Gerard's Deception.

He had once been a happy, vibrant child, but the light had gone out of his eyes. He tended his little stone house - a young man who moved without footsteps.

They said he’d never walk again after the accident, Gerard never corrected them. In his eyes lived something older than grief...defiance.

He remembers when told not to climb the water tower. But back then, he did not listen.

Gerard spent his days tinkering. His wheelchair a dream, like the stars seen from windows too high to reach.

He rarely left the house after his parents disappeared. No one could explain what happened to them.

The young man studied diligently doing on-line studies. He had books, degrees and certificates on every subject. All a part of his plan.

And tonight, as the village slept, he would vanish...a story that had waited many years to begin.

...

Before the disappearance.

As he grew older Gerard hatched a plan. He stopped shaving, and became completely unrecognizable as the years passed.

Now in his late twenties, Gerard bore the look of a man between time...His wheelchair his only company.

People named him “The Bearded Enigma,”...seen on misty hills or near broken clocktowers, his face half-hidden under his thick, dark beard...always watching.

But beneath that hairy mane was still the boy who tinkered at midnight. He carried his secrets to protect what lay beneath those rose bushes.

“The Garden”.

Gerard’s backyard always smelled like roses, and gardenias swayed near the cobbled path. To the casual eye, it was beauty. To the attentive one...it was a hush.

He trimmed petals with such reverence you’d think them extra special. Maybe they were. For under every bloom lay a secret: wrapped in cloth, and horror stories... of lives interrupted.

No one asked why his garden always bloomed beautifully. Remaining eternally...perennial.

The backyard to his property adjoined the public park...Gerard would sit and listen to the delightful squeals...as kids played and adults admonished safety.

One Monday morning, the manager of the local bank disappeared. A few days later, a dapper well shaved youngish man replaced him. The management concluded that the previous manager had left. Quite unusual, he never collected his paycheck nor belongings. Maybe he got mixed up with some bad types and got in trouble.

A 'For Sale' sign appeared on Gerard's property.

He and his wheelchair completely vanished...The authorities searched high and low. He was never found.

The deception

Gerard started walking a year after the accident. His parents nagged to let everyone know. But he would lose his funding...he needed it, he had no intention of being bullied for being different.

When they insisted...they disappeared...Gerard started his lovely flower garden. Other people went missing...Who would suspect Gerard.

The new bank manager, Phil, bought Gerard's house...the money disappeared without a trace from the bank.

Gerard died of old age. They buried Phil/Gerard.

The new owner's dog dug up the garden and they found the bones.

There is a manhunt for Gerard.