Short Story / A Ring

PART I

Three months had passed since his last visit to the department and in that time little had changed to the office space. Beyond the fact that the typical desk workers were missing, the walls and desks remained the same beige color he remembered them to be. Moreover, the same man he had learned to respect, Frank DeMaio, was standing in the same space he had occupied in their first meeting. He was a short guy, about five eleven at most, with a thick mustache covering the area above his top lip. His suit, a typical police chief brown, covered his body with a hanging lanyard topping off the ensemble.

‘It’s been a while Krum.’

‘Sure has. You been good?’

‘Considering the circumstances, well enough. You know how the media gets though.’

‘Forget the media.’ Krum points at the manila folder wedged between DeMaio’s fingers. ‘Worry about the case.’

‘I know. It’s an odd one though.’

‘Go on.’

Both the men begin down the corridor past a multitude of labeled doors. DeMaio takes the lead taking short steps in his gator skin boots.

‘It’s solved already.’

‘Solved?’ Krum asked with a puzzled look in his eyes.

‘Yes. Solved. It was the girlfriend, she admitted to it.’

‘Why’d you call me then?’

Frank looks over his shoulder and slows his steps.

‘She won’t give us a motive.’

‘Why do you figure?’

‘I’m not sure. She’s kept it locked for the whole day though. Maybe she’s distressed still. You know how it goes.’

‘Yeah.’

‘We need you to help us find out. It’s an odd case, like I said, and an odd case deserves an explanation.’

‘All cases deserve an explanation.’

‘True. This one more than any though.’

Krum strokes the patch of facial hair on his chin and ungracefully slides his fingers to his skull. He scratches at the follicles and motions for the case folder.

‘You think you can help?’

Krum pages through the file and looks over the few sheets of paper inside. Again, he scratches his head and looks up to his friend.

‘Seems reasonable. Where is she?’

‘In here.’

They stop at a door labeled “Investigation 4” and prepare themselves to enter. Krum adjusts his tie and DeMaio flattens his mustache.

‘Before we go in, know that she’s smarter than she looks. I tried the interrogation already and she avoided everything.’

‘We’ll see. Thanks though.’

He nods solemnly and grabs a key from his lanyard. The knob spins and the door opens revealing another beige room with another beige table. Sitting in a chair against the wall, Erin Madio opens her eyes. She’s a young girl, very attractive at first glance, with flowing strands of auburn veiling her face. Her eyes, although hidden under her brunette lochs, catch the light and show off a radiant shade of green that Krum notices first above all. She pretends not to recognize the men as the door shuts behind them.

‘Hello Erin, this is Detective Krum. He wants to talk to you for a little.’

Erin neglects to answer and instead shuts her eyes. Krum slides a seat across from her at the table and motions for DeMaio to leave. With a smug grin, he exits, as asked, and leaves the two to their business.

‘Isn’t he pleasant?’

Her eyes remain shut.

‘You know, when people talk to themselves it makes them look crazy. You mind helping me out?’

Slowly, Erin peels her lids open and blinks a few times while taking aim at Krum. Her expression is apathetic in nature and confirms DeMaio’s earlier advice.

‘You a specialist or something?’

‘Not really. No.’

‘What makes you different than him?’

‘He has a mustache.’

She wants to smile but refrains from doing so.

‘I’ve been questioned and I’ve been prodded. You know I did it so what’s it matter what else I have to say?’

‘It doesn’t really. I mean – yeah, a bit. But they’ll lock you up without a motive. It’s kinda’ curious though. You know?’

‘I’d rather it stay that way.’

Krum nods and leans back in his chair. For a minute or so, silence overtakes the air leaving both of them worrying about what the other is thinking. Krum breaks the awkwardness though and allows a smile to come over his lips.

‘How about we talk about Hyde then. Nothing about earlier today. Nothing like that. More for me to get to know the guy.’

‘I know how this game ends.’

‘It only ends that way in the movies. We’re not all trying to find something out.’

‘Yeah. Right.’

Krum leads in, ‘Look, how about we agree that if we get to a point where you don’t feel comfortable, you can stop. No questions. No nothing. We’ll stop and take a break.’

‘I bet.’

‘I promise.’

