'Til Death Do Us Part - Part 40

The gravel under Aura's shoes crunched softly as she approached the white, mud specked SUV. A steady sprinkle of mist pelted the side of the vehicle, coalescing into large droplets which carved out thin estuaries through the mud caked door. Her eyes darted from one end of the vehicle to the other, looking for any sign of the driver and passenger, but she saw neither. She crept up to the side of the vehicle and peered through the rain spattered window. A crystal charm gently swung back and forth from the rear view mirror as though it was a metronome keeping its own version of time. Sarah and Roger could not be far away.

Aura turned her attention to the multi-colored flashes of light emanating from the nearby building's window. She glided up to the house and peered inside. There she saw four figures sitting on couches and chairs, two of whom were Sarah and Roger. She could hear the faint murmurs of their voices intermingled with the television as she watched them, but could not discern any of their words. She would need to find a way into the house.

She scanned the front yard. Her eyes fell upon a wooden sandbox, painted red. On the side of the box, written in bold, white letters was the name 'Rachel.' She walked over to the box and peered inside. An assortment of colorful toys were littered across the golden grains. Aura reached down and scooped up a handful of sand. The rain from earlier turned the grains into a shapable, cohesive mass. Using her left index finger, she drew something that looked like a tuning fork with a dot in the middle of the sand and closed her fingers around the mass.

Aura took a deep breath. “Aedificare pupa,” she said, breathing out the words at a near whisper. As she spoke, she waved her left hand over her closed right hand. A deep indigo light emanated from her fist for a moment and quickly faded into darkness. She opened her hand once more and in the place of the sand was a tiny doll with straight black hair.

She smiled to herself. Not bad. Now to find the little girl.

'Til Death Do Us Part - Part 39

Buck felt his heart thunder in his chest like the time he and his brother had been caught by the sheriff smoking weed in the woods. The logical part of his mind knew that it was probably just Roger walking through the door, but the irrational part of his mind, the part that jumped at shadows in the dark, envisioned Emma's stocky figure bursting through her bedroom door, yelling at him and Shirley Sue for sharing the couch past midnight. He felt his pulse slowly dial back when he looked in the direction of the noise and saw no sign of Emma's writhing bathrobe nor her wild, sleep twisted hair.

Buck realized that he was watching the adjacent room with the intensity of an owl tracking its prey. He heard the front door creak shut, followed by the clomping of shoes working their way down the wooden floor of the mudroom. Shortly thereafter, Roger passed into the arch which connected the living room and mudroom, with Sarah on his heels. Under his eyes were bags of exhaustion, illuminated by the dim light generated by the flashing cathode-ray tube across the room. Roger and Sarah's movements were stiff and mechanical as they walked as though they had spent the last hour doing squats or running on the treadmill. Buck wasn't sure if it was just the light, but he though they both looked a little pale.

“Hey Roger. Hey Sarah,” Buck said in a voice that hovered above a whisper. “Welcome back.” Buck studied his brother's face. Behind Roger's eyes he caught a glimpse of something. Fear. His pupils were dilated and his face was indeed pallid. “Somethin' the matter?”

“We ran into our old friend Aura,” Roger said. “And she tried to kill us.”

Sarah and Roger walked into the room. Sarah sat down in Emma's recliner, and Roger plopped down on the loveseat on the other side of the living room.

Roger and Sarah launched into their alleyway encounter. Buck sat rapt, eyes wide with disbelief.

'Til Death Do Us Part - Part 38

Buck was starting to regret coming on this vacation. Nothing was working out like he had hoped. First the hotel, then the truck, and now Shirley Sue wasn't talking to him. His earlier attempt to reconcile with her had been met with a cold stony silence, but maybe now he would have better luck.

Buck gripped the wooden rail as he walked down the stairs. He froze as one of the steps creaked under his weight. The sound dragged out for what seemed minutes, drowning out the faint babble of the television. Why did even the slightest noise seem to become amplified to an ear popping volume in the darkness? He lifted his foot from stair and it creaked once again. Just what he needed, a landmine in every step. It's a wonder anyone could move up or down these stairs without waking the entire house. He carefully crept the remainder of the distance. As he went, he tested each step with only a fraction of his weight and avoided any stair which threatened to cry out.

A deep sigh left his lips as his heel connected with the hardwood floor of the mud room. To his left, bright flashes of colored light reflected off the white walls from the living room. He peered around the doorway to the living room. The gray upholstered couch created a barrier between him and the television. The space behind it provided a path to the empty dining room. The nearby windowpane rattled as a gust of wind tried to gain entry. The sound of gunfire playing from the television drew his eyes back to the couch. A pair of feet poked out over one arm of the couch, pointing toward the unadorned ceiling.

Go on Buck, tell her what happened. She can't stay mad at you forever. Buck shook his head. He knew it wouldn't be that easy. What was he supposed to say to her? Sorry about talking with Aura and not telling you about it? No, that would certainly not get him out of the dog house. She would glower at him with those baby blue eyes and he would shrink away from her gaze, like a leaf caught in bonfire.

Buck's heart raced as the chime of the grandfather clock sitting in the back corner reverberated through the living room. He counted along in his head as the chimes signaled the time: nine, ten, eleven, twelve. The sound of the clock reminded Buck that the night was wearing on and that he would have to say something to her eventually. He wished for some kind of inspiration to strike, but instead was cornered by nagging voices telling him that anything he said would be wrong and that there was no way to fix what was broken. After what seemed like forever, but couldn't have been more than three minutes, he took a deep breath. He felt words vibrating his vocal cords as they left his mouth. “Can we talk for a minute?” He listened to the voice. It sounded strange, like he had a bubble in his throat which distorted his voice.

The feet withdrew from the arm of the couch. A moment later a head popped up over the back of the couch. He tried to find something in her eyes that would reassure him in his mission, but all he saw was a dim reflection of light. The darkness smoothed out her face and masked her expression. For all he knew, there could be a look of bloodlust in those eyes and he would never be able to see it. The television light blazed behind her head like a halo, simultaneously illuminating her hair and masking her face. Little stray hairs at the top of her head danced in the light, waving back and forth as though they were unaware of the tense air which filled the room.

