The Neighbor

"Can I help you?" I asked while shifting the box to a more comfortable position on my hip.

"Actually, I am supposed to help you," she said without confidence. "I live down the street and I have kind of a strange message." A myriad of crazy religious and charity requests ran through my head. I definitely had no time for this type of thing now.

"I am really not interested anything you're selling," I stated firmly and began to shut the door.

"Wait! The message is from Carrie!" the woman yelled. She looked like she was going to try to stop me from closing the door; instead, she backed away with a dejected look. I almost finished closing the door. I didn't want to be late in returning to Nancy. I looked down at the box of Carrie's photos and back at the woman. It had to be a different Carrie.

"What!" I demanded as I swung the door back open. This had better not be some kind of lead in to a donation or sales pitch.

"I'm not sure what it means," she said, surprised the door was open again. "I just know she won't get out of my dreams unless I tell you." I knew now I had a crazy on my hands. I wasn't quite sure how to handle a crazy. I wasn't even sure if this might be a homicidal crazy. I carefully laid down the box to free my hands and tried to maintain a calm attitude. I suspected a call to the police may be necessary.

"That's her! The lady in my dreams!" the woman cried out, pointing at one of the photos in the box, "she said you knew her." The woman was way too excited and I was way too confused. I wished Nancy was here; she would know how to handle this. Nancy always knew what was going on. I thought about going next door to get her to straighten things out.

"You know her too." The woman was all smiles. "You'll know what she wants. You have to help me get her out of my head." She was practically giddy with her revelation. I was still trying to think. It was difficult. How could she know Carrie? Maybe she met Carrie before. I really shouldn't be thinking about Carrie. I should be go see Nancy.

"She said the solution is to double the problem." The woman was trying to look serious, but having a tough time with it. "Get angry and stop drinking the tea. Do you know what that means?" She looked at me like I had the answers to life itself. There was a vague understanding that my mind kept pushing away. My thoughts were so thick. I needed Nancy's help to think straight.

"I'm sorry," the woman said and then she slapped me hard across the face and took a step back. "I was supposed to do that if you didn't answer me." I guess she saw the anger in my face because she took another step back and cowered into herself. "I haven't really slept in a week. You need to do what she says." she said with contrite conviction.

"Who the fuck are you?" I yelled, "you come to my house telling me my dead wife is in your dreams. Then you hit me. Are you insane?" I couldn't believe she hit me. I took a step forward and I saw her sink more into herself. I wanted to strike her in return, but she looked to be at her wits' end. I wasn't sure she was in control of her actions. I pulled out my phone and punched in 911. "I'm calling the police," I stated in hopes she would get the message and disappear.

"9-1-1, what's your emergency," the operator had answered before the first ring. Tears formed in the woman's eyes, but she didn't leave.

"I have a distraught woman at my door," I said calmly, trying to diffuse the situation. I could see she was not in control of herself. She obviously needed professional help. "She is talking nonsense and she has already struck me once," I completed the description and still the woman stayed. I could see tears running down her cheeks. I almost felt sorry for her.

"Can you give me your location, Sir?" the operator inquired. I rattled off my address. "Officers have been dispatched, Sir. You need to get to a safe location," the operator went down his list of to-dos.

"I will be here when they arrive," I stated and ended the call. The woman stood a bit taller. Her tears were flowing freely, but there was a new determination in her face.

"I am so sorry," she stated firmly, "I have to get her out of my head." With that she swung harder, catching me unaware again. This time her hand was closed. It didn't have a lot of strength behind it, but it caught me in the cheek and I felt one of my teeth break the skin. There would be blood. I became livid.

"You bitch!," I screamed as I grabbed her wrists. She tried to break away and failed. She was full-fledged bawling now. I knew I was squeezing her wrists hard, but there was no way I was going to let go of her. "What's wrong with you? You trying to go to jail?" I was spitting blood as I yelled into her face. She just kept spouting how sorry she was. I was having none of it. I thought about paying her back with a right cross.

I heard Nancy come running from next door. She must have heard me yelling. "Todd, calm down," Nancy said with panic in her voice, "just calm down and let her go."

