The Original Alibi

Chapter 1

“I believe that’s your phone, dear,” the woman’s husband said. She stopped walking and fished her cell from the pocket of her windbreaker.

“Hello, Mrs. Yarbrough,” said a voice into her ear. “I see you are enjoying your first early evening walk on the beach with your new puppy. She’s such a cutie. Have you and Mr. Yarbrough named the pooch?”

“Who is this?”

“It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you stay on the line after what is about to happen.”

“What are you talking about?” Mrs. Yarbrough demanded, “Who are you?”

The leash Mrs. Yarbrough held went limp. Her white poodle slumped to the sand. “Robbie, what happened? Snookie is, I don’t know, she’s just … down.” Mrs. Yarbrough held her cell phone as if she no longer knew she had it in her hand.

Robert, her husband, bent down. His knees displaced the sand next to Snookie. “She’s dead, Mel. I think Snookie’s been shot.”

Melanie Yarbrough began bouncing on her toes, frantically waving her hands. She dropped her phone onto the beach, then bent down next to her husband and touched Snookie. He took her in his arms while she sobbed softly.

Several minutes later, Robert Yarbrough picked up his wife’s cell phone, shook off the sand, and had started to close the top when he heard a loud voice. He held the phone to his ear. “Hello?”

“I’ve been waiting. Sorry about Snookie. It was necessary. You should know I took no pleasure in it.”

“Did you do this?” Mr. Yarbrough asked. “Who the hell are you?”

“To your left, near the partially burnt log, I’ve left a box for you to use to take Snookie home. It’s the right size. The inside has a soft new towel. It should do nicely.”

“You shot Snookie? Why?”

“Take Snookie home and bury her in your wife’s garden. You will hear from me. In the meantime, be glad you were not walking your newest grandson, Bobby, named after you, I presume. Your wife sometimes walks the little tike on a leash just as she walked Snookie today. I will know if you say anything about this, to anyone. If you do, Bobby Junior will be my next target.”

“But what do you want? Why us?”

“All that will be made clear. Do not fret needlessly. There will be no more violence if you do as you’re told. What will be required of you will not be difficult. It will not cost you any money. And it will be painless, if you follow orders. We’ll talk soon.”

The phone went dead.