A Witness In The Closet

A Witness in the Closet

“Mom, please don’t tell anyone, ever.”

“I promise. Your secret is safe with me.”

“Have you read the newspapers or listened to the TV news about the woman found yesterday, stabbed to death in her kitchen?”

“Yes. I’ve read about it. It took place right around the corner from here. Why?”

“I think I know something about it. I just don’t know what to do, and I can’t tell the police.”

“The police! You thought about going to the police?”

“Yes, but if I say anything, they will think I’m a possible suspect.”

“Oh, my God, Jamie!  What have you done now? You’re always in some kind of trouble, and I told you that one day it would catch up to you and you’d end up in jail.  Boy, what have you done?”

“I didn’t do anything wrong Mom. It’s just that I was in the lady’s house yesterday when she was killed.”

“What! What did you say? You don’t even know that woman. How could you have been in her house? How Jamie? Look at me. Talk! Staring at the floor isn’t going to help you. What do you know about the dead woman?”

“Well, me and Franklin . . .”

“Franklin! I told you to stay away from him. He is nothing but trouble. You’re only fourteen years old. There is no reason you should be hanging around an eighteen-year-old high school dropout thug!”

“Mom! Stop shouting!  I need to talk to you. I really need to tell you stuff.”

“Okay, Jamie. Let’s sit at the dining-room table and have a nice calm conversation.”

“Okay, Mom.”

“Now tell me why you were at the dead woman’s house.”

“Like I tried to tell you, me and Franklin went there because Franklin said he knew where she kept an envelope full of money.”

“You went there to rob her? Jamie! Why?”

“Mom! You’re shouting again. I can’t talk to you when you’re like this.”

“Okay, Jamie. Sit back down. I will just listen to what you have to say.”

“Okay then. Franklin said that a couple of weeks ago, he was walking down her street one evening when she drove up in her car. She got out and took grocery bags from the trunk. When she started up the steps to her front door, she dropped one of the bags. Franklin said he was right there where she dropped the bag, so he picked it up and offered to help her. She let him into her house, and he followed her into her kitchen.”

“Were you there?”

“Mom! Please be quiet and let me tell you what happened. No. I was not there. Franklin said the lady thanked him, opened a cabinet drawer, took out an envelope full of money, removed a one-dollar bill which she gave to him. He thought she should have given him more. So, he started watching her, by standing on the corner of her street to see when she would not be at home. He planned to break through the back door or window and take the envelope.”

“So, he killed the woman? You should tell the police you know who did it.”

“Think about it, Mom. If I told the police Franklin stabbed the lady, they would ask how I knew. They would ask where I was when it was happening.”

“You could say he told you about it after he did it.”

“No Mom. Please be quiet. He did not kill the lady. He told me about the envelope and said we could go and get it together. He would break in, and I could stay outside and be the lookout.”

“Oh Jamie. I hope you were not stupid enough to do it. Please tell me you did not do it.”

“I did it, Mom! I did it! Franklin said the lady left home every day at ten o’clock in the morning. He thought she might be going to work. He said we could go there after she left.”

“You’re in school at ten o’clock, Jamie. There is no way you could go with him.”

“Mom. I didn’t go to school yesterday. I went with Franklin. We saw the lady leave home. We went to the back of her house where Franklin put on latex gloves and tried to raise the back window. He managed to get it up about twelve inches, but he couldn’t fit through the small opening. We decided I should try since I’m smaller. He gave me gloves and pushed me until I was in.”

“No, Jamie. No. Don’t tell me you killed that woman.”

“No, Mom. No. The window was in the kitchen. When I got inside, I hurried to the cabinet that Franklin told me to go to. I had just taken the envelope from the drawer when I heard the front door opening. I ran to the kitchen window for Franklin to help me get out, but he was nowhere to be found.”

“Do you see, Jamie? I told you he was no good! He left you holding the bag, I mean envelope. What did you do? How did you get out?”

“I ran into the nearby hallway and opened a door. I found myself inside of a hot, stuffy coat closet.  I squeezed behind the coats. It smelled like dusty old, sweaty clothes, and I could hardly breathe. I was terrified. I heard the lady walking toward the kitchen. When it sounded as though she might be in the kitchen, I think she saw the window up, because I heard her calling out, ‘Who’s there? Is there someone in my house? I’m calling the police.’ “

“Jamie, please hurry and tell me how you got out.”

