The Garden
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Mila Gray started and ended her days much the same, admiring her garden. Recently planted bulbs sprouted bright green stems. She eyed them. She couldn't remember what she planted there. Tulips? Lilies, maybe. The pink roses next to the new sprouts had bloomed beautifully, due in part to the heavy rains the past few weeks and a new fertilizer concoction she had mixed herself. This would probably be the best spring her yard had ever seen.

"Looks good," said Clay from the doorway. "Should plant some vegetables back here. Make our own little farm. Got the space for it." Mila winced at the word "our." It was her garden. Her home, really. He had moved in after they had gotten married two months ago. She was still getting used to having him there. She often forgot that her space was not solely hers anymore. In truth, he could have the rest of the house, but the garden was hers and hers alone.

It was her sanctuary, her happy place. It was hers. She wanted to say this. The words hovered on her tongue, ready to take off. She swallowed them instead and answered with a shrug, followed by, "Sounds like a good idea." A grin bloomed on his lips as his dark brown eyes scanned the flowers. "What's that over there?" She followed his gaze.

"Oh, that's just the old mulch. The sun turned it an ashy gray, so I raked it all up and put new mulch down. I thought I had gotten all of it up," she said as she walked over to the blooming lavender. Mila knelt and tucked two pale fingers back under the black mulch. "You headed to work?" she pointed to his clothes, dark blue jeans, and a long-sleeved, dark blue shirt. He had changed out of his pajamas, which was rare for a Saturday before noon. He had to be on his way somewhere.

She welcomed the idea of him leaving. When he went to work, for a short time, her house was hers again. Quiet, a comfortable silence. Clay ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair. Yeah, they called me in because two people called in sick. I could use the overtime, so I'm doing it. I should be back late tonight. It's not a long-distance haul. His voice wavered slightly, almost unnoticeable unless you were looking for it.

Listening for it, it was always there. A hint of a lie wrapped in the truth. "Okay, be careful on the road and have a good day." She inched slowly toward the back door, half hoping he would have walked away before she got there. He didn't. "You too." His lips brushed her cheek. Her stomach soured at his touch. She smiled and he finally walked away. He was going somewhere, but it wasn't to work. She knew his lies.

She didn't know exactly why he was lying, but she could discern when he was lying. The slight change in the pitch of his voice, the way his eyes looked everywhere but at her. It didn't matter to her, but it made her curious. Not curious enough to follow, but curious enough to wonder. She glanced back at the garden for a long moment before closing the door behind her. The front door slammed shut. The house and Mila took a collective deep breath. It was quiet again.

something they both had missed. She and her home weren't used to so many people coming over. He had his friends and their poker nights, and then the delivery man when he got things delivered. It seemed like there was always someone waiting to be let in. She thought he was a quieter person with few ties. Maybe that was what he wanted her to think. Bait to lure her in. It worked, for a time anyway. Mila grabbed her grocery list and purse off the counter.

She needed a few things from the grocery store, and then she needed more soil and mulch to fill in the flower beds. It was supposed to rain heavily for the next few days. By the time it was all over, most of her mulch and dirt might be in the grass or washed away. She needed to add to it before that happened. She liked living in a small town. She had lived in the city years ago and didn't care for it. Here, people left her alone.

It was a small enough town where everyone knew each other, but everyone kept to themselves. "There's a new flyer in your window," said Mila as she placed her milk, eggs, bread, and coffee on the counter. Those were her essentials, the only things she couldn't live without. She learned that a long time ago when she had no choice but to live off of bread, eggs, and coffee. And it wasn't even good coffee. Taylor glanced at the large glass window at the front of the store.

"You miss a lot living so far out." Mila smiled tightly. She liked living far away from the prying eyes of everyone in town. "But I like the amount of land I have." "Understandable. You remember Jennifer Bell's daughter, Everly?" The image of a 17-year-old girl with bright green eyes and reddish-brown hair flashed in her mind. She had seen the young girl the last time she had to make a run into town. "Yes. I saw her a couple of weeks ago, I believe." "Right.

"Well, she's been missing for the last couple of days. I told Jennifer she shouldn't worry. She's probably snuggled underneath some guy for the weekend. She'll be back. But I told her she could put a flyer in the window anyway." "I see. That was kind of you." Mila watched as Taylor bagged her groceries. "You're probably right. She's young and pretty, and she's probably having the time of her life right now. She'll be back." "Exactly. Let the girl have some fun while she still can." Mila chuckled.

