The Smudge - No. 1

by Ron Przeslak

t was cold and rainy. The night fell fast, with the moon peering out from behind the dark, black clouds.

David was gloomy, with only one thing on his mind. Her.

She was the lady of his dreams. The woman of his heart. She showed him the values of being in love.

"But why did it have to end?" David asked himself, holding the gun next to his head.

David was fed up with this "love" business. "Why feed your heart out to some woman, only to have it spit back in your face when she's tired of you? Is it fair? No way! I quit!"

David's thoughts were flowing clearly through his mind. He looked at them for one last time, sadly. He hated to see them go, forever, but he felt that this must be done.

He pulled the trigger.

When he hit the floor, she walked in the door.

Tears jumped from her eyes as she fell to her knees beside him. She couldn't understand why he gave up. Maybe he didn't recieve the letter she sent him. The letter that explained she was sorry. The letter telling him she'll come back.

Policemen stood at the door, staring at her kneeling next him and weeping. The police knew the story right away, or so they thought. They hand-cuffed her and walked her to the squad car, while pictures were taken of the victim David, for evidence.

The detective entered the apartment, noticing the blood immediately. He walked toward the body, passing a table with an unopened envelope laying on top. Although he didn't notice it, his rain coat brushed it off the table. It floated underneath the table and into a furnace vent. Thus endeth the letter.

At police head-quarters, she was questioned about the shooting. She was the only suspect, and there were no witnesses.

"Do you still plead innocent?" asked the police chief. He was interrupted by a paging on his intercom. "Yes, what is it?"

"The fingerprints are back from the lab. Would you like to see them?" asked his secretary.

"Yeah, sure. Bring them in," said the chief.

A man in a white cloak walked in with some slides. "How are you this evening, sir?" he asked.

"Just fine. Busy night though. We seem to have another murder." replied the chief.

"Another murder?!" screamed the lady. "My boyfriend has committed suicide, and you say 'just another murder?" You men are sick!"

"Please calm down. There's no need to get hysterical about this. Please be cooperative," said the chief.

"Why should I be cooperative when you don't even believe I'm innocent??" she said.

Police were still investigating the apartment searching for some form of evidence to support their suspiscions. Howver, the only good clue was the gun. If the prints on the gun matched with hers, she would no doubt be guilty of murder. And if they matched David's it would be apparent suicide.

"Okay, let's see what we have here," said the chief, looking at the slides from the lab. "Very interesting."

She was on the edge of her seat, ready to hear the bad news.

"Miss, have you handled that gun before?" asked the chief.

"Never! I hate guns! I've hated all weapons since i was a child!"v

"Well," said the chief with an unsteady voice, "it seems you have."

"What?!" she screamed. "I never in my life touched a gun. And here you tell me I took that gun and shot my boyfriend!"

"Now, now. I didn't say that, I simply stated a fact. You touched this gun," said the chief.

"I never! How can you accuse me of this?" she exclaimed.

She was escorted down the hallway to a holding cell. "What are you doing?" she screamed. "Why are you putting me in jail?"

"You're under arrest," said the chief.v

"But I'm innocent, I tell you! Don't you believe me?"v

"Well, by the looks of this evidence and the body, I'd say..."

"I knew you didn't! No one does! I'm ging to be held in prison for a murder I never committed!"

"Oh, you didn't? That's too bad. Everybody else says you did."

She sat on the bench inside her cell, her head in her hands, weeping. "Won't anyone ever believe me?" she said to herself.

The next morning she woke up to the sound of her cell door being unlocked. It was the warden.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"You're being released," he said.

"Why?"

"You'll see," said the warden.

She was taken to another room. A room with only 3 chairs, a table, and a light bulb hanging from the cieling.

"What's going on? Why won't you tell me what's going to happen to me? I have a right to know," she cried.

"You'll find out," said the warden. "Now just sit here and the police will be here in a minute."

So there she sat, pateintly, waiting for an excuse for this. The door opened and the chief entered. The door closed and all was quiet again.

"You never said whether you would like to speak with a lawyer," he began. "Everyone always shouts they want to speak to their lawyer."

"Yes, I would like to speak with a lawyer."

"I'll arrange for one to meet with you then. You'll have to wait in here though," said the chief.

Fifteen minutes later, a lawyer entered the room.

"Finally," she said. "What took you so long?"

"Are you..."

Yes. Now, can you get me out of this?" she asked.

"Slow down, slow down. Now. let's hear the story first."

She told him the whole story, without missing a detail.

"Okay, now, I'm going to ask you some questions that may seem ridiculous, but they are quite necessary. First, when did the policeman tell you you were under arrest?" he asked.

"He told me when I was in the cell. Why?" she asked.

"Great! Believe it

or not, if you are correct, you can leave right now!" said the lawyer.

"I can? Why?" she asked.

"Well, the way you tell it, the police never read you your rights. That's why you never asked for me. You didn't know you had a lawyer," he explained.

"Wow! I can't believe it! I'm free!" she exclaimed.

"Legally, you are. You know... I knew David myslef. We were good friends," said the lawyer.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah. We went bowling and everything," he said.

"Huh. I didn't know he knew a lawyer. But I'm glad he did. Thanks to you, I'm free. You're the only person who believed me. If you weren't here, I'd still be in that cell," she said. "By the way, when can I leave?"

"Right now, if you'd like. I'll tell the guards," said the lawyer.

He knocked on the door and the security guard opened it. She could hear some muttering as he explained her case to the security guard, and then she heard him talking to the warden and the police chief. The guard nodded his head and said to her, "Okay, follow me."

They walked down the hall to the main desk. "This lady's case has been reviewed, she's been fully released," said the guard to the secretary. "Would you like a ride home, Miss?"

"Please, that would be very considerate of you," she replied.

"Oh, don't worry. it's no problem. Just follow me," he said.

They walked into the parking lot. "Right over here, Miss,"he said, showing her the correct car. Together they got in. He started the motor and they pulled out of the parking lot.

"I live on Park Street, third house on the right. it's a big..." she began.

"Oh shut up! It doesn't matter!" shouted the guard.

"What? What the heck are you talking about?!" she exclaimed.

"You don't think the chief actually believed your story, do you? Of course not. He knows you did it. He's not too happy about it, either. David was his best friend!"

"Well, what are you doing? I'm free, my lawyer said so!" she said.

"The chief said I'm supposed to take care of you..." he explained.

"Oh, that was sweet of him," she said.

"Not that that kind of care. You know... more like 'take care of her!' With a gun..." said the guard.

"Oh my God! You're going to kill me?" she screamed.

"You got it sister," said the guard.

"But why?" she asked.

The guard answered. "You never should have killed David..."