Tainted: Origins of a Psycho

The Deed

"Wait a minute!" Violet screamed, running in front of us to block our path. "You can't just let him leave us, Daddy! It's not fair!"

Victor grabbed her arm and pulled her aside. "Your brother has made his decision, and we will honor it."

"But, Daddy-!" She protested, until his finger went over her lips.

Victor opened the door and let us pass.

Grandma pushed me into her car and I could not help but look back at my father one more time. He gave me a weak smile and wave before pulling his mobile phone from the pocket of his pants, closing the door as he began talking someone.

I buckled my seatbelt and stared straight ahead as grandma drove away from the house. My mind was overcome with mixed emotions over the thought of never seeing my father again. He was an evil man who only cared about himself, but part of me knew that deep down there had to be some good in him. I truly wished that things had been different between us, that we would have had a normal relationship.

But, maybe....just maybe.....this was his way of trying to fix things between us.

There were tears in Grandma's eyes as she gazed at the dark road ahead. She turned on the radio and said, "Everything is going to be okay from now on."

Her words sent a wave of comfort through me and I slowly closed my eyes, leaning my head back into the seat and allowing myself to drift off to a nice sleep.

———

Meanwhile:

Francis Weaver was drinking a glass of whisky when he received the phone call.  His friend had asked him for a rather unusual favor, and there was much to consider before making his decision to do it.  Prison life had never been kind to the lowly criminal, and the idea of going back was less than appealing. 

But, in exchange for his services, his friend had made him an offer that he could not refuse.  He was promised a short prison sentence, as well as half a million dollars.  His mouth watered at the thought of having that kind of money.  He would finally be able to move out of his trailer house, and he could get his girlfriend a diamond engagement ring.

Still, the idea of killing an innocent old woman made him uncomfortable. Was half a million dollars really worth risking his freedom and eternal soul? Besides that, would Victor Graves really hold up his end of the bargain? There were a lot of rumors suggesting that the police officer was bat shit insane, and the con man wasn't too keen on getting on his bad side.

Francis took another shot of whisky and grabbed his car keys from their hook, stumbling out to his beat up car. At least the job would be easy. All he had to do was make it look like an accident, then Victor would take care of the rest. 

Country music blared from his speakers as he drove down the highway.  He took a swig from the whisky bottle stashed in his passenger seat and wailed along to the romantic ballad that Conway Twitty crooned, hoping to take his mind off of the task at hand.

He parked across the street from the old woman's house.  There was a rather fancy Lexus parked in the driveway, which made his eyes beam.  Maybe she really was loaded with money, like Victor had said.

That motivated him enough to sleep in his car all night. The next morning he woke up with a twitch and wiped the drool off of his chin. He chugged the rest of his whisky and waited until his victim came out of her house. She wore a blue dress and large hat, and in her hand was a bible.

"Oh, great. I'm going to Hell for sure." Francis said, shaking his head. He turned on his car and prepared to attack, his eyes widening when he saw a little boy walking behind her.

He pulled a disposable cell phone from his pocket and punched in Victor's phone number. "What the hell, man?" He demanded as soon as his call was answered, "You didn't say nothin' about no kid."

"The boy doesn't concern you."

"Do you want me to kill him too?"

"No. Just make sure he watches."

"Whatever you want, boss." Francis sighed before closing his cell phone, tossing it in the backseat.

He watched and waited as the old woman loaded the child into the backseat of her car. When she closed the door and walked around to her side, he stepped on the gas petal and ran his car into her, sending her frail body flying across her yard.

The boy leapt from the car and threw himself over her shaking body. "Grandma!! Oh, God!!!"

Francis watched the scene in horror and shame, his stomach twisting into a painful knot. He threw his hand over his ears as the boy's screams of anguish became louder. "Damn it." He moaned, shaking his head as people ran out of their homes to see what was happening.

He picked up his cellphone on more time and dialed the phone number. "It's done." He said, hanging up before there was a response. He broke the phone in half and laid his head on the steering wheel, waiting for the inevitable arrival of the police.

The sirens soon came and he closed his eyes. "Just a few years in prison." He told himself, "Then, you'll be a wealthy man."

Little did he know, the boy's screams would haunt him for the rest of his life.

****

AN: Rest In Peace, Grandma Graves :(