She remembered the girl and her mother. Jennifer was a devout Christian. She was in church practically every day. She and the Baptist church on the hill practically went hand in hand. When you saw one, you saw the other. She probably hated the idea of the insinuation that her daughter was off with some guy doing everything but praying. Mila shook her head at the thought. The girl would be fine. "Thanks." She took her bags in hand and headed out of the store. "One more stop."

She shoved her bags into the trunk of her car and headed across the street to the feed store. "Hey, Joe!" She waved at the tall brunette behind the counter, and his hand shot up. "Hey, Mila! How's your garden looking?" She smiled. She and Joe had developed a bond over their gardens and their love of flowers. "Great! The rain has done wonders for my flowers, but it also washed out a lot of my soil and mulch."

"Yeah, mine too. I plan on replenishing it this weekend. Is that what you're here for?" She nodded. "All righty. Two bags each?" She nodded. Her eyes roamed the store. The smell of fertilizer and dirt mingled together with the floral note on top. Her eyes lingered on the jasmine blooms at the corner of the store. She had tried growing jasmine before, but it didn't like her garden or her. The plant bloomed and then withered shortly after.

She kept them for a while to see if they would come back. They didn't. Have you heard about Everly? Mila jumped at the sound of his voice. She had almost forgotten he was there. She spun around. Just heard about her being missing a few minutes ago. It's so weird. I just saw her the other day. He said, hoisting four bags onto a cart. In here? He shrugged. Well, I was in here and looked out the window. She was across the street talking to Clay. Mila blinked. He...

"She was?" Her feet moved before her brain had time to process, and she was getting closer to him. "When was this?" "Couple of days ago, I think. It looked like they had both just come out of the store. She was laughing. He was too." "I'll call him and see if he knows anything. She might have mentioned where she was going." He shrugged. "Yeah, that was my thinking." He pointed toward the door. "Let's get this to your car." He followed her across the street to her car, and she popped the trunk.

On her way home, she wondered many things. Was he the last person to see her? Did he know she was missing? She tried to shake the thought from her mind. Clay was a lot of things. He was possibly a cheater, but he wasn't a murderer or an abductor. He was a truck driver. She took her groceries into her house and closed the door. She didn't feel like doing any gardening anymore. She breezed past the kitchen and headed to the main bedroom.

He hadn't mentioned seeing Everly the other day, but then again, why would he? Why would it matter? Mila stopped at the nightstand on his side of the bed. It was a good place to start, although she didn't think it would be very beneficial. Everyone had secrets, and most of them were hidden in the most obvious places. But she didn't think he was that stupid. She wasn't either.

Her fingers grazed the old thriller novel, a Bible, a flashlight, and a glasses case. But nothing else. Of course not. Before she knew it, the pull of her curiosity had her searching the entire house, looking for cubbyholes and places she didn't usually pay attention to. She even checked her hiding places to see if he might have stashed something there. But there was nothing. Her heart pounded in her chest as the search continued.

She didn't know what she was looking for. A hint of something. A clue. Something out of place. "There's nothing here," she whispered to herself. "Did you lose something?" Mila jumped back. The knobs of the stove dug into her back as she pressed herself further away from the kitchen island. Her heart stuttered in her chest as her breath caught in her throat. Clay threw his hands up. "Didn't mean to startle you." He stood in the doorway to the kitchen in muddy jeans and dirty boots.

Mila felt the veins in her neck throbbing as she tried to remember how to talk. She wiped her palms on her jeans. A nervous laugh bubbled up her throat. "I didn't hear you come in. You must have been lost in thought. The door slammed pretty hard." "How long had he been there?" Her eyes darted around the kitchen. She was meticulous in the search. She moved things, but made sure to put them back exactly as she had found them. That's what took her so long. "Sorry. I told you I'd be back late."

She glanced at the clock on the stove. It was almost nine. The day whirled by. "Are you hungry?" She looked at the fridge. She didn't feel like cooking, but she could whip something up if needed. He shook his head. His hair was wet and slicked back. Had it been raining? Had she missed that too? "I picked up something on the way back. Now I just want to take a shower and crawl into bed." She returned a smile. "Right behind you."

