by Tyler Wolfe
Good. I used to like the idea of being remembered fondly by someone. But, I wanted Phyllis to move on, until we weren’t much other than a dull memory, and maybe a few notes on Facebook. Phyllis was observant and chatty, and that made her dangerous to a man with secrets—a man like me.
As we finished loading up the moving truck, I saw a box labeled “Carter’s miscellaneous stuff” sitting on the top of the stack I was wheeling out the door. Suddenly, with a shock that almost made me drop the dolly handles, I remembered Diasko’s Zippo, with his name engraved on it.
Oh shit. I had completely forgotten that I still had it. Zoe had packed up all the clothes and drawers from the bedroom which meant she had also packed the stuff from my bottom drawer. Had she seen it? Had she read the engraving?
If she noticed it, she would have asked me about it already, I reminded myself, and huffed a huge sigh of relief. Now I was scaring myself for no reason. I loaded the rest of the boxes into the truck and secured them with the others. When we reach Santa Barbara, I’ll throw the damn thing into the sea.
“Think that’s it except for the bedding and suitcases. We’ll load the rest tomorrow morning,” Zoe yawned as she brought me out an iced lemonade in a red plastic cup. She kissed me and stood close as she handed me my drink. “Still can’t believe you sold your truck. You loved that thing.”
“Oh yeah, well, it needed more work than we could afford, to make it to California.” I looked over at the new black Jeep Cherokee I had surprised Zoe with. The truck and her old Dodge had gone a long way toward paying for it—along with the five hundred that I had brought in cash. “The look on your face when I handed you the keys was worth it.”
I had another reason to get rid of that truck, of course. No point in driving a big fat piece of evidence to California with us. The whole point was to leave things behind.
“I love you,” Zoe said, and gave me a lemonade-flavored kiss. I smiled against her lips.
Goodbye, Lakeland. And goodbye to all your grim secrets.
Epilogue
The morning we left, I took one last run on my old route. I jogged easily in the gathering dawn, secure in the knowledge that whatever ugly things had gone on down there at the end of Fernery, it was now just another insignificant stretch of road.
There was a vacancy at the apartment complex. I wondered if it was Marlon’s. No—of course it was. I tried to figure out what I felt for Marlon, and most of what I came up with was a sort of dull, tired anger.
He had caused the whole damned catastrophe, and unknowingly to him, was spared from the truth by his own accidental death. True irony. But he was gone, and he had died miserable, and alone. Maybe that was justice enough, even for me.
I ran past the spot outside the complex where Marlon’s son had started coming after me. I ran past the spot where he had caught up and started hitting me. I ran past where I had won the fight, and where I had killed him.
I also ran past the ditch where I had hidden his body and later picked it up. My heart sank as I thought of him, and I knew his death would be my greatest shame for the rest of my life. I’m sorry, kid. I’d take it all back if I could.
Then I ran past the spot where Joe Diasko had witnessed me retrieving the boy, and where he had plotted his blackmail. This was where I had killed him, burned him, and blew up his filthy house around him. I ran on, past it all, and I didn’t feel a goddamn thing. Good riddance.
Some deaths were tragedies, and some were a public service. I would never shed a single tear for Joe Diasko. Not after what he had almost done to us.
I ran on, making the turn toward the house where Zoe would soon be calling for me. Just that last round of packing as we waited for our drivers, and we would be on the road.
Next stop, Santa Barbara.
About the Author
TYLER WOLFE was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio. He grew up with an appreciation for the arts which later lead him to become a talented musician, artist and performer. Two years ago, fueled by his passion for history, mystery and horror, Tyler realized he wanted to add author to his accomplishments and was inspired to start a new chapter in his life, as a writer.
Inspired by true and fictional events, Tyler is happy to present his debut novel, book one of the series, The Run.
You can connect with Tyler on Facebook at facebook.com/indiewolfe or on twitter @IndieWolfe. You can also visit his website, www.tylerwolfenovels.com, to sign up for emails about new releases, free giveaways, and access to exclusive WolfePack merchandise. Tyler hopes you enjoyed The Run and is excited to be working on the second book of the series, The Chase.