Ness sat back in the recliner, not knowing what to say. She knew that Eddie was right, and she was just as guilty as Martin was. She fiddled with a thread on her jersey, “I want to kill bad people,” she whispered.
“What was that?” Eddie asked.
“I said, I want to kill bad people. People that hurt others and monopolize on the weaknesses of others or use corruption to get what they want.”
“Ahh, the vigilante type. Noble of you,” Eddie smirked.
Ness glared at him, “It’s the only way that I’m going to do this.”
“Fair enough,” Eddie moved the coffee table back and moved the pawn in front of his king to the e4 square. “So, what now?”
Eddie sighed as he contemplated his answer, “Chess players need to see multiple moves ahead, and they need to predict how their opponents are going to move. Once you’re able to predict certain outcomes, you will be able to make the best decision for the scenario that you’re in.”
Ness started thinking, “There are still a few loose ends with Martin.”
Eddie tapped his nose with his index finger, “Tell me.”
“His car is still outside of your bar, and it will only be a few more days until it’s towed. That will raise several suspicions. A person can’t just disappear into thin air, and if Henry Martin is discovered missing, there will be a manhunt for him. The best outcome here is for him to die and people presume that it was an accident. Do you still have access to his body?”
Eddie nodded, “It’s in a freezer. That affects the body in multiple different ways, and any pathologist with half a brain will be able to figure that out.”
“Well then we have to make it look right. When is garbage day in your area at the bar?”
“Tomorrow,” Eddie responded.
“Shit. That only gives us tonight to sort this out.”
Eddie laughed, “Us?”
“You said you wanted to teach me, so now’s your opportunity,” Ness stated.
“What are you planning with this? Let’s see how those ‘killer cogs’ are working in your mind.”
“We go back and retrieve his body and his car tonight—we plant enough booze bottles in the car to make it look believable. There’s a road on a mountain pass on Devil’s Head which is around 200 miles from here. If we leave now, we might be able to stage the scene there and be back before morning.”
“Why Devil’s Head?”
“I used to go there as a kid. We used to camp regularly out there. I know the area quite well, and it has a road right next to a sheer cliff. If Martin’s car goes over the side of the cliff, it will be a few days until it’s found . . . most likely.”
“What about the car’s GPS? He drives a new Range Rover Sport, and all of them come equipped with satellite navigation. The cops may be able to use that to trace the car when he’s reported missing,” Eddie said, rising from his chair.
“Will disconnecting the car’s battery before pushing it off the cliff disable the GPS tracking?” Ness asked.
“It may. And this plan of yours may not be foolproof, but it’s certainly better than anything I expected you to come up with. You drive. We’ll head to the bar and get his body out of the freezer,” Eddie started walking toward the door.
“Wait. His body is still at the bar?” Ness walked behind him, but her sternum hurt as she moved.
Eddie nodded and smiled, “Let’s get this show on the road.”
30 minutes later, Ness parked her Civic across the road from the bar. Because it was almost 11:00 P.M., much of the foot traffic was reduced on the road. “We’ll have to go around back. There are some freezers that I have in the storage room that the employees don’t have access to. And since the bar is still running at this hour, it will be better that no one sees us go in,” Eddie said, climbing out the car.
Ness nodded and exited the vehicle. She saw the Range Rover parked nearby, and she could see at least two parking tickets under the windshield wipers. At least the car hadn’t been towed yet. They moved hastily into the alleyway and toward a large metal door. Eddie pulled out his keys and unlocked it.
“This is where you were when you saw me kill him?”
Eddie turned and winked at her. They went inside and closed the door behind them. Eddie led her down a long corridor that felt more like a hospital corridor than one that belonged behind a bar.
“The freezers are in here,” he said, unlocking another door. They entered the room and Eddie turned on the lights. There were five large chest freezers in the room, and Ness wondered quietly why he would need so many freezers for such a small bar.
“Put these on,” Eddie handed her a pair of thick, black latex gloves. You’ll have to tie your hair up and wear a mask too when you drive the Range Rover to Devil’s Head. There are many new forensic techniques and tests that the police can perform nowadays, so you’ll have to be careful not to leave any traces that you were in the vehicle.”
“I’m driving the Range Rover to Devil’s Head?” Ness looked slightly shocked.
“Of course, you are, grasshopper. Welcome to your first lesson.”
“I thought you attacking me was my first lesson,” Ness scoffed. “Nah, that was just a bit of fun,” Eddie laughed.
Sicko, Ness thought to herself. “Here he is,” Eddie opened the freezer, and the sight of Martin’s grotesquely injured body greatly affected
