Mirrors

The following week she began to think it was all in her mind, that nothing had happen. The mirror appeared to be perfectly normal, showing only the perfectly normal reflections, and communicating perfectly normal messages. Even the gold leaf antique frame seemed perfectly normal. Only the knife remained as a reminder the ugly scene with Josephine. The knife and that tiny little crack in the lower right-hand corner remained. Had that been there before? Katie Lynn reached up and gently touched the small crack with the tip of her finger. The sharp edge gave her a small prick and startled her. She pulled back her finger, but a single drop of blood landed on the reflective surface, and then seeped into the crack. Red, it wasn’t a crack just a crack, it was something more, a weakness in His prison.

The ringing of her phone startled Katie out of her thoughts. Katie stared at that little buzzing piece of technology with all her pent-up anger. She had been avoiding calls all week long, but Cheri wouldn't let it go. Cheri was stubborn and persistent. She knew what she wanted and didn't give up on it until she got it. It didn't matter if what she wanted was a taco or a bachelor's degree, she would get it.

"Hi Cheri, what's up?" Katie asked as she gently smoothed down the wrinkles in her delicate pink silk blouse.

"I was just calling to check in with you. When I left this morning, you didn't look too good."

"This morning?" Katie was confused by this. It had been over two weeks since Cheri had been to her house, unless she came over and Katie hadn't answered the door. Two full weeks, they had not gone a day without speaking since third grade. "I'm fine, just trying to get a grip on this bullshit."

"Let's have lunch tomorrow. We can trash talk and eat tacos."

Katie knew that Cheri was trying to get her out of the house. Their go to was always tacos and margaritas when they needed to commiserate over something bad or to celebrate a win. Hell, any excuse to go to Don Joses for a few hours was good enough. The live mariachi band, bright decorations, and strong drinks always made for a mood lifting night to say the least.

"No, I just need some time alone." Katie could bear the thought of actually leaving the house, she had too much to do.

"Alone isn't healthy for you, and you know it"

"I'm as healthy as a horse. Except for the all-encompassing morning sickness that strikes at all times of the day or night. Except for the mind-numbing headaches that make it difficult to process a cohesive thought. Except for this incredible sadness over the loss of what I thought was the love of my life. Other than all that I'm fine." Katie didn’t even try to hide the irritation in her voice.

"Fine, but 'm coming over tomorrow regardless." Katie knew arguing would be fruitless, so she just ended the conversation and hung up the phone.

Her conversation with Cheri left Katie a little confused, but she didn't give it more than a couple seconds before the glint of the knife once again demanded her full attention. This was it, it was all in her imagination, and the knife had to go back into the kitchen, where it should have been all along. But before she could touch the sharp instrument of her first kill the doorbell rang. ‘NO!’ was the first and only thought in her mind at the moment.

Katie almost smiled thinking about the first time the two women had gone to Don Joses for drinks.

The sorority girls had thrown a big blowout party for Katies twenty first birthday, well Cheri had the girls throw it. If it had been up to them alone no one would have even acknowledged the day. It wasn't that they didn't like her, just that Katie had kept her nose in the books and barely socialized with anyone. If it hadn't been for Cheri Katie wouldn't even have pledged any house. She hadn't gone to the university to party, she went to study.

An hour into the night Cheri noticed that Katie was more uncomfortable than usual and decided to give her an out, after all it was her birthday.

"Hey girlfriend," Cheri had nudged her. "It doesn't look like you're having much fun. All of this is to celebrate you!"

"We both know this party has very little to do with me. These girls will use any excuse to get wild. The music is too loud, and I don't even know a third of the people here. If I walked out no one but you would even notice."

"I don't think that's true," Cheri began to interject. "However, I do have an idea if you're up to getting out of here."

"I'm up for almost anything."

Cheri laughed and grabbed her friends hand pulling her towards the door. Katie didn't even know where they were going. She just grabbed her purse and followed her trusted friend.

Lightening flashed in the darkened sky allowing her a very brief illuminated view of the aging man in his raincoat. It was only the mailman. She had known Timothy for almost four years now. He had often stopped to take his breaks with her, having coffee, talking about his kids and wife. Maybe, just maybe, a friendly face would be a nice change of pace. His words were always soft and kind. Something she desperately needed right then.

With a pleasant smile she opened the big oak door and greeted him with a forced smile. “Tim! Come in and get out of the rain, its freezing out there.”

"Miss Summers," Tim's big smile softened her heart for a moment. "I'm glad I caught you at home. I didn't want to leave these out in the rain. It would be a shame if they got ruined."

"Thank you," Katie gave Tim a half smile as she looked down at the box of wedding invitations in his hands. When Katie didn't take the box right away Tim turned and placed them on the table next to the door.

"I hear the Botanical Gardens are beautiful in the spring, I've never been there. The membership fees are outrageous! That mother-in-law must be loaded. Oh and I saw Bethany at the flower shop. She showed me the arrangements you chose for the reception tables. Gorgeous!"

Wedding invitations, they just needed to be approved, stamped, and mailed out. With a small sigh of relief, she invited him into the house. Timothy is such a kindly older man, so sweet. But he tends to go on and on about nothing, which on most days was rather soothing to Katie. Today he seemed just a little preoccupied with her upcoming wedding. She only had six months until the big day. Her invitations should have already been out by now.

Irritation began to creep in again, sending her blood boiling; she could feel ever muscle stiffen. This wedding, her perfect day would never happen. It couldn’t happen now. Not now that Jacob would be grieving for his mother. If he just stopped talking for all of two seconds she could find a way to change the subject, talk about anything else. But he wouldn’t stop. Her first mistake was opening the door; her second mistake was allowing her eyes to glance at the mirror. There he was again, only this time she didn’t feel the fear. The warmth of his touch, the welcome smile on his face, knowing it would soon be over was somehow comforting to her. And then there it was the smooth wooden baseball bat with that Louisville Slugger insignia stamped into it. All she had to do was find that sweet spot and Timothy would shut up for good. No more babbling on about a wedding that would never happen.

‘Do it’ he whispered into her ear just seconds before she picked up the bat and swung with all her strength. With a loud thud crack she found the sweet spot that sent the man's head crashing against the wall and his blood splattering across the delicate yellow flowers and light green print that decorated the foyer walls. And the bat, now splintered and cracked covered with Timothy’s blood and clumps of hair, fell to the floor. Tims dead bloody body slumped over the table, knocked over the box of wedding invitations, the fell with a loud hollow thud to the floor.

Katie reached down and smoothed the bloody grey hair out of Tim's face. His eyes wide open as if staring into the oblivion of the afterlife with bewilderment. Blood continued to run from his nose and ears, puddling on the white tiled floor around them.

For a moment Katie felt nothing but relief, just for a moment before the fear and regret kicked in. How was this man’s family going to survive without him? How would his 60-year-old wife going to endure her loss? How was she going to explain his death to their children and grandchildren. A loss perpetrated at her hands. She should do something, call the cops and destroy the mirror, anything to stop this. But she didn’t, she didn’t even want to.

"Tim, speaking of that bitch ex mother-in-law how did she know I was pregnant?"