Eleven o' clock struck wearily from the grandfather clock looming in the
corner of the den as Lamar's mouth burst with a yawn. He cut the yawn
short to rub wetness from the corners of his eyes and tilted his head
lazily to the sofa on which he sat, mentally wracking his brain for the
whereabouts of the television remote. Late-night sitcoms murmured
secrets to him on the screen maybe eight feet in front of him, just soft
enough for him not to hear. Faded lights of transitioning scenes
flashed around in the dark of the room as he gave up on his mental
search for the remote and stood and shuffled lightly to his bedroom.
The TV can keep me company, he thought.
Lamar shrugged out of his daytime clothing and into a pair of drawstring
sweatpants before making his way to the washroom, his tongue shifting
about inside of his mouth to keep his quickly drifting mind alert just
long enough to get his teeth brushed and face washed. Finding the door
with his eyes, however, he stopped. Light shone through the crack
beneath the door. He hadn't forgotten to turn off the lights earlier in
the day, had he? As he continued his sleepy approach, the sound of skin
against clothing and the stumbling of feet became almost audible. After
faltering once again, Lamar messily wiped a hand across his face, taking
a deep breath.
M'just tired, he tried to convince himself.
He opened the door, eyes meeting a light trail of half-dried blood that
led and accumulated at the washroom sink, accompanied by items such as
scissors, a small kitchen scalpel, and thread. Lamar's eyes followed
along the far wall of the washroom, where more fresh blood smeared
against the wall bled up and out the back window, open and letting in
the gentlest of night breezes. Lamar's hands trembled as he reached into
the pocket of his sweatpants, pulled out a cell phone, and in a
bottled, manic fit, dialed the police.