"Klement, Louise - Vehicular Homicide" - читать интересную книгу автора (Klement Louise)

VEHICULAR HOMICIDE
By
Louise Klement

Jake Dunson turned the key and listened as the engine roared to life. He looked at his fingers, still on the key, and noticed a few blood stains. He wiped the stains on his dirty jeans and put his truck in reverse.

For the past few months, thoughts of murder had rolled through his head. A gun shot wound, a baseball bat to the head, hit and run....

It first started when his boss, Tom McAnery hired his son, Will. Things had been going well with the company, but as soon as Will came on board, things started to change. For one, Jake was no longer the employee of the month. Not only had Jake's work started to deteriorate, but his outcome had dropped by more than twenty percent. Jake had been concerned. He hadn't started to slack off. Someone had been sabotaging him. Screws that were machine tightened, had become loose, and it had been pointed out to the boss. Work Jake had done, was disappearing. So Jake started marking his work, and noticed Will had many of Jake's pieces. Jake tried to tell Tom, but Tom wouldn't hear anything of it.

Tonight had been the last straw though. Tonight, Jake had proved Will had been the one sabotaging him. Old Tom McAnery had nothing but good things to say about Will, and told Jake, it would be his last day at the plant. Jake was fired. No letter of references, no severance check. Fired.

Jake left the plant like a defeated child. Tears filled his eyes as he played back the scene in his head. It wasn't fair. He had worked too hard and too long for McAnery. It wasn't right. He went to a liquor store bought a six-pack of Miller and a fifth of Bourbon, then went back to the plant to think. To wait.

Jake waited in his truck as everyone left the plant, he waited for hours until McAnery and son locked up the office building and walked in the dark parking lot toward their car. They were laughing and acted as if they may have even had a few drinks. Not as many as him, he thought to himself as he looked at the six empty can's and the almost empty bottle of Bourbon.

They were halfway to their car when Jake's engine roared to life. Jake stepped on the gas, full speed toward them. In the headlights, they looked like frightened deer, unable to move out of the way of the oncoming truck. Jake laughed as the truck hit their bodies, throwing them twenty feet away from the impact. He screeched to a halt and jumped out of the truck. He had to be sure they were dead. Though he didn't have a plan to cover up the crime, he could make it a little hard for the police to catch him. He ran to the bodies and saw them lying lifeless on the cement. Their faces mangled with cuts and bruises, their bodies contorted with broken bones. He kicked the young McAnery. It was almost as if Will's heart gave one last beat as the blood splattered up on Jake's hands and legs. Jake shuddered. What had he done?

Jake looked in his rearview mirror at the lifeless heap, and left the plant parking area. What had he done?

He pulled onto the highway and looked at his watch. It was still early, before Mana would ever get home. It would give him time to get cleaned up and start a romantic breakfast. Maybe he could talk Mana into moving out of state. Somewhere where they could start the family they always talked about. The family he always wanted, but she wanted to put off until they could afford it. Get out of the slums, and move into a little house with a bedroom for a nursery. Get a little puppy dog, and grow tomatoes in the back yard.

Mana was a nurse, working the graveyard shift, she could make good money anywhere. Yes, they would move. He was sure Mana would agree. She hated the slums as much as he did. But it helped them to save money living in the low rental apartments. To save money so they could have a little baby boy. A son to play football with, and teach about baseball.

Trucks passed him on the highway as if he were doing only 35, but he was doing 55, the speed limit. He didn't want to take the chance of getting pulled over. He'd have to dump the truck, and report it stolen.

He took the exit off the highway and slowed down. His left light had gone out, making it hard to see, now that fog was starting to roll in. He glanced at his watch. He could make it home, shower, make breakfast for Mana, and tell her his ideas of moving.

He stopped at the red light and waited. The light seemed the longest, and Jake got tired of waiting. He looked around, seeing no cars, then stepped on the gas. The truck sputtered, as if it would stall, so he pushed the pedal down harder, and the truck lurched forward. Jake felt an impact, then the thump of the tires as it ran over something in the road.

"Oh my God!" he yelled frantically. "What the fuck?"

He looked in the rear view mirror. "A deer, it had to be a deer."

Did deer wear parkas and sneakers with safety reflectors?

"Oh my God. Oh my God," he muttered under his breath.

The person bundled in a parka to keep the winter cold out, lay lifeless in the road.

"A homeless guy. Maybe a drug dealer, in these parts, no one else walks around at three in the morning. I'm doing the world a favor."

He gripped the steering wheel and put the truck into drive. Then sped off toward the worst part of town. He'd dump the truck there, then call a cab to take him home. As soon as he got home, he'd report the truck stolen. He'd act like he just woke up and noticed it. It could work. It would work.

After dumping the truck and taking the cab ride home, he was exhausted. He took a quick shower and glanced at his watch, it was just after four, Mana would be home in three hours. He smiled. Mana, she was definitely the glue that held him together. Mana would help him get through this.

He picked up the phone and dialed 9-1-1, to report his missing truck. Everything was going according to plan.

He was surprised out how easy it had been to kill the two McAnery's and the homeless drug dealer. He was shocked that he had no feelings toward it. He had done everyone a favor.