Murder in the Dark!

Amber wasn’t sure which came first, her internal melancholia or the sad tune she hummed to herself more and more of the time. They were certainly interlinked, and both increasing in frequency since her suspicions had been aroused. She hung up from her latest call, logged the final details into the database and took a breath. Perhaps she never should have followed James to Phoenix.

The call centre lights dimmed and then went out, Amber’s monitor went blank. Her colleagues were still chatting away to callers in the dark but apart from the phone lines everything else was dead. It took a few moments for the dim emergency lighting to kick in and Amber stood up and made her way to the window. Buildings could be seen in the wintry twilight but not a street lamp or illuminated window anywhere.

After a few minutes of frantic phone calls the shift supervisor got up from her desk and started doing the rounds of the cubicles. She caught up with Amber at the window.

‘I guess you noticed the black out.’

‘Yep, certainly did.’

‘It seems it won’t be fixed any time soon, so the management team have cancelled the rest of the late shift and we’re redirecting all calls to the Tucson center. I’m sending everyone home.’

Amber sighed, went back to her shadowy desk, tied back her auburn hair, and picked up her handbag ('purse', she thought). It was probably for the best, she was in no mood to listen to other people’s problems. But she did need someone to listen to hers. She drove home and made her way up to her flat (‘apartment’ she told herself, another Americanism she was trying to get used to) in semi darkness. She used the torch on her mobile ('flashlight' on her 'cell phone', she smiled to herself), heated some water on the gas stove and made a very strong coffee. It was approaching midnight in London but Rachel would still be up. Time for a Skype before James got home.

‘I know it sounds bad,’ Rachel said, frowning over the video call, ‘but I honestly think you’re just suspicious because of your own indiscretion with Justin. Admit it Amber, if James hadn’t insisted on moving back to the States you’d still be cheating on him now.’

‘That’s probably true.’

‘I still don’t know how you got away with it for so long.’

‘James knew that Justin, his sister and I went to school together and he never suspected a thing, just assumed we were all best friends. Which we sort of were. Sort of are. Tina even covered for Justin and me on a few occasions. But I will honestly kill James if he’s doing it to me. And I’m more and more convinced he is.’

‘What’s the latest evidence?’

‘You mean as well as the coming home late, hiding his phone from me, taking secret calls in the bathroom and forgetting my birthday?’

‘Well, yeah, it doesn’t sound great.’

‘I thought you found a hidden birthday present last week, a jewellery box, what happened to that?’

‘I found a black velvet box wrapped in a t-shirt in his top drawer, but he came home before I could open it and when I looked for it again it wasn’t there. It didn’t turn up on my birthday on Wednesday so I can only assume he’s given it to someone else. I did find the receipt though, it was definitely from a jewellery store and came to nearly $200.’

‘Hmmmm, it does seem suspicious. Have you found anything else? How long have you got ‘til he gets home?’

‘About half an hour.’

‘Well, let’s take a peek in his wardrobe.’

‘Closet!’ corrected Amber with a weak smile ‘I’m trying to fit in here as much I can.’

She felt her way to the bedroom using the torch on her phone and switched the camera so Rachel could see what she was seeing.

‘Well, the first thing I notice is that his favourite boots and hat are missing.’ Amber’s heart sank.

‘You mean the cowboy ones? Does he wear that stuff to work?’

‘No, no he doesn’t, and if it was anything else missing I probably wouldn’t notice but he keeps those for special occasions. It’s ironic as he’s never been on a horse in his life. Sometimes he’ll get them out for a date night with me. So why would he take them to work?’

‘I hate to say it but maybe he does have a date tonight? One you don’t know about?’

Amber took a deep breath. ‘Yeah, it seems more and more likely.’ The words caught in her throat and tasted bitter. She felt her stomach flip.

‘What else can you see, or not see? What’s that box on the right?’

‘Looks like a shoe box, no idea.’ Amber bent down and lifted the lid with one hand. There, lying on top of a pile of tissue paper, was a handgun. Amber dropped the box lid and stood up, heart pounding, skin prickling.

‘Was that a gun?’ asked Rachel breathlessly.

‘Yes. Yes it was. I knew he had one, but I’ve never seen it. He said it was locked away somewhere safe. Clearly that’s not true.’ Amber bent back down, bringing the phone camera closer to the weapon.

‘Is it loaded? Would you know how to tell?’

‘Yes, I do know how to tell. He’s taken me to a firing range a few times trying to get me interested. I’m actually a pretty good shot. And well, I’m interested now!’ Amber lifted the gun, fighting to keep her hands steady, and briefly fiddled with it in the torch light. ‘Yes, it’s loaded.’

‘Oh my God. Put it back. You could shoot yourself.’

‘It’s ok, the safety’s on.’ Amber placed the gun back in its box but left the lid off.

‘What else can you see?’

Amber rummaged about in the closet for a few seconds before she came across a large grocery bag.

