The Town (Book 1, Lonstino & Greenwood Series)

Chapter 51 - All for Ximena

XIMENA

As we walk to the Connor's house, I check on the boys and find all the children sitting at a picnic table eating. The look happy and so innocent as they share food and probably silly stories. When we enter the house, we find Charlie pacing the room while Davids and the security guy talk in hushed voices.

"Okay, we are all here," Brian says.

"My apologies for interrupting your celebration, but I thought you would like to know all the details of what happened. We received a call from one of the police stations in Greenwood. They received a call from a resident of an apartment complex of something that sounded like a gun shot. When they went to investigate, they had to force the door open since they got no response, and found our suspect, Damian Nelson, dead from a self-inflicted gun wound."

My knees weaken and Lewis supports me to sit on the couch nearby. 

"Before he took his life, he had taped a video. We thought it best for you to read a transcript of what he said due to the graphic content of the video ending."

Davids hands us printed paper sheets and I hesitate to read them. The rest of the people present read the papers and their reactions range from disbelief to anger. I arm myself with courage and read as well.

I completely understood the saying 'as easy as taking candy from a baby' when I took the kids from the candy maker away. My patience paid big after keeping an eye on Ximena's schedule when she picks up the little brats from school. I was so lucky when they came out a bit earlier than normal on that day and they fell so easily for it when I pretended that she had sent me to pick them up. It was my biggest vengeance after following Ximena since she moved to that Lonstino shithole. 

First, she went on a date with the filthy mechanic. I felt like I won the lottery when while keeping an eye on him, I listened to an argument with that shit head of his uncle. I followed the Caleb guy, invited him for some drinks and convinced him to let me help him get his nephew back in jail... And out of Ximena's life. I gave him a good pack of money and hit the crap out of him, then left him in front of the garage and called the police. I described in detail what the mechanic was wearing on that day. My first plan didn't work, but I found out who else Ximena had been seeing because the imbecile people there thrive on gossip. 

My next target was the cook. I knew he had been interested in Ximena until he met that little teacher of his. But Ximena and him had become close friends and I didn't enjoy seeing her visiting him at the café so often. That one was an easy target in a dark parking lot. Too bad that fucking car from Hannah, the biggest whore in that town, doesn't pick up speed quickly enough, but I managed to mangle him a bit and that should teach him to keep his thoughts away from Ximena. 

Then it was time to get rid of the carnival guy. This one had to be big after he punched me. I figured out that going behind that big old ride was the best thing to do and the unprotected fence behind it gave me the perfect spot to enter the park. It was so easy to set fire to a storage of wood and paint with only a small canister of gasoline. I left the place before the mass hysteria began and enjoyed the spectacle of ambulances, police, and the fire brigade going towards the fairgrounds from the pier. It was an impressive cloud of smoke coming from that building and I felt proud of my efforts.

I thought about going after that simple boyfriend of hers next but he had seen me before. It had to be what she loves most, what would hurt her forever like she hurt me when she left Greenwood, and that was the two boys. My mistake was stopping at the gas station to shut their whiny voices asking for food. It delayed me and I found them gone from the car. My best hope was for them to die in the cold or getting hit by a car. I did it all for you Ximena, you did this to me.