Author Of Death Married And Marked

Beautiful long stemmed red roses filled the hotel suit, the perfect gift, really. Everything was perfect.   There might be a luckier man somewhere on the planet, Nathaniel Harry thought as he wrapped his arms around Lizzy, his new bride. Somewhere in Yemen, maybe-some Allah  praising farmer with a second goat. But certainly not all of San Francisco.  The couple looked out of the living room of the Grand Hyatt’s Mandarin suit. They could see the lights of Berkeley off in the distance, Alcatraz, the graceful outline of the lit-up Golden Gate Bridge.   It’s incredible.” Melanie beamed.” I wouldn’t change a single thing, about today.``

   Me either,” he whispered.” Well, maybe I wouldn’t have invited my parents,” they both laughed.   Only moments before they bid farewell to the last of the three hundred guests in the hotel’s ballroom.   The wedding was finally over. The toasts, the dancing, the schmoozing, the photographed kisses over the cake. Now it’s time for the two of them. They were twenty-nine years old and had the rest of there lives ahead of them.

      Nathaniel reaches for a pair of filled champagne glasses he had set on a lacquered table.’ A toast he declared, “ to the second luckiest man alive.”

      The second? She said and smiled in pretended shock.” Who’s the first?”

      They looped arms and took a long, luxurious sip from the crystal glasses.” The farmer with two goats. I’ll tell you later.  I have something for you, Nathaniel suddenly remembered. He had already given her the perfect five carat diamond on her finger, which he knew she wore only to please his folks. He went to his tuxedo jacket, which was draped over high-backed chair, and returned with a jewellery box from Bulgaria

      No, Nathaniel,” Lizzy protested.” You are my gift.” Open it anyways he said to her, this you will like.” She lifted the top, inside was a suede pouch was a set of earring, large sliver rings around a pair of whimsical moons made from diamonds.

      They re how I think of you,” he said.

      Lizzy held the moons against the lives of her ears, they were perfect, and so was she.    It’s you who pull my tides,” Nathaniel murmured.   They kissed and he unfastened the zipper of her dress, letting the neckline fall just below her dress, He kissed her neck. Then the tops of her breast.   There was a knock on the door suit. Champagne,” called a voice from the outside.    For a moment Nathaniel thought of just yelling go away. All evening, he had longed to peel away the dress from his wife’s soft white shoulders.    Oh go get it, Lizzy whispered, dangling the earrings in front of his eyes. “I’ will put this on.    She wiggles out of his grasp, backing towards the Mandarins master bathroom, a smile in her liquid brown eyes. God he loved those eyes.   As he went to the door, Nathaniel was thinking he wouldn’t trade places with anybody in the world.   Not even for a second goat.   

Nelson Bush had imagined this moment, this exquisite scene, so many times. He knew it would be the groom who opened the door. He stepped into the room.  Congratulations Nelson muttered, handing over the champagne. He stared at the man in the open tuxedo shirt with a black tie dangling around his neck.

      Nathaniel barely looked at him as he inspected the brightly ribboned box. Krug. Clos du mesnil, 1989.

  “What is the worst thing anyone has ever done?” Nelson murmured to himself.” Am I capable of doing it? Do I have what it takes?”

   “Any card?” The groom said, Fumbling in his pants pocket for a tip.

  “ Only this, sir.”   Nelson stepped forward and plunged a knife deep into the groom’s chest, between the third and fourth ribs, the closet route to the heart. For the man who has everything,” Nelson said. He pushed his way into the room and slammed the door shut with a swift. He spun Nathaniel Harry around, shoved his back against the door, and powered the blade in deeper.

 The groom stiffened in spasm of shock and pain guttural sound escaped from his chest- tiny gurgling, choking breath. His eyes bulged in disbelief.  This is amazing, Nathaniel thought. He could actually feel the groom’s strength leaking away. The man had just experienced one of the greatest moments of his life now, minutes later, he was dying. Nelson stepped back, and the groom’s body crumpled to the floor. The room began to tilt like listing boat. Amazing. Nothing like he had expected.  Nelson heard the wife’s voice and had the presence mind to pull the blade out of Nathaniel Harry’s chest   He rushed to intercept her as she came from the bed room, still in her lacy, gown.

 “Nathaniel?” She said with an expectant smile that turned to shock at the sight of Nelson Bush, where’s Nathaniel? Who are you? Her eyes traveled over him, terror ridden, fixing on his face, the knife blade, then her husband’s bandy on the floor.

 “Oh my God! Nathaniel!” She screamed.” Oh Nathaniel, Nathaniel!”

      Nelson wanted to Denver her like this. The frozen, wide-eye look. The promise and hope that just moments ago had shine so brightly were now shattered.  The words poured from his mouth.” You want to know why? Well so do I.”

“What have you done?” Lizzy screamed again.

 She struggled to understand. Her terrified eyes darted back and forth, sweeping the room for a way out.  She made a sudden dash for the living room door. Nelson grabbed wrist and brought the bloody knife up to her throat.

      “Please,” she whimpered, her eyes frozen.”please don’t kill me.”

      The truth is, Lizzy I,’m here to save you,” he said as he smiled into her quivering face. Nelson lowered the blade and sliced into her. The slender body jolted up with sudden cry, her eyes flickering like a weak electric bulb. A deathly rattle shot through her. Why? Her begging eyes pleaded. Why?”

      It took a full minute for him to regain his breath. The smell of Lizzy Harry’s blood was deep in his nose trill, he almost couldn’t believe what he had done. He carried the bride’s body back to the bedroom and placed her on the bed.

 He rubbed his hands against the smooth surface of her cheek and cupped one of her earrings- a smiling moon.

 “What is the worst thing anyone has ever done Nelson Bush asked himself again, heart pounding in his chest. Was this it? Had he done it? Not yet, a voice inside answered. Not quite yet. Slowly. He lifted the bride’s beautiful white wedding dress.