Lucky Damnation (2 page)

Chapter Two

The summer sun clung to the mountains in the distance. The day had been brutal and the hike had been hard. He had told her he had loved her. His brown eyes bore into her blue eyes and she melted.

His hands were rough from a life of hard labor. But as they touched her cheek, she closed her eyes and the touch was tender, loving. He watched as she trembled under his touch. It intrigued him to watch her get lost in the moment and he briefly wondered what was going through her mind.

Here were the famous Sedona red rocks painting the background. He had invited her to go for a hike at Cathedral Rock. It seemed innocent enough at the time and she had jumped at the chance to spend time with him.

As they climbed the trail, she droned on about the red dirt. Her questions about why it was red and her theories made him smile. He liked that she was clueless on so many levels. It was one of the things that drew him into her. She wasn’t dumb by any means, but she was naïve. It was simple to gain her trust and to bring her into his world. A place where she would feel safe. If she had doubts, he’d hold her firmly in his arms and comfort her.

For her, he’d imagined he was the white knight on the horse riding up to her. The man that she needed to complete her. Even the person that gave her a reason to breathe. Again her eyes opened and she looked at him. He wrapped his arms around her and brought her in for a tender kiss.

Her eyes closed and again he watched her. Often, he wondered more about the love she felt for him. How a person gets lost in another for a moment. How they let their guard down enough to trust. In a modern world, how it was enough to fall in love.

Looking at the sun starting to fall behind the mountains, he knew he needed to act fast. He wanted everything to be perfect and to go according to plan. He smiled at her as he took a step back and she smiled back.

“The view is so romantic.” Her breathing heavy.

“I just want you to have the perfect day.” He replied. “I want to capture this moment. So we can always remember it.”

He pulled out his cell phone. She was curious about it. But smiled.

“Where do you want me cowboy?” Her words joyful and happy.

“Pose with the mountain range in the background.” He offered. “Stand here.”

He adjusted her so her back was to the edge of the cliff. For a moment, he hoped she wouldn’t end up falling to her death. She slid a little and his heart pounded. The last thing he needed to have happen was for her to fall to her death.

Raising his camera, he began to aim it at her. Then paused for a moment.

“Is that a scratcher ticket?” His eyes twinkled.

Her eyes opened wide. He knew she always got a kick out of the homemade scratcher tickets he made her. She turned for a moment and he watched as she knelt down to the ground below and began to scratch away the black and red face. It was nearly time and he had waited so long for this moment.

She turned around and saw him on the ground. A smile crossed her face for a moment and her hands clasped over her mouth. Her eyes grew wide. The surprise was something he cherished more than anything else. They had both known that this day would eventually come, but only he had known it would be today, even though she had been expecting it, to some degree.

Her words mouthed a response. He couldn’t hear it. The adrenaline was flowing hard through his veins. But he knew instinctively what she was saying. Tears streamed down her face and in a moment it was all over.

The rock slammed hard into her skull and he could hear the sickening sound of bone cracking. Blood trickled down her face and their eyes met for a moment before hers rolled back in her head. Her body crumpled at his feet. He looked down and smiled wide.

“Amelia, would you die for me?” He asked. “I do hope you’ll say yes.”

His words were cold and soulless. Looking around, he made certain that no one had witnessed the crime at hand. He knew that he had to be careful. To avoid there being any possibility that someone saw this. Around him, the dust from her impact began to settle. She looked almost peaceful in that moment with her brown hair covering her face.

Beneath her, the blood began to pool. He flipped around the red rock in his hand. He knew he needed to get rid of it. Reaching back, he flung it hard in the sky. It would almost be poetic if it struck someone in the head below and killed them too.

“Two birds with one stone right, Amelia?” He asked the woman.

Her breathing was already turning shallow. He hadn’t expected her to give up her fight for life so easily. A frown crossed his aging face. She still needed to fall and blood needed to seep when she “hit” her head below. After all, the police needed to believe that she had slipped and fallen on their hike.

Dropping to his knees, he fumbled through an old brown backpack. He found a pair of surgical gloves and slipped them on. Walking up to the body, he crouched and struggled to lift her with his knees. He looked at her one more time. He noticed the heavy breaths as she struggled to get air into her lungs. Her mouth was open wide.

“How terribly unflattering.” His words cold.

With that, he flung her off the side of the trail. Her body fell a few dozen feet and hit the ground with a loud thud. Her body rolled another 10 feet and stopped. She was motionless. He focused on her and could tell she was still struggling to breathe. He hoped the dust would get in her lungs and help to create more evidence to support she was alive when she hit the ground.

Looking down, he looked at the red dirt stained with blood. Grabbing at it, he began to toss it over the side of the trail. He didn’t want there to be any blood splatter up here for when the cops arrived. It would reveal more than he wanted.