Buck was on the verge of breaking the silence which hung between them when Shirley Sue spoke. “What do you want to talk about?” she said. The cold edge which had attached itself to her words earlier had evaporated, leaving soft, but tired tones.

“I know I should have told you about Aura. I'm really sorry you found out that way,” Buck said. “It was just that, well, after what happened at breakfast I was worried that you'd get jealous or hurt. I talked with her long enough to find out her name and got away from her as quick as possible.”

“A part of me wants to stay mad at you. I feel betrayed. The worst case came to my mind, that you really did know her when we were at the diner, that you'd been hiding something with her all along. I hope I'm not making a mistake by trusting you.”

A few notes to an old song popped into Buck's head as he stood there staring at Shirley Sue. “I only have eyes for you, Shirley Sue.” It sounded cheesy to him, and he wasn't exactly sure what had motivated him to say it.

“Come on you goofball,” she said. “A few more cheesy lines like that and you might just win me back over.”

Shirley Sue motioned for him to sit down beside him. Her expression broke and he could see her white teeth reflecting what little light they caught. He took a seat next to her. Shirley Sue leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. Buck felt the warmth of her body seeping into his. A sigh of contentment escaped his lungs as he huddled closely to his partner.

Shirley Sue yawned. “Just promise me you'll try and be more open with me in the future, Buck,” she said.

“I promise.”

“Seal it with a kiss?”

Buck leaned over and gave her a quick peck on the lips. “That good?” he said.

“Maybe you should try another just to make sure.”

Buck smiled. “I think I can do that,” he said. He leaned down more slowly this time. The moments stretched out as he drew closer to her. He could feel the heat of her breaths as his lips drew nearer to hers. There was a feeling on his lips, like electricity was radiating out from her mouth.

The front door creaked open and Buck and Shirley Sue jerked apart.

'Til Death Do Us Part - Part 37

The night was quiet, except for the echo of Sarah and Roger's footsteps and the huffs of Roger's ragged breaths. Sarah paused and glanced over her shoulder. No sign of Aura.

“I think we're safe,” Sarah said.

Roger rested his hands on his thighs as he gulped down deep breaths. After a moment, he wiped beads of sweat from his brow and straightened up. “She didn't seem happy with us at all,” he said and looked around.

“Did you really have to tell her that we thought she was the killer?”

“Well, at least we got a confession out of her.”

Sarah sighed. “That won't do us much good if we're dead.”

The pair continued their journey in silence. As they walked, a drizzle of rain began to fall from the sky. The fine mist clung to Sarah's skin and pelted her face. The smell of petrichor permeated the atmosphere as the cool air soothed her aching lungs. She looked around the street and realized that she and Roger were the only two people traveling down the road. A distant traffic light turned from green to red, bidding spectral cars to come to a halt.

Sarah looked at the faded crosswalk. She glanced from one side of the road to the other and began to cross, with Roger close on her heels. Halfway across the street, she caught a glimpse of yellow light in her peripheral vision. She stopped and turned in the direction of the light. “Did you see that?” she whispered.

Roger stopped and looked. “See what?” he whispered back.

Sarah scanned the empty road but saw no sign of the light.

“Nothing,” she said. “I guess I'm still a little spooked from earlier.”

As the duo walked the remainder of the distance to Sarah's vehicle, she periodically glanced over her shoulder. She couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching them. Finally, after what seemed like forever, she and Roger arrived in the parking lot where her car was located. The pair opened the doors and climbed into the vehicle. Sarah turned the key in the ignition. She let out a sigh of relief as the car hummed away. She put her car into reverse and pulled out of the parking spot.

Her windshield wipers smeared a long streak across her window. Her heart froze as she saw in the distance a pair of two yellow floating orbs of light. She blinked and they were gone. She put her car into drive and pulled out of the parking lot. She couldn't wait for this vacation to be over.

'Til Death Do Us Part - Part 36

Sarah felt her stomach knot as she watched Aura dive away from the streetlight's glow, into the surrounding darkness. A panic seeped up from her stomach and filled her heart. She could almost feel the cool steel blade against her throat. Her eyes caught the dim outline of one of the trashcans she had seen earlier. Her hand flew to the canister. The sound of metal scraping across the ground echoed through the alley as she pulled the can from its resting position. She felt as though she was caught in a slow motion video as she played through the motions: gripping the handle, pulling it from the ground, and thrusting it into Aura's path. Her gaze connected with Aura's for a moment before the air was filled with trash. Aura's eyes seemed to glow in the dark, like an owl's.

Sarah watched in horror as Aura's feet wove past the canister, moving with the fluidity of a drop of water navigating around oil. As Aura glided around the mound of muck, her foot caught on Roger's outstretched leg. She flailed her arms as her body toppled forward. A glint of silver flashed in the light. The dagger clattered to the ground as Aura collided with the nearby dumpster.

Sarah grabbed Roger's arm as she took off toward the street. “Run!” she shouted, pulling him into motion. Roger tugged away from her grip and swooped down to pick up the weapon. In her peripheral vision, Sarah saw Aura pull herself to her feet.  She grabbed Roger's hand and shot forward.

An ear-piercing shriek followed the duo as they hurried away from the alley. Sarah glanced back and saw Aura's menacing silhouette standing in front of the dumpster. A chill raced down her spine as she gazed at the woman, who now seemed larger than before. Her golden eyes glimmered in the darkness. Sarah's unease deepened as she realized that the woman was not giving chase to them. She felt a torrent of rage wash past her, as though Aura's anger had become a wave of radiation.

“You'll pay for this. Mark my words,” Aura's cold voice penetrated the night air.

'Til Death Do Us Part - Part 35

Aura looked at the two faintly glowing figures standing in the back of the alleyway, huddled together as though they were a pair of mice cornered by a panther. Under different circumstances, she might have taken pleasure in the effect her performance seemed to have on them, but a wave of frustration welled up inside of her. There was always a person or two in every town who had to push her boundaries. Why couldn’t they leave well enough alone and mind their own business? She wouldn’t enjoy what she was about to do, but she had to put a stop to them before they ruined everything for her.

