“Fuck.” Luis lifted his head toward the ceiling and clenched his fist as his body shook with rage. He wished he could do things differently, but, there were consequences to what he’d done. Man with his laws would punish him with impunity.
Luis put his hands to his temples as he took deep breaths to calm himself down. Before long he would be rid of this ordeal that had taken years of planning and execution.
Luis couldn’t wait to remodel his basement. Maybe he would make it into a fun room that he could enjoy with his son.
Feeling like he was in control of his emotions, Luis left to continue to bring his plan to fruition.
****
Clarence couldn’t remember the last time he was up at three in the morning.
He was tired all the way down to his core, but, he couldn’t sleep. He had given up looking through the telescope at midnight.
He was deflated, feeling like he’d wasted a day looking at Luis’s lifeless home.
Clarence walked up to the bedroom on the second floor. He took a hot shower followed by a few minutes of shivering underneath the cold spray before he hit the sack.
He tossed and turned before he decided to put on some clothes and head down to the kitchen at two in the morning. Clarence put on a pot of coffee and got one of the bigger mugs from the cabinet and set it alongside the coffee pot.
Clarence filled the large mug close to the rim when the coffee finished brewing. He took the large mug with him over to his stool. He sat down and took a sip before he looked through the telescope. Everything seemed to be quiet at the Luis residence.
****
Clarence looked at his wristwatch. An hour had passed with nothing happening at the Luis residence. He left to the kitchen to get a coffee refill. He filled the mug to the rim.
Clarence went back to his spot on the stool and leaned forward to have a look through the telescope. Suddenly the deck to Luis’s house was cast in a glow.
Clarence moved in quick for a better look causing the coffee in the mug to spill onto the front of his shirt.
“Shit.” Clarence grimaced as he wiped at his shirt with his free hand looking away from the telescope as he did. He held the mug away from his body as he looked through the telescope again. The deck at Luis’s house was dark again.
“Okay, where did you go?” Clarence moved the telescope to scan the area around Luis’s house.
“What happened, what did I miss?” He moved the telescope to the left tracing the length of the wooden dock when he saw a silhouette of something moving. The image of what he was looking at didn’t come to him right away.
“Jesus!” Clarence said, when he realized Luis was making his way toward the tugboat with what appeared to be a body bag slung over his shoulder.
Clarence ran to the kitchen, the coffee in the mug splashing onto the floor. He set the mug on one of the kitchen counters. He got his 1911 .45 caliber pistol from the cabinet under the sink. The clip sat alongside the gun. He loaded the cartridge into the gun and cocked it back loading a chamber into the pipe.
Clarence ran from the house closing the door behind him. He didn’t bother with locking it. He ran to the small beach front at the end of Ellsworth Avenue. Clarence kept his pace running into the water and across the beach bypassing Bicentennial Veterans Park so he could reach First Avenue faster. He already knew it was a mere two feet of water even at high tide. The slosh of the water as he ran across the beach wouldn’t wake anyone. Clarence ran as fast as he could. His breaths were labored and his chest burned from the exertion. Even though he’d shed plenty of weight he was out of shape.
Reaching the other side of the beach he ran along the shore on the sand where he could see Luis’s house while remaining hidden from view.
Clarence made a beeline toward Luis’s house when he came alongside of it. He ran up to the house putting his back against the exterior wall. Clarence tried to control his breathing by taking deep breathes.
Clarence walked sideways with his back against the siding of the house. He made his way underneath the deck walking among the posts that held up the deck.
Clarence ducked as the light from inside the house illuminated the deck. Clarence looked up. The deck was plunged into darkness as Luis closed the door. He’d made it back to the house and was on his way back to the boat, he could hear his footfalls.
Clarence looked ahead of him to clear a path with his eyes before he started walking forward.
He was glad he could make his way while hidden underneath the wooden dock. He hoped he could make it to the tugboat before Luis took off.
Clarence found himself breathing hard again as his feet sunk into the sand. He tried to control his breathing thinking Luis could hear it as loud as he heard it in his own ears. By the time he reached the water of Eastchester Bay, his breathing was so labored that he thought he would drop dead before he had a chance to stop Luis.
Clarence walked into the water. He fell sideways as he lost his footing on the rocky bottom of the ocean water. Using a hand to keep from falling into the water he righted himself and moved forward. He tried to move as fast as he could without making too much noise in the water.
****
Luis walked along the dock with Ian slung over his shoulder. He’d taken Megan first because she was heavier. Luis stopped midway down the dock. He made a complete turn looking at all points despite having Ian’s body slung over his shoulder in a big black canvas bag. Luis felt like he wasn’t alone. He kept turning his body stopping until he was facing his house. Luis closed his eyes so he could concentrate on listening intently. The small waves crashing against the surf was all he heard. Luis opened his eyes, turned around and continued to make his way toward the tugboat.
****
Clarence was waist deep in the water moving forward as fast as he could. He swung his arms in time with his steps doing his best to create momentum to impulse his body forward.
Clarence finally got to the end of the dock where the tugboat sat in the water, swaying in time with the incoming waves.
