Sins of the Mother-Chapter 1 Critique Wanted

Chapter 1

Sitting in the corner watching. Always watching. He longed to be a part of Life. Knowing he must make the effort, Life wouldn't come to him, he needed to go to it, but didn't quite understand how. His mother had taught him to read and write but not to experience. How he hated her. He had never been to a concert or a movie, they were all sinful. He had never been on a date, she knew what would happen if he did. What they would find out. What she had made him do. What she had made him become. Sin. Sin. That was what she had taught him and he hated her for it.

His job was full of sin, but she let him go. Her bible books and food were more important than sin. Everyday when he went home she had to know all about what happened, commenting and criticizing. He longed to tell her to get her own job and not depend on him; he wanted sin, longed for sin.

The dog, his dog, she had fought him. Dogs have fleas, dogs are not god's creatures, they too were full of sin. He stood up to her for the first time in his life; he kept the dog, and loved the dog more for it. He remembered the day he found the dog, walking home from work; the dog was huddled under a parked car, trying to stay warm in the middle of Iowa winter. The dog looked as lost as he felt. He snuck the dog in the house, bathed and fed him. After a life filled with hate and sin the dog gave him the first glimpse of love and he wanted more.

The dog didn't greet him at the door. The real owners had showed up and taken the dog, that was his punishment for the sin of the dog, she explained. His hatred spilling over, she had destroyed the one thing that loved him, he wanted sin, longed for sin, and she was his first victim of his sin.

He would make sure she never saw his sin again.

Frank Ulmer loved his daily walks. He had at first fought his wife, Gloria, about moving to her hometown in Iowa. After 30 years as a detective in Philadelphia he wasn't sure how the shock of moving to such a small town would affect him. In the 3 years he had been in Iowa he had grown to love it. Locking the doors of both his car and house was only necessary now when he remembered to do it. When he walked down the street people looked him in the eye and said hello, such a change from the city, where it seemed everyone had something to hide.

Entering the small police station that also served as City Hall he greeted everyone on a first name basis. Remembering the day he had walked in there and offered his service, explaining he had just moved to town and as a former big city police officer he might be able to help the locals. The newly appointed chief, Howie Tillman, welcomed him into his office and listened to his stories before politely reminding him this wasn't Philly and promised him that when any big city crimes come to Alma, Iowa he will be the first to know. Howie's laugh was hard and heart felt.

Despite the 25-year age gap, the 2 men had become fast and lasting friends. When there was a rash of bike thefts in the area Howie had called on Frank. They solved the crime, 2 local boys were running a chop shop for bicycles and selling the "new" bikes. Frank admired the way Howie handled the case. Instead of using the letter of the law Howie went for the common sense approach. Without formally charging the boys he turned them over to the custody of their parents and made them return each and every bike back to its original condition and hand deliver it back to the victim. He then instructed the parents to do what they felt was necessary to punish the boys and he would check in on them once a week to make sure they were following their parent's rules. Formal charges would be pressed if they messed up again. The boys wide eyed and scared realized that they were more afraid of their parents than Howie's badge. Frank received a steak dinner at the best restaurant in town. For the first time since he had left the department Frank had felt needed and Alive. He chuckled at the memory. How pompous he had been.

Looking around and seeing Howie on the phone he started talking to the dispatcher Lisa. She had worked for the police department for 4 years. Her blind devotion to Howie was obvious to everyone but Howie. His wife, Gloria, ever the matchmaker, had tried to have them both over to dinner one night to "show them just how much they had in common." She admitted to Frank later on it was probably one of the worst ideas she had ever had. She said it was like watching 2 pigs wrestling under a blanket wanting desperately to get out but afraid they might bump into each other on the way.

"Frank we have a situation I need your help on." Howie said coming up behind him, his face usually so good natured and open was stormy and serious. "Some high school kids decided to go have a party at an abandoned house outside of town, one of them fell through the old rotted boards right to the basement," he continued, "the paramedics said his broken arm is the good news they want me out there right away, seems someone felt the basement was a good place to hide a body."

Someone had found the secret in the basement, now they knew. How long before the whole town knows. How long would it be before they came for him? Would they go door to door asking to see all the people in the house? Her death should have given him life instead it gave him fear. He had the answers should anyone ask questions. She went to visit her aunt in Ohio. The aunt is very sick may or may not recover. She calls him once a week to check in but not expected back until the aunt passes or makes a complete recovery and you know with older people that can be awhile. . To his mind they seemed weak. What if they checked and found she had no aunt, no family except for him. His phone would show no incoming or outgoing calls except for the occasional telemarketing call. They would try to remember who they haven't seen for a while. Not that his mother went out very often but she did order quite a bit off the home shopping networks. Would the mailman tell them the packages stopped? He should have started life after he took hers. He should have made sure that house was burned to the ground. He could have been a concerned citizen and pointed out how dangerous it was, one of the town kids could get hurt. He would have been a hero. Instead he sat watching, always watching. The dog, he needed the dog. Tonight or tomorrow he would go find the dog. He hadn't sinned when he brought home the dog, the people that allowed the dog out of the house into the cold had sinned. His hatred spilling over. He would find the dog.