Her eyes focused in on the young man’s neck. She could see a dark red light of the blood coursing through his arteries. She could almost feel the warmth flowing down her throat as she drank from that fountain of youth. Her tongue slid across her top lip as the urge to feed nearly overwhelmed her. She took a deep breath. Perhaps these two had a good reason for following her. She would have to reserve her judgment for the time being.

Just a little ahead of her, a street lamp cast a circle of light. A mote of dust drifted down through the beam. It would be perfect for her grand entrance. There were few things in this life which gave her more pleasure than a grand entrance. She watched as a younger version of herself stepped into the spotlight on a stage and gazed out at the seats filled with patrons waiting for her performance. She shook her head. Those days were long gone. She would have to make do with this humble street lamp.

She felt the flutter of her clothes brush along her fingertips as she walked into the beam. “What’s the matter? Cat’s got your tongue?” she said, drawing the dagger from her purse. The blade weighed heavily in her hand as she griped its hilt. She watched as Sarah’s eyes darted to the knife. Sarah’s face remained stoic. Roger on the other hand, had his mouth open and his eyes had grown wide. Aura saw the pulse of his blood speed up. “I’m feeling charitable tonight. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t free you from your mortal coil?”

“We know all about you, Aura,” Roger said, his voice shaking. “And our friends do too.”

Sarah rammed an elbow into Roger’s side. “Roger!”

Aura felt a ice cold lump of fear lodge itself in her chest. How could they possibly know? How could she have exposed herself like this? She usually fed only once per town to reduce the chance of being found out, but there was something intoxicating about Chester which kept her longing for more…

No, they couldn’t possibly know. Rob told her that they found and arrested the killer. She was in the clear. All the pieces had fallen into place and no one in the town was any the wiser. Had he been on her trail this entire time and used the arrest as a decoy?

Aura cleared her throat. “Whatever do you mean?”

“It’s awfully suspicious that all those men died in the same way, don’t you think Aura? The ones here in this town too.”

“I suppose I have grown a little sloppy,” Aura said. “No matter, I’ll just have to take care of you and your friends then.”

Aura lunged toward Roger and Sarah.

'Til Death Do Us Part - Part 34

Sarah and Roger trailed a dozen paces behind Aura. Her pale skin reflected the yellow street lights, casting twisted shadows, while her black, flowing gown melded her form with the inky darkness. Sarah heard every scrape from her and Roger’s shoes as they walked. The sound amplified in her ears as though it was being played through a bullhorn, yet Aura’s slow, graceful stride remained unperturbed.

Aura arrived at an intersection on a corner where a building with white siding resided and turned right. Sarah squinted in the darkness, trying to make out the street sign. After a few moments, she was able to read the green and white sign, which said ‘Oak St.’ A rush of unease rocked her body. Her stomach twisted into a sharp knot and her mouth felt dry. A dozen prickles rode in a wave down her spine. Why were they following Aura anyway? What did they hope to find out about her? Sarah searched Roger’s face for a sign of the uncertainty which she felt, but she could not read him in this darkness.

Sarah peeked around the corner and saw Aura moving down the street. Her pale white arms swung like pendulums. She stopped mid stride and turned her head as though she were looking around for something.

Sarah’s heart raced as she ducked behind the corner. The speed at which she recoiled caused her to stumble backward into Roger. He let out a grunt as she struck him. She felt his warm arms wrap around her around her waist, holding her upright.

After she regained her balance he let go of her. “Sorry,” he whispered. His apology was so quiet it almost escaped her ears.

Sarah took a deep breath and glanced around the corner. She saw Aura turn right down a road sandwiched between two tall, brick buildings. Sarah hurried toward the side street, with Roger close behind her. She reached the turn and strained her eyes as she gazed into the darkened alley. She could make out the silhouette of several trashcans and a dumpster which sat along a brick wall at the far end of the back street.

This was absurd. Aura couldn’t just vanish into thin air; she had to be somewhere. Sarah instinctively reached for her firearm, but her hand only found air. Her heart raced as she forced her feet to carry her down the alleyway. Her keys jangled as she pulled them out of her pocket, clasping her car key between her fingers as she had been instructed to do since girlhood. The sound of rustling made her blood freeze in her veins. A mouse squeaked as it scampered somewhere out of sight. Sarah let out a chuckle and clapped a hand over her mouth, but her ears were met with silence.

The pair moved down the alley toward the dumpster. Sarah froze at the sound of a drip which rang through the alleyway. Her hand began to shake, causing the keys hanging from the ring to clatter together. She closed the last couple of steps to the dumpster.

“Well I’ll be… Where’d she go?” she asked.

“I guess she gave us the slip,” Roger said.

Sarah whirled around when a voice thundered from behind them, “Fancy meeting you two in a place like this.”

'Til Death Do Us Part - Part 33

Roger’s mouth dropped open as he watched Aura walk away. His eyebrows twisted back as he tried to figure out what just happened.

“That was abrupt. Interesting friend you’ve got there,” Sarah said.

Shawn laughed. “That’s Aura for ya,” he said. He lowered his voice, “I get the impression that she likes a good challenge.”

Rob took a sip of his beer. The condensation dripped off the cup and onto a thick paper coaster with the red silhouette of a hog. “She’ll be challenged here alright,” he said and laughed.

Rob leaned over to Shawn and whispered something into his ear. Shawn’s face turned bright red. “Shh, not right now,” he whispered back.

Sarah cleared her throat. “So, how do you know Aura?”

“We met her out in Clinton a couple weeks back. We didn’t even know she was in town until earlier this evening. We saw her as we were walking over here,” Shawn said.

“It was almost like she appeared out of thin air,” Rob added. “One minute we were walking down the street, the next-poof-she was standing off to the side. I guess it’s all the dark clothes, but it scared the crap outta me.”

“She matches the suspect’s description, don’t ya think?” Roger asked.

Sarah glared at Roger and kicked him under the table. Roger gritted his teeth and looked over at Sarah.

Rob sighed. “Maybe a little, but so do a lot of people. Our witness didn’t give us much to go with.” He gulped down a mouthful of beer. “Besides, I don’t know what your point is. We’ve got the killer locked up, without bail. She’s not talking now, but I reckon we’ll get a confession out of her in a day or two.” Rob took another gulp of his beer and turned his head toward the stage. “Hey look, Jim’s getting up onto the stage.”

