bite. Did you find the...”

“Mmm… cough… cough… cough… huuuuuuhuuuuu”

“Oh my god, Marisa! Shit, Marisa! Help! HELP! My girlfriend is choking! Somebody, help!! Marisa, come back, stop you’re going to fall into the lake! Marisa!! I don’t know what to do! Marisa! Wake up. Wake up, baby!”

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“Wake up, Eric! Marisa didn’t have a ring in her throat when we found her, you lying sack of shit. Let me tell you what your neighbor told us. What she saw from her balcony. You started yelling. Marisa tried to calm you down and you began to choke her. You dragged her body into the lake and didn’t let go until she stopped moving.”

“No!”

“From your file, it looks like you have a long history of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Something, according to Marisa’s family, you never told her about.”

“You’re lying! You’re trying to set me up!”

“As for your accident, your psychiatrist informed us that you created the event after watching the news, and fabricated the accident you saw as your own. This must have been when you decided to stop taking your medication. Now why did you kill Marisa?!”

“I didn’t. I didn’t. I didn’t. It was. It was the chocolate. Cake.”