Young, attractive, slender, and courteous, Matt silently observed. Probably a rookie, he surmised.

Forcing a smile, he replied, “Hello, officer,” adopting a cooperative tone.

Her face brightened at his respectful response.

 Matt couldn’t help but dart his eyes momentarily over her figure and then back to her face so swiftly that she noticed.

“What’s wrong, sir?” she inquired.

“I haven’t seen such an attractive police officer anywhere else, forgive me,” he flirted.

“Where are you headed?” she asked, her expression remaining composed and disregarding the flattery.

“To the mines,” he replied, turning off his engine. “My brother works there.”

“I see,” she said, taking a step back. “And what’s in the truck, sir, if you don’t mind me asking?”

He chuckled. “It’s empty,” he confidently stated, referring to the large covered truck bed.

“I’m hoping to return with something though,” he added, hoping she’d come closer.

“What?”, she asked, approaching the driver’s window.

“Grapes,” he answered, self-assured.

She tapped her cheek thoughtfully. “You haven’t been around here lately, at least not that I recall. 

The land isn’t yielding grapes anymore.”

Confident as ever, he replied, “The corporate lands might not be, but small farmers like my brother still have to.”

“A family man, I see,” she began to move away. “And how many beers have you had already? 

 (Curling her lips, almost sexually) 

Isn’t it too early for that?”, she pressed.

“It’s a long ride, ma’am, two “.

He smelt of beer, but the way he talked he was far from being drunk. 

Again, the young officer was taking it easy on him because that was her first day on the job, and so far the most respectful driver she had stopped.

 “You can go”, she concluded walking away.

“Thank you, ma’am. Have a good day,” he expressed his gratitude.

At precisely two in the afternoon, Matt turned off the tarmac road onto a rough dirt path that led toward the mines.

 Disregarding the main mine access road, he instead followed a narrow footpath for about ten minutes until he arrived at an abandoned mine.

This was the location he had envisioned, an ideal resting place for Charlotte, a place of chilling solitude

In the heart of the abandoned mine, nestled deep within the earth’s belly, the muscular Matt brought his Toyota Tundra pickup to a halt.

The lower part of the mine seemed untouched by time, an eerie place with an ominous atmosphere.

Before him lay a gaping hole, a reservoir of still water that had grown more treacherous with each passing rainy season.

 From above, pieces of the mine’s upper layers occasionally tumbled, threatening to seal off this forsaken abyss.

With a purposeful yet cautious demeanor, Matt retrieved a heavy-duty dustbin from the bed of his pickup. 

Wrapped tightly within its confines lay Charlotte’s body.

Unlike Jimmy, Matt couldn’t find any words to confess to Charlotte’s lifeless body as he silently drove, consuming more beers than he had admitted to the traffic officer.

Taking it out, he tossed the dustbin aside and walked ahead.

Finding his footing upon a sturdy rock ledge, Matt steadied himself, acutely aware of the precipice beneath.

His well-built frame tensed as he summoned the strength to hurl the wrapped Charlotte into the abyss below.

The air filled with palpable tension as she descended into the depths, a haunting silence broken only by the echoing splash as she collided with the water.

Having executed his task, Matt retrieved the dustbin, now empty, and placed it back into his vehicle.

He climbed atop the car’s front hood, the cold metal beneath him, and lit a cigarette.

 As he exhaled thick smoke from his nose and mouth, it stung his red, teary eyes.

 He sniffled before taking another drag from the burning cigarette, causing it to glow brightly.

They had successfully eliminated Charlotte and disposed of her body flawlessly, so Matt should have been content.

 However, the dark circles beneath his eyes, his bloodshot gaze, and his tense expression told a different story.

“Fucking Charli,” he muttered at last, flicking half of his cigarette.