The party turned and watched as a stout man huffed up the short walk to the stage. His curly, long brown beard swung like a metronome as he walked. He tapped on a few buttons on the remote. “Ya’ll know who this one is fer,” he said as the instrumentals to ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ echoed through the building.

Sarah laughed and clapped along with the rest of the crowd as the man’s high pitched voice sang the words with the most off beat and pitiful tone of voice. As the last few notes of the song played through the speakers, she let out a relieved sigh. However, she watched in horror as he fiddled around with the remote and selected yet another song to sing. Jim proceeded to murder two more songs before he stumbled off the stage. By the time he finished, Sarah’s ears were bleeding.

A few minutes later, Aura approached the table. “I don’t think this place is quite my scene,” she said. “I’m going to go and find some other venue I can sink my teeth into.” With that, she wave goodbye and the party reciprocated. Then watched as she exited through the doors.

“I think we’re in the same boat,” Sarah said. She and Roger stood up. “It was good seeing you around.”

Rob and Shawn waved them goodbye as the walked toward the exit. Sarah pushed open the door of the establishment and walked out into the cool night air. She looked around and saw Aura walking down the street.

She pointed at Aura. “Let’s see what she is up to,” Sarah whispered.

'Til Death Do Us Part - Part 32

Sarah and Roger took a bow as the half dozen patrons who occupied the tables in front of the stage cheered. The lanky man who had been on the stage before them let out a wolf whistle as she and Roger walked off the stage.

“Look who just came into the bar,” Sarah whispered.

Roger turned his head toward the door. Rob looked over in their direction and locked eyes with Sarah. She smiled and waved at him. As she and Roger walked toward the trio, a man shouted from somewhere in the bar, “Fun’s over, Bradys’ here.” The bar erupted into laughter. “You better watch out, he might cuff ya and frisk ya,” another man shouted.

“Hey,” Brady said. His eyes darted around the room. “I didn’t expect to find y’all in a place like this.”

“It seemed like a nice enough bar,” Sarah said. “We were just looking for a place to hang out for a bit.”

Rob made a motion for them to sit at a nearby table. “Oh,” he said, sitting down. Sarah and Roger took seats beside each other. Moments later, Shawn and Aura joined them at the table. Shawn set down a beer in front himself and another in front of Rob. Aura set down a glass of whiskey before sitting next to Roger.

“Hello there, my name’s Aura,” she said and winked. She extended a hand to Roger.

“Hi, I’m Roger,” he said. They locked eyes and a goofy grin spread across his face as he shook her hand.

“The pleasure is all mine I’m sure,” Aura said. She caressed the side of his face with her fingertips. “Hopefully, we’re not... interrupting anything here.”

Sarah felt a pang in her chest as she watched Aura and Roger interact. What was wrong with her? Since when did she care about who Roger flirted with?

Sarah cleared her throat. “Hi Aura, I’m Sarah,” she said.

“How rude of me,” Aura said and looked at Sarah. “Here I was, flirting with your boyfriend. You can’t blame me though. He is quite a feast for the eyes.”

“We’re not together,” Sarah said. “He’s all yours.”

“Oh? That’s all right. You two make such a cute couple, I’d hate to get in the way,” Aura said. She winked at Sarah and picked up her glass, then stood up and meandered away from the table, toward the pool tables.

'Til Death Do Us Part - Part 31

Sarah looked up at the neon sign. The red letters glowed in the night, illuminating the words ‘The Greasy Hog.’ “Sounds like a charming place,” she said.

The fiddling of ‘The Devil Went Down to Georgia’ seeped through the establishment’s walls.

“At least the music ain’t too bad,” Roger said.

“Not my first choice,” she said. “But it’s not a bad song.”

“We can go somewhere else,” Roger said. His words were lost as Sarah opened the door to the bar. A wave of music hit them as they walked through the building’s entrance.

Sarah looked around the area as the door swung shut behind her. The bar was relatively empty, having only a dozen or so other patrons. A tall, beanpole thin man stood on the stage yelling, out of tune and out of sync with the lyrics into a microphone which he grasped with his right hand. His face was scrunched up as though the words he was singing had caused an aneurysm. He staggered around the stage whipping the cord which he held in the other hand like a lasso. The patrons of the bar cheered and goaded him on as he tripped around the stage.

The clatter of billiard balls drew her attention to the back of the room. She caught sight of two full sized pool tables, one of which was occupied by two men. One of the men tapped his cowboy boots on the ground as he waited for the other man to play. As he waited, he picked up a handful of nachos and stuffed them into his mouth. He then proceeded to wash the mass down with a gulp from his stein. After his companion made his move, he wiped his hands off on flannel up shirt and jeans before grabbing the cue.

“You want something to drink?” Roger asked.

Sarah looked at him and nodded. The duo walked up to the bar. After a few moments a young woman approached them and took their orders. Her golden locks bounced as she popped the caps off of the two bottles and passed them to Sarah and Roger. “You two here for the karaoke contest? Winner gets a t-shirt,” she said, and smiled at the pair.

“Oh I don’t know...” Roger said.

“Where do we sign up?” Sarah interrupted.

“Right up by the stage,” she said. “There’s a binder with all the songs up there.”

Sarah weaved through the mess of tables and chairs up to the stage. She grabbed the binder and flipped though it. After a few minutes she scribbled something down on the sign up sheet. “Looks like we’re up next!” she said and smiled at Roger.

“We?” Roger asked.

Sarah ignored him and took a seat next to the stage. After a minute or two the man on the stage finished stumbling out an awkward jig and shouted “Yee haw!” into the microphone and threw his hat across the bar. The patrons laughed and clapped for him. One man patted him on the back as he walked off the stage.

Sarah got up. “Ready?” she asked.

Roger groaned as though he were a child being asked to clean his room. “Do we have to?”

“Please Roger? It’ll be fun!”

Roger stood up and followed her onto the stage, shuffling his feet as he walked.

Sarah looked at the monitor and selected a song off the display using the remote. After a few moments, the instrumentals to ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ began to fill the bar.

Immediately as the song began to play, Roger’s demeanor shifted. His face brightened as the first few chords vibrated the speakers. The patrons clapped and sang along for the chorus which only encouraged him further. At one point in the song, she broke out in laughter as Roger played the air guitar for the crowd.

