Bad Games

10



Patrick and Amy sat huddled together on the steps of their front porch waiting for the local sheriff to arrive. They each gripped a mug of tea prepared by Lorraine who was now next door keeping an eye on Carrie and Caleb until matters could be resolved. Norman stood next to the seated couple.

“I think this might be him,” Norman said, pointing out in the distance towards a pair of headlights entering Crescent Lake. Seconds later the flashing red and blue left zero doubt.

“It only took him half an hour,” Amy said. Her bitter sarcasm was anything but subtle.

“Not much ever happens around here, Amy,” Norman said. “Heck, it’s just the one sheriff and a couple of deputies patrolling the area. Guess they figure they can take their time.”

Amy had been chatting up a nervous storm the entire time they waited for the sheriff. She fired out questions, each one flowing immediately into the next, giving neither man a chance to answer. This was oddly appropriate; neither man had answers.

Patrick’s behavior on the porch was the opposite of his wife’s. His rage for what Amy had seen in their bedroom window was consuming him and had taken hold of his tongue. He had stormed outside immediately after the incident, keen on a confrontation. After several minutes of fruitless searching, he eventually broke down and phoned the police. And now, having no other option but to sit and wait (while the son of a bitch in the window was being given ample time to get away), he felt as if a sea of bile was burning holes in his stomach.

The sheriff’s car rolled to a stop in front of the cabin. The flashing red and blue continued their show while the sheriff exited the car and began his walk to the cabin.

“You the Lamberts?” he called, still a good ten feet from the couple.

Amy and Patrick set their mugs to one side, stepped down and walked a few feet forward. The porch held two lanterns on either side of the front door, each one powerful enough to cast a decent light onto the sheriff as he came into view. He was in full uniform, right down to the wide-brimmed hat. His pallid skin was heavily wrinkled, eyes dark and narrow. A long, thick gray mustache touched both corners of his chin. His physique was the odd combination of skinny and fat: a sunken chest, pipe cleaner arms, and a belly that bubbled and hung over his belt.

“Yes,” Patrick said as he extended his hand. “I’m Patrick. This is my wife, Amy.”

The sheriff took Patrick’s hand and gave it a half-hearted shake while looking in Norman’s direction. “That you, Norm?” he asked.

Norman nodded and gave a small obligatory smile, discouraging drawn-out pleasantries. Patrick was grateful.

“How’s Lorraine?”

“She’s fine.”

The sheriff nodded then turned his full attention to Patrick and Amy. “So who can tell me what happened here tonight?”



* * *



Amy and Patrick took turns relaying the bizarre events that took place earlier in the day—Patrick when it came to the incidents with Arty, Amy when it came to the man with the shaved head at the supermarket. When the telling of events ultimately arrived at the episode with the man at the window, Amy took over entirely.

“And I glanced up at the window for a few seconds and he was there…staring at me,” she said.

“And you’re sure it was the man you saw earlier in the supermarket?” the sheriff asked.

“Positive,” Amy said.

The sheriff fixed on Patrick. “And you say you ran outside after the guy?”

“That’s right.”

“But you didn’t find anyone.”

“No.”

The sheriff went back to Amy. “And you’re absolutely sure you saw a man in your window?”

Amy looked at the sheriff as though he’d told an offensive joke. “Yes, I’m sure.”

The sheriff showed Amy both palms in a placating manner. “Okay, okay, I’m just suggesting that after the ordeal at the market today, maybe this guy’s face might have been on your mind some. Maybe caused you to see something that wasn’t really there.”

“I just got finished making love to my husband. I can assure you that creep’s face was not on my mind.”

Norman blushed at Amy’s comment, bit back a smile and looked away.

The sheriff’s reaction was similar but different. He too blushed, but there was no smile to fight; he seemed flustered by Amy’s bluntness, avoiding eye contact when he said, “Okay, ma’am, I’m just here trying to put your mind at ease, that’s all.”

“Well you’re accusing me of not seeing something that I know I saw.”

Another placating gesture of the hands. “Okay, okay…”

“So what now?” Patrick asked.

The sheriff answered Patrick by addressing Amy. “You mind showing me which window you spotted him in, miss?”

“It would be my pleasure.”

Amy led the sheriff around the side of the cabin with Patrick and Norm close behind.

“Here.” She pointed to the only window of the cabin that looked directly into their bedroom. “Right here.”

