Pearls of Deception

It had been the perfect murder.  No blood, no mess.  Christina looked down at the victim.  An upscale suburban neighborhood where all the soccer moms and corporate white-collar fathers would be appalled that something like this could happen here.  But the truth was it could happen anywhere, and anyone was capable of it; given the right motive.  And she had been given the motivation. 

Her husband of twelve years had done the unthinkable; he had broken her heart.  The victim deserved to die; she deserved what had come to her.  The woman who lay dead had been her husband’s mistress.

Her husband had not only vowed to be true, to love her until his dying breath, but had successfully acted the part as a good provider and caring husband.  Why did he push her to this point?  He truly was the guilty one. 

Christina had to fight a smirk that threatened to spread across her lips.  She had planned the murder, and the set-up for months.  She knew how to leave no trace; she had mentally rehearsed this moment to exhaustion.  The only person necessary would leave a trail of incriminating evidence, her husband.  Call it an execution of justice.

She had been waiting in the darkened house when they came in together.  The woman came through the doorway flirtatiously laughing and carrying on like a person who had no idea her time to die hastened toward her.  Christina fought to swallow bile that came up from her throat as she heard her husband’s laughter echoing hers. 

“Bob, dinner was delicious.”

Christina watched as the woman stood in front of her husband, putting her hand on his arm before leaning in to kiss him.  All she could see, smell and taste was motivation.  Careful to keep quiet she took a deep breath.  I will go through with this.

The woman slipped out of her heels as Bob grabbed at her and kissed her neck.  He slipped his hand under her blouse, pulling it up over her head.  The woman stood there, kissing her husband, making out with him, preparing to give herself to him.  She could feel her hatred pulsating in her cheeks.  They would both pay.

The woman pulled herself back to look at him.  “I love you.”  She tossed her hair over her shoulder.  “But I’m sure your wife tells you that all the time.”  She let out another ear shrilling laugh. 

It resonated through Christina’s mind like a form of torture.  She fought to remain quiet.  They were both too close to the doorway still.  They needed to come further into the house.  They needed to be more vulnerable. 

The house had a fairly open concept.  The front doorway led into a large living room.  Off to the back end of the house was the kitchen and that was where Christina laid in wait; like an animal waiting to pounce on its prey.  She braced herself against the one wall.

Christina focused on them.  He ran his hand through her hair.  She stood there now in only a bra and skirt. 

“You know I love you baby.  My wife, well I love her too, but you’re the one I dream of when I’m not with you.”  He caressed her.

Christina put her hand to her chest, resting over a string of pearls that adorned her neckline.  She twisted them tightly in her fingers.  They had been a gift from her husband only two months ago when they had celebrated their anniversary.  She couldn’t fight it any longer.  She ripped them from her neck, the pearls hitting the ceramic floor and scattering.  The sound in the relatively hushed house intensified like a thunder crack.

“What was that?” 

She could hear the fear in the woman’s voice.  Christina flicked on the light switch thereby sacrificing her hiding place.

The woman gasped, shyly crossing her arms in front of her chest.  She moved to step behind Bob who moved forward. 

“Christina?  What are you doing here?”  He walked over to his wife. 

The determination fired in her eyes, she knew he could see it.  The evening would not end calmly.  She simply held her eye contact on him, remaining silent for minutes.  She pulled out her gun, aiming it towards his head.  As she walked forward, he moved backward.

“Christina please let me explain.” 

The fear in his eyes.  If only it could repair the damage done to her soul.  Yet seeing trepidation was not what she sought for.  She hungered for outright retribution.  “Sit on the couch.”  She looked over her husband’s shoulder to the woman who stood there with her mouth gaping.  Tears were sliding down the woman’s cheeks.  “You too Blondie.”

“Okay, okay, whatever you want.”  Bob held his hands out waving them, trying to stave off the seeming inevitable.  He turned to the woman who stood there frozen.  He gestured for her to move forward.  “Come on Lynn.  Do as she says.”

The woman swallowed dryly.  Christina could see her throat heave.  She aimed the gun at her for a brief moment.  “I’d do as he says.” 

Once her legs unfroze, Lynn hurried toward the couch sitting beside Bob.  He reached over for her hand, looking defiantly at his wife.  “Is this what you wanted to accomplish?  You wanted to see for yourself?  I love this woman, Christina.”  He moved closer, wrapping his arm around her.

Christina could see the woman shivering underneath him.  It caused her a moment’s weakness as her broken heart fractured further.  How could he do this right in front of me?  “Shut up.”  She raised her voice.  She walked closer toward them.  She pressed the gun into her husband’s temple.  She could feel tears start to sting the corners of her eyes yet she had to fight it.  He could never see the pain he inflicted.  She was the one that had the power, the gun, the control over the situation. 

