Curse of the Asuune

Chapter 9

Within an hour, Mark was free to go. As he sat outside the police station, he realized he had no way to get home. They had given him back his wallet and credit cards but nothing else, so Mark found himself walking down the street toward his office. It was actually only five blocks away, so it was the logical choice, his home was another five miles.

Mark felt strange as he walked to his office. Walking had never been a problem for him, neither had been running, but this felt different. He didn't feel tired at all. In high school, he tried out for the basketball team and was quite good at it, but he was quickly distracted by the new school computer. After that he lost interest in sports but even now, at his age, he still felt athletic. He was never sick, never lacked for energy but walking five blocks? He should at least be out of breath, especially at the pace he was walking.

Along the way, Mark noticed things he never even knew about the area around his office. There was a restaurant only one block from his office that smelled amazing. He wasn't sure what nationality the food was, but he clearly smelled pork, chicken, some sweet peppers, and fried potatoes. Suddenly he realized he hadn't eaten, and he was starving, so he headed toward the restaurant.

Why had he never noticed this place before? It was well hidden, but the smell traveled for blocks and it smelled better than anything else he had ever eaten.

As he got closer to the restaurant he smelled something else. It was the most horrid thing he had ever experienced. It was worse than in the police station with Alex. It smelled like s**t mixed with sour milk, topped with rotting meat. He was no longer hungry, but he needed to know where the smell was coming from. Moments later, a garbage truck whizzed by, and he realized that this must be where the odor was coming from. How did he smell it from blocks away?

Mark turned back toward the office, his appetite gone. He needed to talk to Sarah, tell her about Jen, and convince her that he had nothing to do with it. He only had two friends in his life, Jen and Sarah. The other people from his office were more like acquaintances than friends.

Soon Mark walked up the three flights of stairs and arrived at his office. Again he was amazed at how little effort it took. The stairs were a good work out normally, but now it didn't even raise his heart rate. His breath was still as calm and steady as if he was standing still. As he reached the top, he could hear his coworkers talking.

"Do you think he did it?" a male voice said.

'Probably Todd?' Mark thought to himself. 'Todd never really liked me.' Also, the voice sounded like Todd, the man who thought he should be in charge instead of Mark.

"No, he loved Jennifer. He was always talking about her," a female voice said.

'Marcy, definitely Marcy,' Mark thought to himself again.

Marcy was a kind woman with two kids. Mark would often swap kid stories with Marcy as they got their morning coffee.

"But did she love him the same way? We don't know. And someone that much in love, finding out that it's not reciprocated might just snap," Todd surmised. "I mean, look at Mark and then look at Jennifer."

"Not everything is about looks. Jennifer loved him too." Marcy replied. Marcy didn't really know Jen, but they had met a few times at company picnics and get-togethers.

Mark thought about this for a second as he stood at the door. Would everyone see it that way? What was a woman like Jen doing with a man like Mark? He didn't think he was unattractive, but she was seriously out of his league, and apparently other people could see it too. The more he thought about it the more he realized that Jen was the only one who didn't see it that way. She did love him as much as he loved her. This almost made Mark start crying again, but he straightened himself and reached for the door.

Mark opened the door and saw Todd and Marcy standing at the far end of the hall. They looked at him then headed back to their offices with their heads down. Mark walked along the hall leading to Sarah's office and noticed that his shirt had blood stains on it. Whose blood was this? His, Jen's or that agent? Nothing he could do about it now. He needed to find Sarah.

When Mark got to Sarah's office, it was empty. Then he heard voices coming through the wall, she was in his office, talking to a man he didn't recognize at first. He casually left Sarah's office and headed to his. When he arrived in the doorway, he realized who the man was. His boss, the owner of the company, Roger. Roger was sitting in Mark's chair, talking to Sarah until he saw Mark.

"You shouldn't be here right now, Mark," Roger said sternly.

"Mr. Sandleton, I can explain. I had nothing to do with this; I was a victim. This was all just a misunderstanding," Mark pleaded.

"Well, which is it? A misunderstanding, or are you a victim?" Roger asked condescendingly.

"Both. It was a misunderstanding with the police. They think I had something to do with Jen's death, but I was a victim as well. I'm not sure why the killers let me live," Mark explained.

"Mhmm," Roger said unconvinced as he played with his beard. "Either way, you need not worry about coming in to work until your legal matters are dealt with. In the meantime, Sarah will take over your duties, and when it's all over we'll have this conversation again." Roger waved his hand and expected Mark to just leave. Roger was a rich businessman who had many companies all over the country. He was used to people doing whatever he said the second he gave them an order, especially employees.

"But...", Mark started, but Sarah hurried over to him and boosted him out the door.

"Let it go, Mark, it's not worth your time. After this is all sorted out, you will find another job, probably a better job. Heck, when it's all over, I'll probably join you if you can find me a spot under you." Sarah winked, apparently trying to cheer him up with flirtation but now was not the time. "Sorry, bad timing. I really can't control it sometimes."

Mark understood and didn't think badly of Sarah, this was how she always dealt with stress or feeling uncomfortable.

"You know I didn't kill Jen, right?" Mark hoped that at least Sarah believed him.

"Bah, if I ever thought you had it in you, I would have snapped your neck. You would never hurt Jen. Thought never crossed my mind." Sarah looked almost serious. Maybe Sarah would have snapped his neck before, but now Mark doubted she would even give him a bruise.

"What do I do?! Jen's gone! Everyone thinks I did it!" Mark almost started crying again, then a thought hit him. "Where's Katie?!"

"Don't worry, I took her over to my place, and she can use my bed til your situation is resolved. She needs a woman right now to help her with her mom's death. There will be a lot of crying and going through scrapbooks, you don't wanna be there, dude." Sarah smiled and patted him on the back.

"As long as she's ok. Tell her I love her and I will see her as soon as I can get this figured out," Mark said, relieved that he could at least count on one person.

"Don't worry, she knows you didn't do it. And now I can tell her you got beat up too. I'm sure this will get figured out quickly. Now go home, get a bottle of something, and mourn your wife. If you need ANYTHING, just call me." The look on Sarah's face was pity. She didn't know what else she could do except help with Katie, but if Mark asked, she would do whatever she could.

"Thank you," Mark said, then turned and gave Sarah a hug, careful not to hurt her with his new strength. Afterward, he turned and started down the steps. As soon as he was halfway down, Sarah shut the door.

While walking down the steps Mark realized how wonderful Sarah smelled. He had never realized it before, but she even smelled beautiful.