She was tired too, and just wanted to shower and get into bed. It wasn't until she heard the shower turn on upstairs that she could take a full breath. The muscles in her back relaxed. Her lungs ached as she inhaled. That was too close. Why was she searching the house? What was she looking for? Why did it matter? She didn't care if he was cheating on her. The marriage was more about convenience than love. And yet, the nagging urge to know pulled at her.

yanked her by the hair, and pulled her to the front door, where her eyes rested on the silver dish on the console. His keys stared back at her. It would make sense if he kept something in his car. That was the place she would never think to look. It was smart. She grabbed the keys and then waited a moment. The shower was still roaring upstairs. Clay took long showers and said the hot water beating down on his back was amazing. She had time. She eased out the front door and ran to the car.

Start with the trunk. The key slid into the lock and she turned the key. The trunk popped open. Vile coated the back of her throat. She slammed the lid back down. A tangled mess of bruised limbs and blonde hair stared up at her. The image had been pressed upon her vision. Even with the lid closed, she could still see the girl. Neela searched her pockets for her phone. Damn it!

Her heart thrummed in her chest. She needed to get to a phone and call the police. Mila rushed back into the house, set the keys back on the console, and hurried into the kitchen to search for the phone. It wasn't in its normal place. "Where is it?" She searched the junk drawer next to the stove before clearing the counter. Nothing. "Hey?" She froze next to the stove for a long moment, trying to gather her thoughts. Beads of sweat slid down her neck.

"Thought you were still in the shower." She smiled weakly. Her eyes scanned his face. Brows furrowed. Eyes narrowing at her. The phone clenched in his left hand. He stepped toward her. She stepped back. "I figured you did when I saw you looking through my car. What were you looking for?" She stumbled back. At the back of the kitchen, there was a doorway. It led to the basement, the only place she had left to go.

If she tried to run past him, he would grab her and yank her back. Or he would grab a knife from the butcher's block by the stove. "I was looking for my phone. I haven't been able to find it all day." He cocked his head. "And you thought it was in my trunk?" "I already looked through the house and my car. It was the only place I hadn't searched." He shrugged. "You see it?" "Nope. It's not there. I'm going to have to get another one, I guess." Her back pressed against the doorframe. She glanced at the back door and the doorway to the basement.

Outside was wide open, and she had no neighbors for miles. But in the basement, she could get something to protect herself. It was her best bet. "That sucks. You see anything else?" A smile bloomed on his lips, one she hadn't seen before. She shook her head, mentally readying herself to run. He stopped moving for a moment and stared at her. Dark brown eyes, inky black. He lunged. Mila stumbled into the hallway, scrambled for the door, and yanked it open.

She stumbled down the stairs, trying to be careful while still trying to move fast enough so that he didn't catch her. She reached the bottom of the stairs. The door closed. The sound of heavy footsteps on the stairs sent a shiver down her spine. She needed a place to hide and something to hurt him with. Mila ran behind the stairs, sliding on a pipe before slamming nose-first into the wall. Her fingers closed around the pipe as pain radiated into her cheeks and her jaw.

She swallowed a scream. She needed to hit him. One perfect hit to knock him out, and then she could get away. He eased down the stairs, knowing she couldn't get out without passing him. "Good hiding spot you have here," he whispered, a smile on the edge of his voice. "You know, I searched this house just in case you were thinking about turning me in. I know things about you that would shock your neighbors. So why don't you come out and let's strike a deal?"

Your silence for mine. He moved around the room. She waited. As soon as his back was toward her, she ran from behind the stairs and slammed the pipe into the back of his head. Clay went down with a loud thud. Her fingers tightened around the pipe. She glanced at the top of the stairs and then back at him. Quite the conundrum.

Running away would have been the smart thing to do. She could have raced up the stairs, grabbed the keys, and driven to the police station to tell them what she found in the trunk of his car. That would have been smart if it wasn't her. If the car was found anywhere but on her land. But it was. And now she had to deal with it. "What the?" Mila sat on the stairs, watching him. She must have hit him harder than she thought. It took him two hours to wake up. At first, she thought he was dead.

It would have been easier that way but less fun. While he napped, she grabbed a chair from the dining room and some rope to tie him up. "Are you serious with this?" His voice scraped against her skin like sandpaper. "Be serious, Mila." He talked as if he still had the upper hand. Like even though he was the one tied up, he could still take her. A smile bloomed on her lips, and she savored it. "You are way too sloppy. What kind of idiot brings the body home with them?"

