Thankfully, no one really cares what we’re doing, too busy making their own mistakes in the dark.
In front of the lofts, there are security cameras monitoring the area, but the back is unwatched, completely overlooked. That’s where Theodore and I sneak in, through the unguarded emergency exit hidden behind oversized garbage bins and empty wooden pallets.
Truth be told, we probably don’t need to be as discreet as we are. Jeremy Rucker is front desk tonight, and everyone in the building knows when he’s on shift, he’s locked in the back rooms, either jerking off to hentai porn or obsessing over some video game.
But still, better to be safe than sorry, right?
Another perk, my loft is directly around the corner from the emergency exit, giving me easy access to slip in and out, hopefully unnoticed.
Once inside, we secure all the locks before shoving the metal cabinet to the side.
“God, she’s starting to smell,” I say, jumping into the basement behind Theodore.
Agreeing, he slips on thick leather gloves and begins wrapping her in another layer of tarp.
“What is the plan again?” he asks, hesitantly carrying her in his arms. Thank God she’s fucking small. This task would be a little more complicated if she was taller than five-five and weighed more than we both could carry.
“Don’t worry about it,” I say, advising him to be silent as I guide us out of the loft and back out to the car. Just as before, we creep out with none the wiser, making it to the trunk of the Oldsmobile Cutlass without issue.
“Oh, good job,” I offer, taking in the plastic-coated back and the seven bottles of liquid I asked him to buy. “You went out of town, right?”
“I didn’t need to. I found some stored in the back of my shed.”
“Why?” I ask, taking in the bottles of liquid lye.
Shrugging, he laughs. “No idea, actually. Maybe she was planning on killing me one day?”
I wouldn’t put it past her. Beth seemed crazy, like one day she would justpopand blow everyone to pieces with her.
Oh well.
“Come on.” I swipe the keys from his back pocket and get behind the wheel. After he’s finished shoving her body in the trunk, he slides into the passenger seat, staring at me strangely as I drive off into the night.
“Where are we going?”
I memorized my route, studying it until each back road was burned into my mind. This address will never be found on my phone or computer, only on Beth’s.
“It’s better if you don’t ask questions. You can’t be blamed for something you know nothing about.”
Uncertain but complying, Theodore sits back in his seat, observing the surroundings as the city disappears behind us.
Soon, the buildings vanish entirely, and the only thing to witness are the trees blowing under the night sky. Harsh winds jostle the car in its lane. A couple of times, I almost lose control of the powerful motor, but we’re fine in the end, making it to our destination moments later.
“Did you do what I said and burn off the soles of your shoes?” I ask, shoving as many bottles of lye into my backpack as possible before throwing two shovels over my shoulders.
It’s supposed to rain for the next few days; heavy showers, the weather woman said, but I can’t just rely on the downpour to cover our foot tracks. So, we melted the bottom of our shoes. That way, there are no distinguishing marks to identify.
“Yeah. How did you know to do that, anyway?”
“I watch a lot of crime shows,” I respond, leaving out the fact that murder is a really interesting subject to read up on. Certain details always find a way to stick.
The moonlight casts an uncertain shadow over his handsome face, but Theodore nods along to my answer anyway. “Oh. Yeah, okay.”
Parked about a mile away from our destination, I rack my brain, thinking of what turns I have to take in order for this to be just right.
We’re in the middle of a clearing, surrounded by dozens of other tire markings. Again, planned. I mapped this out to a fucking T. Nothing is going to go wrong. It can’t. I won’t allow it.
“Are you sure you could carry her on your own?”
