20. Chapter 20

The plowing is done, cookies are frosted, a fire is crackling, and above me, Hazel is sleeping all curled up in bed. Tyler arrived at Hazel’s an hour ago. He ran around in a panic and I watched with delight. He’s on his way here now and I can’t wait for him to ring the doorbell. I’ve been watching the front cameras diligently, waiting for him to arrive. I prepared an Ambien cocoa for him and all it needs is a quick ride in the microwave.

The wood floor creaks beneath my feet as I pace the room, watching and waiting. Finally, I hear a knock on the front door. It’s time. I can’t fucking wait to kill Tyler with the love of my life wrapped around my dick. I smile wickedly for a moment then swing the door open to stand face to face with Tyler, except he doesn’t know I’m me… yet.

Tyler is short, maybe five-foot-ten. He’s a scrawny guy with not much meat on his bones and it doesn’t look like he’s ever been to a gym. I’m not sure what Hazel saw in him. He’s average looking. There’s nothing special about him. She must have liked him for his personality. Yuck! I try not to let my face show the disgust I’m feeling.

“Are you okay, sir? Do you need help?” I ask, innocently.

He gawks at me, unable to speak for a moment. I tend to have that effect on people.

When he finds his voice, he stammers, “I’m sorry to bother you, but I came up here to visit my girlfriend and surprise her for Christmas Eve. When I got there, the back door on the patio was broken. There’s a deer with its inside parts all over the back deck. Hazel’s things were everywhere, but she’s nowhere to be found.” His voice is distressed as he describes all the surprises I left for him.

“Ex-girlfriend,” I mutter.

“What?” Tyler asks, confusion covering his face.

“Oh, it’s just I could have sworn when Hazel came up here, all distressed, she mentioned a crazy ex-boyfriend who she thought was trying to chase after her.” I keep my tone even and calm.

“Wait, is Hazel here?” He asks.

“That depends,” I say, crossing my arms.

“I fail to see how it depends. Is my girlfriend here or not?” Tyler asks gruffly.

“Ex-girlfriend,” I repeat.

“Why don’t you come inside and warm up? You can tell me what’s going on.” I coax, opening the door.

He looks at me, weighing whether it’s an invitation or a demand, then finally steps inside. “Yeah, sure, why not?”

Good boy

I place my hand on his shoulder and give it a squeeze, leading him into the living room where the fire is crackling and Christmas movie is playing on the TV.

“Grab a seat and I’ll bring us some cocoa. Is peppermint okay?”

“Uh, sure,” he says nervously.

I give him an unnerving smile, then go to the kitchen to retrieve the mug I prepared for him earlier. Once it’s warm, I give it a stir and top it with whipped cream and crushed candy cane. I take it out to him, then make myself a cup. When I return, I sit down across from him on the edge of the sectional and take a sip.

“Start from the beginning,” I say.

“This is going to sound insane, but here it goes.” Tyler takes a few drinks of cocoa and a deep breath. “About a month ago, a man called me. He didn’t say who he was. All he said was he would pay me a lot of money if I left Colorado—and Hazel—behind. He had a lot of demands about how he wanted things to go down and he offered to pay me a lot of money. More money than I could ever imagine. I’m not broke. I make a decent living, but these amounts were life-changing. Before you judge me for taking the money, there was one more thing. He told me if I didn’t go willingly, he would have no choice but to take me out. This guy threatened to kill me, so I did exactly what he told me to.” Tyler pauses to take a few more drinks of cocoa.

“Please continue. What happened after you took the money and disappeared?” I ask.

“Why does it matter? Why am I even telling you this?” Tyler breaks down, looking at me suspiciously.

“You’re telling me because I know where Hazel is, and what she told me and the sheriff,” his eyes bulge when I mention the sheriff.

“The sheriff?” He squawks.

“Yes. From what she’s mentioned, it was a really nasty breakup and her ex, presumably you, are some kind of a twisted psychopath. So now you see why I need to hear your side of the story before I decide to tell you where she is.”

He rolls his eyes, clearly upset over having been made the villain, but eager enough to prove his innocence that he continues on with his confession.