Whether it was the look in his eyes or the way he spoke, something seemed to sway Erin’s decision. She sat upright in her chair and fixed the collar on her polo before speaking with a less brash voice.

‘Where do I start?’

‘When you met?’

‘You have time?’

‘Until you feel uncomfortable. Yes.’

‘Ok.’ She paused to gather her thoughts hoping that they’d come out without any intimation of why she had done the crime. Ready to go, she spoke again.

‘We met at a fish market. I know – crazy as it seems, it’s where it happened. I was looking to pick-up a salmon steak and there he was. Decked out in an old beat-up suit, one of the most handsome guys I’ve ever seen was leaning against the counter.’

‘You talked to him then?’

‘Just let me tell it. Ok?’

‘Of course.’

PART II

Erin Madio, wrapped tight in a chic scarf and designer jacket, stood in line taking in the potent scent of freshly hauled fish. Her black heels dug into the soaked tiles beneath her as she swayed back and forth waiting for her number to be called. Among the other customers, Erin was the most stand-out. From the bun her hair was in to her posture, something distinctly different stood out with her. In secret, she lived off it. Erin wasn’t conceited – far from it. Instead, she used fancy dress and proper stance as a way to inflate her ego. As the others looked at her, she would pretend that it was jealousy that led their eyes to her body. She wouldn’t have it any other way.

‘Order sixteen!’

She glanced down at the bold faced twenty-six on her stub and sighed. It wasn’t often that she settled for salmon but for some odd reason she couldn’t fight back the craving. Something about the pinkish skin boggled her mind in ways that shoes and shopping sprees typically did. For that reason, she knew there would be no denying minds wishes.

‘Seventeen!’

Her eyes wandered around the fish market until they settled on one man in particular. He wasn’t very tall, nor very bulky, but from behind he looked like he could be a model. His long overcoat nearly dipped its fingers into the fish juice which consequently brought her eyes to his suede shoes. She grinned at the sight and tried to look over his shoulder to see what his face looked like. Unfortunately for her, his shoulder length hair blocked her eyes from sneaking a peak. Madio wouldn’t be deterred though. She shimmied across the soaked tiles in her heels and waited for him to turn.

‘Eighteen!’

Finally, he turned flashing his strong jaw line and perfectly angled nose. His eyes lured her in further and made the escape near impossible. Like fate, she watched as he walked into the space beside her. Immediately, the awkward silence that comes along with blind staring came over the two drowning out the obnoxious background music of the shop.

‘For the best fish in town, the service is passable.’

She knew he was talking to her but her nerves overtook her vocal chords. The man with the strong jaw line turned, with a smile across his lips, and looked over Erin casually.

‘You know?’

‘Yeah. Sorry. Yeah.’

‘Sorry?’

‘Well – yeah.’

‘I don’t even know your name and you’re apologizing. Not sure about you but it’s a first for me.’

‘Erin.’

‘Your name?’

‘Yeah. Sorry.’

‘Again, still sorry?’

‘You know my name though.’

‘Touché.’

A pause.

‘I’m Victor by the by.’

Erin turned toward Victor and smiled showing off her impressively white batch of teeth. He seemed entertained by the wide array of pearls and grinned back.

‘You do this often?’

‘What’s this?’

‘Meet girls at Le Poisson.’

‘Before today, no. Considering I seem to now have a one hundred percent success rating though, I may try it another time.’

‘Sounds shady.’

‘Is that how it’s coming off?’

‘Not really. No.’

‘Twenty-four!’

They both looked away from one another and toward the counter where they watched an elderly man grab his bag of fish from with scale.

‘You’re almost up.’

‘How do you know?’

‘I figured you were inviting me to look by the way you held the stub.’

‘Touché.’

‘Do you come here often?’

‘I try not to.’

‘Is it the smell or the taste that you hate then?’

‘Neither. Just not that big on fish.’

‘Yet you’re here now?’

‘Had a craving. I don’t know, something about salmon had me singing.’

‘Salmon sounds good.’

‘Twenty-six!’

Meeting again, their eyes seemed to be shaking hands by the way they faced each other. Both kept their gaze centered at the other waiting for the greasy man behind the counter to call the number again.

‘They get mad if you make them wait.’

‘Yeah. Right.’

