No Good Neighbors (On-Going)

Chapter 1

Jigou Jitoku


Mia waited for her husband with a smile. Standing next to the front door, she stroked the leaves on her favorite money tree, happy that it hadn't become moody from the move. His sing-song voice drifted in from down the hallway, echoing through the yet unfurnished rooms, muttering to himself about some inscrutable thing. She knew he might forget his bag or his keys, so she held them out to give him as he came to put his shoes on.

"Ah, thank you, honey," said Jeremiah Banks, professor in chemistry, husband to Mia, fan of wearing white trainers to go with his grey suit and striped tie.

Mia replied, "Did you find the umbrella? Don't want you to be wet on your first day at the new office."

"Of course, of course." He stood up, received his things, and kissed her on the forehead before turning to leave.

"Wait," Mia said.

"Hm?" He turned around.


"What would you like to eat for dinner?"

He smiled. "You know me. I'm easy. Whatever you like."

"Pasta, then. I'll go buy garlic." She smiled back.

He nodded and left the house. Just like that.

Mia locked the door after him and navigated her way into the living room, where two dozen unlabelled cardboard boxes greeted her silently. This was going to be her morning. The first was a foot-long cuboid, who didn't seem to mind her taking a knife to its taped up head. Inside were old books she had brought from Japan. They reminded her of home. Feeling like there was no place nice enough to put them yet, she hid them under the couch, just for now. Onto another box. Uncovering the trinkets hidden inside the unsuspecting boxes, revealing all the treasures he and she had collected over the years - it was fun.

After an hour's work, she had gutted another two and was carrying a pile of her clothes out of the room. She nearly tripped on a box that was placed next to the door. Arms laden with sweaters and blouses, she kicked the box out of the way, only to hear a tearing sound. The tape had come undone. Mia sighed and dropped her clothes and got down to assess the damage.

Out of a wide, flat box spilled several magazines, some kitchen utensils, and other miscellaneous things. Jeremiah must have packed this one. He was so clumsy sometimes. She reached into the box to unload all of its contents. Inside, there was also a tube of sunscreen, a bottle of leftover antibiotics and an umbrella. Their only umbrella. He could be so forgetful too. About everything he thought mundane. Sometimes, she worried that he would forget about her too. That's what she got for marrying a man whose brain overpowered his heart. Jigou Jitoku. You reap what you sow.

Suddenly feeling lonely, Mia turned on the TV. She had made sure to set up the cable and WIFI first thing after moving in. The TV booted up and started broadcasting the news.

"... High of 70 today with winds coming from the..."

The background noise was comforting. Back to work. The kitchen utensils belonged in the kitchen, the books belonged in the library upstairs, and the rest belonged in the garbage if she was honest. Mia placed everything in its right place, one after the other. Then, she returned to the living room to gatherher clothes once more. The news continued.

"We return to our story about the ongoing investigations of the body of a child, now identified as Niklas Lindgre, who was discovered last night on the corner of 22nd and Church in Northdale."

Mia turned to look at the news broadcast. Northdale was where they had just moved.

"Police say that witnesses reported smells coming from a local convenience store's ice locker some days prior, and when the store owner unlocked the box to see inside, he found a bag. And once he verified what was inside, he was horrified, and reported it to the police."

The broadcast then cut to an interview of the convenience store owner stating his account of the situation, but Mia changed the channel. So much negativity was bad for the psyche. She gathered her clothes for the third time and brought them upstairs to the bedroom. Sunlight beamed in from their large, uncurtained windows, and Mia smiled. She dropped the clothes onto the bed haphazardly and looked out into the back yard, bathing in the warmth of the morning sun.

It was a large yard, as suburbs could afford. On the adjacent wall was another window, facing their neighbour, but from that angle, she had a view of the street. Not too far from the house was a school bus just pulling away, probably toward a school. The news report lingered on Mia's mind. A dead child. In a body bag. Maybe it was a freaked out parent? She didn't even want to think about doing something so horrid.

She shook her head, trying to get rid of the dark thoughts. Back downstairs, she picked up her phone and deftly punched in the number of an unsaved contact, writing a text message, "Amity's at 12."

Amity's Fresh Farm and Foods was a local-run grocery store run by a lovely Pakistani couple. They had good produce all the time but adhered to none of the neighborhood moms' rules about organic, gluten-free, non-GMO, free-range, and the rest. So for Mia, it was a calm location to get groceries without the hassle. In other words, the perfect distraction.

As Mia sat down to apply her makeup, she received a reply, simply saying, "Yes." To which she smiled. Amity's was only twenty minutes away by bike, and even less by Japanese biking. Before she could write another text with some clarifying details, she was surprised to hear a knock on the door.

It must be the neighbors. Usually not one to show off without reason, Mia still finished applying her lipstick and checking her eyeliner before going downstairs to answer the door. Satisfied, she quickly stepped downstairs, hurdled gingerly over the mess of boxes and past infomercial playing on the TV. The door unlocked with a click, and she greeted two police officers.

"Hello, sirs." She said, with a confused smile.

The older of the two uniformed men took off his hat and said, "Sorry to bother you, ma'am, but we're asking all the houses on the street if they saw or heard anything peculiar in the streets within the last week. Could you think back and see if there's anything for you to report?"

"Umm," Mia began, her heart racing. She hated cops. "I don't think so. Not last night certainly."

"Not just last night," Said the other policeman, who had a very full mustache. "Any time within the last week or two."

"Well, some nights I did hear a man coughing loudly above us, and on others, a child playing the piano," Mia said with a gentle laugh.

When the two officers gave each other an uneasy look, Mia panicked but tried not to let it show. She quickly explained, "We had just fully moved in yesterday. Last night was the first that we spent in this house, instead of an apartment in the city." She knew her face was flush underneath her foundation. Cops were the worst.

The officers smiled and the older one replied, "Well, then. We apologize for taking up your time, ma'am. You know, I remember there being and old cooter who lived here. Was a bit surprised to see such a young lady answer the door." He nodded his head. Then, when he saw Mia frowning, he added, "Not to sound rude, of course."

Mia gave a kind smile and recalled the response she'd rehearsed. With a slight bow, she said sweetly, "Not at all. You're just doing your job. Is there anything else I can help you with today?" She clasped her hands together, hoping desperately that they would leave. Her palms were seriously clammy from a buildup of sweat. She felt her heart thumping, praying that they couldn't hear it. God, why couldn't she talk to cops without getting so anxious?

"Nope," Said the older policeman. "We'll be on our way now. Have a nice day."

She sighed. They turned to leave and she paused as long as she thought was respectful before closing the door.

"Oh, ma'am." He said before the door was fully shut.

She reopened the door, on full alert. She swalllowed and said, "Yes?"

"Welcome to Northdale." The policeman tipped his hat and walked to the waiting police car.