Jasper looked at her silently pleading with her not to leave them. Huge sobs racked his young body.
After a few silent moments, he gathered himself up and lifted his face defiantly towards her. She watched him warily, suddenly uneasy in his presence.
“You are not going anywhere!” Jasper shouted as he aimed a gun at his mother.
His hand was shaking visibly. Tears blurred in his eyes.
“Jasper, what the hell are you doing? Put the gun down!” she screamed.
She started to walk towards him. Her gloved hands flailed around.
“Say you will stay then, Mother dearest!” he sneered.
His handsome face twisted into a grimace.
“Okay, Jasper, I promise you I will stay. Please put the gun down now. I beg you, sweetheart.”
She reached out a hand and gently touched his shoulder.
“Liar!” he spat.
His blue eyes were wild with hurt and anger.
Zachary quickly burst out of the trees and lunged towards him trying to grab the gun. The black dog barked loudly.
He was too late.
Jasper had squeezed the trigger twice. Shots echoed into the woods. He dropped the gun on the ground.
Puzzle reared up breaking his loose tether. He disappeared quickly into the dense woodland.
Zachary looked at his son, then at the lifeless body lying on the ground in front of them.
Blood oozed from a wound in her forehead. The first shot had missed. He raked a hand through his thick blond hair.
“Jasper, what have you done?” he whispered, staring down at Phoebe.
His stomach heaved as he leant on a tree and emptied its meagre contents onto the ground.
“Oh my god, Dad, I didn’t mean to! I just touched the trigger! I’m so sorry!” he cried, running towards Zachary.
His face was pale and drawn. Zachary wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and pulled his son into him, kissing the top of his head.
“Jasper, is that my gun?” he asked him quietly.
“Yes, I took it from your study. Dad, is she dead?”
“Fucking hell, Jasper, can’t you see that she is? I will fix this. Go back to the house now! Get in the shower, bag your clothes up and talk to no one! Stay in your room! We will never ever speak of this again! Do you understand?”
He grabbed Jasper by the shoulder and shook him gently. His blue eyes bored into his son.
“Yes, Dad, what will happen to me?” he whispered.
“Nothing will happen, just go. Run, Jasper! Go!” he barked.
After one last look at his mother’s body, Jasper melted into the woods, his footsteps fading quickly.
Zachary took his mobile phone from his pocket and speed dialled a number.
“David, yes it’s me. Please can you come to the house? Park in the lane at the side and I will meet you there in about twenty minutes. Okay, thank you, David.”
He ended the call and looked down at Phoebe’s body. She still looked stunningly beautiful. Even in death. Her riding helmet had rolled off her head revealing her lovely long blonde hair. It fanned serenely around her head.
A stray tear ran down his face. With a shaking hand, he closed her eyes and pressed his lips to hers. Zachary rolled her body under some thick bushes. He picked up the gun and put it into his jacket pocket. Jumping up, he ran back to the house.
After getting some spades, a tarpaulin and a wheelbarrow from his garage, he sprinted back to the body, dumping the equipment on the ground. He then quickly made his way to the lane to meet David. David was waiting patiently in his car.
“David, thank you so much for coming.”
“What’s going on, Zack? You look like shit!”
“I could really use your help, David. Please follow me.”
Zachary quickly led David to his wife’s body.
“Jesus, Zack! What happened?”
David’s face was white with shock. He clamped a hand over his mouth.
“I argued with her and accidentally shot her. It’s a complete fucking mess!” he told him.
He exhaled loudly hoping that David would swallow the lie.
“Jesus, Zack! I saw her at the office earlier. I argued with her in the conference room about the merger.”
“It doesn’t matter now. Please, David, will you help me bury her?”
“Of course I will, Zack.”
“About a mile from here there is an area where the earth has caved in to a deep recess. I have been meaning to fix it but it will be a perfect burial site. It’s this way, David. Come on.”
They quickly wrapped Phoebe’s body in the tarpaulin and put it into the wheel barrow. Zachary and David were sweating profusely as they trudged through the dense undergrowth.
“Here we are,” he announced, panting loudly as they reached an area of soft grass.
Grabbing a spade, Zachary disturbed the grass gently. It gave way and a small hole was revealed. With the help of David, he tipped the body out of the wheelbarrow and forced it down into the makeshift grave.