The sheriff looked into the window for a brief moment, then squatted down into a catcher’s stance, grunting the whole way. He pulled the flashlight from his belt and waved it along the ground for several seconds before mumbling, “Huh.”

“What?” Patrick asked.

The sheriff remained squatting, still shining the flashlight on the ground. “Kinda muddy.”

“So?” Amy said.

The sheriff glanced up at Amy, a mild look of annoyance now trumping the uncomfortable berth he’d initially given her. When he brought his attention back down to the ground, he proceeded to wave the flashlight over the muddy grass in slow, deliberate circles. “I can’t make out a shoe print. Can you?” he asked.

Patrick squatted down next to the sheriff. “Can I borrow that?” he asked, nodding his head towards the flashlight.

The sheriff seemed reluctant, but eventually clicked his teeth and said, “Sure thing.”

Patrick took the flashlight, waved the cylinder of light over the area beneath the window. He saw nothing that resembled the tread of a shoe or a boot, but he did see something. “There’s a few indentations here,” he said. “It kind of looks like the earth was pressed flat in spots. Maybe he was barefoot?”

The sheriff stood slowly upright, groaning more so than he’d done during his descent. “Perhaps,” he said. “But I can’t see a man running around out here without a pair of shoes on. Wooded area like this would tear his feet to bits. Hardly worth it for a little peepshow.”

Amy made no attempt to hide her disgust over the sheriff’s choice of words.

Patrick stood and handed the flashlight back to the sheriff. “So then how do you explain what my wife saw?”

The sheriff clicked off the flashlight, hooked it back onto his belt, and let out a long sigh, the delay in his response seemingly intentional, as though he considered his wisdom a privilege, worth the wait.

“Can’t say for sure,” he finally said. He faced Amy. “It’s obvious you’re quite upset, miss. And I don’t doubt your word. If you’re friends with Lorraine and Norm here then I’m sure you’re decent folks who would have no reason to make up such a story.” He turned back to Patrick. “You say you went out after the guy.”

“Yeah, I told you that.”

“How soon?”

“What?”

The sheriff enunciated slowly. “After your wife spotted the man, how soon after did you go out looking for him?”

Patrick struggled for a quick response. The sheriff’s patronizing tone made him feel guilty for some reason. “I don’t know—a minute maybe? I had to throw on some pants and shoes first.”

“And you say you never saw the guy in the window to begin with? Nobody was there when you looked?”

“That’s right.”

“But you still went out anyway.”

“Absolutely. I trust my wife.”

“How long did you look for him again?” The sheriff didn’t look at Patrick when he spoke; his flashlight was out again, waving about their surroundings, more obligatory than necessary.

“I don’t know—a few minutes? I kind of ran the perimeter of the cabin a few times, then wandered further out.”

“But you never saw anyone.”

Patrick gritted his teeth and steadied himself. “No.”

The sheriff looked at Norman. “What about you, Norm? You see anything out of the ordinary?”

“Lorraine and I were asleep.”

The sheriff nodded once and clicked the flashlight off. A brief moment of silence followed. The cacophony of chirps and clicks from the surrounding nightlife echoed throughout the dark surroundings. Such sounds were usually demoted to white noise after only a few minutes of exposure, but now they seemed intent on rising above their disregarded status in a bid to set an ominous mood for current events.

“Well,” the sheriff finally said, holstering the flashlight again, adjusting his wide-brimmed hat, “I’ve got all your information. I’ll alert my deputies to keep an eye out for anyone fitting the description you gave me, and I’ll send a cruiser out periodically this weekend to do a brief check around the area. My guess is that if there was a guy here then he’s long gone by now, especially when he saw a big fella like this coming after him.” The sheriff smiled and patted Patrick on his upper arm, finishing with a firm squeeze. Patrick flashed on Arty’s similar gesture at the gas station and this time he yanked his arm free. The sheriff dropped his smile and stared. Patrick instantly regretted his action. Not because the sheriff was a good guy (he seemed like an a*shole), but because his ego still regretted the physical liberty Arty had taken with him. And of course, the sheriff was law—that was a big one too.

“I’m sorry,” Patrick immediately said. “I’m just…I guess I’m just frustrated. I’m very sorry, sheriff. I didn’t mean any disrespect.”

The sheriff slowly put his smile back on. “That’s alright, son. You’ve had a heck of a night. Can’t blame a man for getting frustrated when it comes to protecting his family.”

Patrick smiled and nodded a silent thank you.

The sheriff turned to Norman. “Nice seeing you again, Norm.” He looked at Amy, tugged the brim of his hat and said, “You take care now, folks.” He did not look back at Patrick.