Just like that, she walked away from Victor and toward her slab of fish. It wasn’t her first choice; something between the two of them felt right in the entire three minutes that they had come to know one another. Still, she knew that her chances of walking away with a guy from a fish market were slim to none and for that reason she stepped up to the counter.

‘Ten fifty.’

‘Just a sec.’

She pulled a bill and a few coins from her designer bag and slid them through the gooey gunk on the counter in front of her. With an ok, she picked up the moist package of fish and turned toward the door. To her surprise, Victor still held a perfect smile on his lips. She walked past him on her way out with no more than a wink from him. Then, before stepping into the rain, she heard his voice.

‘Erin.’

‘Victor?’

‘Look. I don’t do this often but it’s kinda’ like your craving. Are you eating that with anyone…or – I mean…yeah.’

‘I wasn’t planning on it. No.’

‘I like salmon and was just wondering –‘

‘If?’

‘If you wanted company. If not, shoot me down. I understand. Just, I don’t know; no one should eat fish alone.’

‘Yeah. You know what, I’d like that.’

‘Really?’

‘Yeah.’

She let the door slam behind her as she stepped beside Victor once again. Enduring that scent for another five minutes didn’t seem like that big of a problem anymore.

PART III

‘So that’s it? The rest is just whatever?’

‘Well, no. There’s more in the middle.’

‘Well?’

‘You want to hear more?’

‘Unless you don’t feel comfortable.’

He was skilled at the art of prodding for details and it was for that reason that DeMaio had hired Krum. He had a knack for establishing trust and a way with his words. As he leaned back in his chair, the look in his eyes showed the actual interest he had in the story of Victor Hyde and Erin Madio. He stroked his chin lightly and waited for a reply.

‘I mean, it’s more or less about the sex and all.’

‘All of it?’

‘Mainly.’

‘That’s a lot of sex.’

‘It was a lot.’

‘Well what about Victor? I mean, was he the same guy you met in the fish market? Or was he one of those masked men?’

Madio could tell what was happening but something about the situation felt right to her. Although she knew that she was spilling information they could use, the fact that someone was willing to hear her and show interest to her willed her to go on. So she did.

‘He was quite the violinist.’

‘I heard.’

‘Right.’

‘Did he ever play for you?’

‘Lots. He was romantic like that.’

‘Let’s hear about it.’

‘About what?’

‘How he was romantic.’

She racked her mind for something in her past and as it came to her she began to tell the story.

‘What are you doing?’

‘Wait a second.’

Victor Hyde reached under the tablecloth and fingered his way along the floor until he had his violin in hand. The instrument did a slow rise as he pulled it into sight and he watched Erin’s lips bend upwards.

‘You play?’

‘A bit.’

‘Convenient that there happened to be a violin there.’

‘Very. Almost like someone planned it.’

He grabbed his bow and allowed it to run across the strings of the instrument. It screeched in the best way possible giving Erin a distinct chill that raced down her spinal cord.

‘It’s nothing special but I wrote something for you.’

‘For me?’

‘Yeah.’

‘That’s – well that’s really awesome.’

‘I hope so. You want to hear?’

‘You didn’t have to ask.’

With a kiss gracing their lips, Victor rode the bow across the strings for a second time. The buzz resonated off the walls of the small room and filled the air with a sweet hum. He pushed the bow again and this time a higher pitched squeal came to life. As the sound began to fade, Victor picked up pace and spread the noise with the constant push and shove of his weapon. Harmonic waves butted between them and made Erin shut her eyes to enjoy the warmth the music was creating. He went on for nearly seven minutes before he reached the ending which made Madio feel like she was floating. The slow finish pulled together the greatest thing anyone had ever done for her and made her wish that she could live the moment forever. Finished, Hyde placed the bow on the table and lowered his violin from the niche between his neck and shoulder.

‘It’s nothing special.’

She was silent while he waited for her reply but he understood why. Her eyes were still shut and her lips seemed chapped in the current lighting but that was to be expected when you forget to breathe. As she slowed peeled her lids open she looked at Victor and her shoulder length mane with the widest grin she could create.

‘Why didn’t I know you played?’

‘I’m not that good.’

‘Not that good? You should be traveling the world making money off those chords.’

‘Nah. I just play for fun.’

‘Well you should have fun making money. That was incredible.’

‘Thank you. I try.’