“There was a flicker of daylight coming from under the door, and Mom, there was something shocking in that closet.”

“What was shocking?”

“I saw the sweater I gave Dad for Christmas. I know it was his sweater because I had the store sew a tag on the cuff of the sleeve with his initials on it.”

“I know the sweater you mean. But how could your father’s sweater get into that woman’s closet?”

“I kept thinking about that. Dad must have known the lady well enough to leave his sweater. Then I started thinking Dad might have been cheating on you. Mom, Mom. Please stop crying. I don’t want to hurt you, but I must tell you this.”

“You don’t think your father killed that woman, do you? If that is the case, we surely cannot go to the police, ever.”

“I don’t know what to think, Mom. All I know is that when it sounded like the lady had gone upstairs and I could hear heavy footsteps going across the floor, I decided to make a run for it. I opened the closet door and started to tip-toe across the living room to the front door when I heard someone with a key opening the door. I panicked and ran back to the closet. My heart was almost pounding out of my chest.”

“Was it your father?”

“I didn’t see who it was. I heard the person come in and it sounded as though they walked through the living room and into the kitchen. Then, I heard the lady come down the steps and walk to the kitchen. I heard her yell, ‘Who are you? Get out of my house. I’m calling the police!’ “

“What did the person say?”

“Nothing. The person never answered. It sounded like they began to fight. I heard dishes smashing together, feet thumping on the floor, and bodies bumping against things causing pans to tumble over. I heard the lady choking out a strained, ‘Get out! Get out!’ She screamed a horrible long scream, and then she stopped.   The other person never said anything. After a few minutes everything stopped, and it was quiet. I heard someone walk to the front door.  I waited until I didn’t hear any movement and came out of the closet and tip-toed to the front door. I left and never looked back.”

“Did you tell Franklin all of this?”

“No. I haven’t seen him since then. He left me in that house when the whole thing was his idea. I’m not sharing the money with him either.”

“The money. You kept the money? The police can trace it back to you. You said you opened a drawer to get it. They may find your fingerprints.

“Heck yea I kept the money.  The envelope had two hundred dollars in it. The lady had it in a drawer where she kept large fancy knives, the kind you use for chopping and slicing when you’re cooking. The handles had corny blue flowers. Yes, I opened the drawer, but remember, I had on latex gloves.”

“Jamie, I’m so glad you told me all of this. I hope you’ve learned your lesson and plan to stay away from Franklin. Your secret is safe with me. I’ll never tell anyone that it turns out my son is a thief.”

“Mom, there is more.”

“Come back to the table Jamie. Where are you going?”

“I’m just going to our coat closet to get something. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay Jamie. What do you have in that brown paper bag?”

“This is what I have. A butcher knife with blue corny flowers on the handle. When I went into the closet this morning to get my coat, it fell to the floor, FROM YOUR COAT POCKET, MOM!  What the heck! How did you get this?”

“You are right, Jamie. Your father has been cheating on me. Please put that thing back in the closet, or better yet, throw it away.”

“Talk to me Mom. How did you get this?”

“Sit back down and I’ll tell you. Your father has been acting strange for the past few months. When he came home from work, he would change clothes and say he was going to the convenience store, which is just walking distance. He would be gone for quite some time. Last week I decided to follow him. He went to this strange house and used a key, opened the door, and went inside. I didn’t know who lived there. When he was asleep that night, I looked at his key ring, removed a strange key, and had a duplicate made.”

 “Mom! Don’t tell me it was you I heard using a key to come into the lady’s house.”

“I drove past her house several times and saw that she left each morning. I also saw Franklin on the corner but didn’t think anything of it. I didn’t think anyone would be in the house, so I decided to go in and just snoop around. I wanted to know what kind of woman your father would choose over me. I didn’t go there to hurt anyone. No sooner than I was inside, she came down the stairs yelling. I opened the nearest drawer and instinctively grabbed a knife.”

“So, the police are going to find YOUR fingerprints.”

 “No Jamie. I too, had on latex gloves. That stinking woman came down the steps straight to the kitchen and lashed out to hit me. I reacted when I saw her rage. Now why are YOU crying?”

“You said I’m a thief, but you’re a murderer. What do you think Dad is going to say?”

“Nothing!  We don’t need to tell him. This is our mother-son secret for the rest of our lives. Now YOU stop crying and come and give me a hug.”