By Jarrett S. Smith

Ruth tried to steady herself as she saw the police car enter their neighbor’s driveway. She turned to her husband. Herb’s gray hair looked as charming as ever. He sat in his usual stupor, watching the news at full volume. It never seemed to matter whether he had his hearing aids or not. Still, she loved him, even if they weren’t the same people anymore.

Ruth gently nudged the white curtain above the sink to the side to look at the house next door. Ever since the police showed up yesterday afternoon, the place looked like a stepped-on anthill with officers running in and out of the house. She hadn’t stopped watching since last night. Meanwhile, Herb hadn’t moved from his spot on the couch.

Her phone rang and buzzed in her hands. She answered, knowing Zelda couldn’t wait for more news. Big news travels fast in a small town. She made sure of it as soon as the first police car entered the driveway. She called Zelda to explain. Naturally, the rest of the town knew by morning.

“So, what’s happening now?” Zelda asked.

“A man in a suit is talking to Ralph and Benny. He’s not happy.”

“Of course, he’s not. It’s Ralph and Benny. They have to be the worst cops in town,” Zelda deadpanned.

“Hold on a minute. More cars. Mr. Suit is pointing towards them. No, the cars, not the two stooges.” Ruth watched as three black SUVs came down the driveway. Once parked, men in suits exited every door. All the men swarmed the first suited man. Ruth, of course, gave the play-by-play to Zelda.

“What in the world is happening?” Zelda asked.

“I don’t know. He was such a nice fellow. Mowed our lawn when he was in town.” The men in suits all entered the house.

“But he wasn’t in town much, right?”

“Not often.”

“Where did he go? Wasn’t he from Paris or something?” Zelda asked.

“England,” Ruth said as she watched the men in suits exited the house carrying computers and other technical equipment.

“Some people are saying he’s a hitman,” Zelda said.

“No! Listen, I’m a good judge of character. There’s no way. He was too nice. I bet he is a secret agent, like in the movies.” Ruth said more to stir the pot than anything. Her neighbor wasn’t a secret agent or a hitman.

Zelda chuckled, sensing the joke. Ruth watched as the first man in a suit crossed over the tape and headed toward her house. Ruth dropped the curtain quickly, hoping he hadn’t seen her watching.

“Zelda, I’m going to call you back.” Ruth hung up and turned towards their front door.

She looked at Herb. He remained on the couch watching Judge Williams, unaware of anything. Meanwhile, her heart rate skyrocketed. She didn’t need a heart attack right now. Her heart beat in her ears so loudly she didn’t hear the knock.

“Someone’s at the door!” Herb shouted, not bothering to get up. She clutched her collar and moved to the door, side-stepping Herb and all the clutter they had accumulated over the years.

Ruth paused, bracing herself. She opened the door to see an older gentleman, younger than she or Herb, but the grey in his hair had taken over a long time ago. He stood tall and strong, with an air of confidence about him.

“Howdy, ma’am. Sir,” the man said. “I’m Special Agent Evans.” He reached into his coat pocket and produced a wallet with an FBI badge and identification card.

“Huh?” Herb grunted from the couch. He turned to see the man at the door. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know,” she said, returning to the Agent. She examined his badge as if she could tell a real one from a fake.

“Do you mind if I come in?” The agent asked.

“What’s this all about?” Herb asked as he struggled to lift himself from the couch. The agent raised his hand, signaling for Herb to rest.

“I’m afraid I have some unfortunate news about your neighbor and some questions, as well,” he said.

“Let the man in,” Herb said. Ruth turned and offered the man entrance into the house. Herb motioned his hand towards the chair to his right.

Agent Evans entered and gracefully made his way to the chair. He sat but kept most of his weight forward.

Ruth gently lowered herself onto the couch next to her husband. Her mind raced with what they could do for the agent, what her neighbor could have done to cause all the madness, and what she would tell Zelda.

“I’m just going to cut to the chase.” His eyes moved between the two of them. “James Hunt has passed away.”

“Who?” Herb asked.

Immediately, thoughts of their neighbor flooded her mind. He had always been so nice and handsome. She had marveled at how a good-looking man ended up in a small town like theirs. It always felt like he belonged in New York or somewhere glamorous, modeling or acting.

James had been kind to her and Herb. Ruth took it upon herself to watch his home since he traveled so much. She would tend to his flower beds and keep an eye on his place. If he were home, he would always offer to mow their lawn or do odd chores for them.

“The neighbor,” Ruth said, frustrated with Herb for not knowing what was happening. “How did it happen?”

“I’m afraid I can’t say at this time. Not until the investigation is over.”

“Oh dear,” Ruth said.

“Did you know him well?” Agent Evans asked.

Ruth tried to pick her words carefully. “He was a good neighbor. He kept to himself mostly, though. We invited him over a few times for dinner. A young man like that needed some taking care of. He would help us out when he was home.”

Evans nodded, his face stricken. “Did you ever notice anything out of the ordinary?”

“Besides the fact that a young man like him lived in a small town like this? Not really,” Ruth recounted.

