After the third knock, Sarah eventually made her way to the door and pulled it open a crack. A middle-aged man was standing on the other side, smiling guilelessly at her.
“Do you always keep your guests standing outside?”
“I do not always have strange fellows knocking on my door, so early in the bloody morning.”
“Forgive me, but this seemed like the best time.” He pulled out his wallet and flashed an ID in her face; he gave her enough time to see it was police identification before he pulled it away. “Inspector Dobrev Ma’am, I’m here for some questions if you do not mind.”
Sarah was blank, she had no idea what could possibly have happened that could bring the cops to her doorstep so early in the morning, “Is everything okay?”
“Yes, just some routine questions.”
“About what?”
“About your ex-boyfriend,”
Sarah let out an exasperated sigh, “I can assure you, whatever that idiot has done has nothing to do with me. If he broke the law, then he should, by all means, face its wrath to its full extent.”
Dobrev’s brow rose at that as he studied her, she was still dressed in her nightgown which she had hurriedly thrown a robe over in her bid to open the door. She had that look of one who had not gotten enough sleep.
“I’ll keep that in mind Sarah, can I call you Sarah?”
She didn’t like the way he was looking at her at all, it was not downright creepy, more like he knew something huge that she didn’t and that feeling was making her uneasy.
“No,” she told him. “Let us stick to ma’am, Inspector.”
“Okay, ma’am. But I am not here about that ex-boyfriend, I am here about the dead ex-boyfriend.”
Sarah sucked in a deep breath in shock but she composed herself once more, “I don’t understand.”
“The investigation into the murder of your ex-boyfriend ten years ago has been reopened.”
Sarah’s hand dropped from the door, causing it to open wider, “why? After all this time? I thought you lousy cops failed already?”
“So, I need to ask you some questions. I do not mind waiting while you go and change into something other than your nightgown.”
She frowned at him, turned, and walked up the stairs leaving the door open for him. He walked in after her, making his way to the living room. There were no signs of anyone else in the house, all indications pointed to the fact that she lived alone. No husband, no kids. None of her boyfriends ever stayed long enough to pop the question, and she went through them like a knife through butter.
Dobrev turned as she walked back down the stairs, now dressed in a simple polo and jeans with the sleeves pulled back to her elbows, “I do not understand what is happening, I spoke to the cops back then. I do not know what I can possibly add at this time, ten years is a really long time.”
“Yeah,” Dobrev agreed. “But not too long, your loved one was murdered. If everyone else forgot, you shouldn’t.”
“See Inspector, I’ve moved on okay? What happened to him was terrible, but I did not put my life on the hold for him back then. And I won’t do so now. If you’re done with the questions…”
“Done?” Dobrev cut her off with a chuckle, “don’t be silly, we are just getting started. “You were not married, you were not even engaged, but in the event of his death you took his house.”
“He had no family,” she replied icily. “I was all he had, and at the time I had no other place to go to. No one is contesting it, so it’s no big deal right?”
“No, the house is no big deal of course. But his trust fund is.”
“What?” She rasped.
“The money his grandfather left for him, you’ve been receiving it all over the years. It comes to this house in a cheque by mail every month, unless the dead guy resurrects to receive it, my guess is that you have been the one taking it all.”
“Like I said, he had no family, and at the time I had nothing. So it was pretty handy. See, he loved me okay? Don’t you think he would have wanted me to have it?”
“I don’t know, him being dead and all.” Dobrev shrugged, “you seem to be doing pretty well on your own. Ten years later and you still have no place or a job; the trust fund money must be really taking care of you. How convenient.”
“I do not appreciate your tone Inspector, or what you are insinuating. Matter of fact, what is this new evidence that came up?”
“I was wondering when you would ask,” Dobrev muttered.
“Just say it,”
“His body.” The Inspector said simply, his voice was clipped.
And that was when Sarah realized her big mistake. Dobrev was smiling mischievously at her as he pulled out his cuffs.
“No,” she rasped, staggering backward.
“There was never a murder investigation into your boyfriend; it was always a missing person’s case. Throughout this conversation, I’ve been talking about him being dead and you never tried to correct me, because you already knew he was dead.”
Sarah kept backing away until her back hit the wall, “he’s been gone for ten years! I had to accept he was dead.”
“There are many ways to die, ma’am. Natural causes, accidents, or murder. When I said he had been murdered you didn’t even bat an eyelid. I guess the ten years has made you rusty, you are no longer smart enough to fool the cops as you once did. You buried him pretty well, but erosion and the help of a dog decided to change your happy ending. You’re under arrest ma’am for the murder of your former boyfriend…” He kept laying on the word ma'am.
As he handcuffed her wrists behind her, sirens could be heard outside as cruisers pulled up before the house.
“You killed him for his trust fund and the house, especially when you realized he was going to break up with you. You could not have that. But, do not worry; I am taking you to a new home where all the trust funds in the world can’t help you.
“Welcome to the rest of your life, ma’am.”