Clarence upturned an ear for any indication that it was safe to climb up to the dock. Clarence ducked as he heard Luis’s footfalls on the dock over where he was standing. He wondered how he had made it to the end of the dock before Luis.
Clarence heard Luis climb into the tugboat. He walked to the edge of the dock ready to hoist himself up if he heard the tugboat’s engine turn over. The only sound was that of the water lapping around the tugboat.
Clarence took a step back, bringing his hands up as if ready to fight when he heard Luis jump onto the dock. He knew he was at a disadvantage with the water up to his breastbone. Fighting wouldn’t be necessary since Luis started making his way back toward his house. Luis’s footsteps came lower and lower until he was far enough away that they couldn’t be heard.
Clarence stepped backward until he was free from the cover of the wooden dock. He watched Luis from behind as he walked to his house. He knew he was taking a chance that Luis might look back. It had happened before when he worked surveillance as a cop. The person he was watching suddenly looked his way and it didn’t matter whether the person could see him or not. The sixth sense that made a suspect turn around to study his surroundings somehow took away your advantage. Luis, however, didn’t turn around walking all the way up to his house. Again the deck was illuminated with the light from inside his house as Luis opened the door and stepped in.
Clarence shot forward swimming underneath the wooden dock to the other side. He kept swimming until he was at the back of the tugboat. Clarence was about to hoist himself up when he realized this would wet the inside of the boat which might be discovered by Luis. Clarence thought for a second before he continued to swim to the bow.
Reaching the front of the boat Clarence hoisted half his body up onto the boat holding one leg draped over the bow allowing the water to drain off his body before he fully entered the boat.
Clarence was lying on the tugboat face down. He crawled along the edge
of the boat on the ocean side. He passed the half cabin of the tugboat walking in a crouch as he made his way into the cabin. Clarence’s foot bumped into something. Using his hands he felt the coarse canvas material of the large bags holding the sedated bodies of Megan and Ian.
Clarence turned so he was facing the entrance of the cabin. He stuck out his head just enough to look toward Luis’s house. He still hadn’t come out.
Clarence turned into the cabin and went into his pocket. He fetched the small LED flashlight he always carried. He hoped it still worked after his swim in the ocean.
He got on his knees and turned it on keeping it low to the ground. He was glad it worked as he shined the light on the canvas bags. He found the zipper on the one closest to him. He unzipped the bag half way down its length. It was time to see if he’d been right.
Using the small flashlight to look into the bag he saw Ian’s face. His eyes were closed and his mouth was covered with duct tape. He didn’t look much different from the last time he’d seen him. His face still had traces of the little boy he once was.
Clarence put his hand underneath Ian’s nose. Relief washed over him when he felt the young boy’s warm breathing on his hand.
“Ian, wake up buddy.” Clarence slapped him on the face a few times. “Ian!” Clarence knew he was alive. He figured the boy was heavily sedated.
Looking at his body he saw he was wearing hospital scrubs. Clarence zipped the bag closed.
Clarence moved over to the other canvas bag. He unzipped it to find Megan just as Ian was; with her eyes closed and duct tape covering her mouth. He felt for her breath on his hand as well. She was breathing, but, unresponsive when he tried to wake her.
Clarence was quick to turn off the flashlight; looking to the open doorway of the tugboat when he heard the cries of a baby; the night sky pitch black from where he knelt.
Clarence felt for the metal box finding the Hasp Latch. He undid it; thankful it didn’t have the lock he knew was somewhere in the boat as he lifted the door. To his surprise the door didn’t squeak. He climbed in and quietly closed the lid hoping Luis wouldn’t notice the open Hasp Latch. Clarence squirmed to the back of the box putting his back against the cold metal. He hoped this would somehow keep him out of sight.
****
Luis realized that having a baby was harder than he could ever imagine. Just as he was going to make his way back to the boat his son started to cry. He entered his son’s room and walked up to the crib. Luis laughed at his son, not a mocking laugh, but, one filled with the wonder of looking upon such a small human being. He seemed to have gained weight giving his body a round contour that was amusing as he flailed his arms and kicked out his legs as he cried. He was hungry and he wouldn’t wait.
Luis picked up his son and made his way to the kitchen. Opening the fridge he took one of several bottles of baby formula he had prepared earlier in the day. Luis put it in the microwave; nuking it to just the right temperature; thirty seconds warmed it just right. When the microwave beeped he took out the bottle, wasting no time putting the nipple into his son’s mouth. He quieted instantly as he hungrily sucked in the baby formula. No amount of swaying and what Luis thought were cute baby noises could stop his son from crying, except of course the warm milky formula in his bottle.
Luis took advantage of his son’s contended feeding to walk over to the door that led to the deck to peek through one of the slits on the Venetian Blind that covered the window portion of the door. He stared long and hard at his tugboat to make sure all was normal.
Now, more than ever, Luis understood why people got married before they had babies. The commitment required to care for a child required two people.
Luis thought about how much he needed a loving partner right now. Someone who would love him unconditionally.
Even though, it only took a few minutes to feed his son, Luis felt like he’d wasted valuable time. Luis put the empty bottle in the sink, the realization of what he had to do bothering him for this is not what he’d counted on.
