The perfect murder

Short Story Dedani Nkala
A RUSTLE whispered faintly like death through the tall gum trees and gingerly snaked into Daisy’s office. Fear engulfed her. She stretched her pencil-slim body towards an elaborate window and pulled the curtains to conceal the long fingers of sunlight that were sneaking into her office. Daisy was intensely nervous.

The goliath-of-a-man who had nicodemously walked into her office had something overpoweringly scary about him. His looks were just frightening. He had the eyes of a python. His eyes were bloodshot. Ruthless. Even his strong arms threatened to shred the suit he was wearing like the incredible Hulk. The intensity he generated when he stepped in, rightfully matched his tar complexion.
Her heart jolted, and all she managed to do was motion him to a seat.
He thanked her as he sank into the butter-soft armchair that was opposite hers.
His name was Jack.

Even though Jack was immaculately dressed in a snow-white suit — bottomed by a pair of pointed white shoes, his thuggish looks were apparent.
“It is time you put all this past you, Daisy,” his husky voice thundered.

“You’re right,” she managed to say. Steadying her nerves, she pulled a strong puff from a lit cigarette and bellowed mushrooms of smoke towards the ceiling.

“Everything is under control; trust me,” Jack said; his tone measured, and lacking any trace of emotion.
Her heart pounded hard against her small ribs.

The thought of Shawn being absent from her life forever got her erupting with goose-pimples. Anyway, she desperately wanted him out of her life — forever. This was the man she had blinded with pseudo-love. If everything — I mean — goes as planned, he would be out of her life forever and the whole company will be hers. That was her motive — to take everything away from him. In fact, Shawn had unknowingly signed his death warrant the moment he permitted his heart to be stolen by Daisy. For him it was love, but Daisy had an ace up her sleeve. Yes, she was going to do some abracadabra on him.

“This is the murder weapon you are to use,” she suggested, pushing a loaded gun towards Jack, “His own gun,” she added excitedly. “It has to look like he committed suicide; I hope that is clear. Do not leave anything loose that forensics may implicate us with his death.”
Jack grinned, “The instructions are as clear as the September sky, darling.”

“Everyone is aware that he is a stressed man . . . Everyone is getting frantic. His business isn’t doing well. He is just a man gone insane. So his death — suicide — will not come as a surprise. This is the only chance . . . our chance . . . my chance to be free at last,” she whispered.
“It is all set, dear,” Jack told her as a matter-of-fact. “My mother didn’t call me Jack for nothing.”

“I need to hear the good news. Let us play it to our own advantage. As you bring him down to his kneels tell him of my brother’s blood that he shed. Face him and tell him everything that I know.” She moistened her lips nervously as she felt gastric juices sting in her mouth. She reached for the bottom drawer, felt the nozzle of another gun, changed her mind and opted for wades of new bank notes. She swept the money towards him. “You’ll get the rest when the target is down.”

“Consider it already done,” a tiny enigmatic smile crossed his wounded face.
The businessman that Jack had been assigned to put a bullet through the head was Daisy’s husband of over five years. It had taken her this long because she did not want his death to be linked to her. She had been waiting for an opportunity to strike like a lion. Probably in a couple of hours all will fall into place when executor points the gun at Shawn’s head and remind him of the “perfect murder”.

The fact that she got to know the little secret that had raised him from rags to riches made her excited. She knew the darker side of Shawn; the skeletons that he had locked away in some closet. It was this darker side that had actually prompted her to go this far . . . she had blinded him with love to get her revenge.

All that she did was offering her beautiful body in exchange of trust. After all, exchange is no robbery.
Out of hatred she had allowed herself to “love” this man. She did not even love him. Tell me, why would she love a man who had literally bathed in her brother’s blood to be one of the richest men?
This is what Daisy knew.

Peter and Shawn — and Jack — worked for a diamond mining company. But the three illegally operated another. These three would loot the sparkling gems from their paymasters and sell them on the “black market”. One evening, Shawn and Peter sneaked into the diamond fields unnoticed. Once there, Shawn set-off the alarm system, and the armed guards responded swiftly. Jack was one of the guards. As planned, Shawn drew out a gun, and shot Peter in the chest, and left him for dead. What they did not realise was that Peter saw the two embrace as they left him for dead. Unbeknown to them he had carried a mobile phone — something against their policy. All that Peter could do was dial Daisy’s number before he passed out.

For Shawn and Jack, it had been the perfect murder. He had been shot to death by guards for trespassing.
Daisy moved into their lives with a mission.
Dark rain clouds spread against the night sky as the hulk man strolled into the cemetery. Daisy was kneeling at her brother’s grave, soaked in tears. She wore a dark gown and dark huge hat. “Tell me the good news,” she whispered without facing the man who now stood behind her.

“He is gone,” the voice thundered, “. . . and certainly looks like . . . suicide.”
“Brother, you may now rest in peace.”
The cold wind caressed the trees, and drops of rain showered. She slowly rose to her feet and without hesitation pointed a gun at Jack . . .