Deception, Murder and the Humming Man
Lightning cut through the dark like a mad man's knife, lighting the muddy path into Cobblestone forest. For a fraction of a second the shape of a man could be seen, anyone who was looking would have noticed the human sized sack slung over his left shoulder. Another flash of lightning would have shown the man disappearing into forest but only to those who were watching. The storm raged on as the stranger trudged through the thick mud, traveling deeper into the dense trees. His dark brown hair was plastered to his face and amused grin spread ear to ear as he hummed a small tune.
"Poor sod never saw it coming."
He came to a stop and tossed the sack from his shoulder and into the grave.
"The man who'll solve all your problems. Well I certainly solved them didn't I? You ain't got them anymore have you?"
The tall man laughed madly as he filled the grave with earth. He swung the shovel over his shoulder, the amused grin still clear on his face, and marched back the way he had come. There was not a trace he had been there but the quickly disappearing foot prints as the rain washed them away.
****
It was a darker night than usual, perfect for what was about to be played out. With the sack slung over his shoulder once more and a shovel in his hand the man strolled deeper into the forest
It had been a few weeks since he had last visited Cobblestone forest, the search for the missing business man had long since ceased. It was always the same, he would solve one man's problem, wait a few weeks, and them move onto the next one. Never different yet never similar, he'd always do it differently to try and shake the police from the truth. Yet it would be hard for them to know considering they never find a trace of the bodies, they never find the money either. He walked with an unnerving nonchalance yet a dark seriousness remained in his gaze.
"I was starting to like you. You had a good taste in brandy."
He dropped the body into a grave, giving a small salute as it hit the bottom.
"It's a shame it had to end like this you know."
He started filling in the grave.
"Yet life is cruel and myself even more so."
He smoothed the earth and scattered leaves around the area, nature would do the rest. He slowly made his way back, covering his tracks as he did so.
***
"Do you think this one's connected with the others?"
"There's no way of knowing for sure, but my guess would be yes."
"Has anyone come forward with information?"
"No, we can't find anything at the office or home either."
James Williams let out a frustrated growl; this latest disappearance had proved to be a dead end just as the others. It was difficult to prove if the disappearances were connected, there were some slight similarities. But other than that they seemed to be just random, like the person just took off without a word or a footprint to leave. It was……………unnerving
***
Light streamed through the crack in the door, lighting a small part of the office. A man sat with his legs on the desk, a glass of brandy in his hand and a cruel amused smile on his face. It had been too easy to fool them, too easy to point them in the wrong direction.
"The damn fools."
A small chuckle escaped his lips and he took another sip from his glass.
With a small sigh he put the glass down and stood. It was starting to get dark and the sky threatened a storm. It would be a perfect night indeed, He grabbed his coat and headed for his car, a sack sung over his shoulder. Everyone had gone home early so there was no one in the car park, no one to witness the tall man starting his car and driving towards a small business office.
