Chapter 6

A lock of Matilda's black hair lay across her cheek, tickling the side of her nose. She brushed it away as she would a pesky fly. Then she reached for the blanket. She moved her hand from side to side. She stretched her arm. Nothing! Her eyes grudgingly opened in slits only to see brown fabric. Blinking away the sleep, she stared at the back of the living room couch. As she became more alert, memories of the previous day filled her mind.

Noises from the kitchen that had awoken her continued to waft into the living room. She huddled on the couch afraid to look at Leon, or be seen by him.

"If you want to eat, come to the table," Leon said in his no-nonsense manner.

Matilda sighed and rolled onto her back. She stared at the ceiling wondering what was to become of her. Sighing again, she swung her legs off the couch and sat up. Leaning forward, she rested her forearms on her knees with her head bowed. She shook her head, letting her hair untangle as it whipped across her face. Then she stood up.

Matilda shuffled to the kitchen in her bare feet. All she had on were panties. Leon did not seem to notice. She sat at her usual seat with her head down and eyes boring into the scrambled eggs on her plate.

"I'm sorry," she said without looking up.

"Eat."

Not much was said during breakfast. When done, Leon left without saying where he was going. That was not unusual so Matilda hoped things would go back to normal and he would let her stay. She cleaned up the dishes then went to the bedroom.

Bobby's bear was on the dresser where Leon allowed her to keep it, but it was once again right side up. Matilda hugged the bear, whispering, "I love you, Bobby." Then she placed it back on the dresser, leaning it against the wall to balance it on its head. She knew Leon would flip it over when he saw it. She once bet him he could not leave it on its head. He struggled to ignore it, but his compulsiveness forced him to turn it over. Matilda had laughed and jumped up and down with glee. But when Leon's face hardened she instantly became still. He hated not being in control and believed his compulsive behavior to be a weakness.

Matilda stared at the upside down bear. It brought a smile to her face knowing that's the way Bobby liked it. She washed up and got ready for the day.

She was playing with the yo-yo when she heard shouting outside the apartment. She had become proficient with the toy and a flick of her finger caused the yo-yo to ride up the string and slap against her palm. She clutched it in her small hand.

Matilda dragged a kitchen chair to the door and climbed onto it. She peered through the peep hole. She recognized Detective Grafton immediately. He was yelling at a uniformed policeman. When the policeman tried to talk back, Grafton shoved him so hard he stumbled backwards and crashed into the wall. The policeman looked stunned.

"I told you to leave!" Grafton shouted. "It's my case! Get out of here!"

The policeman pushed off the wall and glared at Grafton. His face was red. Matilda saw his fists clench. It was like a male wolf sizing up the alpha male. Matilda expected a fight. But the policeman turned and sped down the hall to the stairs. Grafton watched him the whole time and then ripped off the yellow crime scene tape. He opened the door to Matilda's old apartment with a key and disappeared inside.

Matilda continued staring at the empty hallway. Her heart beat fast. And then she jumped off the chair and ran into the bedroom. She went directly to the large suitcase to retrieve the same pistol she used to kill the security guard. She made sure the magazine was full and screwed on the silencer. Then she flicked the safety off and ran to the front door.

She climbed onto the chair and pressed her eye to the peep hole. The hallway was empty. Now's my chance, she thought.

Getting off the chair, Matilda flung it aside. It rolled over once and slid a few feet. But Matilda never saw it. She was busy adjusting the door so that it would not self lock. She opened the door, peeked around it, and went into the hallway. She breathed out of her open mouth. Her chest rose and fell with every deep breath. Each step brought her closer to her old apartment. The arm with the gun hung at her side. Her finger rested on the trigger.