‘I’m serious you know. We need to get you to play more.’

‘I play enough.’

‘Not enough around the world. Victor, you would be huge. I nearly melted a minute ago. I’m pretty sure the world deserves to melt as well.’

‘We’ll see. Let’s finish dinner first, huh?’

‘Let’s.’

Krum nodded at the finish of her story and let out a sound that Erin believed to be one for thoughts.

‘Hmmm?’

‘Nothing.’

‘That doesn’t mean nothing.’

‘It was a moving story.’

‘Stop.’

‘What?’

‘I need water.’

‘We can take a break.’

‘Good.’

Pushing her chair back to the wall, Erin Madio stood and walked toward the door to leave. Outside, she found that a tall male was there to escort her to the nearest water fountain. Remaining seated, Krum made sense of the current story as it stood. Unfortunately for him, he would have little time to place the pieces together. The door opened and in walked Frank DeMaio. A smile covered the lower portion of his face as he approached his friend.

‘You seem to be moving the mountain.’

‘I’m not so sure.’

‘I am. She’s talking about Victor like we needed her to.’

‘It’s drivel though.’

‘Not exactly. Push her some more.’

‘I think I’m losing her.’

‘We’ll have to find her then, huh?’

‘I suppose.’

PART IV

Bathed in his music, Victor Hyde continued to stroke his violin with the worn edge of his bow. The notes came free from the friction but to the ears they lacked the togetherness that he was typically known for. Still, he continued to pluck away at the instrument carefully looking for the sound he needed.

‘Dinner Victor.’

‘Not now.’

‘It’s hot baby.’

He decided not to answer and instead continued to play the melody. The music filled his ears and blocked Erin’s voice. It wasn’t until she walked into the room that he remembered that she had been calling for him. Even as he glanced away from his sheet music though, he continued to play the music.

‘Victor!’

‘Give me another minute.’

‘I’ve given you three hours.’

He removed the bow from the strings and looked at his girlfriend of seven years. Her face lacked the splash of joy she wore at one point and instead was painted in an apathetic annoyed visage.

‘You don’t understand. It’s right around the corner.’

‘Bumbershoot isn’t for another four months.’

‘You make it sound like eons away.’

‘It’s close to that.’

‘Erin. You don’t get it. They’re expecting me to play something new. Something grand.’

‘And I want to sit down to a meal with the guy I –‘

‘You what?’

‘Nothing.’

‘What?’

Madio shook her head and could feel a loose tear spilling from her duct. Swiftly, she turned on her heel and turned away. Victor watched her leave the room and wondered what he had done. As she stepped into their room, she looked down at her bare finger wondering when it would happen. If it would ever happen.

‘So he took your advice?’

‘What advice?’

‘The traveling the world advice.’

‘Yeah.’

‘And that made you upset I assume?’

‘I’m done talking?’

‘Uncomfortable?’

‘Don’t think I’m dumb and don’t see what you’re doing. You said you wouldn’t prod and poke it out of me.’

‘I’m just learn –‘

‘No, you’re getting what you need.’

Walter Krum leaned forward and pressed both elbows on the table. He looked at Erin Madio with calm eyes and spoke in a sincere manner.

‘Erin. If you’re done talking then we’re done. Like I said, they’ll lock you away anyways. Nothing a story can do to save a person.’

‘Exactly.’

‘Are we done?’

‘I’m done. That’s it.’

‘In that case, I guess you can see something.’

Krum placed his hand inside of his pocket and pulled an object loose. Before bringing it into eyesight though, he spoke once more.

‘I’m not doing this because I have to. I’m doing this because I wanted to show you.’

‘Show me what?’

‘I know what you were expecting. I can tell how much you wanted it.’

‘What are you talking about?’

He placed a small black box on the table and immediately the tears found their way down her cheeks. They swam across her skin and skidded over her nose and mouth dripping onto the table under her.

‘What is that?’

‘It was in his pocket Erin. Go ahead. Open it.’

She knew what it was before opening it but humored herself by pushing the lid back. The tears came in more numbers than before and piled together creating a large puddle. Walter Krum sighed and stood from his chair with one last look at Erin. With a sigh, he walked out of the room leaving Erin alone with the one thing she had always wanted from Victor. A ring.

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