Murder Worthy

by Michael Connelly

  What he saw made him grin. Why, the dirty lying bastard!

  Ted wouldn’t have noticed Neil even if he’d shined a flashlight in the window. He was sitting on a couch pushed back against the wall opposite the window with his head resting on the back of it, eyes closed. The woman he’d seen at the door was kneeling between his legs, ‘entertaining’ him.

  Slipping the phone from his pocket, Neil took several pictures, checking each time to make sure you could see what was going on.

  He stayed there for another ten minutes, taking several more pictures of Ted in increasingly passionate and compromising positions, before he was happy that he had enough.

  Getting back to the car, he grinned widely as he slipped back behind the wheel.

  “What are you so happy about?”

  “Oh, you’ll see, honey. You’ll see.”

  Ted had never had much to do with Andrew’s brother, so what little he knew of him, he knew from her. So it was a bit of a surprise when he got a call from Neil, asking him if he’d like to meet him for a beer. Actually, he could think of many things he would rather be doing but he couldn’t afford to upset his fiancée’s brother. Nothing could get in the way of this wedding. Nothing.

  Neil had suggested a bar quite a ways out of town, and as he pulled into the parking lot he couldn’t for the life of him think why. The bar was a one-story building, seemingly just dropped by the side of the road. There were no other buildings for miles, as far as he could tell. It looked run down and only a couple of the letters on the illuminated sign spelling out the bar’s name actually worked.

  There were only two other cars in the lot, both old, beat up pick-up trucks, and his Porsche seemed completely out of place. There was no sign of Neil’s Mercedes yet and, checking his watch, he realized he was a few minutes early. They’d agreed to meet at 9 p.m. and it was just before that now.

  Pushing open the door to the building, he was immediately assaulted by the smell of smoke and stale beer. Once his eyes had adjusted to the dull gloom, he surveyed the room, taking in the old battered tables, the filthy floor and the yellowed lights. The beer must be fantastic, he thought to himself wryly. Why else would he have suggested this dump?

  He’d just sat on a stool and ordered a beer from the very disinterested-looking bartender when Neil walked in.

  “Beer?” he asked, as he stood up and shook his hand.

  Neil nodded. “Yeah, that would be good. Shall I grab us a table?”

  Ted nodded, waiting and then paying for the beers before following him over to a table in the corner of the room. There were no mats and the table was sticky as he put the glasses down. God, he hoped he could wrap this up quickly and get out of this shithole.

  “So, what are we drinking to? You becoming my brother-in-law?”

  “Yes, we can drink to that, if you like.” Neil smiled. “Of course, that’s assuming the wedding actually goes ahead.” He took a sip from his glass, watching Ted over the rim.

  “What do you mean, if it goes ahead? What are you talking about?”

  “Well, let’s see, I’m not sure my sister is going to be quite so willing to marry you once she finds out about your little trips to Duke.” He smiled slyly and Ted put his glass down hard, beer spilling over the sides.

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  Neil just smiled. Slipping his phone from his pocket, he selected one of the best pictures and slid his phone across the table. Picking it up, Ted looked at the image and felt all the blood drain from his face. Dragging his eyes away from the phone he looked up at Neil, who now had a smug look on his face.

  “It’s just a bit of fun before I get married. Come on man, you know how it is.” He tried to make light of it but he could see that Neil wasn’t buying it.

  “To you it might be a bit of fun but I doubt my sister, or my folks, will see it that way.”

  Ted tried to take a deep breath. He felt as if he was going to be sick. He could see everything he had planned, everything he had worked for, disappear in a puff of smoke. But if he wanted to split them up he would have told her by now, wouldn’t he? It dawned on him then that this wasn’t about Andrew. He wanted something. “What do you want from me?”

  “What do most blackmailers want? Money.” His smug grin wrenched Ted’s stomach. He looked so pleased with himself.

  “Money? This is about money?” Ted was stunned. This blackmailing little shit came from one of, if not the, wealthiest families around and he wanted money?

  “You’re joking, right?” The shock was clear on his face. “What on earth do you need money for?”

  Neil’s face darkened. “I wouldn’t if you hadn’t just stolen my job.”

  “What on earth are you talking about?”

  “Your nice, new job was supposed to be mine. Instead, I got fired. I think it’s only fair that you pay my salary from now on since it’s your fault.”

  “So this is all about a spat between you and your dad? Why drag me into it? You’re only going to end up hurting your sister!”

  Neil slammed his palm on the table, smiling as Ted jumped. “There’s only one person here hurting my sister and I’m looking at him. Now, do we have a deal or not?”

  “What kind of money are we talking about here?”

  “Ten thousand a month. Every month.”

  His stomach sank. No way could he find that kind of money!

  “I can’t do it, Neil. I don’t have that kind of money.” It was the wrong thing to say and he watched as a black cloud seemed to cross Neil’s face and he sneered.

  “Don’t give me that, you prick. Your family is loaded. You can easily afford that.”