“He was never home,” Herb chimed in. “He traveled so much, and getting to the airport from here is not easy.”

Evans chuckled. “That’s true. It took me the better part of the day to get here.” “Did Mr. Hunt ever give you anything? Bring you something back from his travels?”

Ruth scrunched up her face. They hadn’t been that close, so it wasn’t like they exchanged gifts. Then, she realized he had brought her a magnet from one of his trips to China.

She and Herb had collected magnets from all their travels when they were younger, and their children and grandchildren had carried on the tradition. She had magnets from all over the world but nothing from China. They didn’t have one from China, so he bought one when he went there.

But she didn’t want to tell the agent. What if he took it? It was part of her collection now, and she and Herb wouldn’t be going to China anytime soon.

She shook her head. The Agent didn’t seem pleased.

“We were only neighbors. He left so often. We didn’t get to know him, not like we know the Hoovers on the other side.”

Agent Evans nodded slowly. “Did you ever hear anyone call him by another name?”

“No, why?” Ruth asked, ready to get a clue to figure out what had happened to her neighbor.

“We haven’t been able to track down his family because we aren’t sure James Hunt was who he said he was.”

Ruth felt intrigued. She had just been joking about her neighbor being a secret agent, but everything she was learning felt possible now.

“What a shame,” Ruth clutched at her neckline again. She wished that she and Herb had done more for the young man.

“Since you didn’t know him that well, do you know why Mr. Hunt would have named you two as beneficiaries of his entire estate in his will?”

Ruth’s breath stuck in her throat. She had not been prepared for a bombshell like that. Herb wiggled in his spot, leaning forward. “He what?”

“So we own that house now?” Herb asked. He seemed more annoyed than confused.

“You will. Once my agents finish.”

“I don’t understand,” Ruth whispered. She couldn’t fathom why she and Herb would be named in his will, much less granted everything.

Evans chuckled. “Uncle Sam needs to make sure there is no threat to the country in that house. Then it is all yours. Same with his accounts.”

“Oh my,” Ruth said. “Are there bombs?”

“We aren’t expecting to find anything that would put you in danger. We need to find any evidence of Mr. Hunt and his real identity.”

Evans reached into his pocket and withdrew a card. “Please notify us if you think of anything. National Security could be at stake.”

Evans stood up. Ruth stood up and walked Evans to the door.

“Once my team is done, we will notify you, and you can do what you need to do with the property.”

“Thank you,” Ruth said. “I just can’t believe it.”

“People surprise you. Some people can go a long time fooling others. Some people just aren’t what they seem.”

“You’re right,” she said. She realized that she had no real answers for who her neighbor was.

She shut the door but left it open enough to watch Evans march to Hunt’s former house. Once he entered the house, she closed the door and turned to Herb.

But Herb wasn’t there.

“Herb?” she asked. He didn’t respond. She checked the kitchen, but no one was there. So, she immediately dialed Zelda.

“You’re never going to believe this,” she said before Zelda even had a chance to say hello. She recounted the conversation with the Agent while walking to the kitchen.

She moved her window and looked out at the yard next door. The agents carried things out of the house, placing them into the back of the SUVs. She watched them bring out computer parts, guns, and files.

Zelda felt more confident that Hunt had been a hitman, but Ruth rationalized that Hitmen wouldn’t have left property to someone else.

She turned from the window, noticing an empty spot in the magnets on their fridge. She looked in the crack between the refrigerator and the counter. Sometimes a magnet would fall between, but she didn’t see one. She’d have to get someone to look underneath.

Finally, she heard something from their office. As she got closer, she could make out a language unfamiliar to her ears. She wondered if Herb had managed to change the language on the TV or maybe he was watching on the computer.

But then she recognized Herb’s voice speaking the language. He didn’t know any other language besides English.

“Zelda, I’ll call you back,” she said as she hung up and listened at the door. Herb spoke again in some other language, but she also made out the name James. She worried he was having a stroke and threw the door open.

“Ruth? I figured you would have talked the Agent’s ear off.” Herb looked at her from the computer. He sat taller than she had seen him do in ages.

“Were you just speaking another language?”

“You heard that, huh?” Herb opened a drawer on the desk in front of him and withdrew a pistol. “I really wish you hadn’t, Ruth.”

“Herb, what are you doing?”

“You need to forget you ever heard that, Ruth, and just walk away.” He suggested.

“What are you talking about?” She looked at the desk. Pieces of the magnet Hunt had brought her rested broken near the keyboard. She saw a tiny USB drive plugged into the computer.

She couldn’t think straight. Who was this man in front of her?

Her chest tightened.

“I need extraction,” Herb said into his phone. He turned from her for a moment and then pulled the USB device from the computer. He turned to her, and the softness returned. “I really did love you, Ruth, but you need to understand country before love.”

He kissed her cheek and then left the room.

“Who are you?” she called as he approached the front door. He stopped and turned back to her. He didn’t have an answer. He opened the door and left her behind.

More Selections from Jarrett S. Smith

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