by Jacob Stone
“I’ve got a lot to do today, so I’m not cooking you up a breakfast,” he said. “A smoothie will have to suffice.”
Even with the paralysis on her right side, Sheila could talk, although with great difficulty, but she didn’t bother saying anything. Only stared at him with a woodenness that made her look like some sort of gnarled gnomelike carving. Henry could tell, given her mood, that she wasn’t going to be saying a word to him regardless, and so ignored whatever emotion lurked behind her glasslike eyes.
He poured a glass of orange juice into the blender, then added a banana, half a container of yogurt, strawberries, a spoonful of honey, and a mix of vitamin and protein powder, and blended it all together. He took a swipe of it with his finger to make sure it tasted okay, then poured it into a plastic glass, stuck a straw in it, and placed it in a cup holder so Sheila could drink it. He then left his wife so he could gather what he was going to need for the day.
The chisel and hammer were new. He’d bought those two months ago at a hardware store in San Marcos, outside of San Diego, and, given the dark sunglasses he wore and the fake beard and mustache he had disguised himself with, it was doubtful the clerk would be able to provide an accurate description of him, assuming she even remembered him. That in itself was doubtful since she’d been in her early twenties, and Henry was mostly invisible to women of that age. He put the tools in a backpack that he’d had forever, wrapping them in rags and placing them on a change of clothing that he packed earlier, then threw in a roll of duct tape that had been lying around the house and a nine-inch long piece of iron pipe that he’d found near a construction site. The only other things he needed were his iPhone and a pocket knife, both of which were in his pants pocket, and a stand that he needed for his iPhone. He couldn’t believe that he almost forgot the stand. That would’ve been disastrous. He found it in the guest bedroom closet and added it to the backpack, then left the backpack by the door leading to the garage. With all that done, he went back to the kitchen to check on his wife.
Sheila had barely made a dent in her smoothie. It would be a while before she’d finish it. Henry checked his watch. He had about twenty minutes before he had to leave, and grabbed an apple and settled down at the kitchen table. He took out his iPhone so he could look over his notes and the photos he had taken. In his mind, he played out what was going to be happening, and got so absorbed in his thoughts that he forgot about Sheila until she made a slurping noise indicating that she had finished her smoothie. Henry put his iPhone back in his pocket and wetted a paper towel so he could clean the remnants of the drink off her lips and chin.
“It’s going to be a long time before I’m back,” he said. “Probably not until nighttime. Should I put you back to bed or sit you in front of the TV?”
As he expected, she didn’t answer him. Henry rolled her into the living room and placed her in front of the TV. He didn’t bother asking her what she’d like to watch, and instead put on the History channel. Let her learn something.
Henry felt a tinge of guilt over how long he was going to be leaving her alone, but what else could he do? He certainly didn’t want to arrange for an attendant. Better for the world to think that he had spent the day with her. Still, he was going to be worrying about her until he returned.
A stony resolve hardened Henry’s face. Without giving Sheila as much as another glance, he grabbed his backpack and hurried into the garage. It was going to be a long day all right. After five long years, the Skull Cracker Killer was going to be making a reappearance. With a vengeance.
About the Author
Photo by Judy Zeltserman
Jacob Stone is the pseudonym chosen by Dave Zeltserman, an award-winning author of crime, mystery, and horror fiction, for his Morris Brick thriller series—Deranged, Crazed, Malicious, Cruel, and Unleashed.
His crime novels Small Crimes and Pariah were both named by the Washington Post as best books of the year, with Small Crimes also topping National Public Radio’s list of best crime and mystery novels of 2008.
His horror novel, The Caretaker of the Lorne Field, was short listed by the American Library Association for best horror novel of 2010, a Black Quill nominee for best dark genre book, and a Library Journal horror gem.
His Frankenstein retelling Monster was named by Booklist as one of the 10 best horror novels of the year, and by WBUR as one of the best novels of the year.
His mystery fiction is regularly published by Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, has won Shamus and Derringer awards, and twice has won the Ellery Queen’s Readers Choice award.
Dave’s novels have been translated to German, French, Italian, Dutch, Lithuanian, and Thai. His novel Small Crimes has been made into a film starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Molly Parker, Gary Cole, Robert Forster, and Jacki Weaver, and can be seen on Netflix. His novels Outsourced and The Caretaker of Lorne Field are currently in development.
Visit him at www.davezeltserman.com.