  Ted didn’t know what to do. If he didn’t find the money he had no doubt that Neil would share the photos, and if he explained why he couldn’t find the money, then he was sure that he would revel in being able to share that, too. Either way, he was screwed because there was no way that Andrew’s parents would let her marry a cheater or a pauper. He needed to buy some time.

  “Okay. You’re right. But before I pay you a dime, what guarantee do I have that you won’t show Andrew the pictures anyway?”

  Neil laughed. “There are no guarantees. But if I showed them to her, what motivation would you have to keep paying?”

  He had a point. “Okay. Meet me back here tomorrow night and I’ll have the cash.”

  Neil stood up. “Nice doing business with you. Oh, and thanks for the beer.”

  Ted watched him leave then drained his glass, his hand shaking as he raised it to his lips. What was he going to do?

  7

  He’d had to scrape together every bit of cash he could find, emptying his accounts in the process. It wasn’t as if he could go to his folks and ask for the money. They didn’t have it in any case.

  He couldn’t believe he was in this position. He didn’t even want to marry Andrew, but he refused to let his family’s troubles get out, and they would if they didn’t do something soon.

  Pulling into the lot outside the bar, he saw that Neil’s car was already there. Parking his Porsche next to it, he saw that Neil was sitting inside, waiting for him. Getting out, he walked around to the passenger side and slid in next to him.

  “You got the money?”

  Ted nodded. “Yes,” he replied, taking out an envelope from his jacket pocket and showing him. “It’s all here. Ten thousand dollars, as agreed.”

  Neil reached for it.

  “Not so fast.” Ted put the envelope back in his pocket, out of Neil’s reach. “I can’t afford to do this every month. This is a one-time deal. Take it or leave it.”

  Neil’s jaw clenched and his eyes turned to steel. “No. That’s not what we agreed. 10k every month or my sister sees the photos.”

  “It’s not up for negotiation.” Ted’s insides felt as if someone was stirring them with a stick. He had to bluff this out. There was no more money, and if Neil didn’t back down, he was finishe
d.

  Taking the money out of his pocket again, he handed it to him. “This is it. Done. Don’t bother me again.” Opening the door, he got out of the car. He was sweating and his skin felt clammy. Determined not to look back, to look weak, he strode to his car.

  The hand on his shoulder, spinning him around, came as a surprise. He hadn’t heard Neil come up behind him. Losing his footing, he fell back, leaning on his car for support.

  “Don’t you dare walk away from me!” Neil screamed in his face, spittle flying from his mouth. His red face and bulging eyes were inches away. “I own you, you piece of shit!”

  “Why are you doing this? She’s your sister! Why would you want to hurt her?” Ted tried to reason with him.

  “Me hurt her? You’re the one screwing around!” The veins in Neil’s neck looked as if they would burst, and Ted tried to back away, almost sliding up on the hood of his car.

  Ted could see his plan wasn’t working. If anything, Neil seemed to be getting even more out of control. “You get my damn job and I get fired! Seem fair to you?” He was breathing really heavily now.

  Ted raised his hands in surrender. “Look, I’ll turn the job down if it’ll make you happy. I don’t want to get between you and your dad.”

  “Just pay the damned money,” Neil hissed.

  “I can’t!”

  Ted saw in Neil’s eyes the moment he lost it, and everything that came after appeared to happen in slow motion. He watched as Neil pulled his arm back, fist clenched, and swung a punch at his face. Even though he could see it happen, he wasn’t able to avoid it and he felt the bones in his cheek crack as Neil’s fist made contact. The force of the blow knocked him off his feet and he fell like a dead weight to the ground, hitting his head on a rock as he did.

  In the last few seconds before the life left him, his thoughts went to his parents. Who would help them now? After that, there was nothing.

  Shit! What had he done? For a moment, Neil stood stock still as he came out of the fury that had overtaken him. His mind flashed over the last few minutes, and he remembered feeling completely enraged and out of control. Now, as the fog lifted, he saw Ted’s body on the ground, bile rising in his throat as panic swept over him.

  Quickly glancing around, he checked the parking lot to see if anyone had witnessed what had just happened. All clear. Crouching down, he checked for a pulse. Nothing. Crap! He’d never meant to lose his temper like that, let alone punch him.

  He couldn’t stay here. He needed to get far away, and fast. Going back to his own car, he quickly got in and drove out of the lot. Hands sweating on the steering wheel, he quickly turned things over in his head. Was there anything that would tie him to this?

  The only thing he could think of was the bartender seeing them together the night before. Think! He needed an alibi. Just in case. The only person he could think of that would give him one without question was Marrie.

  Marrie lived in town in an apartment above the hardware store. Parking around the back, he climbed the outside staircase that led to her front door. Banging on it, he waited. Come on! Be home! He was relieved when she opened the door.

  “Neil. What are you doing here?”

  “We need to talk.” He walked past her into the apartment.

  Looking confused, she closed the door and followed him. “What’s wrong?”

  Dropping down onto the threadbare couch, Neil dropped his head into his hands. “I screwed up.”

  She had known about the photos but not what he had planned to do with them, so he told her now. When he got to the part about what had happened that night, she gasped and raised her hands to her mouth.

