The bottle of 0% wine was steaming…
There was literal smoke gently weaving from the opening of the bottle.
Of course!
The wine had been poisoned!
‘They are all dead,’ said Butch. ‘Why would you do this, Jim? Damn you! In one evening you have gone from a humble simple murderer to a full blown serial killer!’
Butch drew out a gun and aimed it right at Jim’s head.
Butch declared it was time to finish the nightmare of Jim the mass killer.
‘Your reign of terror ends now, Banker of Fenwick,’ he said. ‘Once I pull this trigger all of our lives can begin to recover. The darkness with be over. It will die with you. Say goodbye, Jim!’
‘For goodness sake, Butch! Listen to me! I know you are not the smartest man around town, but surely if you can see I am too dumb to plan any of this. Break a mans neck and then hang him? Kill all my guests with poison? No! We are being set up, Butch. We are being played against each other. And I know who is doing it…’
‘I can’t listen to you, not anymore. Bridges have ben burned,’ Butch replied. ‘Like Huey said before he died, YOU are a SNAKE, Jim. Your words are poison! Just like the poison that killed these fine men. Today you have killed some of the most respected men in this town! How dare you - you monster!’
‘I didn’t do this,’ said Jim. ‘Like I didn’t shoot you, Butch. When I took you to the Swamp, I told you to run. When I fired that shot I aimed away from you. Because I couldn’t kill you, Butch. You are my friend and my business partner. But I will give you the name of a man who would kill you, given half the chance. Grey. He is behind all of this. And you want to know why I know this? Because this morning I got that bottle of wine over there as a gift from Grey. It is his favourite non alcoholic wine. It was meant for me to drink. Yet the bottle didn’t touch my lips. These men were not supposed to die today. But you and I, Butch, Grey wants us in the ground. He’s set this all up! I don’t know why he wants us dead, but he does. He sent me to kill you, first, and after that he sent the wine. I was supposed to die next.’
‘But he made you the Banker’ said Butch. ‘He put you inside this nice house!’
‘I think it was some kind of twisted ruse,’ Jim replied. ‘He wanted to keep my eyes away from the killing dagger!’
‘This doesn’t make sense,’ said Butch. ‘Grey could not have killed DC Peddler! The man never leaves that damn train of his…’
‘Really? Why are you so dense, Butch? Do you think Grey is above and beyond hiring people to do his dirty work for him, like when he hired me to kill you? And then like that time he hired you to bring me at gunpoint and against my will to him? Come on! Wake up you dimwit!’ said Jim, determinedly. ‘He has been playing us from the start.’
‘But what’s his motive?’
‘I don’t know… power I guess? Maybe he is just sick and enjoys messing people around. It could be anything. Let me tell you something I really do know, Butch. There are some really weird people out there…’
‘But you hated DC Peddler! You wanted to kill him!’
‘NO! I wanted to scare him off. Yes. I sent those photos to Mr Rits. But I didn’t want Peddler dead. I just wanted him to leave town. I wanted to get him away from me because he was a trouble maker. He wanted to ruin my business! Come on Butch, I am not a killer. You know that! You know me, right?’
‘But you tried to shoot me…’
‘No Butch. I did what I did to get Grey off of my back. I let you run. I let you live. I never wanted to betray you, ever. And remember, Butch. You drew first blood. Yes! Don’t look at me like that. You are the one who first put the gun against my back. You led me to Grey at gunpoint. You ended our business relationship and our friendship that day.’
And it has all been because of Grey…
Butch sighed and admitted defeat. He uncocked the gun and dropped the weapon to the ground.
‘The way I look at it now is this; we are both in a mess,’ said Butch. ‘I can see what you are saying, Jim. Grey wants us both dead and he will stop at nothing to get the job done. We are doomed. It seems to be our lot just to die!’
‘Yes, Butch, for a change you are right. We are not safe not while Grey is breathing,’ Jim replied. ‘The real question is this: do we give up? Do you have any fight left in you? Because I know I have. I am not going to give up everything I have built and fought for these last weeks.’
‘But we can’t get at him,’ Butch returned. ‘He never leaves the train. You know that!’
‘I know,’ said Jim. ‘So we must figure out how to get into the train…’
‘Do you have a plan?’
‘No. Not yet. But I am not going to let that man win. Mr Grey controls this town. He controls everything. He is the darkness in the heart of Fenwick, and he needs to be put out, laid to rest. And it has to be us who stops him because only we know the truth. Nobody else knows who Grey is except us. So it has to be us who put an end to him. We have to figure out how to bring that man down.’
‘I am with you, Jim,’ Butch replied. ‘I am sorry I let things get out of hand, mate. I just don’t “think.” I am dumb idiot. You were always the brains, and I the brawn. It is the way it was always meant to be.’
‘It is good to have you back with us, Butch,’ said Jim. ‘I think it is time to put your brawn to work again! You know Fenwick better than I. I need you to scout around and find a man called Mr Twaddle. He might also be called Michael. Now this guy serves Grey as his right hand man. I think we can get to Grey through him! Go get him Butch!’
So Jim set loose the dogs!
‘I am on it boss,’ Butch replied. ‘I am glad we are friends again, Jim.’
‘Me too Butch,’ said Jim, and then the two men parted ways.
