Charlie sipped his beer and watched the topless dancer swerve her body in a flawless wave on the glimmering stage.

"Hey Charlie." The brown-headed beauty sat another beer in front of him. He stole a quick glance at her bare chest then went back to staring at the dancer.

"Second wife kicked you out?"

He took a sip of beer. "No."

"No? I'm surprised you're not already out on your tail with all that noise your first wife was hooping and hollering about earlier."

Charlie gave her words no mind. Sheryl was always making a fuss about one thing or another, but most recently, it was about him leaving Diana. When he decided to leave Diana was on his timing, not his ex-wife's. "What is Sheryl yapping her gums about now?" Charlie mumbled into his beer bottle.

"Telling your current wife about the two of you's real relationship." Her southern accent both charmed him and annoyed him.

Charlie had heard that before from Sheryl; her tendency to go to the strip club, get plastered, and then spread their business like mayo on a bologna sandwich pissed him off. Good thing the strippers only cared about money and coke, or he probably would have a lot to worry about due to Sherryl's inability to shut the hell up when she got drunk. He had enough to worry about with Harry getting caught. Now this? He downed the beer and demanded another one.

Sheryl was pissier nowadays because Charlie didn't want to visit her son at the juvenile detention center over in D.C.

What would it look like for him, a cop, visiting a delinquent? Sheryl should have let him kill the kid when he was born and then she wouldn't have to waste her time putting on heirs like she had been there for the bastard his entire life.

It was only within the past year that she had started communicating with him again after six years of ditching the kid when his behavior had gotten out of control. Charlie only allowed her to begin to see him again after he made it clear to her that he did not want the little shit anywhere near him. It was that, or Charlie would execute him and her.

Eric was too much of a risk for Charlie, and he knew that. Eric carried his whore-of-a-mother's blood in him, and he was also the only thing that tied him to his mom. Because of Marciana's murder.

Oh, how he could still taste the sweetness of her flesh. She was his second victim. By the time Charlie found out she was pregnant, the baby had been born. Charlie quickly killed Marciana and was in the process of suffocating the infant when Sheryl came bursting through the doors and threatening to call the police. He pondered whether to kill her along with the child, but she hastily promised that she would keep the child hidden and away from his sight. She pleaded with Charlie to spare the child and allow her to keep him since she couldn't have kids of her own.

In his rare generosity, he allowed it. And now he regretted it.

"Oh and I should mention," Barbra continued, "Sheryl called Diana while she was here and told her she was on her way and had something to tell her. Mentioned a Tre-shell or something like that."

Charlie almost choked on his cigarette.

Charlie hauled ass back to the house, turning a twenty-minute drive into ten. He slammed the door on his patrol car and rushed toward the door, slowing as he approached the steps. Trechial and Devin sat on the swing. Devin's hand draped across the back of the swing, and Trechial reclined against it. Her warm, rich brown legs stretched out over Devin's lap. Charlie's eyes lingered on the delicate softness of Trechial's legs, momentarily tempted to trail his finger up them and to her sweet spot.

"What are you staring at?" Devin interrupted. Charlie met the boy's squinted eyes and cleared his throat.

"Is that an appropriate position for you to sit in, young lady?"

Trechial scoffed. "No, Officer Dolittle." She swung her legs off Devin and instead kicked them up on the arm of the swing, laying her head in Devin's lap. She smirked at Devin and winked at Charlie. His blood broiled. Devin threw him a smug glance and shrugged.

Charlie composed the urge to sucker punch Devin and caveman-drag Trechial into the house. "I'll make sure to bring this up to your mother."

"I'm sure your wife is bringing up enough things to Mrs. Dee right now," Devin said with a cocky huff.

"Diana is my wife." The veins around Charlie's temples throbbed.

Devin shrugged again.

Charlie glared at the pissant before deciding there were more important things that needed to be dealt with.

On the way in, Charlie heard Devin say, "Get up. If you wink at that predator again, I'll tape your eyelids shut."

Trechial hummed a chuckle. "Sorry."

"I'm serious. Did you see the way he was eye-humping you? I swear I'm going to end him one day."

Charlie gritted his teeth and continued into the house. He headed straight to the dining room. Diana and Sheryl sat at the table, a box of Kleenex between them. Sheryl looked up at him through dark lashes, and tears stained her cheeks. Her face twisted in anguish, though, still, dark humor lingered in her eyes. 

