“Odell, before I forget, the lamp in the bathroom is almost out of kerosene. If you plan on taking a bath later, you might want to refill it first. And be careful with that stuff. It’s highly flammable. Don’t forget how you caught your shirtsleeve on fire the last time you refilled the lamp in the pantry.”

Kerosene! If I used enough, I could burn down the house next door while them two devils was sleeping. They was going to burn in hell anyway, so dying in a fire would be a good send-off. So many folks used kerosene, I always kept a huge supply in stock at the store. Praise the Lord.

Joyce interrupted my thoughts. “Did you hear what I said about that kerosene?”

“Huh? Oh yeah. I’ll put some in the bathroom lamp. And don’t worry, I’ll be careful. Now you go on next door and have a good time.”

CHAPTER 26 - ODELL

CHAPTER 26

ODELL

RIGHT AFTER JOYCE LEFT THE ROOM, I RUSHED TO THE KITCHEN and looked in the pantry to see how much kerosene we had on hand. There was only enough to put in one lamp, so I would have to get some from the store. It would take several gallon-size cans to get the job done.

Now that I had decided how I was going to do the deed, all I had to do was figure out when. It would be good to wrap things up before I gave Milton the four hundred bucks. If I didn’t get it done by then, maybe I could before they gave the money to Lamar.

The Friday after I was supposed to give Milton the money, would be the first day in December. I’d go to visit Betty Jean like always, and double back to Branson in the middle of the night with the kerosene. Getting in the house next door wouldn’t be no problem. Yvonne left a side window in the kitchen cracked open every night to let in some fresh air. If she forgot to do it that night, I knew it would be unlocked. I couldn’t hoist myself up and crawl in with the kerosene, so I’d set it on the ground until I got in and unlocked the kitchen door. I’d sprinkle every drop of it throughout the house. Before I started the fire, I would wake Yvonne and Milton up and give them a big piece of my mind. Then I’d demand my money back, if they still had it. I planned to carry a hammer or some other weapon with me for protection. I wanted the last thing they heard and seen on this planet to be me.

After my speech, I’d knock them both unconscious, and strike matches to toss on the kerosene. If the smoke didn’t kill them, the flames sure would.