"I am not calming down," I growled, "this bitch hit me. Twice!" I shook the woman and drew out more sobbing.

"It would make me very happy if you calmed down and let her go," Nancy said with a faux smile on her face. She was fidgeting as she neared. Something was worrying her.

"You'll just have to be happy later," I said with venom in my voice, "I called the police and she isn't going anywhere until they arrive." Nancy's face turned white. It looked all the more pale because of the black dress she was wearing. She always wore black. It just wasn't a good color for her.

"Todd, we have to go," Nancy pleaded. "Remember? The wedding and honeymoon." She was sounding desperate. I looked at the crying woman in my arms and felt the cut in my cheek with the tip of my tongue. "I have to go now, Todd. Don't you want to go with me?" Nancy was holding out her hand. Why did I want to go with her? I started searching my brain, tallying the commitments I had made to Nancy over the last week. I looked at the poor woman in my grasp and then at the box of pictures. When I looked at Nancy I was fuming. I didn't think I could get that mad. I let go of the "messenger" and took a step toward Nancy. Nancy's face showed fear. I liked that look.

Nancy turned and ran toward her house. I would have followed, but my "savior" had dropped to the ground, sobbing. I couldn't leave her on my doorstep like that. I began to hear sirens and knew she would experience all types of trouble without my backup. I sat down next to her, trying to figure out what to do.

"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you right away," I apologized, "I wasn't thinking straight. I can't imagine what would have happened if you hadn't come here today. I owe you a lot." I wasn't sure my words would soothe her. In fact, I still wasn't sure she was all there. All I knew was Nancy was pure evil.

"Thank you," she said quietly between sobs, "I know how I must sound. I have been fighting coming here. The lady in my dreams just wouldn't let up. Dream after dream of the same thing. I haven't had any real sleep in a week." I could see it her face now. The bloodshot eyes, the circles under her eyes and the general clammy look to her skin. What she was implying sounded insane. Of course, what Nancy was doing seemed equally impossible a week ago. The sirens were getting closer.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Linda...Linda Thompson," she answered as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "I live a few blocks that way," she added while pointing eastward. I could see colored lights flickering in the windows and knew the police were about to turn onto my street.

"Well, Linda, let's see how flexible our men in blue are," I said with smile, "I would guess some groveling from me will be in order." Linda smiled back and stood as the police car pulled up to the front walk. I also stood and calmly walked down to the curb. The policeman stepped out of the car, mirroring my calm demeanor. He looked like a cop who had been on the beat for years. Not overweight, but not slim and trim. The way he stood confidently left little argument about who was in charge.

"Are you the one who made the call?" the officer asked as he approached. I noticed his hand was sitting on the holster of his pistol.

"Yes. A bit premature, Officer," I said in an apologetic tone. "Linda was just trying to warn me about the lady next door." I pointed to Nancy's house. "I kind of misinterpreted her help and blew it out of proportion." I shrugged my shoulders hoping to be forgiven.

"Warn you about what, Sir?" the officer asked. His hand was still on the butt of his gun.

"I believe Nancy Hobart, the lady who lives next door," I pointed to Nancy's house again as I spoke, "was trying to swindle me. Linda was making me aware of situation." I wasn't sure how much to tell the cop. I could hardly believe half of what had been going on.

"Is that right, Miss?" the officer asked Linda, after stepping to the side to get a better view of her.

"Yes, Sir." Linda answered, "I was just passing on some second-hand information."

"Can you describe Ms. Hobart?" the officer added as he turned back to me. I wasn't sure where this was going. I really didn't have any evidence to back up my claims. Just my willing signature on life insurance documents and a half-done will I hadn't signed. Frankly, I was happy to be done with her.

"Ahhh....Medium build woman in her late thirties. Brown hair, brown eyes," I stated with little confidence. It is very hard to describe people. "Seems to like to wear black a lot," I added. I saw Nancy's garage door going up. "I think she is coming out now," I said, pointing to the garage.

A black Toyota Celica backed out of the garage and into the street. The officer signaled for it to stop. I saw Nancy's two boys in the backseat and a hooded Nancy behind the wheel. I wasn't looking forward to a war of words with Nancy. I don't think "she gave me some kind of blood tea potion" was going to work as an explanation.

