ELEVENTH INSTALLMENT OF...THE LAKE...by b. Malin
END OF CHAPTER 4
Sarah settled in on the couch. Jose sat down opposite her on the love seat his eyes watching her, with an amused smile upon his face. The large glass coffee table acted like a buffer between them. He raised his coffee mug to his lips and nodded for her to do the same. Sarah had placed the pad and pen on the coffee table and now followed suit by lifting her coffee mug in a silent salute before starting to sip it. He lingered over his, and so she took three more sips before putting hers down. "Hey Sarah, don't you like my coffee? Take a few more sips, or I'll feel insulted". Dutifully, she picked the mug back up and finished half the cup. "Satisfied now"? she asked. "Very" he replied smiling back at her.
"Ok, now she sighed, shall we begin" she said as she picked up her pad and pen. He could see that she had some notes written down. "Fire away, came his reply. I promise to answer all your questions Sarah. I'm just not sure, you're going to like what you hear." Well you let me be the judge of that. She replied smiling, as the reporter in her kicked in. Now let me start by asking you, "How well did you know the Blake's?" He answered, "As well as you know anyone that you work for...Mr. Blake was always all business, do this Jose...when you're finished do that...there were always lists, even after they moved in. Mr. Blake traveled a lot"...his voice trailed off. Sara felt excited as she asked her next question. "Well what about Mrs. Blake, how well did you get to know her"? "Danielle, I mean Mrs. Blake...he tried to correct himself, I fell for her like a ton of bricks. But I read her wrong...Her caring for me was not personal. Jose voice started to take on a strange form, it was almost like he was talking to himself. "The day she died, I was sitting on the couch next to her, it was very hot that day, and she had asked me to come inside and cool off, and have some Ice Tea with her. He took a deep breath, before going on. We started talking...I showed her a picture of my girl and the baby and me taken the last time that I went back to my country...She thought we made a striking couple...He sighed once again before going on. Anyway, I got carried away and tried to kiss her...She always smelled so good... She got mad and threatened to tell her husband and also have me deported. I couldn't have that, now could I? So I put my hands around her neck, she had on a pretty green scarf, the same color as her eyes...I started to choke her with it...she passed out...I thought I'd killed her...I guess I panicked and that's when I decided to make it look like she had committed suicide. I took her body into the bathroom, the one in your room. I was about to tie the scarf to the shower when she opened her eyes...Her look was of sheer terror. But I knew that I had to kill her...I didn't have any choice...You can understand that, can't you Sarah"? He said as he sighed deeply looking across at her.
Sarah had stopped writing, she was starting to feel dizzy and the room seemed to be spinning. She opened her mouth to speak, but her speech sounded muffled, and she could not get up off the couch...she was paralyzed, panic was setting in. Jose had come around the coffee table and was now sitting next to her, looking calmly into her eyes. "Now Sarah, you need to answer some questions for me...that is if you want to live, for I have drugged you, but I do have the antidote in my truck. You see in my country, I was a pharmacist...I know how to mix drugs. So...I really don't want to kill you, or your unborn baby...but I will if I have too. Nod if you understand, so far". Sarah was surprised that she was still able to do so. "Good, now are you going to forget about Danielle, and leave her death a suicide...your answer should be one nod of your head". Sarah nodded. She could hear that it had suddenly started to rain." Ok, he said, I'll be right back, I'm running out to my truck, to get the antidote". He opened the front door, it sounded like there were frogs on the front porch...lots of them. And then she thought she heard a thud...like something had fallen...and then silence. Oh God, what's happened, she thought to herself, she couldn't move or call out, she just had to sit there and pray that her unborn baby was still all right.
To be continued...
