Cheated

Trouble

He held Derby's hand and started rubbing it vigorously to provide him heat. After five minute or so, Derby's numbness slowly and gradually webbed away. His body could feel sensations and he found a young man rubbing his hands. Before he could speak, the pungent odour made him flinch his nose. The young policeman noticed his actions and escorted him away from there.

Derby gulped in huge amount of fresh air when he came out in open air. He fell down on his eyes and palmed his eyes to unsee dreadful sight but alas! It was impossible! How destiny played it's sick card?

Few hours back, his wife was begging him while trying to breathe and now, he was on his knees struggling to breathe.

He felt a tap on his shoulder and he looked up to find that young officer Looking at him indifferentaly. He removed his mask and introduced himself, " I'm Brenton Wood from Florida police. I guess you saw the dead body. "

Derby simply nodded at Brenton but he wasn't interested in knowing his name. He gulped down his saliva before asking, " Whose body was it? "

Brenton didn't reply to him, instead, stared at him with his intense brown eyes. He counter questioned him in a tone which was layered with cryptic, " Where is Vista Morris? "

'Vista is the one whom I'm searching.'

" Err.... Umm...she was here ? " Derby dragged the word ' Here ' with a pinch of inquisitiveness.

" And where is ' here ' ? " Brenton retorted back with his raised eyebrows.

Derby tried to speak something but nothing came out of his mouth. What should he tell the cop, he himself didn't know where she was and the fact that she was his wife and yet, he didn't know about her whereabouts was skeptical in police's scrutiny. He was thinking of ways to dodge this invincible question, but sadly, he couldn't. He glanced at the police officer once again, only to get intimidated by him. That crisp, white shirt tried to hide his abs and muscles but it took no brainer to figure out that he was fit. The light scuffle on his face gave him a rugged look, enhancing his facial features.

Derby's heartbeat rose when Brenton kept his hands on his shoulder and asked, " Who is she to you? "

Derby cascaded his eyes down and took a minute pause before looking again in the cop's eyes, " My wife. " he was amazed at his caliber of not stuttering in such a pressing situation.

Brenton raised his eyebrows and spoke with a casual sarcasm, "Intresting ! So, you don't know where your wife is? "

Derby's cheeks turned red with embarrassment and shame. He shook his head sideways and lowered down his eyes. Though he wanted to ask numerous questions about the corpse but the officer wasn't letting him shoot any question.

Brenton's eyes moved around the house for a moment. He scratched his light stubble and chewed the gum before speaking, " Okay, so let me put it out like this. This is your house and neither you nor your wife were here when we came and to make the situation more twisted, there's a corpse in the house."

Without having any other option, Derby gave a slow nod and another wave of bile rose in his throat which he gulped down with great difficulty. Just thinking about the horrendous scene he watched, his stomach churned.

" Mr. Morris, may I ask you where you were when we called you? "

Ah! The most dreaded question of the night! Though Florida's temperature was quite moderate, still, Derby shuddered when a wave of wind gushed past his body. He just couldn't tell the cops that he was staying with his girlfriend while his wife was missing. His lips had turned dry with dread and he internally prayed to Lord to let this pass, " I was with a, " he dared to look into cop's eyes before completing the sentence

" A friend. "

Brenton raised his left brow in doubt. Years of experience with criminals had made him well versed in detecting lies but he played along with him , " Boys night out with your friends ? "

Derby's heartbeat rippled while his fists clenched. He spoke or more like whispered, " No. "

Brenton's tone was mixed with authority and inquisitiveness when he demanded, " Then what kind of a friend? "

Derby had goosebumps all over his body bur he didn't reply to this, instead, kept his eyes glued to the ground.

" What kind of friend Mr. Morris? I dont like to repeat myself again and again. Also, it will be in your benefit if you co-operate with us." Brenton's voice was much louder and firm this time which ultimately made Derby confess.

" My girlfriend. "

Truth to be told, it wasn't something which shocked Brenton. He had dealt with enough cases and infidelity was a common angle in many crime scenarios. He chuckled in a mocking tone, " What a colourful life you're living Mr. Morris! A wife and a girlfriend. So, your wife knows about your girlfriend? "

Derby had sensed the mock in cop's voice but he wasn't in position to throw a fit over here. " yes. "

Now this spiked Brenton's curiosity.

" She knew about your girlfriend and she still didn't divorce you? "

It felt as if brain would explode with stress and anxiety casted by this interrogation. He didn't know whether it was correct to share all the information of the conversation which he had with Vista. He chose to keep mum and looked in other direction.

Brenton sat down to Derby's level and took out a piece of bloodied cloth which was sealed inside a plastic. He flashed it infront of him and asked him, " Do you recognize this? "

Derby squinted his eyes to look at the bloodied floral printed piece of cloth. The yellow colour with small red roses looked quite familiar to him. He pressed his temples in order to remember and that's when it flashed him! It was of Vista! He remember this one because on one routine checkup with her gynecologist, she had worn this. He remembered how she forced him to accompany her and that's when he noticed this dress.

His face paled. His mind went numb before whispering " It is of Vista. "

Brenton didn't try to sugercoat his words and spoke bluntly, " This was worn by the corpse. "

Though Derby was sitting down on the ground, still, he felt as if he needed support to listen.

' It's of Vista? But she was there with him just few hours back.'

"Though we've to conduct a post mortem, the raven hair and cloth are directing towards one possibility. "

Derby knew what Brenton was about to speak, yet he asked, " and that is? "

" that corpse is of your wife. "

The impact of this sentence was quite bigger than he anticipated it to be. It felt life being sucked out of his body and his body was covered in sweat.

Lookimg at Derby, Brenton smirked, " Don't be so shocked yet, Mr. Morris. You're the prime suspect behind the murder of Vista Morris. "

Derby was still in shock with the previous news and the utter bullshit of cop agitated him.

" What do you mean? Why will I do that? "

Brenton laughed out loud at this, " I don't know. Maybe because you've a girlfriend and you wanted to get rid of your wife. "