A Psychotic Killer? How to Get Away!

CHAPTER 8

The following happened between 6am and 7am

“Oh my cloth!” Fr. Mark cried.

“Fr. Mark?” Kim called.

“I’m here” He said “In the kitchen”.

Kim walked to the door where he stood.

“What happened to the lights here?” She asked.

“I’ve no idea. The bulbs just went out” He replied. The kitchen and hallway were dark. “My cloth has stuck to the door. A loose thread has wound round this door handle” He said.

“Let me get a bulb and…”

He turned on a dim penlight he held. “Please use one of the knives to first get me out”.

She walked to the cabinet where the set of knives were placed.

“Take the bigger one. Small knives can be blunt” He said.

Kim lifted a knife. And Fr. Mark turned off his penlight. She walked back to him.

“Here?” And she cut off a thread.

“Mummy!” Angel screamed.

The knife fell from Kim’s hands as she fled from the kitchen and sped towards her daughter’s voice. She dashed into Angel’s room.

“I’m scared” Angel cried. “Richard he…”

Kim walked to her daughter’s bedside and hugged her, patting her back “go back to sleep dear. I’ve taken care of it” Kim said “No one will hurt you anymore”.

****

The family and friends of Richard Harrison were gathered in his art gallery to remember him and share their last memories of him.

“Richard loved this place” Bridget Jacobs said, Kim’s cousin said as she looked at the paintings-filled walls of the large gallery. Bridget was in her late thirties, single and fat. Her belly was a home of several folds of skin and at all times, she wore thick glasses that announced her bookworm nature at first sight. To crown it all, she was unattractive and had a face that only a good mother would ever love. Nonetheless, despite her physical faults, she was intelligent. Very intelligent. And nice.

“This was the only place, he could be himself” Bridget added.

“You mean, where he could be weird?” Sebastian, Bridget’s brother said.

And the entire group of people turned and looked at him. Nine pairs of eyes glaring at him.

“What?” Sebastian growled.

“I’ve never seen a guy wear such skinny jeans and so many colours on his body like Richard. Gosh. He reminded me of a rainbow every time I saw him” Aidan, Sebastian’s brother said, giggling.

“He wasn’t so bad” Felicity said sarcastically to lessen the tension when Kim glared at Aidan and Seb. Felicity was in the room with Tony, Kim’s ex. After Kim’s marriage to Tony ended, and she married Richard. Richard being a peaceful guy chose to be on good terms with Tony, hence, their presence in the gallery.

“You married a girl” Ethan Jacobs, Kim’s uncle said, not staring at Kim but obviously talking to her.

Tony let out a loud laughter and covered his mouth at once before the wrath of Ethan’s sharp tongue extended to him. Ethan has never been a fan of Richard’s feminine attitude and flamboyant lifestyle.

Kim opened her mouth to voice her opinion “Uncle…”

“We’ve come here, not to quarrel but to remember Richard because we were the closest to him. And because we are the ones who love him the most” Fr. Mark said, hoping to stop the loud argument that could set in if caution was not taken. “Above all things, we must remember Richard loved peace” Fr. Mark added.

Exasperated, Kim left with her best friend, Jean and her husband, Arnold to the other side of the gallery that led to Richard’s office. There, they stood staring at a painting that decorated the wall. It was a painting by Peowark. It wasn’t for sale. Richard took it from the mansion and brought it to his gallery.

“It’s sophisticated” Richard had said. She touched the painting. Since she came to live with her father, she had always stared at this masterpiece, day and night. It filled her with the courage and strength she needed back then.

Perhaps, it was because of the story of the artist, whose life was also from rags to riches. Her fingers ran on the surface of the canvas and round the edges. It felt different. Seemed different as she kept touching and looking at it.

“Anything the matter?” Jean asked.
“Anything the matter?”

Kim’s mind returned “No” She looked at the painting again. From the first day she saw this painting till now, she could say that she has stared at this painting for probably more than a thousand times, so she knew every part of it as easily as she knew her own body. “This painting feels different” Kim said.

“How?” Arnold asked.

Kim looked at it again and felt a little silly. “Don’t mind me. I’m just imagining things” She said.

“You’re still going to sell all these paintings, right?” Ethan asked as he looked around the wide room full of colourful paintings on the wall and walked towards Kim with others in the group.

“Yes” Kim said. “I’ll be taking them to the Art Centre for proof that they are original and then, sell them off”.

Bad idea, Kim. Someone in the group thought. I assumed the paintings would be tucked away in a storage room forever. But now, you want proof that they are authentic. The person shook the head. Richard died for this. Will you be the next?