Swimming With the Fishes

The week was wondrous for Emilia; the time she spent with her new husband she would never forget.

They frequently swam in the lake behind the secluded cabin, hiked the dense woods and laid out on the wrap around deck basking in the warmth of the summer sun.

Her honeymoon was everything she could ever hope it would be, her biggest and wildest dreams coming true during that week spent alone with Anthony.

“Hey, baby, want to head down to the lake with me?”

“I don’t really feel like swimming,” she admitted to him as she stretched out on the plush bed, her naked skin sliding against sheets. “Why don’t you come back to bed?”

Anthony shook his head, “Come on. Get up and put something on. Let’s enjoy our last day here.”

Grudgingly, Emilia got up from the bed as he requested and donned a white sundress her mother had bought her, insisting a new bride should wear white during the honeymoon. It was similar to her own wedding gown, the off the shoulder design would allow the sun to warm her tanned skin and the short design would make it easy to tease her new husband.

Sometimes Emilia thought he was too serious and made it her mission to lighten his demeanor.

Not bothering with undergarments, she dressed quickly and slipped on a pair of flats all the while he stared at her intently, his eyes drifting over her body in a way that turned her on beyond belief.

“Okay, ready,” she announced once she had pulled her hair into a sloppy ponytail. Excitedly she followed him as he led her out the sliding glass door of their temporary bedroom and down the dock that was attached to the deck of the cabin. The closer they wandered to the end the more Emilia’s excitement wore off and confusion set in, “What’s going on, Tony?”

“Nothing,” he denied quickly. “Just figured we could go for a walk.”

Frowning she glowered at the back of his head; he seemed off to her, his attitude flatter than it had been the previous days. “Is there something you need to tell me?” Fear settled into the pit of her belly, “Is it my dad? Did something happen?” It was a constant fear that one day she would wake up with news of her father’s passing, his sickness having progressed so quickly that it amazed her he made it to her wedding day. It was the only theory she could fathom which would cause her new husbands dark demeanor.

“Nothing’s wrong with your damned dad,” Anthony snapped angrily at her as came to a sudden stop only a few steps from the edge of the dock. The water lapped loudly at the support posts.

Taken aback by his harsh tone, Emilia fought back, “Ya know what. Fuck off, Tony. I’m going back to the cabin. I don’t deserve for you to be a jackass to me. I don’t even know what I did to piss you off.”

Emilia turned on the ball of her foot and only made it two steps back towards the cabin when she felt his strong hand wrap around her bicep and yank her around, her body pitching off kilter as they came face to face.

“You’re not going anywhere,” he growled.

“Let go of me!” Emilia snarled at him, trying to pull away but with no avail. When Anthony’s grip only grew tighter she slapped him with her free hand, the sound echoing through the quiet. “Is this how it’s going to be? Now that we’re married you’re gonna get handsy with me?” She questions ferociously, “If that’s the case the second we get home you can kiss my ass goodbye. I won’t stand for you hitting me.”

Anthony scoffed at her words, rolling his eyes before saying, “I’d rather just kill you, you fucking cunt.”

Dread settled so heavily on Emilia she felt as if the weight was going to collapse her legs as she stared at her new husband in horror, “What?” she whispered unbelievingly.

“You’re not stupid, Em. You fucking heard me,” he growled as he stared deep in her eyes. “I realized this isn’t going to work out between us.”

“We… You really want a divorce?” She whimpered, her heart falling all the way to her feet, her love for him crushed beneath his words.

Anthony smirked, “Nothing as messy as a divorce. It’s so tragic how you like to explore the wilderness alone. No one will ever be able to find you out here.”

Tears burned her eyes, “You’re gonna kill me?”

“Oh baby, it’s not that bad,” Anthony assured her gently, the tone of his voice soothing, as if he was comforting her instead of informing her he was going to take her life.

“Why?” Emilia cried as she tried to pull harder away from him, her hair falling loose around her shoulders as her manicured nails digging into the skin of his hand, drawing blood as she tried to pry it from her arm. “I thought you loved me!”

“Fuck no,” Anthony laughed cruelly, “Like I could love you; all snooty and snobby, flashing your money like it makes you better than everyone.”

“I… I don’t flash my money,” Emilia sniffled.

Anthony rolled his eyes, “If you didn’t we wouldn’t be here, baby. It’s the only reason I started dating you in the first place,” he confessed to her, “At first I figured it milk it, get a few grand and then bolt but then I realized your fucking family is loaded too.”

“You won’t get anything, you damned bastard!” Emilia yelled at him, “My family wouldn’t give you a fucking dime.”

He clucked his tongue at her, “Your dad’s been footing the bill on a hefty life insurance policy on you for years but only I know he changed me to the beneficiary once he realized we were getting married. Not to mention the house is mine too once you’re gone.”

“He what?” Emilia gasped in belief, she’d always known about the insurance policies but it was news to her about the change in beneficiaries. “When?”

“He left a voicemail a few days ago on your cell, you were in the shower. I deleted it so you wouldn’t now. Honestly, it’s all his fault this is going to happen. I would have just contented myself to being married for a few years and hit the road but now I’ve got the god damned grail in my hands and I can’t pass that up.”

“You’re a fucking maniac! They’ll know it was you,” Emilia cried before pleading, “Just let me go. Please, god, just let me go. I won’t tell anyone, I swear.”

