Page 101 of Bad Intentions

I’m sure he didn’t have any thoughts when he fell. He barely had a brain. He was Al’s toy, and after meeting Derek, the thought that I ever let this fool have his way with me disgusted me.

I leaned over his body to look into his stupid face. His eyes were open, staring vacantly at the ceiling. A pool of blood was spreading underneath him.

I grabbed a paper towel and wiped the hammer, then tossed it on the floor next to him. Carefully, I dug in his pocket and fished out his mobile.

I texted Alysha first.

Dougie: your boy derek is in trouble. come to shirley’s right now. or i tell the police what he did with his wife

Then I texted the same to Victoria.

The bar was mostly dark, with only the dim light over the bar counter. I hid in the back room, in the dark. I wanted to make sure those two were at the crime scene.

Both showed up in a matter of minutes. Vic first. Then Al.

I didn’t dare peek out yet. I only listened.

Both shouted, then cried, then fought—they always did that. Then Vic said, “Is that… Is that…?”

“Oh my god, drop that!” Al shouted, and I almost laughed—one of them had been stupid enough to pick up the murder weapon.

And then came the sobs and the words that I didn’t expect to hear. “M-Mom, s-something t-terrible happened.”

Well, well. I’d thought this would be easy, but Karen was now involved.

I snuck out through the back door and waited farther behind the lot, under the tree patch hidden by the shadows.

Karen’s car pulled in ten minutes later, and she flitted like a hen through the back door.

I waited, still, wondering how long it would take them to call the police.

Next thing I knew, the girls ran out of the bar and got in their respective cars. Then Karen. All of them drove off.

Puzzled, I walked to the bar, opened it with the spare key, and went back inside.

Dougie was still on the floor, blood everywhere, but—surprise, surprise!—the hammer was gone. So, Karen was cleaning up.

Huh. I wasn’t going to let it fly.

Calling the police would be easy. But since the chief was Karen’s buddy, I wasn’t going to leave it to chance. Dougie’s phone records would show Al and Vic were involved. Try to wiggle out of that, bitches!

I walked to the storage room and found the gas canisters. If I was going to leave this town, I might as well let it all go up in flames.

I carefully spread the gas in the storage area and the back of the bar. The police had to get here in time to find the body.

I threw a match and watched the bright, small flames flare into a blaze.

I walked out the back door, taking the gas canisters with me. Later tonight, while everyone was at the crime scene, these canisters would go into the shed behind Karen’s house.

Everyone was responsible for this.

Everyone had it coming.

56

MALLORY

“I was brilliant,” I say.