Author Anon

The phone is dead. As she rifles through her purse to get her cell phone, a middle-aged woman and a younger man appear at the doorway.

“Is everything OK?” asks the lady. Then she sees David and screams.

The man stares at Amanda. “What’s going on?” He turns to the lady. “Mother, you go back to your house and call the police.”

“Thank you,” says Amanda. “His phone is dead.”

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After the paramedics arrive and take David away, Detective Cody Daze turns his attention to Amanda. “I think you’ll need to come down to the station and make a statement. The other officers will have to take a look around here and question other witnesses. Is there anyone you’d like to call?”

“Yes,” says Amanda. “I want to call my parents.”

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“You saw nothing? Heard nothing?” asks Chief Andrew Starr.

“Nothing,” says Amanda. “At least, nothing that seems to relate to this.”

“Like what?” asks Andrew.

“Just normal neighborhood things,” says Amanda. “Like a man getting into a car a few houses down the street.”

“Did he see you? Can he testify to the time you were there?”

“I don’t know. I wasn’t really paying attention.”

“I guess that’s all for now,” says Andrew. “But we may need to question you again later.”

“I understand. Can I go pick up my car?”

“No. I’m sorry. We’ll need to keep it there for now.”

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“We got a wire this morning,” says Robert. “William and Melanie got married out in Hawaii.”

“What?!!” cries Marie. “This is preposterous.”

“Nevertheless, it’s true,” says Tom.

“We have to accept that woman into our home?” asks Jason.

“And her two daughters,” says Robert.

“Two daughters?” asks Mark.

“Yes, Leslie and Carrie,” says Tom. “They were the two girls hired to help with Julia. William asks that rooms be prepared for all of them, so they can move in as soon as possible.”

“This is the craziest scheme I have ever heard,” says Mark. “I can’t stand around here and take all this.”

“I guess you could always move out,” says Marie.

“What? And let them win?” asks Jason. “Mark and I will stay. At least, for now. We’ll see what happens.”

The phone rings and Mark goes to answer. He comes back, ashen-faced.

“What’s wrong?” asks Marie.

“It’s David,” he says slowly. “He’s been shot. He’s in surgery right now and they want us down at the hospital.”

“Oh, my God,” says Marie. “Oh, my God!”

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Blanche sneaks into her room and undresses. A tiny knock is followed by Lucy peeking in. “Mother, are you all right? We missed you tonight.”

Blanche turns to her. “Get out, Lucy! Go back to bed. I don’t have time to talk right now.”

Lucy hastily retreats. Blanche changes into her night clothes, takes her dirty clothes down to the laundry. When she returns, she paces her room, wringing her hands.

“What am I going to do? What am I going to do?”

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Stephanie reaches her hotel room and checks on Lucas, who is fast asleep. The babysitter was already gone. As she is pacing her room, there is a knock on the door. She rushes to answer it.

“Well, tracked you down,” says Damian Stone.

“I told you I was coming back here to make things right with Michael,” says Stephanie.

“Then how are you going to support yourself?”

“I’m asking David Golde for help.”

“Do you think he’ll help you? He’s quite unreliable.”

“I think he would if he knew the truth.”

“What truth would that be?” asks Damian.

Stephanie looks at him nervously.

“Have you met with him?” asks Damian.

She is silent.

“Don’t try to lie to me,” says Damian. “I followed you to his house.” He approaches her. “If I find out that you told him about me, I’ll kill you.”

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Filed under: All That Glitters