Reaching into the backpack again, he took the backup pair of boots he insisted on bringing. They were a match for the shoes she was wearing. He made some footprints over the area he had disturbed. Then dragging one shoe forward across the dirt, he gave the appearance she had slipped and fallen.

“Amelia!” He screamed at the top of his lungs. “Be careful! Oh my God! No! Someone help! My fiancé just fell. Someone please help!”

He then waited to see if anyone rushed to his side. But only the warm Arizona wind crawled through the area. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the burner phone he had purchased. He had used it exclusively to communicate with the dead woman on the side of the hill. Now he’d use up the rest of his minutes on one final phone call. He wanted them to find her body. To begin the investigation. To have it look like an accident and to once again, get away with murder. He had never killed in Sedona before. He’d hit other small towns that had limited resources, where he knew he could just leave the bodies behind and the cases would grow cold.  Sedona was a rich community and the resources for the police department may be enough that they could potentially catch him. That would be an end to the fun he was having.

“9-1-1, what is your emergency?” An annoyed voice asked over the phone.

“My name is Carl Wilson.” The man lied. “My fiancé Amelia Richards just fell off the side of the trail at Cathedral Rock. I need help right away.”

“Is she still moving?” The operator asked. “Can you see any visible bones or fractures?”

“She tumbled down the mountain, I’m not sure.” His voice grew quiet. “I just hope she isn’t dead. I love her so much. I need her to be okay. Please hurry.”

“I need you to stay on the phone.” The operator urged. “The more information you give us, the more likely it will be we can help her.”

“My signal is weak.” He lied again. “But I will do my best.”

“How far up the trailhead are you?” The operated asked.

“We are only halfway to the top of the trail.” He struggled to not laugh. “She had wanted to pose along the side of the trail with the view in the background. I didn’t see the harm in it.”

He looked down at the trail. The pair had nearly made it to the top of the trail. Unfortunately, she had rolled more than he had hoped for. She was far enough to the side of the trail, that it would take them hours to find the body. By the time he made it halfway down, they would be running up the trail. He’d be out of breath and could claim he came from the top and didn’t see anyone else if asked. It would serve as a logical cover, if they ever got suspicious.

The operator said something else and the man rolled his eyes. Instead of responding, he disconnected the call. Reaching into the backpack, he pulled out a bottle of rubbing alcohol, he drenched the phone in it. Then taking out a cloth he wiped the prints off of it. Drawing back his hand, he flung it hard over the edge of the trail, away from the body. The cheap phone burst as it hit rocks on the terrain.

Gathering everything up, he returned the contents of his bag and then tossed it on his back. Turning his attention to the trail, he began the trek down the side of the mountain. The hot Arizona sun felt good on his skin. It was a great day to be alive. Once again, he felt the thrill of getting away with murder. Best of all, he had the chance to start over again. As he worked on getting closer to the woman who had destroyed his life. Marisela Gomez.

Chapter Three

Marisela stood at the front door of Mama Clifton’s Diner and impatiently tapped her foot waiting for a waitress to seat her. The diner was always crammed full of people and while some of the food was incredible, the daily special was usually an experiment in terror as the owner was trying to create a new memorable meal to join her other “classics” on the menu, and she almost always failed in the process.

Behind her, the bells jingled and Marisela felt a strong set of arms wrap around her in a warm embrace.

“Hey, Mamasita!” The warm feminine voice beamed.

Quickly turning around, Marisela embraced the hug of her best friend Frances Brown. Wrapping her arms around her friend she closed them for just a moment and smiled. It was always a pleasure to see the people that she cared about the most.

“I love your hair today!” Marisela exclaimed and brushed her hand through Frances’s red hair. The color suited her beautiful cream colored skin. She was such a pretty girl and had the most incredible husband, Kevin, who always was full of twisted humor that could keep a person laughing for hours. Even after the pair had children, they always made sure they enjoyed life.

Marisela always hoped when she ended up settling down, she wouldn’t let marriage and kids take away her passion for life. Her sister Gabriella had gotten lost in them and slowly distanced herself from her friends and family and part of Marisela worried that she would take the same approach.

“Are you girl’s ready to be seated?” A young handsome waiter asked them.

Marisela took a moment to check him out. He was in his late 20’s, short brown hair, clean shaven and had a slightly beefy build. When he turned to guide them to their table, she could tell that he was nice to look at from all angles.

Frances slapped her friend hard on the back and motioned for her to follow the waiter. Suddenly feeling flushed, Marisela giggled slightly and made her way through the restaurant and met the waiter at the table.

“Have you both dined her before?” He asked.

Marisela smiled and nodded.