Luis looked down at his son wondering why life couldn’t be simpler. All he needed was for his son to sleep until he disposed of the bodies in his tugboat, but, this wasn’t a perfect world where everything happened according to plan. This was real life.
Luis walked with his son in his arms to the baby room. He packed a diaper bag with wipes, pampers and a change of clothes. Shouldering the diaper bag he left the baby room with his son.
Luis stopped in the kitchen to put a few bottles of baby formula in the diaper bag.
He grabbed the Redhawk Alaskan from on top of the countertop and put in the diaper bag before he left to his tugboat.
****
Luis’s son started crying with just a few feet to go before he got to his tugboat. He couldn’t be hungry for he just had a feeding. Luis was confused looking down at his son who was writhing as he cried.
“I’m sorry.” Luis whispered, realizing what was wrong with his son. He hadn’t burped him after his feeding.
Luis positioned his son higher on his chest with his head by his shoulder and started tapping him on the back. His son kept crying until he gave a resounding burp. Luis felt the tiny tremor on his chest caused by the release of his son’s colic discomfort.
With his son calm now, Luis walked the rest of the way to his boat.
Luis climbed in and turned on the light. A faint glow illuminated the inside of the half cabin. Luis looked at the canvas bags holding Ian and Megan’s sleeping bodies, next to the bags a copy of the metal box that had worked so well with Tom, Sheila, Russell and Susie.
Luis turned his attention from the canvas bags and the box. He hung the diaper bag from a hook against one wall.
He looked around for a spot to put his son, realizing he wasn’t prepared. There was no place to set him down since he had taken out all the counters and cabinets to make space.
He’d never cleaned below deck and even if had he couldn’t keep an eye on his son while he commandeered the boat.
Luis really didn’t want to go back to his house to get the baby’s bassinet. He looked down at the canvas bags lying next to each other and thought why not.
He bent down and carefully put his son down at the spot where the bags sat side by side making a sort of cradle. The baby was held in place snug.
****
Clarence had his .45 cocked and ready to go. He watched Luis through the holes in the box. Luis had clear dark skin and he moved with grace. He had a fine nose and closely cropped black hair. Clarence couldn’t understand how a good looking man like Luis could have committed the vile acts he’d witnessed so far.
He watched how Luis tenderly set his son on top of the canvas bags before he stood up.
Clarence heard the jangle of keys before the boats motor came to life with a throaty cough. It reminded Clarence of an old Chevrolet Celebrity he had. You always heard it before you saw it, with its punctured muffler causing a ruckus.
Clarence watched Luis shuffle passed the bodies on the floor through the holes in the box. He came back in no time and they were off.
The old tugboat lurched forward making Clarence stretch out a hand in front of him to brace himself against the front of the box. Two of his fingers slipped through the holes on the box. Clarence pulled his hand away fast, putting his arm across his body to brace himself on the floor of the box using his hand. Lying on his side as opposed to sitting upright made him feel the onset of motion sickness.
Clarence thought this was weird since he’d been on a boat plenty of times. The last thing he needed was to have to give up his cover by throwing up. He needed to have the advantage at all times.
****
The tugboat was moving at a good clip with Connecticut on the left and Long Island on the right. Every so often Luis turned back to look at his son who was sound asleep. Luis figured it was the gentle swaying caused by the tugboat on the water, the lights visible on land on either side of him adding beauty to the night.
****
Fifteen minutes into the ride and the tugboat jerked three times before it slowed considerably. The loss of speed was accompanied by a low rumble. Luis felt the vibration in his body as the sound the motor was making entered through his feet traveling up his legs from the floor.
Luis hoped whatever was wrong with the motor allowed him to make it to the open ocean and back. There was no turning back now as the tugboat slowly made its way up the Long Island Sound.
****
Besides what felt like the onset of motion sickness going away, Clarence was having a tough time lying in the box. He shifted his body the best he could without giving himself up to stop his legs from going numb and alleviate the cramping creeping into his body. Even though the box had holes all over he found himself perspiring. At the top of the list was trying to keep his eyes open; the sway of the tugboat was making him sleepy. There was no way he could allow himself to fall asleep and risk being discovered.
****
His wristwatch read 4:30 in the morning when he turned the tugboat to the right. With the slow moving tugboat it would be awhile before Luis passed the tip of Long Island known as Montauk. By the time the tugboat licked at the edges of the North Atlantic Ocean the sun would be showing its bright countenance.
****
Luis watched the orange yellow glow of the rising sun give way to a clear blue sky.
He’d counted on getting to the open ocean before the sun came up, but, the tugboat failed him.
Luis realized the tugboat’s motor was in worse shape than he thought. It sounded good while it stood moored to the dock after he fixed it, but, moving along the water carrying its weight was a different story.
Luis looked behind him. Long Island was no longer visible. He thought now was a good time to get to work so he could turn back home or tweak the motor if needed.
Luis let go of the throttle before he turned it off. Looking back at his son after he dropped the anchor he thought life was funny. He’d expect for his son to be more trouble, however, he had slept through the night.
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