Anthony just heaved a heavy sigh before shaking his head, “Do you think I’m stupid? I might not have had all that fancy schooling you did but I can assure you I’m not stupid.” When she continued to cry and struggle against him he grew angry, “Shut the fuck up. Come on, Em, just make this easier on yours—” He broke off with a pained gasp when her knee connected solidly with his groin.

When his grip on her arm lessened she was able to rip herself away from him and dash down the dock, her feet hitting the wood hard as she pumped her legs as fast as she could. If she could just make it to the cabin she would be able to call for help.

Just as hope began to bloom within her and she was just within reach of the sliding glass door, Emilia was yanked back by her flowing hair, her wail of pain loud as she crashed backwards onto the ground, her body jarred painfully from the harsh fall.

“Fucking cunt,” Anthony cursed at her as he straddled her. She fought him, her hands turned to fists as she thrashed around wildly as she screamed for someone, anyone to help her. Anthony continued to curse her even as she punched him in the face, even as his beefy hands wrapped viciously around her throat.

Emilia let out a gurgling cry as he squeezed, her hands immediately going to the once squeezing the air from her body. Tears steaked down her cheeks as she stared into his eyes, the cold savagery she saw in them killing all the feeling inside her.

As her head became light, her vision fading and curing Emilia fought him, even as she resigned herself to death. She wouldn’t make killing her easy for him. With her last conscious thought Emilia swore that he would suffer for what he had done to her.



Anthony squeezed the tender flesh of his wife’s throat for a long while after her body ceased movement, just to be sure. He didn’t want to risk her waking up and getting away as he readied the supplies to get rid of her body. That would ruin everything.

Looking at her disinterestedly, he frowned. It really was a shame, for all her faults she was anything if not beautiful. He often found himself—over the course of the week since he’d resigned himself to ending her life— staring at her in wonder of her beauty and wondering if he could actually go through with it.

But greed did things to a person. Especially to him, murder was worth the three point five million dollars he’d gain from her untimely death—well the million from her life insurance policy once they declared her death accidental in lieu of finding her body, and the other two and a half million from selling off her home and all its assets.

Standing to his full height, he straightened his clothes and ran his hand through his messy dark hair. Looking down at her twisted body, the bruises around her throat were now bright against her creamy skin. He couldn’t risk anyone finding her body; they’d immediately know what had happened.

Turning from his wife’s body, he leisurely walked to the stairs that lead off the dock and around the side of the cabin to the toolshed. Reaching into his pocket, he fished out the small ring of keys her father had given him before their honeymoon. This cabin was theirs—Anthony and Emilia’s—a gift from her ailing father to him as a wedding gift. Just like rich people to give properties as a gift, though he couldn’t help but be happy with the gift. It did aid him in his struggle to advance his monetary status.

Slipping the key into the padlock, the Masterlock came undone with a loud click and he opened the doors wide. There were a few gardening supplies in the shed; a rake, shovel, a thirty-gallon barrel and the supplies that he had placed there himself a day before their wedding. Two cinderblocks and a seven-foot length of industrial chain; perfect for weighing her body down in the lake.

He had it planned perfectly. They were the picture of perfection—he’d made certain never to overstep his bounds while engaged and brownnosed her family more than he liked— and made sure they took plenty of pictures over the course of their honeymoon. He strongly believed men who planned to kill their wives did not take happy photos with them. He’d loop the chain around her legs and cinders, take the boat out to the middle of the lake and toss her over. It wouldn’t take long for her body to sink, the combined weight of the blocks and chain would keep her down and from what he could figure the lake was at least twenty feet deep. Nothing would find her down there unless they were looking for her.

His goal was to keep them away from the lake; he’d wait until morning before calling the sheriffs and her family. Make a story up about how she wanted to hike up to the ridgeline and take in the scenery, how she took a few bottles of water and never came back. He figured they’d look for a week before they gave up; another month and her family would have her declared dead so they could hold a service.

All Anthony had to do was act the teary eyed widow and he’d be rich.

With a grunt he hefted the spiral of chain over his air and took one cinderblock into each hand before returning to Emilia. She laid exactly as he’d left her; hair fanned out and eyes staring into nothingness and he was pleased with himself, uncertainty that his plan would be thwarted ate away at his gut.

Walking past Emilia’s cooling body, he headed towards the end of the dock where the small motorboat was tied. Hefting the weight over the edge of the boat, he allowed them to fall onto the deck loudly before going back to Emilia and lifting her under her arms, dragging her dead weight towards the boat as well.

Once he had her laying on top of the supplies, Anthony mounted to boat and turned over the engine. The loud purr of motor came to life and he immediately began to steer it towards the center of the lake, the journey only taking a handful of minutes on the small body of water.

Shutting off the engine, he stalked over to Emilia and flipped her over as he grabbed the chain in his hands, making quick work of the chains as he wrapped them tightly around her ankles and secured them with a bolt. He mimicked the same thing with the cinderblocks, making sure the length was tight leaving only a few inches between her feet and the block once all was said and done.

Anthony grabbed Emilia once again, hoisting her onto the edge of the boat before letting her go. The slash of her body hitting the water washed over Anthony in relief as he watched the water engulf her and her body disappear beneath the murky surface.

“Time to get the real show on the road,” Anthony chuckled to himself as he wandered over to the helm of the boat and turning over the engine, heading back towards the dock.