Evil in Arcadia

Nicole & Dave - Murder

He ran fast; his throat dry, heavy boots slapping the wet ground in the darkness. Nic was in bed—so who just came through the front door? He slipped on the muddy slope and went down, sliding on his elbow in the muck. He was back up in a flash, adrenaline driving him on. The side door was still unlocked. He hustled through.

‘Nic? Nic where are you?’ His voice rang loudly down the corridor, strange to his own ears.

The lights near the front door were switched on. He charged towards them.

‘What’s up sweetheart? What’s the matter?’ She appeared at the end of the hallway, a vision of calm.

‘I … I … was worried. I heard the front door.’

‘It was just Jo. She said she saw the lights on over here and came over to check what was going on.’

‘Oh, okay. And Phil?’

‘At home asleep I guess. She hadn’t pushed him all the way over here if that’s what you mean.’

Jo was their neighbour, she looked after her retired paraplegic husband Phil. They liked to help her out as much as they could.

’She was a bit spooked. Kept gabbling on about hearing sounds in her backyard.’

‘Really?’ He thought about the blue light he’d seen in their garden.

He suddenly turned and raced back towards Daniel’s room.

‘Dave? Dave what are you doing?’

He pushed open the door and saw the boy motionless on his back, one arm bent up by his head, the other thrown out to the side.

‘Dan? Daniel?’ he reached out and touched the child’s shoulder.

‘Daniel?’ His voice was verging on hysteria.

A hand reached from behind him.

‘For heavens sake, I just checked on him, he’s fine.’ Dave shuddered with relief as Nicole stroked his shoulder.

Daniel's tiny  hand grasped the forefinger of his hand reflexively as he slept. Dave's heart melted with love.

‘Relax Dave, its okay. I’m sorry I sent you out to check on the chickens, it seems to have got you all riled up.

His shoulder tensed at the mention of the chooks.

‘What’s the matter? Was there something wrong?’

His face hardened. ‘Yeah look Nic, the chooks they’re …’

The side door to the backyard slammed shut in a gust of wind and they both jumped. 

‘Damn, I left the side door open. I think I’ll just check the house again.’ He turned and moved quickly out of the room.

‘Dave, what were you going to tell me about the …’

They both froze as they heard the scream from next door. 

Dave puffed out his cheeks. ‘Get Dan would you, I’ll go and see what’s going on.’

The heavily built paraplegic lay sprawled face down in his study, his wheelchair on its side next to him. Dark red blood had run in a stream from a deep, angry slash along his throat and was now congealing in the thick beige carpet. Scattered in a loose circle around the body lay petals; hundreds of yellow rose petals. 

Jo had stopped screaming. She was on her knees in the middle of the rose petals with a pair of pink kitchen gloves holding a rose petal up and turning it in the light, wordlessly examining it with a look of disbelief on her face. A dangerous looking blade with an ornamental handle lay in a pool of blood next to her.

‘What in God’s name …’ Dave stood stock still in the doorway of their neighbour’s study trying to take it all in. He shook himself and turned to Nic behind him in the hallway, huddling Daniel to her chest.  Dave caught her eye and gave a quick shake of the head. She saw the look on his face and retreated towards the front door without saying anything. Dave turned back to face the mess on the study floor.

Jo looked up and held her hand out towards him with glazed eyes. ‘I thought I’d pick up the ones with the blood on them first.’

He stepped cautiously into the room and lay his hand gently on her shoulder. ‘It’s okay Jo, why don’t you leave that for a moment and come with me. Someone’s coming to help clean this up very soon.’ He spoke slowly and with a calm authority that he didn’t really feel. 

She unfolded her body and stood up, tightening her bathrobe around her. She didn’t say anything but allowed him to take her by the elbow and guide her out of the room.

‘What’s going on?’ hissed Nic when she saw them appear in the corridor. She stopped short when she saw the blood on Jo’s kitchen gloves. Dave twirled his finger and motioned for them to leave. He herded Jo and Nic, still clutching Daniel desperately to her chest, out of the front door. He had to work hard to resist the impulse to slam it closed—best to leave everything as it was. They stood there for a minute, the four of them, Daniel the only one not in some stage of shock. Dave pulled out his phone and rang triple zero, silently praying someone would soon be here to help him. Someone official, someone used to dealing with this kind of crap.