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There was a soft knock on the door. “Come in,” the mayor called. The door opened slowly.
In walked a timid-looking man.
“Thank you for meeting with me, mister mayor.” The mayor looked the man up and down. He could practically smell the desperation dripping off of this man. This would be an unofficial visit for sure. He gestured for the man to take a seat and then simply looked at him until the man started talking.
“Sir, as you know. I am in love with my brother’s wife. And well, I don’t need to tell you how damaging an ill-advised relationship could be.”
The mayor tensed. He did not want to reveal too much. But it did seem like this man knew a bit too much. Best to wait until he knew for sure, though. Hastily reacting to a situation was never a good idea.
“Listen mayor you and I both know Adrian is crazy. If he finds out I am sleeping with his wife, he will kill me. There is no doubt. I am asking if you can please help us escape him somehow.”
Well, this could definitely work in his favor, couldn’t it? “If I help you, you will owe me. You understand that, right? You will owe me a very big favor.”
“Yes, sir, anything, sir.” The man left with the assurance that the mayor would be in touch. The mayor looked at his watch. The time had gotten away from him. He needed to go. He had very special plans.
He went to the mineshaft at Whistler's Creek. It had been his home for many, many years. Even after he wandered into town one drunken day and somehow won the heart of the townsfolk and wound up as the mayor. Even though he now had a home in town, he kept the mineshaft.
On nights like tonight, it proved to be valuable. “I’m home, sweetheart.”
“Squatch Daddy.” His lover came running up to him and jumped into his arms. “I was getting worried. Why are you so late?”
“Unexpected business. I am here now with my love.”
“I just worry anytime you're late. You know my father was gunning for the mayor position before you came into town. He is a very powerful man. There is no telling what the old geezer would do to either of us if he found out.”
The mayor wrapped his arms around his lover. “No one will ever find out. I will keep you safe.” They made love, and his lover fell asleep in his arms. Lying awake, holding the man he cared so much for in his arms, his mind wandered to Adrian’s brother. He could understand the pain that he must feel. Having to hide a love for someone simply because another would cause one of them harm. It was not fair. He would hatch a plan and help the man. And if he ever needed it, he would have someone who owed him a favor. Win-win,
Over the next few days, he did his research, and he found out that the man was going to have his leg amputated. Apparently, the man liked more than just sweet kisses, and his body was paying the price. He bribed the surgeon into letting him keep the leg. He bought a sasquatch costume that actually made him cringe a bit. And then called the man back into his office one night.
“I will help you. But I have been thinking, and you owe me two favors now.”
“What? Why?” the man sputtered in anger.
“Because you are asking me to make two people disappear. A favor per person seems fair to me.”
The man sat down heavily in the office chair across from the mayor and breathed a heavy sigh. “Yeah, OK.”
The mayor nodded before continuing. “In order for you to disappear, people need to see the sasquatch from time to time. We will then lead Adrian to believe the sasquatch killed you and ran off with his wife.”
The man blinked. “Do you really expect that to work?”
“Like a charm.”
They hammered out the details, and the plan was set into motion.
The mayor had his own plan, naturally. He and his lover would continue to meet at the mineshaft at Whistler's Creek. People did not usually venture that far. And if the man kept up the deal and made appearances around the outskirts of town, people would be even less inclined to go so far out of town.
He and his lover could continue to meet. They could continue their relationship, which for now had to remain secret. He hated having to hide this relationship. He wanted to scream it from the rooftops. He was in love. But he knew, he knew that his lover's father truly was a dangerous man. A man who had connections. The type of connections that would make both of them disappear forever. And not in the same way he was helping Adrian's brother and wife disappear. He couldn’t allow that to happen. For now, hiding it was a must.
And now with someone who was making appearances as the Squatch, the town would be too focused on that to notice he and his lover disappearing at the same time. No one would ever discover their secret. Not until the old geezer finally died, and he and his lover could go public without fear of repercussions. He prayed for that day. It couldn't come soon enough.