The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Here Would be Perfect 
by Rie Sheridan Rose 

Caroline examined the beach. Silent as a tomb at this time of year.

Yes, she thought, this will do nicely.

She glanced over her shoulder at Richard, following dutifully behind her with the picnic basket and blankets, like a faithful dog.

“Here would be perfect, dear! Don’t you think? Look at that view.”

Richard struggled through the sand, the weight of his burdens obviously weighing on him. “Whatever you say, darling.” He dropped the basket to the sand with an audible sigh, his back creaking as he straightened.

Caroline studied him with cool detachment. It won’t be long now, in any case. I’m doing the poor sod a favor. She flashed him a brilliant smile. “Why don’t you spread out the blanket and rest? I’m going to walk down the beach a little way.”

He shook out the larger blanket over a patch of sand and sank down on it, groaning as his joints protested.

Caroline waved as she strode off down the beach. Thank god, this is almost over. It better be as worth it as Jeremy says. I never should have let him convince me to marry his father. Still, if the payday is even half what he expects it to be…

She shaded her eyes with one hand, looking back down the beach at Richard. He was three decades her senior, and in miserable health. He wasn’t fit to take her on the worldwide travel he’d promised when courting her. No, she’d wait for Jeremy to give her that. All they had to do was rid themselves of the old man. Enough sedative laced the champagne and crab cakes she had packed for their picnic to knock out an elephant, much less a wizened old wreck like Richard. And then it would just be a matter of slitting his wrists. The red algae would soak up most of the blood, and the tide would carry him out to sea, anyway.

They had planned this down to the last detail. Hooray for Forensic Files reruns!

Richard raised a hand in greeting when he saw her looking his way, gesturing to the picnic laid out on the blanket. Caroline nodded and started back up the beach.

Almost to the finish line. When this is done, it’s off to meet Jeremy and wait for the inevitable discovery of the body. This part of the coast has lots of shark traffic. By the time they find him, no one will be able to tell how he died. And, even if they do, Jeremy will alibi me…just like we planned. Unless I decide the whole is better than half, and find a way to get rid of him too…

Caroline chuckled to herself. One step at a time, my girl. Don’t count your diamonds before they are mined.

She sank down on the blanket before Richard and picked up the plate of crab cakes. “Care for something to eat, darling?”

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Fiction © Copyright Rie Sheridan Rose
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

More from Author Rie Sheridan Rose:

Overheard in Hell:
Dark Poetry

Poems exploring hell and damnation. Tales of sorrow, vengeance, betrayal, and redemption. Ghosts, ghouls, and demons stalk these pages. Don’t read in a lonely house…in a darkened room by a single candle…

…unless you like the touch of an icy finger up your spine.

Available on Amazon!