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Page 3
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Vince woke up with an itch in his throat. He had no clue what caused this; he got up and sat still. The rain had stopped and all was silent. His head was spinning. He tried massaging his throat but it did no good. In search of water, his eyes wandered over to wall where pictures were hanging. He didn't believe what he saw but for a moment he actually thought that windmill is actually moving. His eyes darted over the other picture. People gathering around the gallows, witnessing the hanging of a criminal. He was still hanging there, gasping for breath. Vince didn't dare to look on the third picture. He thought he heard someone crying. He cautiously looked towards the painting. The women had covered her face with both her hands. Name on the tombstone was visible now. It was Patrick Galway. He was still looking at the tombstone when all the wording faded out and new set of words appeared. He was trying to read out what had appeared when he heard someone breathing heavily. Vince looked around for the source of the noise when suddenly his eyes settled over the d?cor; he refused to take that for real what he saw. The deer just moved its antlers. It opened it eyes, they were bloody red, smoke coming out of its nostrils. Whining of the women grew louder, Vince could read the name on the tombstone now, and it was his name there.
Suddenly getting confused with his hallucinations, Vince ran for the door. Same moment, Ted entered the room. Vince retraced his steps; he didn't like the looks in Ted's eyes.
"What's all that noise" He said with difficulty, pain increasing.
"Nothing, just me taking care of some business of mine. Hey, you were right about one thing, that swamp is actually handy. Very useful for dumping things, old furniture, trash, particular sort of things, right now I've dumped your car in it."
"You did what" hearing what Ted said, Vince tried to reach for the door with all his might but Ted kicked him in the gut and he just stumbled over at the table, falling on his back. Can of beer rolled over aside him and liquid started coming out of it.
"What did you put in my drink?" Vince tried to get up but couldn't. As if his whole body has gone numb.
"It's that particular medicine I keep, precisely for these situations, to keep the flies trapped in the web."
"Wait, what? I don't understand. Why are you doing this to me?"
"Because there is nothing much to do around here, you asked me earlier that what I do for recreation. I play my games, hitchhiking, and wait for customers. But for how long? Even I grow tired. I want to try something new so here is what I do; I drug the people who come to stay here. I rob them, I kill them and I dump their bodies in the swamp with their cars and their identities. This hobby of mine gets me going for some months till a new fly gets caught in the web."
"Look, you don't need to do this man" Vince tried for the last time.
"That is exactly what I need to do. Unfortunately, the fly has already got trapped in the web."
Vince saw in terror as Ted grabbed a pillow from bed and advanced towards him. Vince couldn't move an inch nor could he utter a word. It was a matter of some minutes when Ted choked the life out of Vince. He then dragged the lifeless body of Vince all the way downstairs to an old adjoining shed. It was no small feat, giving his small physique. It took a couple of hours for him to rip every joint from Vince's body and setting those dismantle parts to flame along with that leather bag and other item that could reveal Vince's identity. Cell phone was a real threat so he just smashed it a two or three times on the ground. After assuring him that the phone is completely dead. He dumped all this with the remains of the body.
"God, it is a long night". Ted said, wiping down the sweat from his forehead.
****
It was a week later that a squad car stopped outside the "Moonlit Grove Inn". A huge guy in police uniform came outside and entered the motel. He came straight to Ted who was reading a week-old newspaper.
"Good day, officer. How may I help you?"
"You own the place"
"I sure do, sir"
"We are searching for a guy that was out on a business trip and got missing, that was a week ago. He was supposed to be there at office the next day, but they lost touch with him so they filed a missing persons report. They think that he is kidnapped or murdered. We have met a couple of drivers who say that they have seen the car, fitting the description given by the office, headed towards this direction. We wonder if he had come here by any chance, have a look at this picture and see if you can recognize him."
Saying that, officer handed him a photograph of Vince. Ted just looked at it for some seconds and then handed it back to the officer.
"No sir, haven't seen him."
"Take a good look" Officer insisted. "Full name is Vince Baloch"
"Sir, guests are very few these days, and ones who come, I don't give them room unless they show some real I.D. Here, you can check my guest register."
Ted started to pick up the register when officer forbade him.
"No, there is no need for that. Though, I'm putting up this picture here. If he should come here by any chance or any of your other guests remember seeing him, just inform the nearest station. Is that okay??"
"Sure thing officer, anything I can do to help"
"Yeah, thank you for your co-operation."
Ted walked out the officer as he stepped outside the motel and got back in his car.
"Found anything" his partner asked when he got inside and started the car.
"Not a thing."
"Man, that guy is hideous. "
The second officer commented on Ted who was smiling and waving his hand, the other one in his pants pocket.
"Perhaps, someone never told him that he misses his front teeth. So, where to next?"
Ted watched as the car drove away from there.
"I can guess what you are talking about. Vince was here alright, but you are not going to find him, not in near future. Maybe you'll find him in a hundred years. But then you won't be able to tell the charred bones out of that rusted iron. That'll be a sight to see the disappointment written all over your pretty faces. As for me?.."
Ted ran down his fingers on that neat and clear line of pearls, feeling that soft skin of that wallet, packed with money.
"I'll just cling to play games on my computer, having those walks along the road, desperately waiting for the guests to check in. I'm sure that in time; even I'll forget that I have my own, person graveyard, just outside my motel."
Ted got back inside and closed the door behind him.
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