The Neighbors, Chapter 4

Phil had lied…again. It had not been work that had called him. Rather, it had been Emily, requesting some…risky pictures from her new playmate. Excited, Phil had eagerly obliged. The text he received back had been a request back from Emily, wanting to see him the following day when he was home on his lunch break.

On Monday, when Phil pulled up to the house, he saw Emily waiting for him. he stopped the car, rolled  the window down.

“Hello,” he said, smiling widely. “Can I give you a ride?”

Emily giggled, and she climbed into the car, and Phil drove the rest of the way up his driveway. Taking Emily’s hand, he led her into the house, both of them smiling and laughing like school children. He prepared sandwiches and chips, and as they ate, Phil told Emily about his day thus far, to which she eagerly listened. As they finished, they retreated to the bedroom.

In the aftermath, Phil lay on his back, looking up at the ceiling. Emily curled up next to him, stroking his chest.

“Phil,” she said quietly, “can I tell you something?”

“Of course,” said Phil. “You can tell me anything.”

 It was a moment before she spoke.

“I love you,” she said. “I love you, and I want us to be together. Exclusively together, I mean.”

Phil looked at her and could tell from her face that she was serious.

“I…” he stammered, but he couldn’t speak. Emily nodded curtly.

“It’s Lana, isn’t it?” she said. When Phil didn’t respond, she sat up and looked at him.

“Don’t you care about me?” she said. “You must, or why would we be doing this?”

“What about Ed?” said Phil. “Your husband.”

“Yes, my wife-beater of a husband,” scoffed Emily. “Yeah, that gives me real motivation to stay with him, doesn’t it? Think, Phil!”

“Look,” said Phil. “I care about you, but…”

His voice trailed off again. Emily nodded.

“I understand,” she said. “You promise you care about me?”

Phil nodded. Pleased, Emily stood and walked over to her purse, which was discarded next to her clothes. She opened it, rummaged inside, pulled something out, and snapped the purse shut again. She stood, faced Phil, and tossed something onto the bed, where it landed with a soft thump: a gun.

“Prove that you care about me,” she said. “Let us be together, then. If you’re worried about Lana and Ed, then there’s your answer.”

“We’ll be on the run,” said Phil. “We’ll be murderers.”

“What’s life,” said Emily, coming over to him, “without a little risk?”

She kissed him, and, though he was initially reluctant, Phil wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. He broke the kiss and looked up at her.

“Who’s first?”

***

At her own work, Lana was busy filling a prescription when she overheard two of her co-workers having a conversation.

“Yeah,” said Bill. “I heard they’re going to bulldoze it this weekend.”

“I’m surprised it took this long,” said Rose. “It happened what, last year?”

“I think the city was hoping someone was going to buy it,” said Bill. “But, since there weren’t any takers, they just decided to bulldoze it, go ahead and get rid of that awful thing.”

As Rose shook her head, Lana spoke up.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “But what are you talking about?”

“Oh, the old Vincent place,” said Bill. “You said you live on Oakville Drive, right?”

Lana nodded.

“Yeah,” said Bill. “It’s right across the street from your house. 1725 Oakville Drive.”

“Why would they bulldoze it?” said Lana. “There are people living there!”

“What, you mean, like squatters?” said Rose, looking at Lana. “I guess with no one living there, I guess it was inevitable that a homeless person or two was bound to move in. Take advantage of it while it’s still standing, ya know? Well, they’ll clear out come Saturday.”

Lana looked between Bill and Rose, trying to think of a response. This required some research.

The Vincent’s house stood as pristine as ever when Lana pulled into the neighborhood that evening.  The sight of it made her sick to her stomach. When she pulled into the driveway, Phil’s car was sitting in the driveway.

“Phil?” she said as she came into the house. To her surprise, there was no answer. Nevertheless, she went straight to the office and opened Phil’s laptop. She navigated to Google and searched “Ed and Emily Vincent, Dell Lake, Illinois.” The search results were shocking, and she felt her jaw drop open. She clicked on one of the links and read the article:

Two Found Dead in House Fire

Police and firefighters were called to the scene of a house fire at 1725 Oakville Drive last night. Upon entry, firefighters discovered and recovered two bodies: Ed Vincent, 34, and his wife Emily, 33. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time. Autopsies for both bodies are scheduled for later this week.

Another article:

Cause of Death for Vincent Fire Victims Revealed

The Tornen County Coroner has released the cause of death for Emily and Ed Vincent, who died last week in a fire at their home. Although the cause was initially believed to be smoke inhalation, this has been proven false. It is now confirmed that both victims died due to gunshot wounds to the head. However, from what Coroner Dan Harding says, this is far more tragic.

“From what I’ve examined, this was a case of murder-suicide,” he said. “I believe that Mr. Vincent shot his wife, set the house ablaze, and then shot himself. It is truly a tragic case.”

Police now believe that the motive for the arson and murder-suicide was the recent death of the Vincent’s infant son Samuel, who tragically passed away just two weeks ago. Police suspect that Ed deemed his wife responsible for their son’s death and sought revenge.

Both articles were dated July…of the previous year. Lana stared at the screen, lost for words. At last, she forced herself to stand and went back towards the living room.

“Phil?” she said, but there was still no answer. As she passed the dining room window, she saw something out of the corner of her eye that made her stop. The Vincent’s house, which had stood gracefully and intact just moments ago, was now destroyed. The windows were blown out, and there was a large chunk missing from the ceiling. A large metal fence stood around the property, keeping out intruders. She knew where Phil was.

Breathing heavily, Lana slowly made her way across the street towards the destroyed house. As she came closer, the smell of burnt wood attacked her nostrils. She squeezed in between a gap in the fence and walked up to the front door, which was splintered from the firefighters’ axe. But there was no sign of Phil.

Inside, the entire living room was black, and the furniture that hadn’t been removed was melted. From what Lana suspected, this was where the fire started. But there was no sign of Phil.

A moan caught Lana’s attention, and she turned on the spot, ready for any potential attacker. She saw nothing but began to move closer to the sound, which, as she walked, was coming from the bedroom. She pushed the charred door open, stepped into the room, and what she saw made her freeze, her eyes wide with terror.