When the song was wrapping up, the bar doors swung open and three figures entered the establishment. Sarah stopped her singing and her jaw slacked as her eyes focused on Rob, who was followed by Shawn and Aura.

'Til Death Do Us Part - Part 30

The ride back to Emma's house was spent mostly in silence. Sarah had made two separate attempts at coaxing conversation out of Shirley Sue, but she produced only a couple of words at a time in response.

The sound of gravel rumbled under the tires of Sarah's vehicle as it pulled into Emma's driveway. The breaks squeaked as the car came to a stop.

“Thanks for the ride home,” Buck said.

Shirley Sue and Roger echoed their appreciation.

“You're welcome!” Sarah said. “Hey Roger, can I talk to you for a minute?”

Sarah watched as Shirley Sue and Buck exited the vehicle and headed toward Emma's house. Shirley Sue walked briskly past Buck, turning her head in the other direction as she moved by him.

“Maybe you should come along with me for a bit and give them a little space,” Sarah said. “I'm sure we could find something to do out here in this town.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Roger said. “I'll go and tell them that I'll be back in a bit.”

Sarah nodded at Roger as he opened the car door. He disappeared through the front entrance. Moments later, he exited the house. The porch light illuminated his bright red cheeks as he walked back to the car.

“Everything okay?” Sarah asked.

Roger laughed. Behind it was a nervous twinge. “Ya, Buck was just giving me a hard time. You know how he is.”

Sarah put the SUV into reverse and pulled back onto the street.

The pair sat in silence for a moment before Sarah glanced over at Roger. His posture was stiff as he nervously picked at one of his cuticles. “I reckon there's a bar with a pool table 'round here,” she said.

“You know I'm no good at pool.”

“Who knows, maybe you'll get lucky.” She winked at him.

'Til Death Do Us Part - Part 29

Shirley Sue lurched forward as the car began to travel down the road. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Buck looking in her direction. She turned her head away from him and stared out the window.

“What do you mean?” Sarah asked.

Shirley Sue felt the smooth surface of the black clutch slip under her fingers as she picked it up from the space beside her. The silver chain jingled as she unzipped it. She removed the photo from the clutch and passed it to Roger. “Look at this,” she said.

“You stole their photo?” Buck asked.

Shirley Sue glared at him and he diverted his attention out the window. “Like you have any room to speak,” she said.

Roger and Sarah glanced at each other.

“Is everything alright?” Sarah asked.

“Dandy,” Shirley Sue said flatly.

Roger looked over the photo and held it up for Sarah to see. “Hey isn't that the woman that was flirting with Buck through the window at the diner?”

Shirley Sue side eyed Buck. “Yes and, according to Buck, her name is Aura. Apparently he snuck off with her earlier today.”

“I told you its not...” Buck started.

“Anyway, she matches the description of our killer and not only was she here for these murders, but also she was in Clinton around the time of their murders,” Shirley Sue interrupted.

“Isn't that a bit of a stretch?” Buck asked. “She didn't seem like the killing type to me.”

Shirley Sue narrowed her eyes at him. “Oh? How well do you know her?”

“It does seem a bit hasty to accuse her of murder,” Sarah said.

“I bet Officer Brady put her up to it,” Roger interjected. “After all, he was in both places during the murders too.”

“Enough,” Sarah said. “We can't just go around accusin' everyone we've met of the murder. We'll take the photo down to the festival tomorrow and see if our witness recognizes the woman. If he does then we'll have a strong case that Aura is our killer. Until then, let's settle down and take some time to clear our heads.”

'Til Death Do Us Part - Part 28

“Oh, so you've met?”

Shirley Sue felt her face flush and a lump formed in her throat. She scooted away from Buck. Her expression twisted into a mixture of anger and confusion. “Yes, do tell Buck,” she said. “Because last I knew, you said had no idea who she was.”

Buck cleared his throat. “Shirley Sue, it's not like that, I promise. When I was out looking for you today, I ran into her. She was very, um, friendly.”

“Oh, so she's in town?” Shawn said, sounding surprised. “She is such a flirt.”

Shirley Sue felt the lump in her throat increase in size.

“Yes, she is a very nice woman, an impeccable eye for fashion,” Rob added. “She approached us on the street and struck up a conversation with us.”

“She sounded like she was interested in the festival, so I'm not too surprised she popped in.” Shawn said. He looked over at Rob. “What was it she said? That she would kill to visit the festival.”

As Rob and Shawn droned on about Aura, Shirley Sue slipped the photo into her clutch. An ominous thought gnawed at the back of her mind. It was a long shot, but maybe Sarah could help her piece this together.

Why hadn't Buck said anything about Aura? Was he afraid that she would be jealous? She was bursting at the seams to find out more information, but most of all she felt hurt that Buck omitted the encounter. Was there anything else he wasn't telling her about? Her chest tightened at the thought.

The chime of a doorbell drew Shirley Sue from her thoughts. She, Buck and Shawn got up and walked over to the door. Shawn opened the door. Sarah and Roger stood on the other side.

Roger waved at the trio. Buck quickly introduced everyone and thanked Shawn and Rob. They said their goodbyes and exited the cozy living room, stepping out into the cool evening air. The door shut behind them and the party walked over to Sarah's vehicle.

Shirley Sue buckled herself into one of the back seats. “Hey Sarah, you wouldn't happen to remember if you saw anything about a murder in Clinton would you?” she asked.

“Clinton? I think there was one just a couple weeks ago. Why?”

“I think I know who our killer is.”

'Til Death Do Us Part - Part 27

Shirley Sue sat down in a wooden chair next to the living room entryway and looked over at Buck, who held the telephone against the side of his face. Her ears perked up at the sound of voices whispering.

“How long are we going to hide this, Shawn?”

“Shh, will you keep your voice down, Robert?”

“No, I won't keep my voice down. People aren't stupid. They're going to figure it out sooner or later.”

“Please Rob, let's talk about this some other time.”

“Fine.”

Shirley Sue heard the click of the phone reaching its cradle and glanced over at Buck. He nodded at her and she rose to her feet. They walked into the living room and sat down beside each other on a sapphire blue velvet couch which had white throw pillows with blue trim stationed at either end.