Nancy floored it and nearly ran over the officer. I was shocked to see her careen off a parked car as she sped down the street. The officer had jumped out of the way and rolled onto my grass. His expression when he rose was not pleasant. It looked like explanations were not going to be necessary. He ran to his vehicle, yelling codes into his chest mike as he moved. I was secretly hoping Nancy resisted arrest as the police car took after her.

"Wow! I didn't expect that," Linda said after the street quieted down.

"I think Nancy may have a history with the police," I surmised as I turned back to Linda. "How did you know Carrie?"

"Who's Carrie?" Linda answered, perplexed.

"My wife or she was my wife," I explained as I pointed to the box of photos, "the woman in the pictures."

"That was your wife?" Linda exclaimed. "She was worried sick. I thought it was just some crazy dream at first, but it kept repeating and waking me up. This is fucking weird. I thought I was going insane and figured finally telling you would make it better." She smiled, "I guess it did. Maybe I can get some real sleep now."

"This doesn't make any sense. How did..Why would she pick you?" I asked looking at her closer.

"God if I know. It had to be to worst week in my life," Linda confessed as she threw up her hands. "It was déjà vu dreamland. The same tape running over and over. I tried not to sleep, and, when I did, the same dream came again. I never believed in this afterlife stuff, but now I'm questioning it."

I looked over at Nancy's open garage. "I have to get something out of that witch's house," I stated as I headed toward the garage. Linda followed. It felt natural to have her follow. There was no one else in the world who would accept what had happened. We had a strange bond.

"She is a witch?" Linda asked.

"Witch, bitch, an all around evil entity. Any of those fit," I stated as we entered the garage and headed for the kitchen door. "She gave me some kind of love drug. It failed once I got angry." I stopped and turned back to Linda. "You know, I think she was going to kill me. I was signing over everything and adding life insurance as well."

"Holy shit!" Linda exclaimed. "No wonder Carrie was so determined. I still wish she had picked someone else. There had to be someone who would have understood better." I still had a difficult time believing Linda, but I did believe Linda believed. I had trouble accepting ghosts or dreams of ghosts.

I went straight to the refrigerator and gasped a sigh of relief when I saw the jar with my blood. I grabbed it and went straight to the sink. "That looks like blood," Linda commented. "And what are all these jars?" she added, gesturing toward the shelves of herbs.

"Yep, it's my blood and she used some of those herbs to build the drug," I said as I began washing out the jar. I thought about washing all the herbs down the drain. I wasn't sure what side of the law I would be on. Linda was pulling down the jars and examining the contents.

"We should get rid of these," Linda stated as she pulled down another.

"I'm not sure if it would be legal," I said as I rinsed out the jar for the fifth time.

"Screw legal. It's the right thing to do," Linda commented as she started pulling down all the jars and putting them on the kitchen table. She was right. I couldn't make it easy for Nancy to repeat with someone else. I tried a few switches next to the sink until the disposal started.

"Let's dump em!" I agreed with a big smile. Linda started opening the jars and handing them to me one at a time. It only took us about ten minutes to grind the herbs down the drain. I rinsed out each jar to remove any residue. For some reason, Linda was closing them and putting them back on the shelf. I tried to imagine the expression on Nancy's face when she saw the shelves of empty jars. It brought me a bit of joy.

"I would like to buy you lunch," I said when the job was completed. "We can order a pizza and try to figure this out." Linda agreed, although she looked like she might need sleep more. We returned to my house and ordered a large pepperoni.

Linda and I talked for over an hour. I found out about the death of her husband two years ago. We talked about Carrie as I replaced her pictures around the house before the pizza came. I lamented about my still broken window and unfinished fence. We wondered if being alone made us susceptible to the events of the past week. I remembered Nancy's interest piquing when I had mentioned Carrie had passed away. Linda surmised that if Bruce, her late husband, was still alive, she may have weathered the dreams as only an annoyance. Waking up alone exasperated the dreams. Linda was surprisingly easy to talk to. Our conversation was interrupted by the doorbell.

"Mr...Wilkerson?" A plains-clothed police officer with a badge on his belt asked as he read from his notepad.