She shook her head. "How stupid can you be?" "Sus the bitch with bodies buried in the backyard!" He spat. She figured he knew about them when he offered to make a deal. Those bodies were fertilizer, and they weren't whole. She mixed the parts with lime so they would decompose faster and not smell. There was a method to her madness. She was smart. He was not. And now he needed to be dealt with. "People saw you talking to Everly, and now she's missing. But that's not who you have in the trunk.

The blonde girl looked familiar, but she couldn't place her. She must have been from town. He smiled. "Just some chick from town. No one will miss her." Mila shook her head. "You are too stupid. How long have you been doing this?" "No long have you." She stretched her legs out in front of her. "Long enough to know you don't pick anyone who can be linked back to you. No one in the town you live in, duh." His eyes narrowed. "What is the plan, Mila?" It was her turn to smile.

"I'm going to kill you, Clay." "Duh. Where did you think this was going to go?" "I mean really. You brought a dead body to my house with no plan to get rid of it. You don't think your shit through. And now I don't want to deal with it." He struggled against the ropes. But Mila was a pro at tying knots. "Mila, be serious." She laughed. "I find it comical you know about the bodies in the garden and still think I won't kill you. That's funny." It was always going to end this way.

She was always going to kill him. She had it planned all the way down to the moment he took his last breath. It was happening sooner than she planned for. "Mila! I was always going to kill you. Always. Now, you're just dying sooner rather than later. But first, I need you to tell me where Everly is. Is she somewhere that can be tied to me?" His eyes went wide. "I didn't take Everly!" Mila sighed. She wasn't sure if she believed him or not. It made no difference to her either way.

but she didn't want his shenanigans to come back and kick her in the ass after he was dead okay she jumped up to her feet you'll let me go no i'm telling you i didn't take her mila let me go you don't want to do this she reached behind the filing cabinet and pulled out the chainsaw that is where you are wrong i've wanted to kill you since the day i met you i think it's your face or something

Just something about you seems very kill-worthy. And now that I know you are out there raping and murdering women, it makes this easier and much more enjoyable. You do the same thing! He struggled against the ropes. No, I don't rape anyone. I don't kill women. Just men. Men are better fertilizer for the plants. I don't know if it's the muscle or the testosterone leaking from the body and into the soil. She shrugged. I don't know, but it works. His jaw tightened.

"You crazy bitch!" A ghost of a smile kissed her lips as the chainsaw roared to life. "Barry!" In one swift motion, she forced the blade into his neck. Blood sprayed into the air. Muffled screams turned into gurgling as blood pooled into his airway. It was a sound she knew well. He'd be dead before she finished. That was a bummer. She wanted him to experience more of the process. But his death was a painful one. The saw ripped through muscle and tissue.

She sawed through the bone until his head hung on by a thread of skin and ligaments. She turned it off. It was a messier way of doing things, but it was more fun. Blood and tissue littered her hair. Her shirt was soaked through with blood. She'd have to throw away that chair. There was no getting the blood out of it. Might as well go ahead and finish it.

She used the chainsaw to cut up the body into manageable pieces. It made it easier to move them to the garden and bury them unnoticed. When she was done, she stuffed the parts in her fertilizer bin and took off her clothes. They were soaked through with blood, and she didn't want to track it through the house. Naked, she went to the bathroom and took a shower, which she then cleaned with bleach and peroxide.

She went through her usual routine before searching for her phone in her bedroom, which she had left there to make a call. Hey, Joe, I think I have something for you. Come by the house on your way home. Just closing up shop now. On my way. While she waited, she got dressed and made a pot of coffee. She had a long night of cleaning ahead of her. Mentally, she made a list of people she'd have to explain things to. Clay's immediate family was non-existent. His mother wanted nothing to do with him.

They hadn't spoken in over twenty years. His friends might pose a problem. They'd look for him. She could call them looking for him, making it seem like he left her. That was an angle to make this work. They might believe that. They know how he was. Her fingers drummed against the kitchen table. A soft knock on the back door startled her out of her thoughts. She jumped up. "Hey, what do you have for me?" He burst through the doorway and paused near the table. "Coffee this late?"

Would you like a cup? He shrugged. Why not? I got the feeling the night's about to get longer. She poured him a cup of black coffee with two spoons of sugar, just the way he liked. Where's Clay? He brought the cup up to his lips. In the basement. His hand stilled and his smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Sooner than expected. He has a dead girl in the trunk of his car. I'm assuming she's dead. When I looked at her, she looked either dead or pretty damn close to it.

