posted on Sep, 24 2012 @ 12:23 PM
(Had errands to run today. It was cold and rainy. With the radio off and a 45 minute trip, my mind wandered and came up with this little story.
Early for Halloween but my first attempt at a real ghost story. I hope you all enjoy)
Dead Man's Cigarette
DeSalvo walked into the hotel lobby and smiled as he spoke to the clerk behind the counter. He held his briefcase in one hand and received his
message in another. He then thanked the young clerk and walked to the bank of elevators where one took him to his room.
DeSalvo entered his room, checked for any intrusions while he was out, secured the door and sat down. He picked up the phone and dialed a direct
line. He waited for the answering machine to turn on with "Hi! You reached Kevin and Dorothy, please leave a number and we'll get back to you when
we can"and said, "Hi honey, the works all done here. Will be home tomorrow."
DeSalvo then returned the phone to it's cradle. He knew no Dorothy. He wasn't Kevin, and he wasn't calling home. This was the way his employer
wanted to communicate when he was out on a job. DeSalvo was a killer. A corporate assassin used to give the edge to certain firms when mergers were
involved.
DeSalvo placed the briefcase on the bed and opened it to go through the items taken from the man that he made very dead just an hour ago. The papers,
items in his wallet, all went into a portable shredder. The money, he placed into his wallet. The only items left were a small leather pouch and a
silver cigarette case. He opened the pouch and sniffed the rich tobacco blend inside. Nodding in appreciation, he closed the pouch and tossed it
into the wastepaper bin next to the hotel desk. Opening the case, he found a single cigarette.
Picking it up, he placed it in his mouth and took a box of matches from the ashtray. He loved the old european hotels. Smoking was still alright,
just as long as you avoided the newer chains that have infested the grander european market.
DeSalvo called down to room service and ordered breakfast for the morning. He then called the front desk and asked for a cab to the airport and to
let them know that he'd be checking out in the am.
Finishing the cigarette, DeSalvo undressed and went to bed.
In the morning he woke, showered and shaved, took his breakfast in his room and ate quickly. He finished packing and headed downstairs to the lobby
and the waiting cab.
When he approached the desk he said My bill please. What came out of his mouth was, "I killed Nikolai Lejewski." The clerk, a young woman,
looked at him in shock. DeSalvo coughed, and said, "I'm sorry. What I meant to say was, I killed Nikolai Lejewski". The clerk backed up a
step.
DeSalvo frowned, coughed again, and said, "No! I meant to say that I killed Nikolai Lejewski. I stabbed him in the stomach, and while he lay
bleeding, cut out his eyes and only when he started screaming did I stab him in the throat. Slowly."
The clerk ran away to a back room as DeSalvo oughed some more. It was a wet cough, mushy sounding that brought up a frothy mixture of saliva and
blood. DeSalvo slowly slid down the front of the reception desk, staring at the other guests who stared back in shock. As blood poured out of his
nose, mouth, and repeatedly coughing he asked for an ambulance, he asked for help, he asked for forgiveness.
What came out, with a spray of blood was, "I just killed Nikolai Lejewski" over and over again.