Murder She Wrote

Hello everyone! I have written a short story called ‘Murder She Wrote’ and I will be posting it in 4 installments. Today I will post PART 1 of the series. I will post parts 2, 3 and 4 every Thursday for the next few weeks. This is the first time I divide a story into a series like this. Let me know how you like it.

 

 

Murder She Wrote

by Vashti Quiroz-Vega

 

 

“What can I help you with?” the cold mechanical voice asked.

 

“Siri, dial 911,” said Mason, his trembling hand hardly able to hold onto his iPhone.

 

“Calling 911…” replied the robotic voice from his iPhone.

 

“911,” said the dispatcher. “Where is your emergency?”

 

“I’m at my girlfriend’s house! She’s lying on her kitchen floor! I-I think she’s dead!”

 

“Sir, you must calm down. Tell…” the dispatcher’s words were smothered by Mason’s rambling.

 

“I just opened the door and there she was, lying in a pool of blood. I-I d-don’t know what happened. She’s dead! She’s dead!”

 

“Sir! Please take a deep breath and calm yourself.” Mason closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Sir, are you there?”

 

“Yes, I’m still here. I’m sorry. I’ve n-never seen a dead body before. That’s my girlfriend,” cried Mason.

 

“What is your name sir?”

 

“Mason. My name is Mason.”

 

“Mason, I’m going to need for you to walk over to your girlfriend’s body and make sure she isn’t still breathing.”

 

“No, no, I can’t do that!”

 

“Mason, she could appear dead, but still be alive. Please check and see if she is breathing.” Mason bit his lower lip and squinted toward the body.  “Mason, every second counts!”

 

Mason walked quickly, but apprehensively, to his girlfriend’s corpse. His heart beat rapidly, and he could barely catch his breath. He placed one knee on the ground, careful not to soil his pants with the blood oozing from the back of her head. He lowered his face to hers. There was no breath escaping her mouth. He picked up her cold, stiff, pale hand. It felt foreign in his own. He checked for a pulse, but she had none. She was dead.

 

“Mason? Are you still there?” the voice on the phone asked.

 

“Sh-she’s dead,” he breathed into the phone “Sh-she’s not breathing, and there’s no pulse.”

 

“Alright, Mason. Give me the address. An Ambulance and the police will be right over.”

 

Mason gave the dispatcher his girlfriend’s address and pressed the red ‘End’ bar on his iPhone. He collapsed on his girlfriend’s sofa. He cradled his face in his hands and sobbed. His chest heaved and his wails resonated throughout the house.

 

Two Weeks Earlier…

 

“That dress looks spectacular on you, Jessica,” blurted Ashley as she watched her svelte friend model the little black dress.

 

“Do you think Mason will love it?” asked Jessica, swaying her hips in front of the dress boutique’s full-length mirror. She spun and glanced at her backside, loving how the stretchy black knit hugged her rear.

 

“He would have to be blind not to love it!” said Ashley. “The dress is beautiful and it shows off your long legs and curvy figure. You look like a model!”

 

“What do you think, Adrianna? Do you like the dress?” asked Jessica. “You’ve been awfully quiet the entire time we’ve been here.”

 

Adrianna rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth. “The dress is beautiful, Jessica. All eight dresses you’ve tried on were beautiful. As a matter of fact, there isn’t an ugly dress in this place!” She mumbled, “Or an economical one.”

 

“Well, this isn’t a bargain-basement! I wanted this dress to be special. It is our first year anniversary, after all. I can’t just wear any dress. Besides, I think he may be thinking of proposing.” Jessica wore a large grin. Adrianna’s eyes glinted with animosity.

 

“No! Are you serious?” squealed Ashley. “Do you really think Mason will pop the question?” Jessica nodded rapidly. Ashley ran and gave her a huge hug. As they embraced each other, they jumped up and down with excitement and looked at Adrianna, wondering why she wasn’t partaking in the girly fun. Adrianna just stared at them with a sour expression. Her fingers were curled so tightly, her nails were cutting into her palms.

 

“Come on, Adrianna. I know you’re tired, but aren’t you happy for me?” asked Jessica.

 

Adrianna took a deep breath, dragged her feet toward them and reluctantly placed her arms around them both.

 

Jessica’s phone rang. She quickly let go of the others and ran to pick it up.

 

“Oh. Missed call. It was Mom. I’ll call her back later,” said Jessica. “Oh! Check this out!” Jessica pressed down on a button, causing her iPhone to emit two dings.

 

“What can I help you with?” asked the voice in her phone.

 

“Siri, how gorgeous do I look in this little black dress?” asked Jessica.

 

“Looking good, Jessica! Is that what you wanted to hear?” replied Siri. The girls laughed.

 

Jessica pressed the little microphone and yelled into her phone, “Siri, you’re a bitch!”

 

“That doesn’t sound good,” said Siri.

 

“That’s because it isn’t, you dumb robot!”

 

“This is your problem, Jessica, not mine,” replied Siri. The girls stared at each other, and then burst into laughter once more.

 

“That phone has a smart mouth,” said Ashley.

 

“You mean Siri has a smart mouth,” said Jessica. “I tease her all the time, and she always has a snarky comeback.”

 

“You tease your phone?” asked Adrianna with a sardonic tone. Jessica shrugged.

 

“It’s fun to hear her replies,” responded Jessica, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks.

 

“You phone bully!” teased Ashley. She glanced playfully at Jessica, and they both laughed. Adrianna rolled her eyes.

 

“I’m so glad I can share my happiness with my two best friends,” gushed Jessica, her eyes glossy with moisture.

 

“Me too, Jessica,” said Ashley. Adrianna clenched her jaws and lowered her head, unable to feign contentment any longer.

The Face of Jealousy

 

I hope you enjoyed this installment of my 4 PART Series – Murder She Wrote

Let me know what you think and don’t forget to come by next week Thursday to read the 2nd installment!