I figured you might want her." He shrugged. "I could use her. Or Mae might want her. You know how the mayor's wife is about her rose garden." "This town is known for its gardens." She sipped her coffee. With that off her checklist, she just needed to figure out what to tell Clay's friends and his boss. "Have you sorted everything out?" Mila shrugged. "His friends might come looking. And his boss at the trucking company. This was sooner than I planned."

I didn't have it all together, but I couldn't keep him locked in the basement and I couldn't let him leave." Joe nodded slowly. "I think everyone would understand that. I think we've all been in the same predicament. We will figure it out so no one comes looking. What about GPS on his car and phone? I doubt he has any of that, being a serial killer. I know I don't, but I'll check his phone. I'll check the car." Mila went upstairs to her bedroom while Joe went out the front door. His phone was on the nightstand.

She slipped on a pair of gloves before checking it, just as she thought it was turned off and cool to the touch. He probably did it before he left, so it couldn't be traced. She didn't turn it on. "No GPS locator on the car. That's good. We can use that. Dump the car in the lake. You know how easy it is to get turned around at night around here." She nodded. "Right. I'll call his boss and ask him about clay.

Before he left this morning, he told me he was going to work. I didn't think it was true, but he doesn't have to know that. Then I'll call his friends and see if they know where he is. Good. Put the phone in the car. I'll get the girl out of the trunk and put her in mine. She looks like Rachel's girl, the one who hung out at the bar on Main Street every day. I think Rachel was looking for her, but I thought she finally ran off. I thought she looked familiar, but I couldn't place her. She's grown up.

Done growing now. He popped the trunk. Why didn't you call the sheriff when you found her? I couldn't get to my phone. I figured he wouldn't object to me handling it on my own. Probably not. Gonna have to tell him about it, though. I know. Joe lifted the half-naked girl out of the trunk. Mila opened his trunk and pushed two bags out of the way to make room for her. Thanks. He stuffed her into the trunk and then slammed the top down. I'll break her down in the morning and see if May wants her.

"She probably will. She likes the girls." He laughed. "You gonna clean tonight or you gonna wait for the morning?" Mila glanced back at her front door. "Might as well do it tonight. I don't like to let the blood sit for too long." "Want some company?" "You don't have anything else you have to do tonight?" He nudged her with his shoulder. "It'll keep." "Thanks." He got messy. She headed toward the porch. "That's what happens when you use a chainsaw. I told you an axe would be cleaner."

Mila rolled her eyes. "Doesn't have the same effect." Joe opened the door for her as she entered the house. The metallic tang of blood hung in the air so thick that she could taste it. Her house sighed with relief. Everything was back to normal. "Do you have Everly?" He laughed. "I do. She said she wanted to kill her mom. I said I'd help her. Don't tell anyone. She hasn't gotten permission yet.

"You gonna help her kill Jennifer?" He closed the front door and locked it. "I told her I would show her how to do it, but she'd have to be the one to get her hands dirty." She sighed. "Yeah, it's about time. I don't think this is the right town for her. I kept wishing she'd just move away, but she keeps trying to save us all. Just her luck, moving into a town filled with serial killers." Mila laughed. "Yeah, when you gonna do it?" He shrugged as he followed Mila back to the kitchen.

They sat down at the table and finished drinking their coffee. Not sure. I don't think she's ready yet. Too erratic. And she doesn't think things through. She doesn't plan, you know? She's young. I've got her cutting up some animals just to get her used to slicing through flesh and feeling how a living thing squirms beneath your blade. Her eyes light up every time she does it. That works for here. But if she's going to go out, she has to learn the rules of the town.

"You live here, you feed the garden. You don't kill the people that live here without permission. And you don't do something out in the world that could come back and bite us all in the ass." "And if you do, you die before you talk." Finished Joe. "Exactly." Mila poured up another cup. "You think she'll get permission?" He laughed. "I'm surprised no one asked before now." Joe finished his coffee. "I need you to come through tomorrow so I can show you my orchids. Blooms are just beautiful this year."

I used a different kind of fertilizer." "A child?" He nodded. "I tried it with teenage girls and women, and they just never took off. They always shriveled up. And one time, the leaves turned to mush. I still don't know what that was about, but these are beautiful." "I'll come by tomorrow. Never tried growing orchids. Too much of a hassle." She finished her coffee. "Now, let's go clean your husband's blood off your basement floor."