Cisco

The first thing I noticed when I entered my apartment and turned on the light was the disembodied head lying in the foyer. I turned the light off and flicked it back on. The head was still there.

Not again. I walked into the kitchen, ripped a paper towel from the dispenser, and went back to the foyer. Using the towel, I gingerly picked up the head and carried it back to the kitchen where I dropped it in the wastebasket.

The muted sound of a small motorboat accompanied the feeling of pressure against my left leg. Cisco was pleased and proud of his offering.

My cat purred and I scratched the top of his head. Lately he’d been spending his days patrolling the yard in search of prey. If his hunt was successful, he’d reenter through the cat door carrying a trophy in his jaws. He always left it in the foyer so I’d be sure to see the result of his craftiness when I returned home.

I picked him up. Doubtless the body of the bird, or what remained of it, was either in his belly or hidden in the yard. Too dark out to look for it now. I had yet to find one of the birds anyway. Cisco was good at disposing of the bodies. But he always left the heads for me.

I checked his food, refilled his water bowl, and grabbed a beer for myself out of the fridge. I sprawled on the couch and hit the remote for the TV.

I found the news story breaking on Channel 4. Police had found the latest victim of the serial killer that had been active in the city for the past few months. This was the sixth death attributed to the killer. Another beheaded body found in an alleyway.

Cisco, I thought, someday I’ll have to show you how to dispose of the heads.

Copyright © 2008 by Bill Brewer, All Rights Reserved