Chapter 42 EDDIE
EDDIE
“Iwant him dead.”
It was Wednesday morning at the little league field, and April had finally spoken the magic words. The ones I’d hoped to secure from the beginning, but which had proved difficult to procure. It took me going rogue and letting David know that she might be having an affair.
My plan had worked. Not that I could let April know I’d set this in motion.
“What happened?” I asked.
“He confronted me, told me he knew I was cheating. Said I wouldn’t get one red cent from him. That he was going to sell my coffee shop and tell our lawyers I’d cheated on him, which nullifies any chance of me getting his money.”
“Why?”
“I might not have told you that we had an addendum to our prenup that if I cheated, I get nothing.”
This changed everything. I never would have left David the note if April had given me this information.
“And you just admitted to cheating?”
“You don’t understand. My phone pinged at Hotel Pico.
I was dead to rights. And he kept saying he was going to tell all of our friends.
As you know, we can’t have that happen, or I’d be the prime suspect when he dies.
He was so exuberant about telling his friends that I literally thought he might call someone right then and there. ”
“So what did you do?”
“I was able to calm him down ever so slightly. I mean, he was still furious, but I managed to talk him off the ‘calling a friend’ ledge.”
“How?”
“I told him I’d agree to everything he wanted. I’d move out. He could keep his money. I wouldn’t fight for the coffee shop. Etc., etc. I just asked him not to tell anyone for a week or two.”
“And he agreed?”
“I can be convincing when I want to. We’re similar in that regard.”
I nodded. “That was quick thinking, April. I’m impressed.”
She gave me a quick smile, but didn’t have time for small talk.
“Which means we need to kill him by next Tuesday. The earlier the better, obviously. Who knows if he can keep his mouth shut for that long? And just so you know, if I find out that he’s told anybody about my cheating, then our whole agreement is off.
You’ll never see me again. But if we can kill him in the next few days, before he tells anyone, then I would still get all of his money.
And I forgot to say, the fucker got a promotion, and he didn’t even tell me. ”
“How big is the promotion?
“Big. Not that I’m going to get to spend that. But trust me, there’s enough in the checking accounts, stocks, house, and life insurance policy.”
It was my first time hearing about a life insurance policy.
“What time does he get home from work most nights?” I asked. We had to nail this stuff down first.
“Monday through Thursday, he gets home around eight. On Friday, they get off early, and he’s home by six.”
“Well, it’s just our luck that it’s February, and it’s pretty dark by eight. Killing him at six would be too risky.”
“Then you’d have to kill him tonight or tomorrow if you want to avoid Friday. Unless you want to wait till Monday, and I don’t suggest we give him the weekend. He might not be able to resist telling someone.”
“Tonight is off the table. I need at least a day to plan this out. Even that’s extremely rushed.”
“It’s not like I wanted this, Eddie. Shit, he dropped a bomb on me last night.”
“I can see that.”
“In real time, I started to want to kill him.”
“You do remember that if I kill David, you still owe me something.”
“I know.”
“And you agree to handle your end of the bargain when the time comes?”
“Of course. We’re a team now, Eddie. If you go down, I go down. So when it’s my turn, I’ll be ready.”
I believed her. I also thought she could handle the inevitable police interviews coming her way. If April were some wilting flower or someone who would cave under pressure, I wouldn’t have agreed to do this.
But I saw her as a strong woman, and dollar signs were bouncing around in my head.
“How much is David worth?” I asked.
“He has a few million in the bank—another million and a half or so in stocks. The house is probably worth a million. And the life insurance policy I just mentioned.”
“How much was that for?”
“Around a million as well. Maybe a little more.”
“These are some nice numbers, April.”
“We could go on a European vacation. Or rent a bungalow on a Caribbean island.”
She wasn’t kidding about a package deal.
“We can do all of that, but not for a long time. We’re going to have to lay low for a while. No vacations, no sex, and no meeting up. You realize the importance of that, don’t you?”
“Of course. I’m not talking anytime soon.”
“Just making sure. We have to take this very seriously. If we screw up even one small thing, we’re both going to jail for the rest of our lives.”
“So let’s not screw up.”
“That’s the attitude, April.”
“Do you know how you’re going to kill David? I was envisioning you repeatedly hitting him with a shovel.”
“I’m not going to be using a shovel, April.”
“I know. That’s just how I was imagining it.”
“I need to know the exact route he takes when he comes from his office. That’s why I was asking what time he comes home from work.”
“Oh, yeah. That’s right.”
“Make sure you pay attention to details. Now more than ever.”
“I will. Sorry, this is all a bit much to handle.”
“It’s only going to get worse when David ends up dead. You sure you’re ready to handle the police?”
“Yes, I am.”
April needed to be built up, not taken down.
“I believe you are, too,” I said. “Now, let’s go over some things. We only have thirty-six hours.”
She shot me an awkward glance, a mixture of nervousness and excitement.
I can’t say I blamed her.
Nothing would ever be the same.