She could fly! He was sure of it.\u00a0 And so, based upon this rock solid conviction, he launched her over the edge of the balcony.\u00a0 Or at least, that was how he played it. For a brief moment though, it appeared she would indeed fly\u2014that terrible moment when she seemed to hang suspended in the air.\u00a0 Their eyes met, terror and disbelief bulging hers to insect proportions.\u00a0 Then gravity kicked in and she plummeted to the pavement four stories below.<\/p>\n
Of course he would plead insanity, if anyone ever caught him.\u00a0 He had carefully laid the groundwork for such a plea over the last several months.\u00a0 He had filled notebooks full of nonsensical, pseudo-scientific babble about human flight and unleashing the hidden power of the mind.\u00a0 He\u2019d even published one such paper online.\u00a0 Everyone said he was crazy.<\/p>\n
He had intended to sit quietly at the desk, revising his notes.\u00a0 He wanted to appear calm and unsuspecting when the police arrived.\u00a0 But he was restless and unsure his plan would work.\u00a0 He argued with himself for a moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cStick to the plan.\u00a0 It\u2019s a good plan.\u00a0 It will work!\u201d said one part of his brain.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to run.\u00a0 You\u2019ve got to get out of here!\u201d said another, perhaps more reasonable part of his psyche.<\/p>\n
Ten minutes later, he bought the largest suitcase he could find at Wally\u2019s World.\u00a0 He\u2019d go back to the apartment and stuff it with as much as he could fit and take off.<\/p>\n
By the time he returned, there was already a crowd gathering at the complex.\u00a0 This new plan was flawed, he now saw\u2014he\u2019d never get back to the room without being seen.\u00a0 Sitting in the car, he watched the activity.<\/p>\n
An ambulance arrived and the paramedics leaped from the vehicle and rushed through the crowd as police officers urged people to back up and let them through.\u00a0 For a moment, he panicked.\u00a0 Why an ambulance?\u00a0 Could she be alive?\u00a0 Was it even possible?\u00a0 But then he thought that it wasn\u2019t unusual for an ambulance to be called to such a scene.\u00a0 No, she was dead.\u00a0 She had to be!<\/p>\n
As he mused, a neighbor at the back of the crowd spotted him.\u00a0 Grabbing a police officer, she pointed to him.\u00a0 He noticed.\u00a0 \u201cStay calm,\u201d he thought, rolling down his window as the officer approached.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you Mr. Schlimmer?\u00a0 Alfred Schlimmer of 18101 Crowely Street, Apartment 401C?\u201d the officer asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, sir.\u00a0 What\u2019s going on?\u201d he asked.\u00a0 It occurred to him that he might bluff his way out of this yet.\u00a0 \u201cIs someone hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSir, there\u2019s been an accident.\u00a0 I need you to shut off the motor and step out of the car, please.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s this got to do with me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you would just shut off the engine and step out of the car, sir.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure we\u2019ll clear everything up.\u201d\u00a0 The officer looked past him to the large suitcase on the back seat.\u00a0 \u201cAre you going somewhere, Mr. Schlimmer?<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, that?\u00a0 That\u2019s just an old suitcase I was going to take to Goodwill.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been toting it around for ages, I just keep forgetting to drop it off.\u201d\u00a0 He lied smoothly.\u00a0 He liked the sound of it; it came across so matter-of-factually.<\/p>\n
Suddenly, the officer unholstered his gun and leveled it at the window of the car.\u00a0 \u201cMr. Schlimmer, step out of your vehicle now.\u00a0 Open the door slowly.\u00a0 Step out and place your hands on the hood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I don\u2019t understand?\u00a0 What\u2019s going on?\u00a0 What did I do?\u201d he was beginning to panic now.\u00a0 Other officers, noticing the kerfuffle, swarmed to join them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the last time I’m telling you this… Get out of the vehicle.\u00a0 Now!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut, but, I\u2026\u201d he stammered.\u00a0 The officer ripped the car door open and dragged him from his seat and throwing him against the car, kicking his legs apart and pressing his face against the still hot hood.\u00a0 First one arm was bent behind his back, then the other, as the cold steel of handcuffs encircled his wrists.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t understand?\u00a0 What\u2019d I do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are under arrest for suspicion of murder.\u00a0 You have the right to remain silent.\u00a0 Everything you say\u2026\u201d the officer droned on, but he was no longer listening.\u00a0 What had gone wrong?\u00a0 How did they know?\u00a0 This couldn\u2019t be happening!<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s up?\u201d a newly arrived officer asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the husband of the victim,\u201d was the reply.\u00a0 \u201cHe just told me that the large suitcase in the backseat there was some old thing he was supposed to have given to Goodwill.\u00a0 It\u2019s still got the tags from the store on it.\u00a0 I think he\u2019s lying and that he had plans of running away somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words echoed in his ears as they walked him to a squad car and tucked him away in the back seat.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut she could fly!\u201d he sobbed.\u00a0 \u201cI know she could!\u201d\u00a0 In his mind he thought, better go for insanity.\u00a0 He blubbered all the way to the police station, too stupid to realize it was over.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
She could fly! He was sure of it.\u00a0 And so, based upon this rock solid conviction, he launched her over the edge of the balcony.\u00a0 Or at least, that was how he played it. For a brief moment though, it appeared she would indeed fly\u2014that terrible moment when she seemed to hang suspended in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-microfiction","category-prompted-writing"],"yoast_head":"\n