Eyewitness

She sat in her favorite purple velvet armchair, legs crossed, and lavender drop in hand, looking out the bay window. Her home sat in the middle of Green Hills, providing her with added privacy and isolation, one of her requirements while house hunting. The view was beautiful, eerily peaceful, her window overlooked her extraordinary garden that stretched over 3 acres. The sun rose over her garden, causing the flowers to bloom, the birds flew past chirping their song prepping for another happy day. She however, wasn’t looking at any of that, but rather at the newly planted parrots beak flowers that covered the freshly added soil. Taking her last sip she got up and headed towards the sink, the mud on her heels distorting the normally rhythmic clicking of her heels. The oven clock read 6:22 am 38 minutes before she was very late to work she thought. After a quick shower, to wash the night off, she got dressed in her navy blue suit, complimented by a much lighter, almost white, blue blouse. She wore her hair down, pin straight, tucked behind her ears. A simple look velvet nude lipstick, mascara and foundation are all she needed to show off her naturally defined jawline and lifted cheekbones. She put on a clean pair of light blue heels, almost the same hue as her blouse, and headed out the door. Her car always made her smile, a custom teal blue Aston Martin Valkyrie, gifted to her by him. Today however, it made her rather sad. She didn’t have to do it, she thought, sure there were many other ways to handle this, she thought, but none quite as permanent. Besides she had a flair for the dramatics, and nothing was more dramatic than having the last word.

She parked in her spot marked by a sign that read “reserved for CFO” followed by her name in bold letters. “Good Morning Mrs. Andrews” greeted her new secretary as she walked to her office. “Please Cecelia, call me Amira,” she replied with a smooth yet powerful voice. “Of course,” said Cecelia before starting to go over the schedule. Amira looked present but her mind was somewhere else till the very end. “.. and your 3 o’clock moved to 6..” Cecelia finished. “ No!” replied Amira before adding “ Cancel all my appointments after 3, I have some engagements I need to attend to.” Cecelia nodded as she reached for the phone and Amira headed into her office. The next few hours were a blur, routine paperwork, a few phone calls and a couple of meetings later, she was free to go. “Why don’t you take the rest of the day off as well?” Amira asked Cecelia before heading out. “Okay! Thanks Mrs..”`'' Amira” Cecelia quickly corrected herself.

Amira parked her car at her destination. She entered the underfunded old brick building where was greeted by a front desk clerk. “ Can I help you?” the clerk asked. “ Um, yes I'd like to talk to someone about a missing person.” Amira said, a little nervous. “ Are you related to said person ma'am?” asked the clerk. “ Yes, he's my husband.” Amira replied. How long has he been missing” the officer she was referred to asked. “About three days, maybe” she replied “You waited 3 days.. I'm sorry.. maybe three days, to report your husband missing.” he asked suspiciously and with what sounded like anger in his voice. “Well officer” she began with a little more assertiveness in her voice now. “He’s been on a business trip all week. Sometimes he comes home on time and sometimes, he, well he spends time with his ‘secret’ mistress before coming home”. She said with air quotes. “So you see,” she continued, “ I didn't realize he could be missing until his office called to ask about his whereabouts.” “ Mrs. Andrews” the officer began in a fake comforting voice. “ I know this may seem hard to ask at the moment, but were you and your husband having any pro…”. “ Let me stop you right there.” she interrupted. “ We were not having any problems, I knew about his mistress, I just didn't care” the officer looked at her with confusion, suspension and sympathy all at once. “ Oh don't look at me like that I don't care about some sidepiece, if anything she's doing me a favor” Amira said now visibly annoyed “ how so Mrs. Andrews?” the officer asked. “Look officer, I have been pretty patient with all of your ridiculous questions. My husband has been missing for who knows how long now, and what are you doing to find him other than pry into our marriage??” she asked as she stood up. “ Now if we’re finished here officer, I am going to go home and continue to find my husband. I'm certain if you hear of anything, I'll be first to know”. “Have a great evening officer.” she finished before storming out.

She finally made it back home. The time was now 5:44pm. She changed into a comfortable pair of joggers and a cotton short sleeve shirt. *tea kettle whistling* .. she made her way to the garden to pick some marigold for her tea. As she picked up the vibrant orange flower with yellow edges on its petals, a rounded flower, she noticed a movement in the trees. When she looked up she saw the same pair of beady eyes as the night before. *Hoot* *hoot* the owl called out, as if threatening to draw attention to her, taunting her. The longer she looked at it the it stared back tilting its head, to get a better view. Its eyes never once breaking contact, not tonight or the last. The only witness to her otherwise perfect crime.

She broke contact first, heading back inside, just then the owl revealed its long wings and glided into the night sky. She closed the patio door and turned to see him standing in the kitchen. “ How did it go?” he asked shakily. “Perfectly” she replied, with a smirk, as she kissed the man in front of her, her husband.