White As A Lie

3: Crystal Parkes

I was woken up at 11:45 by sirens and flashing lights. I looked out the window, and saw at least three police cars and an ambulance outside my house. At first it didn't register that they were actually at my house, not a neighbor's.

I began to run into the living room, but was ushered back by a policeman. "What's going on?" I asked.

"Please back up, sir."

"This is my house!"

"I understand that, but the ambulance needs some space to work."

"...Ambulance?" It was at that moment that I realized I didn't know where Nicole was. "Where's Nicole?" I asked. "Where's my wife?"

"Sir, please-"

I was trying to push past him. "Where is she?" Just as I finished the sentence, I broke through him and into the living room. That's when I saw her, laying on the ground with blood pooled around her back. "Oh my god..." It came out as a whisper, but I wanted to scream.

I ran toward her, feeling like I might trip a couple times even though I was just ten feet from her. "Sir, you must stay back!" One doctor said.

"She's my wife!" I yelled, and fell to my knees next to her. "Nicole!" I carefully shook her, but she didn't respond. She lay stiff in her pink pajamas with little snowflakes on them. "Please! Nicole!"

"Can someone get him out of here?" I heard the doctor say, and when I felt arms lock around my chest, I struggled to loosen their grip.

"No! No!" I screamed and kicked my legs in the air as they lifted me away from my wife and plopped me outside. "Let me in! Please! That's my wife! Nicole!" I pounded on the door, ignoring the growing audience I was getting.

When it became clear they weren't going to let me back in, I sat down on my porch step. My neighbors were all staring at me either from their houses or the street, and I suddenly got very conscious of myself. I was in my navy blue pajamas, also with snowflakes on them. Our pajamas were a package deal. I also had messy hair, no glasses, and teary eyes. I probably looked like a little kid on a time out because he was whining too much.

I pulled my legs to my chest and stared up at the stars. The night was so clear, Nicole would've loved this.

That's when I officially lost it.

Not only did I scream and throw a couple sticks into the ground, but I started crying hysterically. I didn't know what to feel. I was sad, scared, confused, angry...

How did this happen? Who did this? Why did they do this?

Some neighbors stopped peeking out of their windows during the screaming, others started looking out of shock.

I wanted nothing more than to stay out here in the cold air and get frostbite. My wife, the one I was living for, was dead. What did I have to live for anymore?

***
"We're very sorry for your loss, Mr. McCain." The chief policeman said to me.

It was currently 12:30 in the morning of January 9th, 2020. I was at the hospital.

She was pronounced dead at the scene, but they brought her in just to be sure.

"We have to take some precautions." He continued. "You'll have to take a blood test."

I frowned. "What?"

"Just to make sure you are...in the clear, so to speak." He tried to smile.

"In the clear? Officer, I can assure you, I did nothing-"

"I understand, sir, but this is the easiest way to tell. Murder is the worst crime, your blood definitely would be black as the night if you did it." He waved a nurse over to us.

"Follow me, sir."

"It's 12:30 in the morning. I just lost my wife, can't we do this at another time?" I asked.

"Please," the nurse smiled, gesturing to a room. I walked through and sat on the table. "Just relax, and we'll see how your blood is. If it's in the range of white to red, you're fine. But if it's black..." She made a face.

I sighed and let her stick the needle in my arm. To my surprise, you couldn't see the blood inside like you usually could.

"Okay. I'll take this so we can see."

She left in a hurry. I looked around the room and frowned. I wanted to leave. I didn't want to be in the very building where they were looking at my dead wife's body somewhere.

A few minutes later, the policeman entered. "Well, you're okay to leave."

"So it wasn't black?"

"Nope! Not even pink! Your blood is as white as snow! You're a saint!" He smiled.

I guess bad things do happen to good people.

"Don't you have a lead as to who did this?" I asked as I walked out of the room.

"Well, Mr. McCain, to be honest, you were our lead. But since you're taken care of, we're back to square one."

They let me leave after I asked what was they were doing with Nicole. They said they sent her to go through an autopsy to find out what exactly happened.

I arrived at home and fell asleep finally at around 5:00 in the morning. My alarm was going to go off in an hour.

I called the school at 6:30 to say I was sick and wouldn't be coming in. Then I sat in my recliner and stared at the wall. It was so quiet in that house, you could hear a pin drop.

A knock on the door came around 9:00. I opened the door to see a woman, close to my age, with blue eyes, red hair, and tan skin. She had a white blouse and jeans. Her hair, under a black fedora, was pulled into a high ponytail I assumed was atop her head, except two strands that hung around her face.  She smiled softly.

"Hello, Mr. McCain. I understand you just lost your wife."

I nodded. "Yes."

"My name is Crystal Parkes. I'm a detective at the FPD." She showed her badge.

I frowned as the wind blew cold, snowflakes dancing in the air. "A detective?"

"I'm very sorry to hear about your wife. But I can't help but wonder if perhaps...you did it."

I frowned harder. "Excuse me?"

"I've seen it too many times before, Mr. McCain-"

"Nolan."

She smiled. "Mr. McCain. There's been many cases similar to yours, and every time I find that the husband, or boyfriend, has killed their significant other."

"Well, this isn't like that. Why would I kill my wife?"

"You're telling me you didn't do it?" she asked.

"Yes. I don't know what happened. I was asleep when it...when she..."

Crystal's face was the prime example of someone who wasn't believing what they were being told. "Suicide, you're suggesting?"

I didn't answer.

"Well, Mr. McCain, according to your test results, you're clear," she leaned closer. "But between you and me, I don't believe the tests."

"You saw the test results. My blood is white as snow, the chief said it himself." I said.

"White as snow," Crystal squinted at me. "Or white as a lie?"

I didn't know what to say. "I-I swear-"

"I have my eye on you, Mr. McCain." She said as she walked back down the steps and into her car. "I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other again."