Cemetery Plan

                                                        Cemetery Plan

                                                      Word Count;2037

                                                           

                                                                                                 

 She heard a small branch crack beneath her foot as she walked through the cemetery. It was dark and she was cold. Why exactly did he want to meet me here of all places, she thought to herself. Chloe had been dating David for the last year. She really thought he was the one. They talked about the future often but David had become gun shy then reluctant. Things hadn’t been right for a while now. And now he wants to see her…at the cemetery.

 

She had done what he asked of her. She came alone, didn’t tell anyone where she was going, and she parked her car around the corner so no one would see. Why all the secrecy all of a sudden? She wondered. The wind was cold and there were only trees to block it from her face. And that wasn’t working. She tried to busy herself and pass the time reading the tombstones but she was freezing and he was twenty minutes late. He has five more minutes then I’m leaving. Nothing could be this important.

 

She saw head lights coming in the distance….not him. She was shivering even with her coat and boots on. “Come on David,” she whispered. Another set of headlights. Not him again. She’d had enough. She was leaving.

 

The branches began to crack again as she walked toward the gate. The leaves were all on the ground. There remained only a few on each tree. She was moving too fast to read the tombstones now but the shape of one caught her attention. It was blue and shaped like an angel. She stopped to look at it. David Louis Mullins Jr. That’s odd. That’s David’s name. It must be a different David. He had never mentioned children at all except when they talked about having kids one day. She couldn’t shake the feeling she got while looking at that little grave. The baby was only three days old. She couldn’t help wonder what happened to him. Who his parents were.

“He’s my only child.” She heard a woman’s voice say.

She turned to look and there stood a beautiful young woman. Her red hair flowed down over her shoulders and rested against the porcelain skin of her face.

“Oh hello. I’m sorry, I’m just waiting for a friend. I didn’t mean to stare at your sons resting place.”

“No it’s ok. His stone does stand out. It gets everyone’s attention.

“Looks like my friend isn’t going to show. You have a good night,” she said as she turned from the red haired stranger. She thought it was kind of weird a mother visiting her sons grave at one o’clock in the morning. Maybe no more weird than her meeting her boyfriend in a cemetery at one o’clock.

 

“Wait a second, Chloe.” Called the stranger.

Chloe stopped but didn’t turn around right away. Who is this person? She wondered to herself. “I’m sorry, did you just call me Chloe?’

“Yes, I did.” Said the stranger matter of factly.

“How do you know my name?”

“I’m the one asked you here tonight, not David.”

“And who are you? How do you know David?”

“My name is Samantha. I’m David’s wife. I found your number on David’s phone so I texted you and asked you to meet me here.”

“What? Wait a minute, is this some kind of joke?” Chloe couldn’t believe her ears.

“No. I can assure you this isn’t joke. David and I have been married for fifteen years. David Junior was our only child.”

“David? My David? David Mullins? You’re married to that David?” Chloe let out a laugh. “You’re crazy. David and I have been together for a year. He’s not married.” she turned to walk away. “Goodnight.”

“You don’t want to walk away just yet Chloe. I can prove to you that I know him intimately.”

Stopping with a little anger in her face she turned “Ok I’m listening. Give me an intimate detail.” She couldn’t believe this woman was doing this.

“He has two moles: one behind his left ear and one on the left side of his chest. He had his appendix out as a child so he has a scar on his abdomen.”

“How do you that? You’re a crazy person.”

“I told you, I’m his wife. I’ve known about you from the beginning. Please, let me explain. David and I met sixteen years ago. We got married after a year then two years later, we had David Junior. He only lived three days. He had a fatal birth defect. We knew he would die two months before he was born. David didn’t take it well. He began to pull away immediately. He said he didn’t blame me but, I am the one person that he’s thrown away. You’re not the first woman and you won’t be the last. He will break your heart too.”

How can this be? How could he do this to me and her? Chloe was mortified.

“Samantha? Right?” I can believe this is happening to me. This has to be the most bizarre night of my life. “Why would you let him do this to you for so long? There has to be a reason you stay.”

“My family is all gone. I am an only child and my parents died ten years ago in a car accident. I asked you here tonight because I’m having a problem and I think you’re the only one who can help me.”

Oh my! I can’t wait to hear this.

“I found divorce papers. David is going to divorce me. I have no job, no skills, and no family. He is my only link to this world.” Chloe could not believe how unfazed this woman seemed to be.
“Anyway, I can’t let him divorce me. That’s why you’re the only one that can help.”

“And what exactly do you think I can or will do?”

“Well,” Samantha began, “let’s kill him.” There it was plain as day. KILL HIM. What?!

