GUIDELINES 

THE EYEWITNESS 
by Deborah Huston 

“When I go to close the door, he yells, 'Hey, you got cable?' Now, ain't that something? Of all things to call out to a perfect stranger! 'You got cable?'

     "I was on the couch," said Marlene, "doors and windows wide open--it was so pretty today, wasn't it?--and I figured if he's watching TV too, he knows he's all over the news and he's got to be scared and I oughta get up and lock my doors and windows."

     "And that's when you saw him?" said Agent O'Malley.

     "Yeah, in the front yard there, lighting a cigarette. Cool as spring water."

     Agent Ward frowned. "Just standing there?" 

     "Well, I guess he was waiting on Teddy to come out, I don't know. I just wanted to scream and run at the same time. But something told me no, I got to act normal. I knew he'd already seen me, so I yelled, 'Nice day, ain't it?' He nodded at the ground like it was the one talking to him. When I go to close the door, he yells, 'Hey, you got cable?' Now, ain't that something? Of all things to call out to a perfect stranger! 'You got cable?' But I knew he was testing me. He wanted to see if I'd seen him on the news. I couldn't lie, so I said, 'Yeah, I got cable, but don't ever have time to watch it.' And then he stared dead into my eyes and I knew right then he knew I knew and he was about to kill me and Jake was gonna come home from school and find me and … well, I said no sirree, and flew out the door."

     "What, what do you mean you ..." Agent Ward leaned closer, eyeing the petite lady. "Where did you go?"

     "Right at him. You could tell I surprised him 'cause he dropped his cigarette. He took off like a scared rabbit. We went in and out of the bushes, around those trees out back, and then the crazy thing ran up on my back deck. Headed straight for the sliding doors, trying to get inside. He stepped on one of Jake's Lego trucks and broke it. That's when I jumped on his back and poked his eyes.

     "He whirled round and round, grunting and groaning, swearing he wasn't going back to prison. 'Shoulda thought about that before you killed those people,' I told him. Next thing I know he's got me in a headlock. He had this skull tattoo on his arm and I thought, Lord, don't let this be the last thing I see on this earth. Then I thought about Jake again and somehow, I don't know how, I twisted out of his arm. I put both hands on his big old chest and pushed harder than I've ever pushed anything in my entire life. He lost his balance, eyes all wild, snapped the banister and before you could say Jefferson Davis, fell off the deck." Marlene crunched a piece of ice. "Broke his leg in three places, I hear."

     Both FBI agents stared at her, wide-eyed and speechless. 

© 2007 Deborah Huston