Mini Prose: Punctuality on the Rocks

Through the window, Mannick considers the deserted shore. The sea is calm. He could easily walk to the other end of the cove: Maddox is always half an hour late.

In his own way, the latter demonstrates an absurd consistency. Mannick remains inside the villa. Today, his twin's delay does not bother him. Maddox has promised; this will be the last payment.

The doorbell drags him out of his reverie. He checks the time on his watch. Strange: he has only been waiting five minutes. He descends the stairs, slides the lock, and opens the door. A moment later, he collapses in the entrance hall, a bullet inside his brain.

Maddox steps across his brother's corpse and closes the door behind them. He feels Mannick’s trousers’ pockets and seizes the stuffed envelope. Then he goes up the stairs leading to the living room, heads to the bar, and grabs the triple sec bottle. He will be toasting alone this time, but the tradition remains. Maddox empties his glass and places it in his vest, next to the envelope.

He sips another triple sec, appreciating the bitter citrus flavor.

He does not plan on hanging around. He will exit by the back of the villa, after making sure the coast is clear. From the kitchen, he gazes at the waves, lazily covering the sand. He senses the surveillance camera pointed at him, before even detecting it.

“Mannick, old knave!” he says out loud.

Irritated by the impediment, Maddox starts searching for the devices. He breaks them one after the other, in the entrance, the living room, the kitchen. In the bedroom, he locates the recording machine. He snatches the tape and wedges it under his arm. He leaves by the kitchen and bypasses the villa; his car is hidden farther away, on the other side of the dune.

Several minutes later, back home, Maddox settles comfortably in his armchair. He sips another triple sec, appreciating the bitter citrus flavor that he does not remember tasting at his brother's. An increasingly strong headache clasps his skull. Certainly, the sight of the banknotes will cure him. He opens the envelope. In the middle of the bundle, a short note. “I trust our mother more than you, and you know this is no compliment. See you soon.” The glass breaks on the floor when Maddox's heart gives up. It was about time: Mannick has been waiting for half an hour.