“Thanks for letting us use the phone, Officer Brady,” Buck said. “They should be here in a few. It was real lucky that we saw you pull into the driveway before the truck broke down.”

“No need for formalities here. Just call me Rob, and don’t thank me, thank Shawn. This is his place.”

Buck looked at the man sitting in a matching sapphire chair. “Thanks Shawn.”

Shawn smiled at Buck. “Don’t mention it.”

“Hopefully we weren't disturbing anything,” Shirley Sue said.

“We were helping out with a case in Clinton last month and we were about to go through the photos when we heard your knock,” Shawn said.

“Don't let us stop you then,” Shirley Sue said.

“Oh they probably would just bore you. We can wait until you're gone,” Shawn replied. “We would hate to be rude to our guests.”

“Really, we wouldn't mind at all!” Shirley Sue said.

“I'm sure it will be fine, Shawn,” Rob said.

Shawn glared at Rob. Rob picked up a blue gift box and opened the lid. He shuffled through the box for a minute before setting a dozen or so photos onto the coffee table.

“Er, um, here are some less serious photos. We were goofing off.”

Shirley Sue picked up the pile. She smiled at an image of Rob giving Shawn bunny ears. She handed the photo to Buck and looked down at the next one. Ice formed in her veins as her eyes focused on a woman standing with Rob and Shawn. She passed the photo to Buck. She saw the color drain from his face.

“That's Aura,” Buck said.

'Til Death Do Us Part - Part 26

“I thought I might find you two here,” Ben said.

“It’s not what it looks like!” said Roger. “We were just...”

Sarah spun to face the voice. She felt Roger let go of her and she wished for a moment that he hadn't. She had known that Ben was coming, but the brief encounter had left a flutter of excitement plucking away at her heartstrings.

Ben laughed. “Maybe I should have stuck around to ‘use the bathroom’,” he said, emphasizing the latter part of the sentence with air-quotes.

Roger’s face turned bright pink.

“I think what Roger was trying to say is that we were looking for a minute to ourselves and stumbled into your room. You wouldn’t mind keeping this to yourself would you?” Sarah asked.

“Ya, whatever. Your brother is on the phone, Roger. Do you want to answer it or should I tell him that the sheriff is doing a special investigation on ya?

Sarah looked over at Roger. The shade of pink on his face had intensified. “Oh no, I’ll get it,” he said.

Ben grinned. “I bet you will.”

Sarah narrowed her eyes at Ben. “Okay Ben, why don’t you show us where the phone is,” she said.

Ben’s eyes connected with Sarah’s, and he looked away. “Fine,” he said flatly. “I was just havin’ a little fun… But, one last thing Roger.”

Sarah walked out of the bedroom past Ben and into the hall way.

“You sure look mighty purty in that shade of lipstick,” Ben said.

Sarah turned in time to watch as Roger’s face turned as red as a beet. He hurried past her and into the bathroom. He grabbed a tissue and started scrubbing at his lips. She peeked into the mirror and touched up her own lipstick. She and Roger then followed Ben down the stairs. The trio walked into the kitchen. Ben pointed at the telephone, which rested on a small wooden table. Roger picked up the receiver.

“Hey Buck,” Roger spoke into the phone. “You there?” Roger paused for a moment while he listened. “The truck broke down? Where’re ya at?”

Roger grabbed the pad of paper and pen which lay beside the phone’s cradle. He scribbled down something on the sheet of paper.

“Got it, 347 Maple Drive, a big brick house. Okay, we’ll see you in a few.”

'Til Death Do Us Part - Part 25

Sarah opened the door to the bathroom. She looked around but saw no sign of Roger. “Roger?” she called out.

“In here,” she heard a hushed voice say.

She walked over to the open door and saw Roger kneeling in front of a bed, arm deep in a knapsack.

“What are you doing?” she whispered.

“You should have seen it, Sarah. Ben was in here tearing this bag apart looking for some box. After he found it, he shoved it back in this bag. I seen him in the hallway and he was acting like he just robbed a bank.”

“You can’t just go through someone’s stuff, Roger. You need a search warrant first.”

Roger pulled a small, black velvet box from the bag. “Here it is,” he said. He pivoted toward Sarah as he opened the box. “A ring?” he said, scrunching his face in confusion as he extending the box to Sarah.

“Why Roger Wilson, I don’t know what to say,” Sarah joked as she took the ring from him. She held it up to the light and studied it. The ring looked to be a half karat diamond ring. She looked on the inside of the band and saw a mark denoting that the band was crafted from 14 karat yellow gold. “Doesn’t this seem a bit hasty?”

Roger’s face turned bright red as he climbed to his feet. “It’s not like that… I was just...” he stammered.

“You know, you’re cute when you get all flustered,” she said and grinned at him.

She heard the sound of footsteps marching up the stairs.

The ring box snapped shut and then Sarah passed it to Roger. “Quick, put it back,” she whispered. She glanced around the corner and saw Ben’s head pop into view.

She looked around the room for some place to hide. “It’s Ben.”

The sound of the footsteps drew nearer as Ben approached the room. She glanced around the room. There was no time to hide and no way to escape. She looked at Roger. His eyes were filled with fear as they darted frantically around the room. Sarah grabbed him by his shirt collar and drew him close to her. She pushed her lips against his. She felt a tingle race down her spine as his lips caressed hers. He placed his hands on the small of her back, drawing her closer. As she twisted her fingers through his hair, a single thought emerged in her mind. Roger wasn’t a bad kisser at all.

Sarah jumped at the sound of someone cleaning their throat behind them.

'Til Death Do Us Part - Part 24

Roger winced as the car tire rammed against a pothole. “Oops,” Sarah said. He noted that the roads out in this part of town could use some mending. The vehicle slowed to a stop. He looked up and saw a traffic light hanging down at the intersection. Sarah glanced over at him as they sat in silence.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Sarah said, and smiled.

Roger crossed his arms. “I don’t trust him.”

“So you’ve mentioned before,” she said. Her voice sounded flat.

The light turned green and Roger felt the vehicle accelerate. “Come on, he didn’t even have a lead this mornin’ and now they have a suspect?”

