September 1989
The earth was soft, which was a blessing. The small flashlight gave off just enough light to see, but didn’t bring any unwanted attention. It took less than twenty minutes to carefully dig up the plant, dump the evidence and put everything back in its rightful place. But that was just the first hole. There were at least ten more.
“Just dig the holes,” Was the utterance. “It’ll be over quick.”
The weather was unseasonably chilly; the smallest exhalation could be seen with no problem. The smell of fresh mulch was overpowering and the texture of the soil brought excitement and a little trepidation. The yard was the perfect hiding place. No one would ever think to look there.
The landscapers had finished the job two days before, according to Patience Landau. She made sure everyone in town knew that her parents not only bought her the house as a graduation present, but hired the best and most expensive landscaping company in the area. “They want to make sure my house stays number one.” She’d bragged. Too bad she wouldn’t be around to enjoy it.
Agnes Michaels kissed her husband Larry on the cheek. They’d finally stayed up long enough to finish a movie in its entirety. Being young, new parents to twins was getting the better of them. Agnes walked to the window to close the drapes. She looked at the house next to theirs and couldn’t believe that Patience had someone over there in the middle of the night working in her backyard.
“I hope she’s paying him triple.” She said over her shoulder. “But knowing her, she thinks it’s rolled into the price. We have breakfast together tomorrow. I’ll ask her then.”
The earth was soft, which was a blessing. The small flashlight gave off just enough light to see, but didn’t bring any unwanted attention. It took less than twenty minutes to carefully dig up the plant, dump the evidence and put everything back in its rightful place. But that was just the first hole. There were at least ten more.
“Just dig the holes,” Was the utterance. “It’ll be over quick.”
The weather was unseasonably chilly; the smallest exhalation could be seen with no problem. The smell of fresh mulch was overpowering and the texture of the soil brought excitement and a little trepidation. The yard was the perfect hiding place. No one would ever think to look there.
The landscapers had finished the job two days before, according to Patience Landau. She made sure everyone in town knew that her parents not only bought her the house as a graduation present, but hired the best and most expensive landscaping company in the area. “They want to make sure my house stays number one.” She’d bragged. Too bad she wouldn’t be around to enjoy it.
Agnes Michaels kissed her husband Larry on the cheek. They’d finally stayed up long enough to finish a movie in its entirety. Being young, new parents to twins was getting the better of them. Agnes walked to the window to close the drapes. She looked at the house next to theirs and couldn’t believe that Patience had someone over there in the middle of the night working in her backyard.
“I hope she’s paying him triple.” She said over her shoulder. “But knowing her, she thinks it’s rolled into the price. We have breakfast together tomorrow. I’ll ask her then.”
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