Liars
and Legends
By
Pamela Ebel
“Carson, please don’t use that
fish finder. You know this trip prohibits them.”
“Stop whining, Peg. No one can see us. Just sit and be
quiet”
“This is
supposed to be our second Honeymoon. You said we’d see the cities and villages in
Scotland. All we’ve done is go from one fishing site to another and sleep in tents.”
“I don’t know what you’re
bitching about. We came on a cruise ship that cost me an arm and leg, that didn’t
stop in one fishing port. Now it’s my turn. Look at the mountains or something.”
He steered the
motorboat further from the yacht that served as home base. She saw Captain Duncan waving
them to return. Carson ignored him.
On the far side of the lake, he turned off the motor and
the boat drifted quietly with the current. Dropping the fish finder cable in the water
Carson turned it on. Peg looked at the screen that showed the underwater world beneath
them. Fish of all sizes swam lazily or streaked by in pursuit of dinner.
Looking for something to talk about, her
eyes settled on the fishing gear, that along with the travel expenses, had cost Peg her
bonus funds. She picked up the pole.
“Why don’t you try this out? It would be nice to share some
salmon you caught when we all meet for dinner tonight. Everyone else shares their catch.
We’ve never contributed anything and it’s embarrassing.”
Carson turned and grabbed the pole causing Peg to lose her
balance and fall backward. He then turned back to the sonar screen.
“I’m
sick of you whining and complaining. We had one Honeymoon. That should’ve been enough.
It’s more than most people get.”
“We went
fishing in the Gulf and slept on mud lumps at the mouth of the Mississippi River.”
“Yeah. But we stayed at that motel
too,”
“Only because
there was a hurricane coming. We had no electricity for two nights in August.”
“See, you always look on the bad side
of everything. Because the storm knocked out the power, Ralph let us stay on his yacht.
It’s a beauty. When I get back home, I’m ordering one.”
“How do you plan to pay for a yacht?
My salary barely covers our living expenses. I know you hope to settle that big wrongful
death case but…”
“Well,
now that you mention it.”
He dug into a
canvas bag and pulled out a paper, handing it to Peg.
“You settled the case? How wonderful. This bank statement
says you deposited $600,000. Wait! This isn’t our bank and this isn’t our account.
It only has your name on it. You opened this account last week and didn’t tell me!
Why?”
“You were
working that day. I wanted to order the Lincoln Town Car. It will be waiting when I get
back.”
“Why didn’t
you tell me? I used all our savings for this trip. Everything we have we pool together.
Why did you lie to me?”
“Why?
Because this is my money, bitch! Why? Because I’ve lied
our entire marriage to get what I wanted from you. Why? Because the lies got you to pay
for law school leaving me money to get what I needed. Why? Because lying is what I do best.”
He yanked the bank statement from her, putting
it back in the bag.
“You
were convenient and not too bad to look at and not bad
in bed. Just so pitiful wanting ‘to be loved’. But love costs money and I’ve
waited ten years. Now I’m going to live like I want, spend what I want on what I
want and love who I want. You, ‘pitiful Peg’, are not on any of those lists.”
Peg stared into the face of a man she didn’t recognize as
he picked up an oar and leaned toward her.
“It will
be an unfortunate accident. You grabbed the pole when we got a bite and when I was reaching
for the net you slipped and fell over. Your head wound will be caused by hitting the railing
as you fell. That’s what I’ll testify to and I’m a good liar.”
The sonar beeped causing, both of them to
stare at the screen. A large nose and huge eye stared out at them. Then the boat rose out
of the water. As it crashed back down, Carson fell finding himself face to face with
Nessie.
The Loch Ness
Monster’s head rose atop her five-foot long neck covered in dark green scales. She
stared down at Peg, then her snake-like mouth opened, two large fangs sprung forward and
in one bite she drug Carson and the fish finder overboard and disappeared. A few moments
later Nessie reappeared, seemed to smile at Peg, then, like a scaly submarine sank silently
into the dark water.
The
sound of a motor caught her attention, and the yacht pulled
alongside.
“Mrs. Olson
are you alright? We saw a giant splash. Where’s your husband?”
Peg pulled the canvas bag to her chest.
“I don’t know, Captain. A big
wave lifted the boat up. When it crashed down Carson was gone. We need to look for him.
I’ll stay in the boat. Maybe he made it to shore and will see me.”
The Captain shook his head and helped Peg
aboard the yacht.
“This is
the deepest part of the loch. It’s getting dark. We need to head back to the dock.
I’ll call now and get a search party out. You’ve had a shock. Some dry clothes
and a bit of ‘the hair of the dog’ will help.”
Peg waved her hands and let the tears come,
hoping to look appropriately distressed.
“Could I have some of the champagne we brought? It was for
our second Honeymoon celebration.”
“Anything
you wish. Anything else you need?”
Peg
stood and looked around the luxurious fifty-foot yacht
and held the canvas bag tighter.
“Just one
thing. What type of boat is this and how much does one cost?”