  “Oh, my God! What have you done?” She looked stunned. “Are you sure he was dead?”

  “Yeah, I’m sure,” he snapped.

  Turning to where she’d sat down next to him, he took her hands in his. “I need you to cover for me.”

  She looked unsure. “What?”

  “If the police come asking questions, I need you to cover for me. There’s nothing to link me to this so I’m sure they won’t.” He needed her to agree to this.

  “I don’t know, Neil. That’s a lot to ask of me.” She chewed on her bottom lip, not looking him in the eye.

  “I know it is, darling, but you know I love you and wouldn’t ask if I didn’t know you love me, too.” He knew exactly what buttons to push and he had to use it to his advantage now. She’d never refused him anything before.

  “You truly love me?” she asked him, wide eyes pleading.

  “You know I do. I wouldn’t want to be with anyone else,” he lied glibly.

  “Okay. I’ll do it.”

  Neil felt a rush of relief. Thank God.

  “On one condition.”

  The relief vanished. What did she want? “What?”

  “When this all dies down, you tell your parents you want to be with me, that you want to marry me.”

  Not in this lifetime! That was never going to happen. She was great in the sack and a bit of fun but marry her? No, when he married it would be someone from the right background, not this common piece of trash. “Of course, darling. Absolutely.” He was prepared to agree to anything at this point, as long as it got him out of this mess.

  “Promise?”

  “You have my word.”

  Seeming satisfied with his answer, she smiled. “Okay. So what happens now?”

  “I don’t know, I really don’t.” He shook his head. “I guess someone will find him and call the police and then all hell breaks loose.”

  It didn’t seem real. A few days ago the only thing he’d had to worry about was getting a promotion. Now he was a murderer.

  He’d been lying there all night, just staring at the ceiling. Though it was the last thing he’d wanted to do, he’d had no choice but to spend the night at Marrie’s place. All he’d really wanted was to go home and be alone, to try and absorb what had happened.

  Turning his head slightly, he watched Marrie as she slept, on her side with her back to him. He could hear her slow and steady breathing in the silence of the room. She had really surprised him tonight, and not in a good way. He’d expected her to be much more upset than she had been. He’d just told her he’d killed a man, but she’d taken it in her stride. There had been no disgust, no anger, not even any compassion for Ted or his sister.

  He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it, staring blankly at the television screen while they watched a movie. He had hardly spoken at all, just waiting for the police to arrive and drag him away.

  When they’d decided to go to bed and she’d wanted sex, he’d had to physically push her off him. Had she really thought he’d feel like it after what he’d just done?

  As he watched her chest rise and fall now, he realized that, actually, he hardly knew anything about this woman. He hadn’t wanted to, but maybe he should make it his business to find out. He had a feeling there was a lot more to her than met the eye.

  8

  The pounding on her bedroom door woke her. Fighting off sleep, she reached for the clock on her bedside table. Who on earth was making that racket at 2 a.m.?

  “Hang on, I’m coming!” she shouted, as she slipped out of bed and grabbed her robe. Putting it on, she opened her bedroom door.

  “What’s going on, Mom?” she asked when she saw her mother standing there. “Are you okay?”

  “Oh, Andrew! It’s awful!” It was obvious she’d been crying as she took her by the hand and led her back into her room, sitting down on the bed and pulling her down next to her.

  “Mom, I’m getting worried. What’s happened?” She had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach now.

  “I’m so sorry, Andrew. It’s Ted. He’s dead.”

  Shocked, she just looked at her mom for a moment. “What on earth are you talking about?”

  “He was found tonight in the parking lot of a bar outside town. It looks like he was in a fight. I’m so sor
ry, darling.” Tears rolled down her cheeks as she reached for a tissue.

  No. This was insane. There had to be some mistake. Pulling her hand out of her mother’s, she stood up.

  “No you’re wrong. I’ll just call him and we’ll clear this up.” She walked over to her dresser and picked up her phone.

  Her mom followed her and gently took the phone from her hand. “Andrew, there’s no mistake. I’m so sorry.”

  It hit her then, all of it. Her knees gave way and she crumpled. Her father, who’d been standing in the doorway, reached her just before she hit the floor.

  As light filtered through her eyelids, Andrew remembered. No! Her eyes flew open and as they focused, she saw her mom sitting in the chair beside her bed, watching her intently. She’d obviously been sitting there all night without sleeping. Her eyes were puffy and she had dark circles under her eyes.

  “You’re awake!” She got to her feet and came to sit on the bed.

  “What happened?” She felt groggy and her head felt as if had been stuffed full of cotton.

  “You fainted, darling. When you came around you were hysterical, so we had the doctor come by and give you something to help you sleep.”

  That explained the fuzziness. “It’s true, then?” she whispered.

  Her mother nodded. “I’m so sorry.”

  “What happened? Do they know yet? Who found him?” She had so many questions.

  “The police don’t know, yet. Someone leaving the bar found him on the ground next to his car. They want to talk to you, darling.”

  “Who does?”