week 3; Over the edge

The piano was the only thing brining her comfort. She wasn't playing it, just listening as he played it. Often times when he practiced, she liked to listen, she sat in the bench to the entrance to the house. She wanted to be out of the way and she didn't want him to know she was listening. 

He was truly gifted. He loved playing too, which was wonderful, the teacher even understood it. This was her son. She created him and he was truly talented, maybe even a genius. All the things that had gone wrong over the years. She could sit peacefully and listen for hours, but then she heard someone at the door.

"Hello Constance, how wonderful to see you". The blonde woman on the other side of the door rolled her light blue eyes and pushed her hair back like she was Marcia Brady. 

"Stop with the pleasantries, I know it was you Margret". Constance pointed one perfectly manicured pink finger at her and continued, "I'm going to tell every what you did you filthy B. I get it that your husband died, but that doesn't mean you can go riding around other people's, I found these in Paul's truck". She held up a blue thong with a monogram MG on it. "I know they are yours".

Margret stood speechless, shocked. Yes those were her monogram panties. They were a joke from Dennis, one of the last things he bought for her before the accident. How on earth did they get in Paul's truck. She wouldn't touch him if he were the last man on earth. 

"I'm not really sure what to say here, I can tell you those are mine, but I did not have anything to do with your husband and there is no reason for them not to be in my panty drawer. Since Dennis' I'm not going to say I haven't been with other men, but nobody's husband. Did you ask your husband where they came from?" 

Constance tossed the panties at her, "I don't need to, I told him to get the hell out and not to come back. I don't care what happened and at this point you are both a liar and a whore. I'm going to the prosecutor to see if they will reopen the case on your husband. I know there was some suspicion, but now I'm thinking you planned it to run off with my husband. I'm sure it was no accident." 

"Constance, get out." At this point she noticed the music stopped and Alex was standing next to her. Little Alex, not so little anymore, he was only 14 but he was 5'8" and towering over his mother. 

"Is there a problem Mrs. Barron?" The man child startled her and Constance did not know how to react. 

"No problem Alex, I'm just having a conversation with your mother. I think I'll go and possibly talk to her later."

"That's a good idea. Have a nice day" and Alex slammed the door. Looking at her son she realized how much she missed his father. He had his same brown eyes and shiny brown hair. Alex liked it a little shaggy though. Where did this kid come from? He just took all this adultness and shoved all over Constance. 

"Thank you, you didn't have to do that..." him looking down on the panties made her stop, "Don't touch those, I'll take care of that."

"Oh mom, you aren't having an affair with Mr. Barron, are you?" The disappointment in her son's eyes made her sad. 

"No, of course not. He's disgusting. I don't know where these came from or how they got there. This is ridiculous."

"And dad, what did she mean by reopen the case? He died in a car accident. The car went over a cliff, why would that be suspicious? " 

Alex only being 14 he still sounded like a child as he asked these questions. Dennis' car went over an embankment in the yellow hills. It happened lots of time to lots of drivers. The cliff was dangerous and Dennis' blood alcohol level was high. He was a heavy drinker, but not one to drive usually. The entire thing felt so surreal when the police came to the door to tell them what happened. It was the worse day of her life. Every time someone went over that cliff there was an investigation that followed, always. it needed better guardrails; they had been switched out several times. It was a dangerous curve. 

"It's not. She is trying to scare us. It was a horrible accident, and she shouldn't have said that. Go finish your practice. I love listening to it. I need it right now."

She pushed the brown hair out of his eyes and thought about him as a baby. He has grown so much. Day by day, and the last year without his father had been rough. 

"Ok Mom. I'll play something special for you."

He went straight to the piano and began playing Ragtime. She loved the ragtime and remembered how hard he worked to learn it. Not an easy piece to play. 

After a few days things started to calm down. Alex went to school. Margert went to work. Life went on as normal. Until the police showed up. 

"Ma'am, we've had a complaint of a vandalism. You are the person listed as possibly perpetrating this vandlism" 

The police showed her pictures of a truck, it looked like Paul's truck. It had been sprayed with green paint. "Liar, Killer" written on it. The windows were smashed out, it was ruined. 

Constance. All Margret could think was Constance did this. 

"Where were you last night around 10pm?"

"I was here, Alone. Alex was staying at a friend's house."

"No one was with you?" the officer's neatly pressed uninform and shiny buttons fit in with his very straight forward and to the point demeanor. 

"No, I guess not" she responded sheepishly. 

"Did you do this?"

"No, I would have no reason to do that. Paul's wife Constance came over here a few days ago and accused me of having an affair with him. But none of that happened. I'm not sure why these people have it out for me."

The officer wrote some things down in his notebook, "Do you mind if we have a look around?" 

"No go right ahead"

They started in the garage and found a can of green spray paint and a baseball bat. Shards of glass on the floor in the garage.  It was a slam dunk as far as proof went. 

"I have no idea how this got here. I have nothing to do with this. Can you dust for prints or something?" 

The officers looked at each other.  "Ma'am, at this point we have to arrest you." 

"Can I make a phone call first? My son is coming home in a bit and I need someone to know where I am and arrange bail, this is so crazy.."

They looked at each other again. "Sure"