He pulled his arm down.  “Please, let’s talk like adults.  I love you too.  Surely you must know that.  Twelve years.  It’s not something to throw away over an affair.”

Christina lost her focus for a fraction of a second.  The woman he referred to as Lynn glared at him.  “What a charmer we’ve got ourselves,” Christina said.  She pressed the barrel of the gun harder into his skull.

“I love both of you, but you are my wife Christina.  My wife, does that mean nothing to you?  If you feel you have to kill me, then go ahead, but I know you won’t.  You love me.”  His chestnut eyes looked up at her.  He was doing a good job at regaining his composure.

Damn it, he spoke the truth.  “I do.”  She let out a deep breath, barely faltering.  Months of planning came down to this, to a second of hesitation?  “But I would kill you.”  She shot a glare of intent through her eyes.  “But that’s not my plan.”  She turned her attention to the woman.  “My plan is you’re going to kill her.”  Her voice was low and deliberate.

Lynn gasped and then raised her hand to cover her mouth.  Her eyes were large.  She appealed to Bob who sat there speechless.  “No.”  Her voice hinged on the edge of yell before she broke down and sobbed uncontrollably. 

“Scream and I’ll kill both of you.”  Christina stared down her competition.

“Please let’s talk as adults.” 

“It’s too late for that Robert.”  The words came off her mouth dryly.  “She’s going to die, and you’re going to kill her.  I will not repeat this again.”

“But Chris.”  He moved to get up; she clicked back on the revolver. He put his hands up and sat back.

“See that butcher’s twine sitting on the table in front of you?”  He nodded his head.  “Take that and tie her arms behind her back.”  Sweat glistened on his forehead.  He finally took her seriously.  “Do it.”  She motioned with the gun, pointing toward the table.  “Now.”

“Okay, okay.”

Lynn tried to reach out to stop him.  He kept his focus on the table.  “Why are you doing this,” she petitioned for her life. 

“Why?  Why am I doing this?”  Christina grabbed a fistful of the woman’s hair from the backside of the couch.  Her focus still fixed on their every move.  “You’re why I’m doing this.  You stole my husband and my life from me.  You sit here like you’re innocent, yet you’re the devil.”  Christina scrunched her face, looking at her with contempt, the fostered hatred evident in her eyes. 

“Here.  Stop.  I have the string.”  Bob tried to break the confrontation. 

Christina pushed the woman’s head forward.  “Now tie her up.  Stand up Lynn, let him do it to you.”  The woman hesitated.

“Let’s just do as she says for now.”  Bob petitioned the woman.

Christina could see the way he looked at her, the passion, the love, the regret, and the guilt he held in his eyes.  “Come on, Lynn.  I’m sure it’s not hard for you to let him do it to you.  Women like you bathe in the fact you can steal husbands.  How many other men are you sleeping with?”

The woman turned her head, the truth evident in her eyes.  Bob stood there watching her.  “What?  Are you shocked Robert?  Your little lady friend here has at least one other husband she sleeps with when you’re busy with me.”

He appeared shocked.  “Lynn?  Is this true?”

She shook her head trying to dismiss the truth.  “Come on Lynn, the truth will set you free.”  Christina smirked at her husband, at the pain that emanated across his face, through his eyes, in his demeanor.  The proud man had shrunken; he had been defeated.

“Yes, yes it’s true.”  A fresh stream of tears wet her face.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”  Bob moved toward her, his free hand resting on her arm.

“Now isn’t that the question of a genius, Robert.  I mean I could ask you the same question.  Why didn’t you tell me?  Why did you waste my life with lies, deceit?  Huh, Robert, why?”  The gun was ready to fire.  Just give me a reason.  Bob looked confused as to which woman he should address first.  Christina continued, “You confused honey?  Don’t know which of us to make amends with?  Well, I’d suggest the one holding the gun.”  Her eyes bulged.

His hand came off Lynn’s arm.  He remained silent.

“Nothing to say?  Nothing after twelve years?”

“I loved you Christina.  I always saw my future with you.  What I had with Lynn –“

“What you had with me?”  Lynn interrupted him.

He looked from his wife to his mistress.  His eyes misted over.  “She’s my wife Lynn.  Surely you understand I’d have to choose her.”

Christina stood back letting them talk, letting them argue.

“I should have known you’d turn on me.  You cheating bastard.”  Lynn slapped him hard across the face.  His skin blushing to a bright red hue where she impacted.

His cheeks were pulsating from anger.  He directed the rage not toward Lynn but his wife.  “How dare you do this?”  He spoke with utter disgust, spittle flying from his lips.

