Moonlight Ride

“I swear, Franny,” Tim groused, his hands in the air. “I didn’t do anything.”

She glared at him. He could feel the hatred spewing out. He hated it when anger turned towards him.

“Look, can you just tell me what you think I did?” he pleaded. If he knew, then he could apologize and make it right. He leaned forward, his eyes squinting to see the next street sign. The darkness always caused him to lose his bearings.

“You’d like that, huh?” She huffed. “You should know why.”

As he neared the next intersection, he realized he needed to turn. He should have slowed the car down, but thoughth had one more streetto go. Now, he pressed hard on the brakes and swung the car to the right. Physics flung them both to the opposite side. He braced for a verbal attack for his reckless driving.

Instead, the thud from the back surprised them. It sounded like when you turn and your bags of groceries spill over.

The two shared a worried look. The look bunded them for a moment outside of her anger. He smiled, hoping his mistake had bridged the gap between them.

But her eyes squinted at him. “You can’t just get out of this. Kim told me that she saw you. She HAD PICTURES,” Franny’s anger rose.

He sighed. Finally, he understood what had ruffled her feathers.

He relaxed. Now that he knew, he could assuage her feelings.

“Oh, that?” He chuckled.

The chuckle got under her skin. “Yes, that!” She screamed.

He laughed. “Franny, you are and will always be the only one for me.”

She bounced her head around, curling her upper lip to mock him. “Then why were you chatting up another woman?”

He smiled at her. “Research.”

Immediately, her scowl turned into excitement. “Research, huh? You have someone in mind already?”

He flashed her a cheeky grin. It felt so easy to sway her sometimes. “Of course. Now, we just need to prepare.”

She leaned over the center console and kissed him on the cheek. “I knew Kim was wrong about you.” She wrapped her hands around his face and turned him so she could place a kiss on his lips.

Tim had to course-correct the car once he could focus on the road again. Fortunately, no one else felt the need to drive down this road this late at night.

While he could never remember the street to turn down before, he could always find the dirt road they needed next. When he saw the white and black spotted cow on the right, he knew the dirt road wasn’t far to the left.

He turned onto the dirt road. Snother bump came from the trunk. This time, Franny and Tim looked at each other and laughed.

Tim turned his attention back to the dirt road. It twisted and turned through the wooded area, and the city’s openness gave way to nature. The further they traveled down the path, the denser the trees became.

“So, tell me about her,” Franny said. She combed her fingers through the black hair with alternating strokes. Her anger turned into excitement as they bumped on the uneven road.

“About who?”

“Your research.”

“Oh,” he paused to gather his thoughts. He squinted at the road since he knew a turn would soon approach. “You know, the normal.”

She cocked her left eyebrow at him. He felt the panic set in as he tried to find more descriptors.

“Well, you know, blond hair, daddy issues,” he elaborated.

Franny’s eyes rolled to the side, pulling her head back towards her window. Tim felt the temperature in the car turn frigid again. He scrambled to find something to say that she might believe.

She would imagine the worst; nothing he could say right now would set anything right. He only hoped she would forget this as they reached their destination.

He zig-zagged the car down the dirt trail, steadying himself and the car as much as possible. Finally, he guided the car into a bluff. The trail ended at the edge of a cliff. Once he turned the engine off, the moon continued to illuminate everything.

The water below reflected the light, make it possible to see without aid. The wash of the water on the cliff made a relaxing sound. It was their spot.

“We’re here,” he said.

“Don’t think this gets you out of trouble. I don’t believe a word.”

He scrunched up the right corner of his lip. “Just get the knives.”

She rolled her eyes and reached into the back of their car. She withdrew a brown leather case and brought it to her lap.

They both exited and walked to the trunk of the old beat up car. “Here we go,” he said as he unlatched the trunk.

The rusted red metal sprung up. Inside, an unconscious young blond woman took up most of the space. Her body had folded and molded to the tight space within. Duct tape held her wrists and covered her mouth. Three contusions protruded from different spots on her forehead. Two of them were made by the turns Tim had taken.

“I was hoping she’d be awake for this,” Franny said. Tim ignored the remark, since it was probably her head banging that kept her asleep.

“Makes it more fun, doesn’t it?” Tim asked. Franny nodded, their spat momentarily forgotten. “You do the honors.”

Franny smiled. She reached into the leather case and withdrew a large silver butcher knife. She held it even with her face, a glimmer in her that Tim only saw when they did their ritual or had a moment to themselves.

When Franny turned her attention to Tim, her anger abated. There seemed to be a pattern between them. He loved the way she looked right now. He smiled and nodded.

She held the blade to the side and bent towards him. With her free hand, she grabbed the back of his head and pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss. One that left them both out of air.

Then she turned to the body in the car. raised the blade. Then plunged it into the woman’s chest. She held the blade with both hands and savored the moment.

Once she was satisfied, he lifted the body out of the trunk and threw it into the ocean. They kissed one more time, the moment of question forgotten— for now.