This story is by Arthur Stewart and was part of our 2025 Fall Writing Contest. You can find all the writing contest stories here.
Walking into the room, Danny leaned over to his sister’s ear. “I don’t know about you, but I’m getting some weird vibes. It’s like de ja vu or something,” he said as he shook his head in disbelief.
Sheila put her arm around Danny’s shoulders. “I know he put you through hell, Danny. It’s probably all of the emotions coming out after 40 years.”
“Danny. Sheila. Please have a seat,” Tim said as he sat down behind his desk. “Thank you for coming in today. I’ve known both of you and your father for decades. A good man. All of the pain and sorrow you’ve been through. No one should have to deal with that. Deepest sympathies.”
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Grabbing the rotary phone, “Help me. I need the police,” 12-year-old Danny screamed as he wiped his bloody hands onto his shirt. “Now!”
“I’m sorry. Can you repeat that? Please tell me what’s going on?”
“The police. Get me the police. My mom’s been shot,” Danny said in a quivering voice. “I just got home from school and looked all over the house for her. I found her by the couch. ”
“What’s your address? I’ll get the police sent over immediately.”
“Hurry, please! She’s bleeding all over. There’s blood everywhere,” Danny pleaded with the operator as he fixated at the ever-increasing pool of blood.
“Please tell me your address. I’ll have an ambulance sent to your location.”
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“Thanks, Tim. We are definitely going through a lot right now. We appreciate you handling our dad’s affairs after your dad passed so recently. Our dads were like two peas in a pod,” Sheila said. “I mean, the heartbreaking deaths both of our families experienced over the years. You haven’t had it easy, either. Just our moms’ deaths alone so close together…”
“Yep, two best friends through thick and thin. My mom’s passing and then yours. Two unnecessary tragedies,” Tim said shaking his head as he reached for a folder. “They were inseparable ever since. I still can’t believe they never figured out who the guy was.”
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Appearing from around the corner from the living room, Mike quietly walked up to Danny and took the phone out of his hand. “Here, let me, Danny.”
Mike cleared his voice as he took a deep breath, “401 Michigan Road. Please hurry. My wife has been shot and also an intruder.”
“Excuse me. Who is this? I was just talking to a young boy a moment ago,” the operator said.
“This is the boy’s father. I… I… I, uh, just got home from a work trip and there was a man attacking my wife. I shot him.”
“What is your name sir?”
“Mike. Um, Mike Davis,” he said trying to steady his voice.
“Who did you shoot, Mike? Is the person still at your home?”
Pausing for a moment, “I…I…I don’t know. I think so. It’s all a blur.” He looked over his shoulder at the stranger’s upper torso sticking out from behind the couch.
“What about your son? Is he okay? Is he hurt?”
“No…yes…No,” shaking his head. “I don’t know. Just hurry, please. 401 Michigan Road,” Mike said as he placed the handset back on the phone cradle.
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Nodding in agreement as he rested his elbows on his leg, “Let’s not rehash the past, okay? Not the time or the place. So, what do we need to sign? I’d like to finish this up soon.”
“I have the papers you need to sign and the will. As you both know, there was not much of an estate your dad had when he passed. The only other personal effects are the contents from a safe he asked me to store for him.”
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Frozen at the image in front of him, Danny continued to stare at his mom.
“Danny, talk to me. What did you see? Are you okay?” Mike said as he knelt down in front of his son grabbing his rigid arms. “I need to know exactly what you saw. Who was in the room when you walked in? Did you see anyone else?”
Tears rolled down Danny’s face, as his mouth silently widened.
Shaking his son to get his attention, “Danny, talk to me. Tell me what you saw?”
Sirens appeared quickly from the distance.
Still not getting a response from Danny, Mike stood up and walked to the other body, reaching into the stranger’s jacket. He grabbed a wallet and put it in his pocket. “Look, Danny. Here is the gun that I shot the bad man that hurt mom. Just remember this. Okay?”
Danny did not blink or give any response.
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“What effects?” Danny said as he grew frustrated. “I just want this to be over.”
“I have a letter that I am supposed to give to you. Your dad hired me as his lawyer to present this to both of you upon his passing.”
“A fucking letter? That’s what we get out of all of this? He couldn’t put together any kind of inheritance? This man was something alright,” Danny said in frustration.
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Hearing noise coming from the front door, Mike turned toward the sound.
“POLICE! We’re coming in,” the two officers said as they rushed inside, weapons drawn.
“Oh, thank God you’re here,” Mike said as he motioned them over to his wife’s body. “Here. Over here. It’s my wife. She’s bleeding terribly.”
“What’s your name, sir? The operator said there was an intruder. Who are you?” the first officer said as he aimed his pistol at Mike.
“Mike. Mike Davis. My son called in. He’s the one who came home and found all of this.”
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“C’mon, Danny. Let’s not do that here. Tim’s just doing what he was hired to do. Okay?” Sheila said as she tried to calm down her brother.
“Yeah. Yeah. I hear you. Just want this to be over with so I can get out of here and move on.”
“Good,” Tim said as he started to read the letter out loud. “Dan and Sheila. I’ve been wanting to tell you this for years, but I couldn’t take a chance of you not being in my life. I just couldn’t live with that. Your mom and I had fallen out of love and I found someone new. There was no other way for that to happen without your mom taking you from me. The day Danny walked in and found mom. She…” Tim stopped reading aloud and then dropped the letter to the floor.
“What? What is it, Tim?” Sheila asked.
Pushing back away from his desk, “I can’t.”
“What the hell, Tim? What can’t you do? Give me the damn thing.” Grabbing the letter off the desk, “I’ll finish it.”
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The second officer bent down and checked the woman’s pulse. Not feeling anything, he stood up and searched the room. “We were told there might be an intruder in the house. Is that person still here?”
“Yes. Yes, over here. Over by the couch. I shot him with his pistol. We fought over it when I came in,” Mike said as his legs started to give out. “I…I need to sit down.”
“Sure. Yes, please sit,” the second officer said as he leaned over the intruder’s body.
“Anything?”
“Nope. He’s gone, too. No ID either. Just checked his pockets. A guy like this has got to have a rap sheet a mile long. We’ll probably find out who he was when we run his fingerprints.”
Two paramedics dragged the stretcher into the living room. “Make way, guys.”
“I don’t think it matters. Both are gone. No survivors.”
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Danny started to quickly scan where Tim left off but continued reading silently. “I…I…I…”
“What? What is it, Danny? What are you talking about?” Sheila’s voice trembled.
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“Okay, Scott. Coast is clear. Everyone’s gone,” Mike said as he cracked open the basement door. “You can come up.”
Walking slowly up the steps to the kitchen, “Jesus, Mike. I thought your kid was going to find me hiding down there when he started looking for Nancy. Poor kid is going to need a shrink.”
“He’ll be fine,” Mike said as he lit a cigarette. “Me? I’ll finally be free.”
Scott let out a big sigh, “I don’t know how you convinced the cops. You’re one hell of an actor.”
“I didn’t think you’d go through with it.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out an envelope. “Here you go, three grand. Worth every penny.”
“See you around, Mike.”
“Oh, before I forget, here’s the guy’s wallet. Will you toss this someplace after you leave? Don’t need this thing being found here by some nosy cop.”
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