Christina smirked at him.  “Guess now you know how it feels, doncha?”  She held his gaze.  “Now, tie her up.” 

He did as he was directed.  She tried to fight it but gave in after persistent direction from Christina.  “There, are you happy now?  What do you want from me?  People have affairs all the time.  You’re totally over-reacting.”

His attempt to reason with her fell on unsympathetic and unyielding ears.  “Now lay on the couch.”  She addressed Lynn whose tears of fear had turned to tears of anger. 

“Do as she says.”  He starred down at his feet.  “Surely Christina what could you possibly be trying to accomplish with all this?  You know you’re not this type of person.”

“I’m not.  And that’s why you’re going to do it.  You’re going to take this pillow.”  She lifted a small sofa pillow and tossed it to her husband.  “You’re going to hold her down, place it over her face and suffocate her.”

“No, I will not do it.”  Bob’s eyes were large, his voice loud.  “I won’t do it.  I won’t.”

“If you want to live, if you want to make up for your sins Robert, you will.”  She stepped toward him.  “And if you don’t do it, I will.  So help me, I will.”

Lynn struggled to sit up.  Christina slapped her across the head throwing her backward.  Her head fell to the side.  She had hit her hard enough to knock her unconscious.  “Well, how convenient.  It seems that I’ve made it even easier for you.  You like it easy anyway, don’t you Robert.  Now, do it.”  She moved forward starring at him, the gun fixed on him.  It was aimed at his head.  “If you don’t I’m willing to kill both of you.  So go ahead and make my day.”

Tears wet the corners of his eyes.  His eyes had glazed over and no longer conveyed any emotion.  “How did you even know about her?”  He kneeled beside her, his attention fixed on his wife.

"She's just laying there Robert.  Go ahead take advantage of her.  If I ever meant anything to you at all."  Her voice wavered yet her stance of determination didn't.

"How did you even find out?"  His eyes were large.  He was trying to read her thoughts.

"Let's just say you weren't very good at covering your tracks."  Christina walked around from the backside of the couch.  "You'd tell me how you were working out more, putting some more time in at the gym.  But you were stupid, Robert.  You didn't think it through.  Your clothes told the truth.  I'd pull them from your gym bag and they weren't even sweaty.  And let's be honest, you're putting on a little weight."  She pointed at her stomach inferring his.

He looked like a deer caught in headlights.  Guilty, caught unaware.  He had no clue this time would come.  And now he was in it, he was dazed and confused.  His chest heaved.  "But why must I kill her?  You're insane."

"I'm only what you made me, Robert."

"Why do you keep saying my name?"

"To remind myself how much I loathe you.  How much you need to pay for your sins.  And tonight.  Tonight is the day of atonement."  She walked toward him, holding the gun to his temple.  "Now do it."

"Please don't make me."  Beads of perspiration were formed on his brow.  Utter desperation plastered his entire demeanor.

Christina watched as her husband carried out her demand.  As the other woman took her last breath.

"I would have left her for you."  He turned, looking up at her, moisture now staining his cheeks.  He turned sitting with his back against the front of the couch.  Dropping his face into his hands he sulked like a child.

"Well now you have Robert.  But it's a case of too little too late."  Christina started backing away.

He obviously could sense her leaving.  "Where are you going?"  He lifted his head.

"I'm leaving.  The job is done.  And I'd suggest you run far, far away because your scent, your touch is all over this place."

"But you made me do it.  You forced me at gunpoint."  He had raised his voice.

"That's only hearsay Robert.  And whom would a jury believe?  A lying, cheating husband, or faithful wife and mother?  Besides I have nothing to hide.  There will not be a strand of evidence against me.  Not even a trace that I was ever here."  She moved toward the kitchen where she pulled off her pearl necklace.  She carefully traced her footsteps to make sure she retrieved every one before leaving.

And now, here she stood nearly twenty-four hours later staring down at the body of the young woman who had interfered in the wrong marriage. 

"Detective?"

The word brought her back to the present.  She looked over to see a young crime scene investigator looking at her.  "Yeah, what is it?"  She found him poised to take a photograph at the edge of the area rug that was under the coffee table.

"Just found something that could be a break in our case."  After taking the picture, he held up a single pearl between his latex-gloved fingers.  " So maybe there was another woman here after all.  I mean it could have belonged to the Vic.  I'll make sure it gets checked for prints."  He dropped the white pearl into a clear evidence bag and sealed it.

Christina could feel her chest tighten, and her stomach turn.  She could feel the color drain from her cheeks.  How could I have missed it? 

The CSI shrugged his shoulders.  "Then again it could be nothing."