People were already showing up by the time Frank and Howie got to the scene.

Howie's deputy, Vance, was trying to control the crowd that was growing by the second. The town's people were standing around the yard gawking at the house and talking. At least Vance had the insight to stop them from going in the house. Frank saw Howie's face begin to redden; any evidence that was left wouldn't survive half the town walking around on it.

"Everyone needs to go home," said Howie, "if anyone has any information please gather by the road, anyone else just leave." "I will let you know as soon as I know anything." He heard some grumbling from the crowd but all of them started to leave.

"Word travels fast," said Frank.

"You know what they say about small towns, don't worry if you don't know your business cause your neighbor always does." Replied Howie his face looking very humorless.

While Howie went to talk to his deputy, Frank decided to have a look around. Staring at the house he wondered how many parties, how many kids had come and gone from this place. It looked like it was a nice house at one time, built of brick, but now falling into disarray. It sat right on the edge of town, down a gravel road and from the grown over hedges it is very hard to see from the road. He hadn't even noticed the house on his drives with Gloria. He walked up on the porch, this was the only part of the house made of wood and had taken the brunt of the elements. He was very surprised no one had fallen through here before now. The boards were dry rotted and creaked every time you so much as looked at them. He was on his way in the house when Howie came up behind him.

"Frank I said to stay put, I don't need people walking all over enough damage has been done by the kids I don't need you adding to it." Howie's growled and walked into the house.

He knew the layout of this house as well as he did his own. How many times had he been in here? He was back in high school. With her. How in love they had been. Coming here every chance they got. Him and Cris laying on a blanket talking...planning. It all came back in a rush of memories. The last time he had seen Cris. She was on her way to California. Begging him to come. He needed to get away from his mother she said, his mother wanted to control him...to own him. With Cris he could have a life...a future. He had been young and scared...his mother told him she wouldn't give him another cent, in fact if he walked out that door ...she no longer had a son.

Going down the stairs to the basement he turned on his flashlight. The body was half covered with a blanket. All that was left was the skeleton with some skin hanging on it; most of the teeth had fallen out and were inside the jaw. He didn't need a doctor to tell him the cause of death...the skull had so many cracks it looked like an old cobblestone sidewalk...the eye sockets looked as if they had taken the brunt of the beating.

Frank walked around the house. Beer cans, cigarette wrappers and the occasional condom package littered the ground. Was this a crime scene? Had someone wandered into the house? Could this be an accident? He had been through enough investigations, homicide and accidental, to be very cautious about jumping to any conclusions on a cause of death. If were accidental why had no one been reported missing? Murder?

Someone had to know the house was here and empty but wouldn't that same person know that this was a hang out for the local kids?

Frank was coming back around to the front as Howie was coming out of the house. He had been in there less than 5 minutes.

"We need to get the state crime lab here now and try and preserve as much of the evidence as possible, from the state of decomposition looks to have been there eight months to a year."

"Any ideas on possible cause of death?" Frank asked.

Howie was silent. Frank wondered if he heard him he was staring hard at the house. He turned to Frank, "Old ghosts, sometimes you can't get rid of them and sometimes you don't want to."

Howie walked toward Vance, "Keep everyone and I do mean everyone out of here. I'm going to back to the station and calling Criminal Investigation. Hopefully they can send a unit out right away, if not plan to stay here. We will take turns watching this place. I will do the graveyard shift, you can relieve me in the morning."

He turned to Frank, "Let's go."

Getting into the squad car Howie turned on the engine but didn't make a move to put it in gear. "Her name was Cris we dated all through high school. We used to come here and plan our future, 2 kids and a white picket fence." Howie continued, "Did you ever meet my mother Frank? No you probably wouldn't have. She didn't like Cris.said we were too young...we didn't know what we were doing...and I listened to her. Go to college...if it was meant to be we could get married after I got a degree. Cris didn't want to wait and I was too scared of my mother...I went to college for a year but Cris had left town by then...said she couldn't wait until I decided to cut the umbilical cord...she wanted a real man." He pounded the steering wheel, "and here I am, Mother left, been gone for awhile now and she isn't coming back."

Howie slammed the car into gear and drove back to the station in silence.

Copyright 2007 LL Fleener