Defective - A Psychopath's Tale

Chapter 14

Back on the farm everything looked just as we left it, except the lawn had been mown. Once I was parked, I opened the trunk and started hauling our bags in. Sheila was still distracted, no small wonder. If I were her, I'd be distracted too.

What had I done to her though? I followed her up to the house, her eyes were everywhere. When she looked around, her head snapped from side to side, her senses on high alert. It shouldn't have been this way for her, she was home now, safe and far away from the sewer of New Brittan. I wondered if she thought the Greeks letting me off the hook was a rouse to get us to let our guard down, that she still might end up as bait.

One had to assume that she knew if they found me, they'd found her. If she wasn't convinced that we were in the clear, her mind would be playing scenarios through her; Sheila wouldn't be able to relax. I blamed myself for her worry.

"Sheila..." I said once we were inside and had dropped our bags by the front entrance.

She looked at me with a blank expression. "What is it Paul?" Her voice was empty and distant.

Guilt overtook me and I looked at my feet as I spoke. (Sigh) "I'm sorry I've caused you all this stress after our wonderful vacation." I looked to her usually sparkling eyes, like her voice, there was no sparkle, they were empty now. "We really are in the clear. You can relax, no one is coming after us."

"I am relaxed." She stated, still looking empty.

I didn't want to piss her off, but I knew she was lying. "Bullshit. I watched you as we walked in, you kept looking everywhere, like you were expecting someone to pop out from around a corner or something and start shooting. You're so tense right now, you could shit a diamond." The direct approach was always the best.

She gave me a look that said I annoyed her. Not what I was expecting. "Paul, the only thing I'm worrying about is business related. I've been away for over two weeks, who knows what's been going on. And I'm tired; you must be too after the flight, then the drive here. Don't tell me your not worn out as well."

The part about being tired was true, I was just that. The rest of what she said was a lie. But I couldn't hold that against her, I'd done more than my fair share of lying to her; even if it was to protect her and to not have her worry about me. I guessed she was due this one, so I let the issue drop.

Neither of us felt like unpacking right now, so we ended up sitting on the sofa watching TV. When the news came on, Sheila naturally wanted to turn it off, but I insisted that we watch the broadcast. I wanted to see what was being reported about 'The Arrow' and if the police were saying they had any leads. Sheila understood and relented.

We watched the local stuff, then sports, weather, national that was filled with political rhetoric from the current candidates for the various offices that were up for election, some cute fluff stories and financial news. It was looking like the broadcast was going to end with nothing mentioned about 'The Arrow' and the Felcrest slave that was murdered. Personally I found it hard to accept that there would be nothing in the broadcast about the story. The channel went to commercial then returned.

"... and our final story for tonight, police have confirmed that the murder of Becky Felcrest was committed by a copycat and not by The Arrow. Authorities released today findings from the forensic evaluation of the crossbow bolt from the scene of the atrocity that revealed the bolt was not authentic. Authorities went on to say that they suspected whomever murdered the young Felcrest slave who was in her final year at Vanderbelt College, tried to duplicate the crossbow bolt and let The Arrow take the fall for their crime which is punishable by public hanging at the national mansion."