"Yes, I'm Todd Wilkerson," I responded and opened the door wider.

"I'm detective Morris with the Springfield police department, " he continued, "I need to ask you a few questions if you have time." I let him in and he sat with Linda and me around the empty pizza box. "How well do you know Ms. Hobart?" he inquired.

"I only known her for about a week. She moved in about three months ago and I met her last Sunday for the first time," I answered truthfully.

"Sergeant Lendor indicated you thought she might be swindling you?" Morris probed.

"Well it is kind of hard to explain," I responded slowly. I wasn't sure how much to say without getting myself committed. Linda gave me a supportive smile. "She had me convinced we should marry. I think she may have broken down my resistance with some kind of drug. Linda, here, broke me out of it."

"Ms. Hobart has gone by many names," Morris offered, "she seems to use the same MO. She is a black widow, Mr. Wilkerson. I believe Linda may have saved your life." Linda looked proud and I gave her a big smile. I think she was happy those sleepless nights yielded something other than insanity. "I would like you to come downtown tomorrow. I'll need a statement, although I suspect your words will only be icing on the cake. They have her dead to rights for a murder in Maryville, Indiana."

"You caught her?" I asked with a little more apprehension than I meant to include.

"Sergeant Lendor is not someone you want to run over," Morris laughed. "He had her bottled up in under thirty minutes. He had half the force chasing her down."

"Well, I know I'll sleep better tonight," I said, shaking the detective's hand. "I'll be happy to stop by tomorrow afternoon and tell you what I know. I'll be honest, I am a bit confused about it all." We said goodnight and the detective headed out.

I promised to walk Linda home as soon as I cleaned up the dishes. I returned a few minutes later to see Linda passed out on the couch. Her head was leaning awkwardly on the back cushion. I thought about waking her, but with her week it seemed like a cruel thing to do. I found a pillow and a blanket and formed a small bed on the couch. I moved her head to the pillow while shifting her body prone. I only received half a moan. She was out. I removed her shoes and covered her with the blanket. She looked so peaceful. For some reason, I kissed her forehead lightly. I owed this woman a lot and the little kiss just seemed proper. I left her there to sleep while I searched the yellow pages for a window company.

It was ten at night when I finally admitted that Linda was out for the night. I left a note on the table next to the couch so she would feel free to help herself to the refrigerator's contents when she woke. I left the kitchen light on so the warm glow from around the corner would keep her from freaking out if she woke in the middle of the night. I took myself to bed.

<<<<<>>>>>

The man came out of the water bone dry. I was kind of amazed since he had started completely submerged and slowly walked to the shore. He was wearing a black suit, white shirt and red tie that made him look like a banker. I stood up from the chair to shake his hand, but he refused. "Take care of my little weasel," he said with a smile. Then he pushed me off the cliff I didn't know was there.

I woke in a sweat. I hate falling dreams. They seem so real and you can almost feel yourself landing on the bed when you wake. I pushed the blanket aside to give release to a bit of the heat. I looked at the clock and it was only one AM. I rolled over and closed my eyes.

The man came out of the water bone dry. I was kind of amazed since he had started completely submerged and slowly walked to the shore. He was wearing a black suit, white shirt and red tie that made him look like a banker. I stood up from the chair to shake his hand, but he refused. "Take care of my little weasel," he said with a smile. Then he pushed me off the cliff I didn't know was there.

"Fuck!" I cried as I woke in a sweat again. I stood up from the bed trying to change the thoughts in my head. The clock said It was only one thirty. I tried to think about something else, anything else. My brain had locked on that stupid dream. I thought of finishing the fence. I would probably need a new brush. A week in a plastic bag would make the old brush pretty useless. I needed to redo the insurance policies. I wondered if I could cancel them. If not, I would have to find a new beneficiary. There was no way I was leaving anything to the bitch. I crawled back in bed now that my thoughts had moved on.

The man came out of the water bone dry. I was kind of amazed since he had started completely submerged and slowly walked to the shore. He was wearing a black suit, white shirt and red tie that made him look like a banker. I stood up from the chair to shake his hand, but he refused. "Take care of my little weasel," he said with a smile. Then he pushed me off the cliff I didn't know was there.