‘Mmmmm, what’s this?’ she pointed the phone so Rachel could see. ‘Bottles. Looks like something expensive.’ She pulled a bottle out of the bag and held it up to her face and the phone. ‘Champagne! It’s God damn champagne!’ Her eyes stung with tears.

‘Why is he hiding champagne in his wardrobe?’

‘He must be planning to bring her here, whoever his secret woman is.’ A tear escaped and rolled down Amber’s cheek.

There was nothing else of note in the closet so they started to look around the rest of the apartment.

‘Well nothing else looks weird to me.’ said Rachel as they moved out of the bedroom and into the kitchen.

‘You know what I have noticed? He’s made the bed. He never makes the bed. In fact, everything seems suspiciously tidy. Look, he’s washed up! He’s even put everything away from breakfast.’

Amber showed the sink to the camera. Her hands were sweating and she could feel a mixture of rage and jealousy rising in her chest.

‘When could he have done that? Surely he went to work before you this morning, I thought you were on a late shift?’

‘Yeah, he left at 7.30, I didn’t leave ‘til 12. He must have come back on his lunch break and tidied everything up, made the bed, everything. He’s not expecting me home ‘til about 9 tonight, I bet he’s planning to bring her here before I finish work.’ Amber felt her free hand clench into a fist and her shoulders rise up her neck.

‘Cheeky bugger!’

‘I can’t think of any other explanation, can you?’ she was almost shouting into the phone.

‘Maybe he’s trying to do something nice for you?’

‘I moved out here nine months ago, to make him happy. In nine months of me adjusting my whole life style he hasn’t once come home at lunch time to clean the flat. In fact, in nine months he hasn’t once made the bed, at any time of day. Look! He’s emptied the bins!’ Amber knew that her cheeks were red and her eyes were wet. She tried not to show her face to the camera. ‘I’m getting a message, one sec.’

A WhatsApp message popped up from James. ‘Hi Babe, there’s a black out, are you still working? Or did they send you home? xoxo’ she read the message to Rachel.

‘He wants to know if I’m here before he comes back. I bet he does!’

Amber looked around in the dark, wondering what else James had done to clean up for his secret affair. What else would she discover when the lights came back on? She couldn’t help but imagine his hands on another woman’s arm… thigh… breast... She wondered how many times he’d done this before without her knowing. How many late shifts she'd worked when he was using their home to entertain someone else. Had they slept together in her bed?

‘What will you do?’

Amber’s head hurt. She put one hand to her brow and puffed out her cheeks.

‘I’m going to tell him I’m still at work, and then see who he brings home with him.’

‘You serious?’

‘Deadly. But I can’t be on the phone when he gets back, and he must only be minutes away. So I’m sorry but I’m going to hang up now. I’ll call you tomorrow and let you know what happened.’

‘OK, take care.’

Amber replied to the WhatsApp; ‘No, I’m still working, we have emergency power, take care getting back in the dark xx.’

Then she returned to the bedroom, opened the closet and took out the gun. She found her way back to the living room, trembling as she pulled a chair up to sit facing the apartment door, and then she waited. A thousand things ran through her mind, possible clues about James’ infidelity, little things he said, or didn’t say, times when she had let things go but should have confronted him. The last month it had been obvious when she thought about it. How could she be so stupid?

It wasn’t long before there were voices in the corridor. It sounded like James and a woman, a British woman. How dare he? She strained her ears until she could hear her own blood racing.

‘Are you sure she doesn’t suspect anything?’ said the woman.

‘Not a thing, I’ve been really careful. I came home and got a few things ready on my lunch break and she won’t be home ‘til about 9.’

‘This all feels a bit sneaky.’ The woman giggled.

Sneaky! That was the right word for it. Amber raised the gun and clicked the safety off, she’d scare them. She’d really scare them. Maybe threaten them first and then fire a shot at the wall. Too close for comfort.

The door swung open and the outline of a man in a cowboy hat was visible against the low green emergency lighting in the corridor.

‘Don’t take another step!’ Amber could feel her clammy hands tensing around the handle of the gun as she pointed it directly at the shadow in the door frame.

‘Amber?’ came James’ voice in the darkness.

‘You said she’d be out.’ whispered the woman.

‘Well I’m not!’

At that moment the lights flickered and with the shock Amber’s hands and shoulders tensed involuntarily and she pulled the trigger. There was a flash, and a bang, and a scream. Then the lights came on.

James stood in the corridor, a look of shear horror on his face. He wasn’t wearing his cowboy hat, or any hat, but the man lying on the floor was. Justin’s sister, Tina bent over him shouting ‘Justin! Justin! Oh my God, has she shot you?’

Amber’s jaw dropped at the scene before her, and she slowly took in the details. The suitcases, the helium balloons, the cake, the black velvet jewellery box lying on the carpet. The seven other people crowding in from the corridor with parcels and gift bags.

Surprise!