Return to the Scene of the Crime

“Who died?” Anna jumps and stares at me like she had just seen a ghost.

“You did.” Ooh, now I know why she’s staring at me like that. I frown.

“Wait, I’m dead? When did that happen?” There was no reply as my friend continues to gape at me like a fish out of water.

“Anna, you’re gonna catch flies. How did this happen?” Anna’s eyes come back down to earth, but it takes a moment before she finally speaks again.

“I… I don’t know.” Her hand reaches up to touch my shoulder, but it simply goes through it. The tears that she was holding back begin to cascade. Her legs give out and she collapses to her knees. “They said you were in a car crash, but I read the autopsy reports. You were dead before then.” My breath, or at least if I had a breath, stills. I think back to the last moment before I appeared here.  I recall a glimpse of a kitchen knife plunging into my stomach, but who and why? I tell Anna what I know and we return to the scene of the crime. That kitchen knife was a part of a set my sister bought for me. We arrive at my house and notice no sign of struggle, but the knife is missing. It’s a dead end. 

Suddenly, the front door opens and my sister walks in. She doesn’t see me, but she looks at Anna with surprise and disdain. 

“What are you doing here?” Anna side-eyes me before she remembered something important. 

“How could I forget? Weren’t you in the car with Leana before she died?” My sister and I widen our eyes. 

“Leave.”

“But…”

“I want to mourn for my sister in peace.” Anna does leave, but I stay standing in shock. She then saunters to the kitchen to put the knife back and then, I remember. The anger, the jealousy, and the betrayal.

“So, it’s true what they say. The criminal always returns to the scene of the crime.” Bethany quickly turns around in disbelief. 

“You didn’t die.”