Madeline. Did she have any inkling that she no longer needed to fear for her life? He looked at his watch. It was after midnight. She would be home soon.
Time to get this over with.
He leaned into the backseat and unzipped the duffel bag he’d brought. He slipped on a pair of thick gloves and put plastic bags over his shoes, using twine to keep the plastic from slipping off his feet.
He grabbed the shovel and for the next thirty minutes he dug, relieved that the earth was fairly soft. Once the hole was deep enough, he walked back to the car and put on a disposable mask to help with the smell. Then he popped the trunk, wincing at the light that snapped on inside.
The exposed flesh was purple, green, and black in some places. The bacteria and enzymes were doing their job, breaking down their host. Even through the mask, he could smell the putrid gases, the same gas that had caused the body to bloat and made the eyes bulge. Death might be inevitable, but it wasn’t pretty.
He reached in and took hold of the corpse by its shoulders. Nails and teeth stayed intact, but he could literally feel the skin coming off the bone beneath the sweatshirt. Damn. He let go. This was disgusting.
After a moment, he tried again. This time he slid his hands under the corpse and lifted it out of the trunk, carrying him in the same way a groom might carry his bride over the threshold.
He had no desire to look at the man’s face, so he kept his gaze straight ahead, on the hole in the ground, and away from the corpse with its rotting, stinking skin. Standing on the edge of the pit, he thought about tossing the body inside. No. That wouldn’t do. Parts of him could fly off in a dozen directions. He needed to be smart. He slid down the side of the small crater and gently laid the body on the bottom of the pit.
Dark clouds had dispersed, making room for the moonlight. Standing tall, he suddenly found it difficult to take his eyes off the dead man. Although the man hardly resembled the person he’d confronted in the darkened alleyway, he knew it was him and he knew what he had done was wrong.
Old emotions that he’d pushed down and kept hidden for so many years began to surface. Instead of releasing tears of remorse, though, he felt the stirrings of amusement rise within, his muscles contracting right before he exploded with laughter. He had no idea what was wrong with him, but he couldn’t stop laughing. He had to wipe tears of amusement from his eyes. And then he looked at the corpse again and found himself wishing it were his mother’s corpse he was looking at instead. He imagined those were her eyes looking at him. And, of course, she was pleading for his forgiveness.
God, how good would that feel, to look over his mother’s rotted corpse? He didn’t know if the bitch was still alive. Maybe he would make a few calls and find out.
With renewed energy, he turned and looked around, then grabbed hold of the small boulder he’d moved out of his way earlier. Holding it high in both hands, he twisted back around and slammed the rock into the man’s face, crushing his skull.
CHAPTER 10
“Fighters, get into position,” the instructor shouted.
Lizzy walked to the middle of the ring. She was at the UFC fighting gym where she, Tommy, and Hayley trained at least twice a month. The floor was covered with thick mats. Sweat dripped from her face after a longer-than-normal warm-up.
As she had been taught, Lizzy staggered her feet—right foot back, left foot forward, about a foot and a half apart. Then she raised both gloved fists to just below her jaw.
The woman she’d been paired with and was now facing did the same.
Although Lizzy continued to teach teenage girls to defend themselves, she also liked to challenge herself and learn new defense techniques. She had been taking UFC fighting lessons for a couple of years. She recognized most of the people in the room, including Rhonda, the woman she was about to fight. Rhonda was stocky and
Time to get this over with.
He leaned into the backseat and unzipped the duffel bag he’d brought. He slipped on a pair of thick gloves and put plastic bags over his shoes, using twine to keep the plastic from slipping off his feet.
He grabbed the shovel and for the next thirty minutes he dug, relieved that the earth was fairly soft. Once the hole was deep enough, he walked back to the car and put on a disposable mask to help with the smell. Then he popped the trunk, wincing at the light that snapped on inside.
The exposed flesh was purple, green, and black in some places. The bacteria and enzymes were doing their job, breaking down their host. Even through the mask, he could smell the putrid gases, the same gas that had caused the body to bloat and made the eyes bulge. Death might be inevitable, but it wasn’t pretty.
He reached in and took hold of the corpse by its shoulders. Nails and teeth stayed intact, but he could literally feel the skin coming off the bone beneath the sweatshirt. Damn. He let go. This was disgusting.
After a moment, he tried again. This time he slid his hands under the corpse and lifted it out of the trunk, carrying him in the same way a groom might carry his bride over the threshold.
He had no desire to look at the man’s face, so he kept his gaze straight ahead, on the hole in the ground, and away from the corpse with its rotting, stinking skin. Standing on the edge of the pit, he thought about tossing the body inside. No. That wouldn’t do. Parts of him could fly off in a dozen directions. He needed to be smart. He slid down the side of the small crater and gently laid the body on the bottom of the pit.
Dark clouds had dispersed, making room for the moonlight. Standing tall, he suddenly found it difficult to take his eyes off the dead man. Although the man hardly resembled the person he’d confronted in the darkened alleyway, he knew it was him and he knew what he had done was wrong.
Old emotions that he’d pushed down and kept hidden for so many years began to surface. Instead of releasing tears of remorse, though, he felt the stirrings of amusement rise within, his muscles contracting right before he exploded with laughter. He had no idea what was wrong with him, but he couldn’t stop laughing. He had to wipe tears of amusement from his eyes. And then he looked at the corpse again and found himself wishing it were his mother’s corpse he was looking at instead. He imagined those were her eyes looking at him. And, of course, she was pleading for his forgiveness.
God, how good would that feel, to look over his mother’s rotted corpse? He didn’t know if the bitch was still alive. Maybe he would make a few calls and find out.
With renewed energy, he turned and looked around, then grabbed hold of the small boulder he’d moved out of his way earlier. Holding it high in both hands, he twisted back around and slammed the rock into the man’s face, crushing his skull.
CHAPTER 10
“Fighters, get into position,” the instructor shouted.
Lizzy walked to the middle of the ring. She was at the UFC fighting gym where she, Tommy, and Hayley trained at least twice a month. The floor was covered with thick mats. Sweat dripped from her face after a longer-than-normal warm-up.
As she had been taught, Lizzy staggered her feet—right foot back, left foot forward, about a foot and a half apart. Then she raised both gloved fists to just below her jaw.
The woman she’d been paired with and was now facing did the same.
Although Lizzy continued to teach teenage girls to defend themselves, she also liked to challenge herself and learn new defense techniques. She had been taking UFC fighting lessons for a couple of years. She recognized most of the people in the room, including Rhonda, the woman she was about to fight. Rhonda was stocky and
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