Side Story - Jennifer

My name is Detective Kiel and this is a part of my past. A story of love and death, a memory I wish so much to disappear, but instead, haunts my dreams. This story is about my wife and why I became a detective in the first place.
“Hey! Kiel! You want to eat lunch with us?” I had been attending college for three years now. “No thanks. I have to get back to Jennifer.”
My life had been confusing from the start. Starting with me being born into a family with high expectations and was forced into an early marriage. Although, before I knew it, I had all ready fallen madly in love with my wife, Jennifer. I was only eighteen, and my childhood had been a living hell. With my younger brothers kidnapping at the age of four and with the passing of the only person that had ever truly cared for me. I fell into darkness and a whole new personality had been born.
A man, no, a monster bent on destroying any happiness left in peoples smiles. I had stopped killing only a few months after marrying Jennifer. She had been snooping around in my private chambers and had come across my note book. Where I kept entries of my intrapersonal conversations. I had arrived home that day with the door unlocked. The whole house had gone silent and dark. “Jennifer? Are you home? I bought that milk you wanted. Jennifer?”
“I’m in here Kiel.” Her voice was coming from the living room. I walked into the kitchen to put away the milk and then walked into the living room with no hesitation. “Why is it so dark in here. Last time I checked you were afraid of the dark.” I felt the wall for the light switch. “No! Don’t touch that Kiel!” I was startled. I had never heard Jennifer raise her voice in such a way. “Jennifer! What has gotten into you?”
“Kiel? When were you going to tell me?” I wasn’t about to see her, but I could feel she was in a lot of pain. Her voice was fading and she sounded as if she were crying. “Tell you what?” I listened harder. Hoping I could find where she was in all this darkness. “That you were a murderer!”
Suddenly I felt a presence behind me. I quickly turned around and was able to dodge to blow. Then I fell to the floor with a ghostly pale face. Jennifer has holding a knife, and had tried to kill me. My sweet, sweet Jennifer. “Jennifer.”
“Please…please tell me it isn’t true. Please?” She quickly through the knife aside and dropped to her knees. “I’m sorry, but I can’t lie to you. Not you Jennifer.” I crawled over to her side and held her head against my chest as she cried. “Man, why do you put up with that woman? Having your parent’s tie you down at such a young age was bad enough, but then having to deal with her too. I just don’t get it!”
“I don’t expect you to understand, but I really do love her. That’s why I really need to get going.”
And because of that love, for the past few years I had stopped killing and started to feel what happiness was like again. I got a job as a secretary, where I take calls and give advice to my superiors. It’s a nice simple job and I enjoy it. Then when I arrive home, the house is filled with the smell of Jennifer preparing dinner in the kitchen. I give her a small peck on the cheek and go up to my room to change. In some ways I start to think that I deserve more or just want more, but then I see that smile of hers. Then I think to myself that my life is perfect. I didn’t want anything to change.
Then one night it happened. I had been working over time at the office, since there was a conference going on. I had a lot of calls to take and information to write down that I didn’t even have enough time to call Jennifer and tell her I was going to be late coming home. It seemed everything was going wrong that day. I had left my umbrella home, because the local forecast said it was going to be sunny all day. So I got soaking wet on the way home. Since my car had been tolled, because the meter had ran out. I had also missed lunch due to the conference.
When I finally arrived home the door was wide open. I quickly rushed inside and called out for Jennifer, “Jennifer! Jennifer!” I ran into the kitchen and flipped the lights on. Then there hanging on the fan was Jennifer. She had hung herself with the tie she gave to me for my birthday last week. I quickly dialed 911.
When the police and ambulance arrived, they said it was too late and the case was classified as a suicide. My life has no longer heaven, but had turned back into hell.

A year had passed and my life had faded fast, but I still couldn’t bring myself to kill myself. I had started dating a girl named Sophia. She had an older brother named Samuel, though we went to the same college, we didn’t really see eye to eye. “Kiel! I have something to show you for our anniversary!”
“What is it Sophia?”
“It’s a secret.” Sophia was dragging me to her house. “Come on slow pock!” Sophia was hopping up and down like a bunny rabbit. She was a really hyper girl, but she was really desperate to go out with me. “In here darling.”
“Okay, okay. I’m coming.” I was shaken with fear. Cause inside Sophia’s room was a hundred, maybe more, photos of me. “Sophia what is this?”
“It’s my confession. From the first time I saw you, I’ve loved you. I would follow you around everywhere you went. At school, lunch time, work, or just walking around.”
“What about the once that are ripped?”
“Those? They were tainted photos, tainted with that bitch of a wife. What was her name? Oh well, doesn’t matter any more. Cause God took her away and gave me a chance. I do admit I help a little bit, but it was only a matter of time.”
“What do you mean you helped?”
“All I did was get rid of that thing that was taking you away from me. After all Kiel, I love you more than anything or any one. I would do anything for you.” Sophia had pressed her body up against mine and kept chanting, “Love me, love me, love me!” Now I knew that Jennifer hadn’t committed suicide, but that Sophia had killed her over jealousy. I had been living a whole year filled with lies and false doubts. “Sophia?”
“Yes my sweet?”
“I have a surprise for you too.”
“Really?”
“Come with me.” I grabbed onto Sophia’s arm tightly and lead her to the stair case. “What is it?”
“Just look down and you’ll see it.” Sophia looked down and searched. Then quietly I whispered something to myself and to Jennifer in heaven. “I’m sorry Jennifer, but it seems I have to kill just one more time before I can move on. Other wise I can never be free.” Then with a slight movement of the hand I pushed Sophia down the stairs. “Happy anniversary Sophia. Your present is hell!” I left the house through the back door. And just like the day Jennifer died, it rained.
The next day the case was dropped as an accident or suicide.
Although, Samuel claimed that it was murder and that I was the killer. He may have been right back then, but things have changed.
From that day on I swore I was going to fight for justice and not see it as my enemy anymore. I was given a second chance.