Untitled chapter
Murder at the Lake
by
Jamie Wynter
He had his stuff ready, he was going to be alone.
There was a softness to the morning and he felt like a king
That ended when he got the call
“Hello”
“Hello Mr. Anderson”
“yes”
“this is god”
“Is that so”
“Yes, Mr. Anderson”
“What the hell do you want”
“Mr. Anderson it has come to my attention you haven’t killed anyone”
“what”
“You haven’t killed anyone Mister Anderson, I need you to kill”
“isn’t that against your rules or something”
“heavens no, I do it all the time”
“Is that so”
“Oh yes, I do it every second of every day, I have been getting pretty good at it”
“So why do you want me to kill someone”
“sometimes it’s fun to watch others do it”
“Well I’m planning on going to the lake today”
“It has to be today, Mr. Anderson, if you want to escape my wrath”
“Is that a threat?”
“You can take it any way you like, but it has to be today, you have till sundown”
“Or what”
Mr. Anderson heard a click on the other end
“Hello”
fucking kids and their pranks
Anderson got into the shower and scrubbed his wrinkly old ass good and clean
He got out and dried himself-nice and dry
Anderson picked out his clothes from the closet, a nice baby blue button up that matched his eyes and a nice pair of gray slacks to match his remaining hair.
In the kitchen, he made himself a nice breakfast and thought more of the call.
If that was god why would he want me to kill, I never killed anything in my life except the occasional bug.
It has to be a prank
I have been a good man, an honorable man I raised two beautiful girls and had a loving wife until she went a little funny in the head.
While Anderson was staring at his reflection in the shiny egg yolk, a knock was heard.
He got up and went to it with a quickness of a much younger man, he needed the distraction
“Hi there,” said a man wearing a Mailman uniform
“Hi”
“I got a package for you”
“Is that so”
“Yes can I just get your John Hancock”
“my what”
“your, signature”
The Mailman handed Anderson a pad for him to sign and then handed him a small cardboard box
“Have a nice last day”
“what did you say”
“Have a nice day”
Anderson was certain he heard different but didn’t have the energy to demand an explanation
He took the package and went back inside
He sat down on his favorite wooden chair
He placed the package on the ground and looked out the window at the peaceful day.
The birds chirping an ice cream truck was heard in the back ground and it brought Anderson only for a brief second back to childhood.
He closed his eyes this peaceful second was broken by a pain in his right leg.
He got up and slowly made his way to the medicine cabinet and pulled out the bottle of pain killers. Take two a day it said but Anderson was a grown man with pain.
He popped four
he put his mouth under the sink and drank from it
He went back to his chair and picked up the package and opened it inside was a pistol
the package fell out of his hand as he picked up the pistol it was loaded
A small note was inside it read
“do it”
sincerely God
Anderson felt a slight chill he looked over his shoulder and then put the pistol back into the package
I’m going to the lake, I’m going to have a good day at the lake
Anderson told himself over and over as he placed the pistol under his bed
I got to go
I got to go
He left his warm breakfast, he left it on the table.
The food now belonged to the mouse that lived in his loft
While driving in his small car, he had a vision
The clouds in front of him started to form a face
an angry face
he ignored the clouds and the phone call and the pistol
I’m going to get a fucking coffee
He pulled into the Blue Rat Coffee shop parking lot
He walked in
the counter girl smiled a big toothy grin
“Mr. Anderson, It’s nice to see you”
“Hi Emily how’s things”
“thanks, very good I think it’s finally happening”
“What’s that”
“we set a date...for the wedding”
Anderson looked over his shoulder out the large windows to the sky
“Mr. Anderson”
He turned back to Emily and smiled
“I’ll send you an invite”
“That would be lovely”
Emily let out a squicky little laugh
“so what can I get you”
“A coffee and a small blueberry muffin”
“we are out of muffins”
“Coffee is fine”
“Coming up”
Anderson walked to his favorite table
he sat down Emily returned with his coffee, noticing her customer was again looking at the sky.
“What’s up there”
“what do you mean”
Emily sat opposite of him
“Up in the clouds”
“I thought I saw something”
“are you OK”
“I’ve known you for five years, something’s up I know it”
“really Emily I’m fine, just you know thinking too much”
“how’s the leg”
Anderson rubbed it
“It’s fine thanks”
“Are you sure you don’t want to tell me something”
Anderson thought about Emily, he was a man after all and she was a very attractive woman. Her perfume drifted his way it put him at ease.
He connected with her which was rare there were very few women he connected with over his long years.
He didn’t want to upset her by telling her about the phone call. It would sound insane because it was pretty insane.
“No Emily I’m fine just thinking about Mary”
“Right, of course, how long has it been”
“a year”
“Do you visit”
Anderson nodded but he couldn’t remember the last time he went. Emily put her hand on his
“I’m praying for you”
“You believe in God”
Emily was taken back and she took out the golden crucifix from under her blouse
“Of course”
Anderson smiled but he didn’t want to
“Do you”
“I don’t know”
“don’t know what”
“that he or it exists”
“You had a long time to figure that one out,” Emily said with a slight giggle
“Your right I suppose”
“Well I have to get back”
“sure”
Anderson finished his coffee, gave Emily a big tip and left
He got into his car and drove to the lake front
He went to the guard gate
“Hey Mr. Anderson”
“Hey Bill”
“your a little early today”
“Yeah”
“so you going fishing”
“No, just want to be left alone”
“this is the perfect place”
The way Bill smiled annoyed Anderson to no end.
“Can you open the gate please”
“Oh sorry buddy, here you go”
The gate lifted
“have a nice...”
The sound of Bill fading away brought peace to Anderson
He drove to his private dock and beach
He paid premium for this spot
He parked in his parking spot and got out
and walked to his spot by the lake, he took a small crime thriller with him the ones you buy at the airport or supermarket.
He sat down on a white chair and opened the paperback
This is the life, he thought, this is my life
I should really visit Mary he thought maybe I’ll plan a Monday visit
He looked down at the written word and the first sentence read
If you have can’t find god looking down the barrel of a loaded 45 you will never find him
Just then a fisherman boat sailed by his dock and stopped
“fucking hell”
The fishermen aboard looked like your classic redneck variety. Big and bloated, years of heavy drinking.
They waved at Anderson but he ignored them
They then began to play loud rock music at an ungodly volume
Anderson had just enough he got out of his chair and walked to his dock and then right up to the fishermen’s boat
“You do realize this is a private dock”
“What you say,” said one of the fisherman
“this is a private dock go somewhere else”
“we only are here for a few minutes, I’m teaching my boy how to fish”
Anderson looked at them closer they looked almost identical
“This is your son”
“that’s right doesn’t he look handsome”
“I’m sorry but I’m trying to get some rest could you at least turn down the music”
Anderson’s eyes crossed something was happening...
Pain came with fury so intense he fell down
The fisherman got out of the boat and rushed over to him
“you alright mister”
The man’s voice made the pain worse, in his agony and confusion he crawled away from the dumbfounded fisherman
“what’s wrong with him Dad”
“I have no idea”
Anderson crawled to his car
Pills he thought, he had pills in the car
He opened the door and opened the glove department then to his horror a pistol fell out
The pain left him he never felt better in his life
He shut the glove department and the pain returned he opened it and the pain stopped
Jesus Christ no I can’t
The pistol was now in his hands and he walked back to the dock where the fisherman was showing his son how to properly bait a fish.
The two looked up when they saw Anderson standing there pointing a loaded silver pistol
“What is going on,” said the Fisherman
Anderson closed his eyes
“Please God forgive me”
End