“We have, thank you.” Frances smiled and nodded. “If you want answers from my friend you’ll probably have to pump information from her. She’s a little smitten by you. I’m afraid we didn’t catch your name.”

“Michael.” The waiter laughed and looked at Marisela with his blue eyes and winked. “She is absolutely beautiful. It will be my pleasure serving both of you.”

As he walked off, Marisela slugged Frances in the arm. “What are you thinking?”

“Thinking you might finally go out on a date. I know it’s hard being a woman in her 30s and considering dating.” Frances rolled her eyes sarcastically.

“Touché” Marisela laughed. “He would be nice to spend time with. He has enchanting eyes.”

“Don’t be such a school girl.” Frances sighed. “So, I am thinking about having chicken fried steak.”

“How can you eat that?” Marisela responded shivering. “I know everyone orders it, but it is nothing more than grease smothered in gravy.”

“It’s also a large scoop of homemade mashed potatoes and collard greens.” Frances laughed. “It’s good home cooking.”

“I’m having a chicken Caesar salad.” Marisela replied. “I think they have a light dressing here.”

“It must be hard eating a chicken when you know his first name.” Frances smiled.

“I should slap you.” Marisela laughed.

“Can I record it?” A voice boomed from behind them.

Marisela felt her face flush and Michael smiled at the pair.

“Oh, hi.” Her voice cracked slightly.

“I’ll have to ask my husband first. He can be such a drag, telling me I keep promising him exclusive rights.” Frances laughed.

“Well, how about if I bring you some food?” Michael smiled a warm smile at the pair.

The girls placed their order and Marisela slumped deep into the booth. Frances was talking about something one of the kids was doing in school but she found herself lost in thought at the moment. Turning her head to the front door as the bells jingled, she felt her face grow firm and cold.

“What’s wrong?” Frances asked as she looked at the front and saw an old man looking back at her friend. A look of pure hatred on his face and Frances grabbed her friend’s hand.

“Can we go?” Marisela whispered.

Standing up, Frances tossed a $50 bill on the table and wrote a quick note on a napkin that said, “Sorry. We’ll be back another time.” Then grabbed Marisela by the hand and used her body to block her friend from the old man. As the pair walked past the old man, his cold grey eyes leered at the pair.

“Isn’t it about time that you clocked out of life?” Frances snapped. “I don’t know who you are but leave my friend alone. “

“I would encourage you to watch how you treat others.” The man’s voice a snarl. “It would be a shame for your actions to seal your fate.”

“Threaten us again, so I can call the cops.” Frances growled as Marisela yanked hard on her arm.

“It’s not worth it. Let’s just go.” Marisela whispered.

As the pair left the man continued to stare in their direction. As Marisela slipped into her truck, she watched as Frances hopped into the driver side of her jeep. They nodded at each other and headed out to their respective homes. The guy at this point was just an annoyance and probably wouldn’t become much more of a problem in the near future.

Chapter Four

He watched the blonde woman as she showed him the property. He liked the fact that she was frumpy and flirtatious with him. She was plain enough that she would jump at the chance to be a part of his life. He could gain her trust by showing her kindness. She’d be simple to manipulate knowing that someone of his caliber would even give her the time of day.

Then he would tear her down in those final moments. He closed his eyes for a moment and imagined the joy and the thrill that he’d feel as the fear and look of betrayal came on her face. Just moments before death came in and ripped her from this realm.

He could feel a chill crawl down his spine. Opening his eyes, he realized she had said something to him.

“I didn’t catch that.” He tried to sound apologetic.

“I was only saying by the look of joy on your face, you appear to like this property.” Her words were gentle and warm.

“I do.” He agreed. “You manage the property personally?”

“I live next door so you know.” She sputtered. “You know if you need anything. Like have questions about your rent or something needing done to the property. Things like that. I don’t mean anything else.”

“That’s too bad.” He laughed. “I would have enjoyed having a deeper connection with you. But a woman like you has to be married.”

She blushed. He knew he had her in his web. To seal the deal, he gave her a wink with his right eye.

“Oh, no. Me? Ha! I have never been married.” She nervously rambled. “Well, I would like to be married one day. Not that I am suggesting we get married. Oh dear lord, I am breaking so many landlord-tenant laws right now. Don’t sue me. I can discount your rent if you don’t do anything. Why can’t I stop talking?!”

He threw his head back and laughed. Not because he found her particularly amusing. He just wanted her voice to stop. It figured she would ramble. She seemed like the type. In the future, she would need to have a reason to keep her mouth busy. Otherwise he’d be forced to stab her in the throat just to get her to shut up. The idea of cutting her brought another smile to his face.

“Did you want to move in soon?” Her words broke his moment of happiness.

“Yep.” His tone grew annoyed.

