Well, I had planned on entering a writing contest this month. I read the prompt, thought to myself, this one looks fun, and I sat down and wrote. I was getting ready to submit my work when I received the call to set up a job interview. Wham, the contest flew right out of my head as I started preparing myself for the interview.
Since I missed the deadline for the contest, I am now free to post it here on my blog for all of you to read. It might be good, it might be bad, but it's written!
They'll Never Find It
Monday March 2nd
“Don’t worry, they’ll never find the body.”
“I don’t know John, it seems risky.” I bit my lip as I studied John’s hand-drawn map.
“You want to be free don’t you? Michael doesn’t treat you right. You thought he had only a few years left to live when you married him. It’s been almost fifteen years! I’m tired of waiting, tired of hiding.” John paced the room.
I looked away from his gorgeous blue eyes. It was true, when I married Michael, I thought he had only a few more years to live. The cancer had eaten away at his body leaving him near death many times. Thanks to an experimental treatment, my ailing husband had been cured. John, my love since high school, had been waiting patiently on the side, waiting for Michael to die and leave me rich and free to marry him.
“What if something goes wrong?”
“It won’t. Look, it can’t be simpler. You’ll convince Michael to take a boat tour around the islands. You’ll make the arrangements, hire me and my crew. When we get to the south end of Anita Island, the boys and I will take care of Michael. The logs will show you came alone.” John paused and tapped the table. “When you get home, wait until late at night and call the cops, report him missing, he never came home, no evidence he had been home at all while you were on vacation, etcetera. Enough time passes, they declare him dead, you get the money.”
It sounded simple. But there’s always a catch, something that could go wrong. “How do you know the crew won’t talk?” I had to ask.
“I pay them well. And I have blackmail against all of them. They won’t cross me.”
“Okay. Okay, let’s do it.”
Thursday March 5th
It was difficult, but I think I hid my nervousness well over the next few days. It helped that Michael was away on business so I didn’t have to face him. He was home now.
“Ready for our trip?” Michael wrapped his frail arms around me.
“Packed and set to head out. Did you tell anyone about our trip?” I had asked him to keep it a secret, stating that I didn’t want any interruptions from his employees, associates, or family while we snuck away for our romantic getaway.
“No one knows. I told my associates that I’d be working from home and not to worry if they didn’t hear from me for a few days.” A wicked grin crossed his face.
“Perfect.” I pulled away from Michael, walked over to the pile of designer luggage. Making sure my face was turned away from him; I closed my eyes and prayed for strength. Strength to deceive him, strength to commit, or at least aid in, murder.
Friday March 6th
“Welcome! We’ll be leaving on our tour once we get your belongings stowed below. My name is John and I’ll be your tour guide today.” John kept his gaze on Michael as he explained the various highlights of the tour. At the end of the speech, the boat left the dock to start the tour of the islands.
Several hours later we reached the southernmost island.
“This is Anita Island, named after Anita Fay Dell, a young woman who stood daily on the cliff you see there, waiting to see her love come home from the sea. On the day she received the news of his death, she leapt from the cliff into the sea. If you look over the side right here, you can see a glimpse of something white, that some say is the dress she wore on that day.” John motioned for Michael to come closer to peer over the side of the boat. When Michael looked over the edge, John gestured to his crew.
I turned away. Even knowing what would happen, knowing that I was part of this plan, I couldn’t watch the murder happen. The sounds of struggling seemed to last forever before I finally heard the splash of his body hit the water. I knew his body would be weighted down to help it sink to the ocean floor.
“Ready?”
I turned and looked into those familiar blue eyes. “Ready.” I slipped my arm around his waist.
“Don’t worry, they’ll never find the body.”
I hugged him close. “I know, Michael. I know.” I sighed and kissed my husband of fifteen years.
“Don’t worry, they’ll never find the body.”
“I don’t know John, it seems risky.” I bit my lip as I studied John’s hand-drawn map.
“You want to be free don’t you? Michael doesn’t treat you right. You thought he had only a few years left to live when you married him. It’s been almost fifteen years! I’m tired of waiting, tired of hiding.” John paced the room.
I looked away from his gorgeous blue eyes. It was true, when I married Michael, I thought he had only a few more years to live. The cancer had eaten away at his body leaving him near death many times. Thanks to an experimental treatment, my ailing husband had been cured. John, my love since high school, had been waiting patiently on the side, waiting for Michael to die and leave me rich and free to marry him.
“What if something goes wrong?”
“It won’t. Look, it can’t be simpler. You’ll convince Michael to take a boat tour around the islands. You’ll make the arrangements, hire me and my crew. When we get to the south end of Anita Island, the boys and I will take care of Michael. The logs will show you came alone.” John paused and tapped the table. “When you get home, wait until late at night and call the cops, report him missing, he never came home, no evidence he had been home at all while you were on vacation, etcetera. Enough time passes, they declare him dead, you get the money.”
It sounded simple. But there’s always a catch, something that could go wrong. “How do you know the crew won’t talk?” I had to ask.
“I pay them well. And I have blackmail against all of them. They won’t cross me.”
“Okay. Okay, let’s do it.”
Thursday March 5th
It was difficult, but I think I hid my nervousness well over the next few days. It helped that Michael was away on business so I didn’t have to face him. He was home now.
“Ready for our trip?” Michael wrapped his frail arms around me.
“Packed and set to head out. Did you tell anyone about our trip?” I had asked him to keep it a secret, stating that I didn’t want any interruptions from his employees, associates, or family while we snuck away for our romantic getaway.
“No one knows. I told my associates that I’d be working from home and not to worry if they didn’t hear from me for a few days.” A wicked grin crossed his face.
“Perfect.” I pulled away from Michael, walked over to the pile of designer luggage. Making sure my face was turned away from him; I closed my eyes and prayed for strength. Strength to deceive him, strength to commit, or at least aid in, murder.
Friday March 6th
“Welcome! We’ll be leaving on our tour once we get your belongings stowed below. My name is John and I’ll be your tour guide today.” John kept his gaze on Michael as he explained the various highlights of the tour. At the end of the speech, the boat left the dock to start the tour of the islands.
Several hours later we reached the southernmost island.
“This is Anita Island, named after Anita Fay Dell, a young woman who stood daily on the cliff you see there, waiting to see her love come home from the sea. On the day she received the news of his death, she leapt from the cliff into the sea. If you look over the side right here, you can see a glimpse of something white, that some say is the dress she wore on that day.” John motioned for Michael to come closer to peer over the side of the boat. When Michael looked over the edge, John gestured to his crew.
I turned away. Even knowing what would happen, knowing that I was part of this plan, I couldn’t watch the murder happen. The sounds of struggling seemed to last forever before I finally heard the splash of his body hit the water. I knew his body would be weighted down to help it sink to the ocean floor.
“Ready?”
I turned and looked into those familiar blue eyes. “Ready.” I slipped my arm around his waist.
“Don’t worry, they’ll never find the body.”
I hugged him close. “I know, Michael. I know.” I sighed and kissed my husband of fifteen years.
I hope you enjoyed this short short story, or at least were able to struggle through to the end!
Waiting patiently for the next contest,
Shell
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