Vicarious by Chloe Spencer

Author:Chloe Spencer [Spencer, Chloe]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Slashic Horror Press
Published: 2023-11-14T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

E arl Rose was the kind of man you’d least expect to be a fixer, aside from the fact that his hands were always dirty. An avid gardener, Earl spent every Saturday and Sunday tending to his vegetable garden, plentiful with carrots, potatoes, and cabbages. Dirt was, in fact, so much a part of him that it filled the creases on his knuckles and knees like a permanent, unfashionable tattoo. Aside from this, he had a clean appearance. Bushy Santa beard, immaculately-shaped eyebrows, and a round jawline like the underside of an egg. Gertie had been referred to him through her P.I., who had referred her to another P.I., who referred her to his cousin, who “knew a guy”. After exchanging a series of emails—she had been told to ask him to “trim the roses”—he agreed to meet at her house the following Saturday morning, when June was at cheer practice.

“So two people?” he asked her. “How old?”

“Sixties, maybe seventies?” She winced, knowing he was not much younger than they were.

He nodded. “That’ll be easy.”

“Really?”

“All we have to do is figure out when they’re going somewhere, and I’ll cut the brake lines to their car. Piece of cake. These people like to travel? Heading for the highway anytime soon?”

“It has to be a highway?”

“They have to be going fast enough to die if they crash. If they’re just going down the street to the grocery store, they’ll get clipped—at best—and end up with some property damage. But you want them dead-dead, so again, any highway travel planned?”

Gertie shook her head.

Earl stroked his beard, leaning back on the sofa. It crinkled and squeaked beneath him, and he frowned, uncomfortable. “Well, that’s what you’ll have to figure out then.”

“And what do I do?”

He shrugged. “Just call me. I’ll be around.”

“For payment…”

“You’re going to make a check in the amount of $250,000 to Rose Landscaping Services LLC. And if anyone asks you about it, it’s to service the garden you have here.” He turned to look out the back window, an appreciative smile on his face. “You’re the first client I’ve worked with where that would actually be a feasible excuse for dropping that chunk of change. The rest I’ve had to build gardens for.”

“Gardens?”

“Landscaping is my primary business. Fixing is my second.” He withdrew a business card from his wallet and offered it to her. Small roses and vines curled around the elegant black letters. “And hey, if I get the layout of your garden, well, it makes it easier to plant bodies if needed.”

“I can’t have bodies being buried here.”

“Oh, it’s just a hypothetical.” He waved a dismissive hand. “Anyways, I’ll expect the check before I expect the call, Gertie.”

“Really?” She was baffled as he rose to his feet with a grunt. Wouldn’t the payout happen after the hit?

“Yes, really. You pay me upfront to do the job, and keep me quiet.” He tapped his forehead a few times, then pressed his finger to his lips. He smiled. “I’ll see myself out.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.