“Great!” She exclaimed. “Now, it was Kevin?”

“Yes.” He lied. “Kevin Baker. I am embarrassed. I was so overcome with your beauty I didn’t catch your name earlier.”

“Jessica Barber!” She giggled. “You really do know how to make a woman feel good about herself.”

“What can I say?” He forced a grin. “I’ve never seen anyone quite like you before. I’m really looking forward to renting from you and getting to know you better.”

“Yeah, me too!” She agreed. “Hey, do you have a job yet? I know you’re new in town.”

“Not yet.” He paused. “But I do have some savings.”

“Let’s not tap your savings.” She offered. “I won’t charge you a deposit. You seem like a good person. It’s the 12
th
 of the month. So I wouldn’t charge you a full month either. Let’s have you start paying rent on the 1
st
. We can keep everything on the down low. I think that’s what they say these days.”

“Yeah, that’s what they say.” He lied. “Hey, I am trying to avoid a crazy ex finance. Is there a reason we have to do paperwork or a credit report? I really don’t want her finding out I am here.”

“What did she do?” Jessica asked.

“She tried to kill me.” He bit his lip. The lie might not go over well. She might want proof.

“Well, I don’t want her finding you.” Jessica nodded. “Plus. I trust you. I’m an incredibly good judge of character. I can tell you are a good guy. I can’t wait for you to move in.”

He looked at her a moment and tried to avoid bursting out into laughter. The woman was far more gullible than he could have imagined. The build up and the reveal would be so incredibly delicious when it happened.

“I can’t wait either.” He agreed. “Since you aren’t charging me rent yet and I need to eat, can we do dinner tonight?”

“As a landlord tenant thing?” She asked.

“There’s no contract in place.” He winked. “Let’s call it a date.”

The color drained from her cheeks for a moment. He could see the wheels turning in her head. For a moment he wondered if he had finally tipped her off that something was wrong.

“Oh. My. God.” A high pitched squeal erupted from her mouth. “Yes! I am so excited! No one is going to believe I am going out with someone as incredible as you! You are so brawny, rugged and perfect. I cannot wait to tell people about this.”

“Or we can keep it on the down low for now.” He suggested. “I am a private person. I like to build on the relationship first. If you can work with that, we can explore our relationship and where it goes.”

“You are so right!” She apologized. “It has been a year since anyone asked me out. Well, that’s if you count my second cousin asking me out. We didn’t do anything, we found out from our parents and it was like so weird. Oh here I go again. Shut up Jessica.”

“I’m going to take care of some things.” He cut her off. “If you can excuse me?”

“Of course!” She exclaimed. “I’ll see you later baby!”

He looked at her and forced a smile. She was so fucking annoying. But the perfect next victim. He just had to bide his time and wait for that perfect excuse to take her out into the woods. Then add another notch on his belt as he took that annoying twinkle out of her hazel eyes. 

For a moment, he turned to look out the window. He saw her in the window, the woman he really wanted to know. The one who had started the death and destruction he was going to rain down on this town. Marisela.

Chapter Five

He could feel the beat in his chest, forcing the blood through his heart. He needed to get closer to Marisela. He needed to drive her into his arms and continue down this dark path.

He watched as the man struggled with papers and a briefcase in the parking lot. As he fumbled around with his keys, they fell to the ground.

“I hate to impose.” The man called over to him. “I know you’re watching me struggle. Do you think you can give me a hand?”

“Of course.” He nodded. “I am always interested in helping a fellow teacher in need.”

“Are you new?” The man asked. “I don’t think I’ve seen you before. Oh! You must be Kevin, the new computer science teacher. I’m Aaron! It is wonderful to meet you.”

“Indeed.” He struggled to smile.

Crouching down, he began to help Aaron gather his papers. Then picked up his keys. The pair looked each other in the eyes for a moment and the spark of rage caused his heart to beat loudly.

“May I be frank?” He asked.

“I know you’re watching me.” Aaron replied nervously. “I am a happily married man. So, I think it is best we drop this now.”

“Oh, that isn’t what I was going say at all.” He chuckled.

“I just want to say.” He paused for a moment. “That I hope your death lives up to my expectations.

He watched as Aaron’s eyes grew wide and reached into his side pocket. Pulling out a concrete ball he slammed it hard against the man’s head.

Aaron slumped to the ground. His breathing was shallow.

He knew he didn’t have much time to move him to a new location. If he killed him in the parking lot it would not only ruin the thrill of killing him. It would also take away from the next phase of his plan.

Crouching down, he grabbed Aaron and dragged him into the bed of the truck. He then took the keys and climbed behind the wheel. As he turned on the ignition he looked at the man gasping for air in the bed of the truck. He smiled. He knew his plan would just keep on getting better.