She had finally cracked. "What's going on, babe?" Charlie kissed Diana on the cheek, his eyes never leaving Sheryl's overly blushed face.

Diana leaned away from him, "Why didn't you tell me, Charlie?" 

He stiffened and loosened his tie. "I'm sorry, I'm not following."

Sheryl dabbed at her tears, the Kleenex masking a faint smirk.

"About your nephew, Eric? Just because he has gotten into some trouble, that's no reason to not be a part of his life. He's family, and as his only uncle you should have been the one teaching him right from wrong. If you want him to have a great future, you have to actively participate in his life as a positive role model. You shouldn't be ashamed of him because you're a police officer. That's awful and says a lot about your character, Charlie."

He released a heavy and shuddering breath. What was she, an after-school special? So, this was Sheryl's game plan: expose Eric. Well, as long as she didn't expose their relationship, he could weasel himself out of the mess.

Charlie settled into a seat next to Diana, and a fire burned in her eyes on behalf of Sheryl.

"I'm sorry, Sheryl. I should have been there for Eric but allowed my work to overshadow him. How about I go pay him a visit this weekend?"

Sheryl lowered the Kleenex, an instant glow of happiness upon her face, but it was quickly overtaken by doubt. "Really?"

He turned to Diana and grazed her cheek with fingers that had just been diddling a stripper earlier that day. Her brown skin had aged, but he couldn't deny her beauty. Charlie could feel the heat of Sheryl's jealousy from across the table and smiled inwardly. "Yeah. Diana's right, family is important."

Sheryl beamed above her brief jealousy. "Eric will be ecstatic to see you, Charlie."

"Great." Charlie rose. "Well, I'm beat."

"I guess I should get going," Sheryl said.

They all walked to the door in silence, and Charlie let the two ladies onto the porch. He followed behind them. Trechial sat close to Devin on the swing, watching the three quiet adults.

"Aww, are the two of you finally dating?" Sheryl gushed, and Charlie could have punched her in the face.

"No," Charlie answered before the teens said a word. With all eyes on him, he cleared his throat, an excuse escaping his brain.

"Not yet." Devin smiled and Trechial peeked at him with a mischievous grin, her silence confirming what he said.

Diana shook her head and grinned. "I'm almost positive that they are dating and they're doing a poor job at hiding it."

"I think they make a cute couple," Sherryl said.

Trechial pinched Devin's cheek, angling her head. Her sleek ponytail fell down her shoulder. "We make a cute couple."

Devin then pinched Trechial's cheek and looked at Charlie. "Of course, we do."

Charlie grew tired of their antics. They were making fun of Sheryl and him, no doubt. The knot tightened in Charlie's throat. "Goodnight, Sheryl. I'll see you Saturday."

"Yes, you will."

***

The air was crisp and quiet on Sunday's midnight. The stars were nestled deep in the dark sky; Charlie was grateful for a new moon, a black night. Charlie stood in a canoe overlooking Sheryl's body plummet into the black depths of the lake. He inhaled, the scent of blood still in his nostrils. He hadn't realized how angry he was until she stormed into the motel room pissed that he had broken his promise to go visit Eric. With her back to him, Charlie had pulled his hunting blade out from under his mattress and slit her throat. Blood had sprayed across his face like a waterfall crashing into still waters, dotting the walls in dripping lines of red. She had grabbed her throat immediately, and he had shoved her onto the bed, flipped her over, stripped her down.
He unbuckled his belt and covered her. Violated her. Choked her.

Those beautiful eyes, the very things that captured his attention way back when, popped out of her head as his hands, soaked in her blood, squeezed the life out of her. Deep, red velvet liquid dripped out of her mouth and onto the plastic trash bag he had laid out on the motel bed. Her body went stiff as he succumbed to his release. He warned her not to interfere with the life he had created that centered around Diana and Trechial. Asked her to keep Eric a secret and she didn't.

She poked a grizzly and got maimed.

With a gloved hand that was rusted over with dried blood, Charlie pulled out a cigarette and lit it. The taste of nicotine soothed his soul. He blew the smoke toward the stars.

"Rest in hell, you wicked whore."

Now, all there was left to do was get rid of that putrid kid and his uncle.