The 100 dollar murders





‘The series of murders or the 100 dollar murders as they have come to be popularly referred to, continue to rock the sleepy town of Jasper and the citizens have been gripped by fear. “We are expediting the investigation and expect a positive breakthrough soon. We assure our citizens that there is no need for panic” a senior police official said. The 100 dollar bills found in the victims’ mouths, however, continue to baffle the police’

She shuddered. These were her own words. As a seasoned journalist she had reported the incidents as objectively as she could. But reading the report as a citizen of Jasper she was filled with a sense of trepidation. She lost her appetite. Not something you want to read just before having dinner with a stranger. She rued her decision to cave in to her friend’s persuasion and agree to a blind date. Maybe she should leave before this late, unfamiliar man arrives.

“Miss Richards?” A deep voice enquired.

“Oh crap!” She exclaimed under her breath.

She looked up to see a tall, well dressed, handsome man. A triple jackpot. Something that happened very rarely for her. ‘Not bad. Not bad at all. Well done missy!’ she thought to herself.

“Tessa, please” she got up to shake his hands.

“William. Bill. Sorry to keep you waiting. Punctuality has never been my stronghold”

“Yes, I gleaned as much”. An unnecessary provocation that served as her initial screening. He simply laughed and asked “Shall we order?”

Midway through the meal, despite an hour of her intense scrutiny, no red flags had been hoisted by the gentleman yet. There were no apparent eccentricities or traumatic stories from childhood. He was funny yet not sarcastic. A sure sign of an empathetic being. ‘An empathetic being? Really?’ she asked herself. She could not let the fact that she had not had a date in almost year cloud her judgement. 

“What did you say you teach again?” she asked to break the awkward silence her musings had created.

“Chemistry”

“Wow! Boring” she blurted before she could stop herself. “I am sorry” she said.

“Hahaha. Don’t worry. That seems to be the popular opinion, albeit, a wrong one.”

“Wrong you say? Well I bet you a 100 dollars that you cannot tell me one fun fact in chemistry that would interest me” she said playfully.

“I will take you up on that", he smiled. Was she being paranoid or was there a hint of evil in that. "Did you know that all the chemicals in your body can be bought for less than a 100 dollars? In short, a human body is worth less than the bet you just placed."

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