Calliope

Roy Carter walked down the street and glanced at the people around him. All of them were on their phones or talking to the person next to them or doing anything but watch where they were going. People were always distracted but Roy loved to watch them.

As he walked toward a coffee shop for his evening coffee before he went home, he overheard a couple argue.

"Eric, he answered your phone," one of them said.

"For the last time, John, he's my co-worker!" the other replied, angrily.

Roy resisted the urge to laugh. He wanted to go up to them and tell them that they were idiots, thinking about his own relationship with Calliope and how she would never even talk to another man, but he decided against it. It wasn't worth the extra seconds wasted.

"Mr. Carter."

Roy stopped and two detectives, Jones and Elias, were standing in front of him. They flashed their badges to him and he nodded, "Detectives."

"How're you doing, Mr. Carter?" Elias asked.

"Fine, thank you."

"How's your wife?"

"She's doing alright. Can I help you with anything, Detectives?"

Jones smiled and said, "There's been some recent evidence to the The Count's suicide."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, see, we weren't going to pursue the matter, since it was a suicide, but Elizabeth Jenkins' neighbors actually put you and your wife at the scene exactly when it happened."

"Did they now?" Roy asked.

Elias nodded. "Yeah, they said they saw you leave the house right after they heard the gunshot. Mrs. Jenkins said she was the only person there, but she's not here anymore to say otherwise."

"Oh, well, unfortunately, we weren't there," Roy said, shrugging. "If we were, we might've stopped the whole thing. Maybe get The Count to confess to everything he's done and let the justice system take its course, but sadly, that's not the case. Sorry, I can't help you, Detectives."

"Actually, Mr. Carter," Jones stopped him. She reached into her back pocket and produced a folded piece of paper. She unfolded it and handed it to him. Roy looked at it; it was a blurry traffic cam photo but it was him and Calliope walking out of Elizabeth's house. It was timestamped just thirty minutes after The Count shot himself.

"We're going to need to take you in for questioning," Elias said.

"No, you're not," Roy said, sighing. He handed the photo back. "You two are going to go back to your captain or whomever and say it was a dead end. And then you're never going to contact my wife or I ever again unless someone else is dead or you plan to give us a load of money or something. Is that clear?"

The detectives smiled and nodded their heads.

"Of course, Mr. Carter," Jones said.

"Sorry to have bothered you," Elias nodded.

Roy smiled slyly and he walked away from the detectives. Who was he ever kidding? That was the best part of having the ability control minds. He always got what he wanted and to live without fear was exactly the life he wanted for him and Calliope. Nothing could ever go wrong no matter what happened.

Now, he needed to get back to his wife.