Oh for Heaven’s sake! She wants me to help her kill him. Chloe thought to herself while her mouth hung open for a few seconds.

“I was right before Samantha. You are a crazy person!” with that, Chloe turned to walk away.

 

Chloe could absolutely not believe what just happened. The man she had been seeing for a year and making plans with to have a family, already has a family. That’s probably an ex-girlfriend just trying to get even. She can’t possibly be telling the truth. But the more space she put between herself and that bizarre person wasn’t clearing her head in opposition but, in fact. She was right about the intimate detail. What if she was right? What if this happened over again? He had lied to her and she grew even angrier with every step she took. She stopped not believing what she was about to do. Turning around she took a few deep breaths and said, “What do you have in mind?”

Samantha smiled. The very first emotion she had shown yet. “Well, I know you’re meeting him at Paul’s Café at noon tomorrow.”

“Is there anything that you don’t know about me?”

“Not really. I’ve been watching you for months.”

“What makes you think I will go through with this? Or that I won’t go to the police?”

“Because I know you’re pregnant with David’s baby and, I know you haven’t told him yet. If you have that baby, he’ll leave me for you. He will be good for a while then he’ll find another woman. Just like now. I’m not even his first wife. I’m his third!”

“What, he’s been married three times? The man is only forty. What could screw up three marriages?” Chloe thought out loud.

“Other women. That’s what. All of his marriages have ended because of his cheating. The other two left him but, since I had nowhere to go I stayed and let him do it. David doesn’t like to be alone and I didn’t want to be alone.”

“I don’t know Samantha. I mean, I’ll need help with the baby.”

“That’s why I brought this idea to you. You will need help with the baby. And, I’m prepared to give you a million dollars to help me do this. I took out a life insurance policy on him three years ago. I’ve just been waiting for the right situation to come along. I think you’re it.”

A million dollars. Is she crazy? If Samantha was right, she would be raising the baby on her own anyway. Without financial help.

She all of a sudden noticed the air was still again and she wasn’t cold anymore. Probably because she was about to make a plan to kill the man she loved because it was definitely cold out. She was looking right at Samantha. She didn’t really see her. She saw herself. Same skin but Chloe was a brunette. Same height and build. She began to think she was a replacement for the woman whom he couldn’t forgive for killing his son. She couldn’t help feel sorry for her and she believed her. Every word of what she just said was the truth. But how could she kill him? How could she kill anyone?

Here goes…”Ok what’s your plan? How do we do this? How are we going to not get caught?”

“Well,” Samantha began digging in her bag. “When you go to lunch tomorrow you’ll have these.” She said handing Chloe a bottle of one thing and an epi-pen with her name on it.

“Where did you get that epi-pen?”

“I told you I’ve been watching you for months. I know you’re allergic to bees. David is allergic to vanilla. I have put pure saline in the epi-pen and this is a bottle of vanilla. I took David’s pen out of his briefcase. It’s the only one he carries with him. So you’ll sneak the vanilla in his salad because he hasn’t had anything for lunch but a salad in the whole time I’ve known him. He’ll have the reaction and you’ll give him this pen. He will be dead in three to five minutes.”

Wow! Chloe thought. She was right. She had been planning this for a long time.

“Are you sure this will work? How will I put it in his food without him seeing me?”

 

Samantha was almost giddy with excitement now. Not the same down in the dumps stoic chunk of ice she was when she stepped on that commentary.

“Don’t worry Chloe. I have everything planned. I will place an emergency call to the restaurant but I’ll hang up when he gets to the phone. That’s when you’ll put the vanilla on his salad. And, when you are done the money will be in your car. We’ll never see each other again.”

Chloe couldn’t believe what was about to come out of her mouth but here it comes out any way…”Ok. Ok I’m in.”

 

Samantha went over the plan one more time then they both turned to leave that cemetery. Chloe went one way and Samantha went another. She couldn’t believe what she was about to do. She still wasn’t sure she could do it. She was afraid she would give him the vanilla and then back out. This was murder. How could she commit murder?

 

Chloe made it home but didn’t sleep a wink all night. She got ready for work in the morning and was going out the door when she passed her kitchen bar with the vanilla and the epi-pen on it. She couldn’t believe she had agreed to do this. With a stranger no less. What would happen to her baby if she got caught? What would her parents say? Unlike Samantha she had a family. A loving supportive family. She stopped to look the murder weapons and was still looking when her phone rang,

It was David.

“Good morning love,” she answered it.

“Hi babe. Are we still on for lunch?”

“Sure. Noon at Paul’s Café, right?”

“Yep. I’ll see ya there.”

“David?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.” She said putting the vanilla and pen in her bag.