The sheriff sauntered back to his vehicle with all the urgency of a man out for a midnight stroll, painfully obvious to Patrick that the sheriff had felt his time had been wasted, that he was eager to get back to the station so he could put his feet up and continue watching his belly grow.

Giving a final wave over his shoulder before oozing into the driver’s seat, the sheriff started his engine and left.

“A*shole,” Amy said once the flashing red and blue were colored dots in the distance. “Is he always like that, Norm?”

“Can’t say. I’ve only met him at picnics and community gatherings and such. He seemed okay there. This was the first time I ever saw him on the job. Seemed a bit condescending at times, didn’t he?”

“And then some,” Amy said. She turned to Patrick. He looked strange. “Patrick? You alright?”

“Yeah,” he said a little too quickly, shaking himself from the blender of thoughts in his head. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Amy did not seem convinced. “You believe me, right?” she asked. “You believe I saw someone? The guy with the shaved head from Giant? You do believe I saw him outside our window right?”

Patrick did believe her. Initially. Now he was unsure. He knew how upset his wife had been earlier, and he knew that if you coupled that fact with the dark and relatively unfamiliar environment they were in, it was very possible that she did see something that wasn’t there—a cruel but common trick of the eyes.

And then there was the evidence. There was none. No shoe prints in the mud, no sign of the guy when he ran outside after him. As much as it pained Patrick to even consider it, maybe the a*shole sheriff had been spot-on in his assumption that what Amy truly saw was an image of a man locked away in the recesses of her mind—unwillingly set free for a fleeting moment when her guard was down.

Still, Patrick was smart enough to know that betraying Amy’s trust was about as wise as pissing off Lorena Bobbitt, so he prayed his uncertain response gave authenticity. “Of course I do, baby. I’m just flustered right now, that’s all. That sheriff was a dick.”

To Patrick’s delight, Amy did not appear to second-guess his response. She just walked over and put her arms around him in a tight embrace. He hugged her back and kissed the top of her head.

“Would you like Lorraine and I to keep the kids for tonight?” Norman asked.

“Would you mind?” Amy said, pulling away from her husband and facing Norman. “I’d hate to wake them again. Plus it kind of makes me feel better to know they’re not…I don’t know…at the cabin he was looking in.”

“Wait, wait,” Patrick said. “I’m not too sure about that. Maybe it’s best if the kids are with us.”

Amy repeated herself, adamant. “I don’t want to wake them again. And I don’t want them to be in the same cabin that he was—”

Patrick held up a hand. “Fine.”

“What will happen tomorrow?” Norman asked.

Amy gave an uncertain shrug. “I guess we’ll figure that out tomorrow. But don’t be surprised if you find us leaving first thing in the morning. As for right now I’m just thinking about…” She sighed. “I don’t know what I’m thinking.” She looked at Patrick. “Maybe we should wake them.” She looked back at Norm and sighed again. “I don’t know…I’m not making any sense, am I?”

“No, you are,” Norman said. “I’d be confused and uncertain too. It’s completely understandable.”

“You’re sure you don’t mind keeping the kids for tonight?” she asked again.

“Absolutely not. You know we love having them. You two go on in and try and get some sleep.”

Amy snorted. “Right.”

“We’ll bring the kids over first thing in the morning when they wake,” Norman said.

“Thanks, Norm,” Patrick said.

Norman stepped forward and gave them each a hearty hug. “We’ll see you in the morning. Goodnight.” He flashed a reassuring smile, turned and headed back towards his cabin.

Patrick took Amy’s hand and gave her a gentle pull. “Come on, baby, let’s go inside.”

They were a few feet from the back entrance when Oscar appeared, wagging his tail and whining for affection.

“And where the hell were you during all this?” Amy said.



* * *



Jim had watched every second of the aftermath unfold. He was only fifty yards away during the sheriff’s entire stay—nestled safely behind an enormous oak at the rear of the Lambert’s cabin.

His feet did ache, but the two thick pairs of wool socks he wore dulled the sharp edges that jabbed into his soles when he fled from the window.

Watching the couple f*ck had proved arousing. But that show was a mere bonus. Anticipation had been the true culprit for the thumping in his heart and the tickling in his groin—waiting for that sweet, sweet moment when Amy (he knew her name now; he heard it spoken from behind the oak) would spot none other than his face leering back at her from the bedroom window.

The game was officially gaining momentum.