They sat in the car with the engine softly humming. They watched as Brian unlocked the front door and stepped into the house.
“If you can’t do this you better tell me now,” Jessie demanded as his fingers rested on the ignition key.
“I can do this. It’s my idea,” Tania blurted out with confidence that pleased her.
Through the corner of her eye she could see a sneer on Jessie’s face as he turned the car off. She decided to ignore it for now. He was a chemist after all, she thought, not a pre-school teacher. They got out of the car and walked up the short walkway to Brian’s front door. Tania thought of how stupid it was just walking up to the front door. Months of amateur surveillance, years of being tortured by memories, un-measurable hours with Jessie, and useless investigations into the rehab where Brian and her sister met. Now nonchalantly walking up to the murderer’s door seemed unceremonious and comical.
“What is the matter with you?!” Jessie hissed as he grit his teeth.
She looked at him, “What?”
“No, you what? What are you laughing at?”
“Bad habit. I laugh when I’m nervous,” she mumbled realizing that if she was unconsciously laughing out loud, she may not be as put together as she thought.
He signaled for her to stand on the corner of the stoop. He stood on the other corner and rang the doorbell. He gave her one last discerning look.
She gripped the syringe. Ten years waiting for this moment to get justice for her sister. All the preparation was nothing compared to spending so much time with creepy Jessie. Creepy. Kind of like Brian. She almost tripped as she stepped on a package. Tania kicked at it and saw it was a package from the pharmacy. From its size she could tell it was stuffed with prescriptions.
“I can’t do this”
“What?!”
“Yea, I just can’t,” she turned away and didn’t look back.
“Yes?” Brian called behind the door.
Jessie watched as Tania walked away. He stood motionless. The door swung open.
“Yea, what do you want?” Brian stood with disheveled hair holding the door open.
They stood staring at each other.
“I…” he looked down on the stoop and noticed the package. He picked it up and handed it to Brian, “Did you drop this?”
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