“Like I said before, we’ll keep an eye on him and Ben. If they are involved, then we can’t let them know we suspect them,” Sarah said.

Roger glanced at the houses and trees as they flew by. The gloom of the day obscured the evening in a foggy twilight.

“Turn right up ahead. Her apartment is about a mile down the road,” Roger said.

After a few minutes of driving, the vehicle pulled off to the side of the road in front of the apartment. Roger exited the vehicle. He looked around at the vehicles, searching for his brother’s pickup truck. “It doesn’t look like Shirley Sue and Buck have arrived yet,” Roger said.

“We are a little early. They’ll be here soon, I’m sure.”

Roger led the way up the stairs to the apartment. He knocked on the door. Patty’s mother answered the door.

“Hi, we’re here for the wake.”

“The viewing? That was earlier. This is the reception,” she said. “But you’re welcome to join us anyway.”

Roger felt his face flush. “Sorry about that. I guess we were given the wrong message,” he said.

Roger entered the house and Sarah followed after him. They weaved through the other visitors to Patty and gave their condolences.

After a few minutes of talking, Roger felt a tap on his shoulder.

“Do you know where the bathroom is?” Sarah whispered.

Buck looked around the room. “Maybe it’s upstairs?” he whispered back.

Roger climbed up the stairs. He saw an open door and peaked through and saw a toilet, sink, and tub. He motioned to Sarah. She hurried into the bathroom and shut the door behind her.

As Roger waited outside of the bathroom, he heard someone moving around in one of the bedrooms. He crept up to the door and saw Ben digging through a knapsack.

Ben dug through the bag, throwing clothes onto the bed. “It’s got to be in here somewhere,” he muttered to himself. He stopped and rose to his feet, holding up a small black box. “Phew, I thought I lost you,” he said. After a moment of admiring the object, he stuffed it back into the bag and then shoved the clothes in after it.

As Ben turned around, Roger drew back, flattening his body against the wall. He crept back to the bathroom.

Ben emerged from the room. “Oh hey Roger,” he said. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked around nervously.

“There’s a line if yer lookin’ for the bathroom,” Roger replied.

Ben hurried past Roger. “Oh, no. I’m fine. Guess I’ll see you downstairs.”

'Til Death Do Us Part - Part 23

Sarah's ears perked up at the sound of distant murmurs. She picked up a folder and rose from her seat at the table. “Did you hear that?” she asked.

Roger looked up at her. “Hear what?”

“Voices.”

As Sarah walked toward the door, Jean popped through the doorway, nearly running into her. The two women stood facing each other for a moment. Each took a step backward.

“Excuse me hun, Brady’s back. He wanted me to tell you they’ve got the killer.”

Sarah and Roger followed Jean into the reception area. As they arrived, Sarah caught a glimpse of a woman with her head bowed, her dark hair obscuring her face as she walked, following behind an officer. Brady was standing at the reception table scrawling on a piece of paper.

“Hey Brady,” Sarah called.

Brady looked up from his writing and waved at Sarah. “Hey!”

“So what’s the scoop on the suspect?” she asked.

“It’s a pretty solid case. She hasn’t confessed yet, but we’ve got a lot of evidence and she has no alibi. The pawn shop gave us a call a little earlier. Our suspect pawned off Jack’s watch. We searched her apartment and found his wallet. Like I said, real cut and dry.”

“What about Johnson's murder?”

“That one is a little more sensitive,” he said, lowering his voice. “Being his partner, I have a little inside information. The suspect used to do the occasional housekeeping job for the Johnsons. They let her go last week when they caught her stealing. He never came out and said it, but I suspect that Johnson was fooling around with her. Their marriage has been… rocky at best of late.”

“It doesn’t make any sense. Why would she kill Jack?”

“Well,” Brady said. He cleared his throat. “Let’s just put it this way, Jack was no saint. He had a reputation for taking women to the Chester Inn. My guess is that she is one of his many spurned lovers. I imagine she got fed up with him and took him out, then did the same to Johnson. It’s a real shame.”

“What about the murder weapon?”

“She probably ditched it somewhere. I’m sure we’ll drudge it up eventually.”

“Here’s my guess. You won’t find a murder weapon,” Sarah said. She set a folder down on the table in front of him. “Take a look at these cases we found.”

Officer Brady picked up the folder and began leafing through the pages. “What’s your point? These cases look likely they're all but solved. A clear suspect with a strong motive, like what we now have here.”

“My point is that they all could be the same case. An unfaithful parter has their throat silt by a scorned lover. No murder weapon is ever found. The only difference here is that Jack was robbed.”

Brady sighed. “I appreciate what you are doing here, but I think you’re barking up the wrong tree.” He smiled at her and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Relax, it’s over.”

Sarah jerked away and scowled.

“Aw, don’t be like that. If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll look over the files. We still got plenty to do around town if you’re willing, but this case is basically closed.”

'Til Death Do Us Part - Part 22

Shirley Sue raked her fingers through her hair. Satisfied, she wrapped the cord around the hair-dryer and tucked it under the sink. She gave her hair one last brush before exiting the bathroom. The sound of the clothes dryer hummed in the background as she walked down the stairs to the living room.

She walked into the living room and saw Buck. He was sitting on the loveseat, flipping through channels on the television.

“Hey!” she called to him.

He turned his head in her direction and waved. “Emma had an errand to run and asked us to watch Rachel, and since Rachel is down for a nap, we've got the house to ourselves.”

“Oh really?” she said. She smiled as she sat down beside him. Buck put his arm around her and drew her in close. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek. Her lips grazed his stubble.

“Close your eyes,” he said. “No peeking!”

Shirley Sue closed her eyes. What was he up to? After a few seconds, she felt something soft and fuzzy on her cheek. She opened her eyes and turned her head to the side that the fuzzy sensation had come from. Buck was holding a small, blue owl with a silver, blueberry necklace wrapped neatly around its neck. She felt a grin pull tight across her face as she took the owl from Buck. She touched the silver charm dangling from the stuffed animal's neck.

“That's the necklace I was looking at yesterday! How did you know?”

“A little birdy told me,” he said, and then winked.

