Chapter 69 punish

It was a warm early summer night, the acrid smell of smoke mingled with the sweet scent of honeysuckle, and in the willow garden and lawn behind the cottage the crickets sang monotonously and the tree frogs howled desperately. Linda and George sat silently at the end of the dark porch, not staring at each other or touching each other, listening to the sounds of the night, and had been listening for a while. At last George spoke, in a voice as soft as a whisper, "Linda, what are you thinking?" "Do you really want to know?" "Didn't I ask you?" "I'm thinking about that perfect case we did," she said softly. "I'm thinking about Tom."

He was silent for a long time, then asked, "Why?" "The night we killed him, it was like tonight," she said. "Don't use that word!" "No one hears here." "Don't use that word, Linda, we told you not to use that word." "It was a night like tonight," she added. "Do you remember, George?" "Can I forget?" "We shouldn't have seen each other so often then," she said. "He wouldn't have caught us red-handed if we'd been careful. But it was a lovely evening..." "Listen," said George. "Even if we don't get caught that night, it will be a matter of time. We can't hide it for long."

"That's true." "Everything went well," George said. "There was no one there that night, and our plan worked." "George! Why didn't we elope together then? Before that night? Why don't we just go somewhere? " "Don't be silly!" he said. "You know I have no money, where can we go?" "I have no idea." "Of course you don't know." "If Tom hadn't been so jealous," Linda said, "I could have asked him for a divorce, and it would have been easier, and we wouldn't have done that kind of thing."

"But he's too jealous," George said. "He's too jealous. He's a fool. I don't regret anything that happened." "I didn't regret it then," she said, "but now..." "What's the matter with you tonight? Linda, you're so strange." "That night was very much like tonight," she said a third time. "Honeysuckle and smoke and crickets and tree frogs, exactly like tonight, George." "Stop talking silly." Linda sighed softly in the dark. "George, why did we kill him? Why did we do that?" "Because he ran into us, so we did that. Why do you think that?"

"Back then, we said it was because we were in love." "Yes, that's one of the reasons." "One of the reasons," Linda repeated, with a short laugh. "At that time, it is enough to have this reason, and you can do anything if you have this reason." "Why do you say that?" George said gravely. "We accomplished a perfect murder, Linda, and that's what you said at the time—no one has suspected it yet, and they all think it was an accident." "Yes, I know, I know what they think." "So, what's the matter with you?"

Linda said softly, "George, is that worth it?" "Of course it's worth it. We're together, we're married, aren't we?" "yes." "We've been very happy." "I think so." "You always say you're happy." "What about you, George?" "Of course I'm happy" Linda was silent.In the distance came the barking of a dog, and an ensemble of crickets. Finally she said, "I wish we hadn't done that." "Linda, that was a perfect murder!" "Really, George? Really?"

"I think so." "I used to think that too, but I don't think so anymore." "Don't say that." She sighed: "I can't help it, I'm afraid, I've been afraid for a long time." "Nothing to be afraid of," George said. "We won't get caught, neither you nor I." "Neither will we." "We won't be punished either, will we?" "Won't we?" she said softly. "Linda—" "There's no perfect murder, George," she said. "I know it, and you know it now."

"I have no idea!" "You know, you know, like I know, deep down, we've known from the beginning. We didn't go unpunished, George - not enough, but it's coming to an end soon." Thereafter, they sat in silence, not saying anything.The rich scent of honeysuckle wrapped them tightly, and the chirping of crickets almost burst their ears.They didn't look at each other, they didn't touch each other, they just sat silently at the end of the dark porch... reminiscing...waiting... Linda and George just sat there, seventy-nine and eighty-one years old, five Ten years ago, they did that perfect murder.