The Butcher

by Jennifer Hillier

In just a few hours, he would be an official resident of the Sweetbay Village Retirement Residence, and from then on the most exciting thing in his life would be bingo tournaments on Saturday afternoons, and Mac ’n’ Cheese Wednesdays. He didn’t know whether to kill himself, or someone else.

“It’s always about you.” Sighing, she turned away. “I don’t know why I’m even surprised.”

You didn’t ever want to give people you’d only ever chatted with online (about serial killers, no less) your personal information.

Edward Shank didn’t like candy asses, and Jay Leno was a total candy ass.

Interrogations had always been Edward’s specialty.

I do what I do because I want to. And because I can.

After almost four decades in law enforcement, that’s one of the most important things I learned. It never matters why.”

Monsters like that don’t die unless they’re killed.”

If people would just do what they were fucking told, people wouldn’t have to worry about losing their fucking jobs.

“Kid, you have a lot to learn about what to give a shit about and what not to give a shit about.

He stared at her hands weaving the orange yarn together. He had no idea what she was making. He never did, because he never asked, and she never talked about it because she knew he didn’t give a shit.

And if you let me, I will spend the rest of my life being a good husband to you, in all the ways I wasn’t as your boyfriend.”

Ick.

Oh, how he hoped they would send out helicopters.