He pulled the necklace off the plushie and unclasped it. She drew her hair away from her neck. She shivered as his rough fingers brushed against the skin of her neck as he fastened the chain.

She threw her arms around him. “Thank you! I love them both!”

“Glad you like them,” he said, and squeezed her back.

As Shirley Sue looked into Buck's eyes, she felt the smile on her face grow. Buck lightly touched the side of her face and a tingle went down her spine. She place her palm on his chest and tilted her head to the side, then leand in toward him. She closed her eyes and an instant later she felt his soft, warm lips embrace hers. She felt a jolt of electricity jolt through as he gently ran his fingers along the small of her back.

“Uncle Buck, Aunt Tirly Tue can I have some water pweeze,” said a tiny voice nearby.

Shirley Sue looked up to see Rachel standing in front of them. A green stuffed animal frog dangled from her hand.

“Sure thing, kiddo,” Buck said, standing up.

Rachel followed him out the the kitchen.

Shirley Sue sighed. “Well, so much for having the house to ourselves,” she said.

'Til Death Do Us Part - Part 21

Buck squeezed into the last of the four seats which were positioned around the break room table. He rested his arm on the table and ran his fingers over an inch long gouge in the surface of the table.

“What's the scoop?” Sarah asked.

Buck listened as Shirley Sue relayed their encounter with Ben and Patty.

Sarah tapped her pen against her notebook as Shirley Sue talked, scribbling down the occasional note. “Hmm, I’m surprised that wasn’t mentioned in Brady’s police report. Did anything else catch your eye?”

Buck looked down at the table and ran his finger along the scratch. “I'm sure we will meet again,” echoed through his mind.

“No, that was about it,” Shirley Sue said.

Buck looked back up as Sarah flipped to a page in her notepad. “I'm not exactly sure what if anything we found,” she said, sighing. “We did stumble upon three homicides in neighboring counties who's victims died from having their throats slit. In each of these cases, the principal suspect is a scorned lover. The men were all mostly if not entirely naked and appeared to have engaged in intercourse immediately before their deaths. It was the exact same scenario again and again, except there was one major inconsistency in Jack's murder. His wallet and watch were stolen from the crime scene, whereas in the other instances, including Johnson's murder, nothing appeared to be missing.”

“So what are you saying?” Shirley Sue asked.

“I’m not sure. These could all just be coincidences, but I feel like there's a connection here...” She gazed into her notepad as though its pages contained another world. She shook her head, breaking herself free from the trance. “In the meantime, why don’t you two go home and get dried off,” she said looking at Buck and Shirley Sue. “Roger and I will stay here and search for a little longer. I feel like the answer is right under our noses.” She returned he attention to the notepad and flipped between a couple of pages.

Buck made a kissing face a Roger and Shirley Sue giggled. Buck felt a sharp pain sear through his leg as Roger's steel toe rammed into his shin. His leg jerked back by reflex. “Son of a gun!” he shouted as his knee bumped against the table. The table bounced and jiggled back to the ground.

“Will you two quit horsing around?” Sarah said, briefly breaking her gaze from the notepad. “Oh, one last thing before you go. We got a call from Patty's mother earlier. Jack's wake is at Patty's house tonight at six.”

'Til Death Do Us Part - Part 20

As Patty and Ben hurried off, the rain began to pick up. After a few moments, sheets of rain tumbled down from the sky. Buck futilely held up the umbrella against the near flash flood. The cloth warped from the force of the water ramming against it. As he rushed to the truck with Shirley Sue, he felt his jeans sticking to his legs. In the short time it took to climb into the cabin, his shirt and hair became soaked. He and Shirley Sue sat in silence for a minute, listening to the rain thudding against the roof of the truck.

Buck looked over at Shirley Sue and laughed. “Well, that was crazy,” he said.

“The weather or Patty?”

“Both.”

He started the truck and waited for a break in the line of cars and pedestrians who kept moving across the space behind them. After a few minutes of waiting, an orange Beetle signaled for him to back out. As he was waving at the vehicle he felt something slamming into his arm.

“Punch buggy! No punch backs!”

“Aw, shucks!” Buck said, glancing over at Shirley Sue. She wore a grin which reached from ear to ear.

After pulling into the parking lot, the traffic immediately came to a standstill. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as they sat in the line of cars.

“Look at all those cars,” Shirley Sue said.

“Ya, you'd think they never saw a little rain before,” he joked.

During the trip, the rain poured down so heavily at times that Buck could only see the break lights of the vehicle in front of him. He gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned white. After twenty minutes, the couple arrived at the station, a trip which had only taken them five minutes before.

Buck turned off the vehicle and the pair gazed out at the stream of water spilling down, hoping for a break. After a few minutes of waiting, they gave up and stepped into the rain with their umbrellas in hand and walked up the steps of the police station. Buck pulled the door open and they walked into the building.

They made their way to a front desk and saw a woman wearing a headset with a microphone, reading a book and chomping on bubblegum. On her desk sat a placard which read 'Jean Brown, Secretary'.

Jean looked over the top edge of the book, placed her index finger on it, and set it down. She snapped her gum loudly. “You kids need something?” she asked. He voice was nasally and high pitched.

“We're looking for Sheriff Smith or Officer Brady,” Shirley Sue said.

“I'll go get her for you hun,” Jean said. She stood up and smoothed out her short black skirt. As she walked toward a door in the back wall, her tan wedges clacked against the ground. She walked through the door and disappeared around the corner.

A few moments later, Sarah and Roger followed Jean through the door.

“Hey Buck and Shirley Sue!” Sarah called out to them.

The pair waved back as the trio approached the reception area.

“I would have invited you back, but Brady had a hard enough time letting me and Buck back there unsupervised.”

Jean laughed as she picked her book back up. “The way he treats this station sometimes, you'd think we were some big fancy department,” she mumbled through the snapping of her gum.

“You two look soaked!” Roger said, glancing down at the puddle which had collected around his brother and Shirley Sue. He grinned. “Umbrella's work better when you open them.”

“Glad to see someone finds it amusin'. It's rainin' cats and dogs out there,” Buck replied.

Jean looked up and cleared her throat. “If you kids like, you can use the break room over there ta talk,” she said, pointing to her left.