There was literal smoke gently weaving from the opening of the bottle.
Of course!
The wine had been poisoned!
‘They are all dead,’ said Butch. ‘Why would you do this, Jim? Damn you! In one evening you have gone from a humble simple murderer to a full blown serial killer!’
Butch drew out a gun and aimed it right at Jim’s head.
Butch declared it was time to finish the nightmare of Jim the mass killer.
‘Your reign of terror ends now, Banker of Fenwick,’ he said. ‘Once I pull this trigger all of our lives can begin to recover. The darkness with be over. It will die with you. Say goodbye, Jim!’
‘For goodness sake, Butch! Listen to me! I know you are not the smartest man around town, but surely if you can see I am too dumb to plan any of this. Break a mans neck and then hang him? Kill all my guests with poison? No! We are being set up, Butch. We are being played against each other. And I know who is doing it…’
‘I can’t listen to you, not anymore. Bridges have ben burned,’ Butch replied. ‘Like Huey said before he died, YOU are a SNAKE, Jim. Your words are poison! Just like the poison that killed these fine men. Today you have killed some of the most respected men in this town! How dare you - you monster!’
‘I didn’t do this,’ said Jim. ‘Like I didn’t shoot you, Butch. When I took you to the Swamp, I told you to run. When I fired that shot I aimed away from you. Because I couldn’t kill you, Butch. You are my friend and my business partner. But I will give you the name of a man who would kill you, given half the chance. Grey. He is behind all of this. And you want to know why I know this? Because this morning I got that bottle of wine over there as a gift from Grey. It is his favourite non alcoholic wine. It was meant for me to drink. Yet the bottle didn’t touch my lips. These men were not supposed to die today. But you and I, Butch, Grey wants us in the ground. He’s set this all up! I don’t know why he wants us dead, but he does. He sent me to kill you, first, and after that he sent the wine. I was supposed to die next.’
‘But he made you the Banker’ said Butch. ‘He put you inside this nice house!’
‘I think it was some kind of twisted ruse,’ Jim replied. ‘He wanted to keep my eyes away from the killing dagger!’
‘This doesn’t make sense,’ said Butch. ‘Grey could not have killed DC Peddler! The man never leaves that damn train of his…’
‘Really? Why are you so dense, Butch? Do you think Grey is above and beyond hiring people to do his dirty work for him, like when he hired me to kill you? And then like that time he hired you to bring me at gunpoint and against my will to him? Come on! Wake up you dimwit!’ said Jim, determinedly. ‘He has been playing us from the start.’
‘But what’s his motive?’
‘I don’t know… power I guess? Maybe he is just sick and enjoys messing people around. It could be anything. Let me tell you something I really do know, Butch. There are some really weird people out there…’
‘But you hated DC Peddler! You wanted to kill him!’
‘NO! I wanted to scare him off. Yes. I sent those photos to Mr Rits. But I didn’t want Peddler dead. I just wanted him to leave town. I wanted to get him away from me because he was a trouble maker. He wanted to ruin my business! Come on Butch, I am not a killer. You know that! You know me, right?’
‘But you tried to shoot me…’
‘No Butch. I did what I did to get Grey off of my back. I let you run. I let you live. I never wanted to betray you, ever. And remember, Butch. You drew first blood. Yes! Don’t look at me like that. You are the one who first put the gun against my back. You led me to Grey at gunpoint. You ended our business relationship and our friendship that day.’
And it has all been because of Grey…
Butch sighed and admitted defeat. He uncocked the gun and dropped the weapon to the ground.
‘The way I look at it now is this; we are both in a mess,’ said Butch. ‘I can see what you are saying, Jim. Grey wants us both dead and he will stop at nothing to get the job done. We are doomed. It seems to be our lot just to die!’
‘Yes, Butch, for a change you are right. We are not safe not while Grey is breathing,’ Jim replied. ‘The real question is this: do we give up? Do you have any fight left in you? Because I know I have. I am not going to give up everything I have built and fought for these last weeks.’
‘But we can’t get at him,’ Butch returned. ‘He never leaves the train. You know that!’
‘I know,’ said Jim. ‘So we must figure out how to get into the train…’
‘Do you have a plan?’
‘No. Not yet. But I am not going to let that man win. Mr Grey controls this town. He controls everything. He is the darkness in the heart of Fenwick, and he needs to be put out, laid to rest. And it has to be us who stops him because only we know the truth. Nobody else knows who Grey is except us. So it has to be us who put an end to him. We have to figure out how to bring that man down.’
‘I am with you, Jim,’ Butch replied. ‘I am sorry I let things get out of hand, mate. I just don’t “think.” I am dumb idiot. You were always the brains, and I the brawn. It is the way it was always meant to be.’
‘It is good to have you back with us, Butch,’ said Jim. ‘I think it is time to put your brawn to work again! You know Fenwick better than I. I need you to scout around and find a man called Mr Twaddle. He might also be called Michael. Now this guy serves Grey as his right hand man. I think we can get to Grey through him! Go get him Butch!’
So Jim set loose the dogs!
‘I am on it boss,’ Butch replied. ‘I am glad we are friends again, Jim.’
‘Me too Butch,’ said Jim, and then the two men parted ways.
(Remember! All spelling errors and grammatical mistakes are intentional - the author 😆)
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