“I got to Florida and let things cool down. It seemed like this guy just disappeared and I’ve been missing Hazel. I was planning to propose to her. I’ve been paying off a ring and I was going to surprise her during our anniversary trip to Mexico. So I booked a plane ticket and rented a car to come up here because her parents said she came up here to clear her head after our breakup.” He drains his cup of cocoa.

I take a sip of mine and smile at him. His eyes are looking heavy and he shifts uncomfortably.

“Something wrong, mister—“

“Tyler,” he interjects, reaching his hand out to shake mine, but I’m sitting across the rug from him and I don’t move to accept it, so he drops it awkwardly.

“Are you feeling okay, Tyler?” I ask.

“Mph,” he grunts. “I’m just jet-lagged and tired from driving all day in the snowstorm. It’s nothing.”

I nod. “Well that’s quite the story, Tyler. Hazel told it a lot differently.”

“Yeah,” Tyler replies, his eyelids drooping as he fights to stay awake. “Where’s Hazel? You never answered me.”

“My apologies, Tyler, I’m still assessing whether or not you deserve to know where she is.” I reply curtly.

“Why do you get to decide if I see her or not?” Agitation lacing his words with fire.

I tsk my tongue at him. “Now, now, now, Tyler. Is that anyway to speak to your gracious host?”

His face contorts with fury. “Gracious,” he whisper-shouts through his overwhelming grogginess.

I nod my head. “I’ve been a very gracious host, Tyler, and very tolerant of you. I called you politely to inform you of my intentions. I entertained your negotiations and requests for a house closer to the beach. Most importantly, Tyler, I’ve offered to spare your life, and yet here we sit. You’re in my living room demanding to see your ex-girlfriend and I’ve been quite tolerable about all of this right up until you confessed you intended to go back on our bargain.”

He slowly puts it all together and his lips barely fall open in shock. He’s trying so hard to keep his eyes open.

“You!” He slurs. “Give me Hazel back.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that, Tyler. She’s tucked in my bed, nice and safe, sleeping.” I reply, my smile spreading from ear to ear as his head falls forward, and he jerks it up, trying to stay conscious.

“Did you,” he pauses, drifting off. “Did you drug me?” Tyler’s speech is further slurred.

I walk over and cover him with a blanket, leaning into his face as I do. “Sorry, Tyler, I had to drug you. I told you to disappear and instead you show up on my doorstep to confess your plans to double-cross me.”

“What?” Tyler says, rubbing his eyes. “Who are you?”

“I’m probably your worst nightmare, or the equivalent of the Grim Reaper.” I taunt. “But for the purpose of sticking to the plan, I’m anonymous and that’s all you need to know about me. Now Tyler—“

“Mmmph,” he replies.

“Enjoy your nap. When you wake up, I’m going to kill you and it will be agony.”

“Worst nightmare.” He repeats.

“Yes, Tyler. I’m your worst nightmare and I’m going to keep your girl. The thing is, I’m already in love with her. I saw her first, and judging by the way she was screaming for me a few hours ago, I think she’s long moved on from you.”

“You’re a psychopath,” Tyler mumbles.

“Yes, Tyler. I’m a psychopath. I tried to warn you, but you’re a fucking idiot who should have never crossed a serial killer. Sleep tight, Tyler, because I’m going to fucking kill you.” I hiss.

I walk away, leaving him to his panic. When I return ten minutes later, he’s laying on the couch. A snore escapes his lips and I stare at him, unmoving. I set a running stopwatch on my phone and check the time. I’ll give him fifteen more minutes before I tie him up and haul him back to Hazel’s place. Once she wakes up, we can go visit him and get his untimely death over with so we can live together happily ever after.

Once fifteen minutes passes I do just that. I tie him up securely, place him in my truck, and drive down to Hazel’s, depositing him in the living room for later. While I’m there, I turn the heat all the way down to sixty-three. I want him to be uncomfortable. As soon as I finish, I drive back up the road to my place and climb into bed with Hazel, hoping she’ll wake up in my arms in the morning.