Where's Jeffry?
A short story by Fleur Helsingor
"Where's Jeffry?"
"Mom, I told you — I took him to his Little League practice!"
"I thought I told you to stay there with him!
Why did you just drop him off?
Why can't you do what I ask you to do?"
I parked the car where a ridge blocked the view from I-5. I opened the trunk to check on the boy. He lay quite still, and his skin was already cool to the touch. There was no sign of a pulse, but I decided to keep the rope tight around his neck just a little while longer, until he started to stiffen up.
"So why do you do only what you feel like doing instead of what I need you to do?"
"Mom, he'll be OK!
Both of the coaches were there, and I saw several other adults in the bleachers.
Mr. Smith told me that he could drive Jeffry home if the practice ends early."
"I don't care! When I tell you to stay at the practice, I mean it.
You can't trust someone else to take care of Jeffry!
I want you there!
Are you listening to me?"
I parked the car near the place along the canal where I knew that the water was extra deep, where another boy almost drowned last summer. When I picked the boy up, I saw that his death had left a mess. I should have put a tarp down first.
"And why did you do that to your hair?
You had such beautiful long wavy chestnut hair.
Why did you dye it black, and make it all stiff and straight?
Why did you cut it all off and leave just a ratty little tail in back?"
"Oh Mom … please, I need to get this book report done by tomorrow!"
"Don't 'Oh Mom' me!
Why do you always wait until the last minute to do your homework?
You had plenty of time, but no, you always have to wait until it's too late!"
I dropped the boy into the canal, and he vanished into the dark still water. I checked the trunk, and was glad to see that the mess hadn't gotten onto my suitcase. I decided to head south, where no one knew me, where no one else would know what I had done.
"Now listen to me! I told you … listen to me!
You go back to the ballpark and pick up Jeffry!"
"Yes, mother, I'm on my way, just let me get my keys …."
Genre: short-short story, murder mystery, horror. What happened and who did it?