Properly disposing of the body can be a difficult task. If you leave it behind, you never know who will find it, or when. So he preferred to bring the body along for the ride, as it were. He waited patiently for darkness to arrive. With it came an increase in the freezing drizzle that had been falling all day. From this vantage point at the edge of the curve, he surveyed the road. One faint pair of headlights in the distance bobbed and dipped through the rain. He pressed himself lower in the seat. The car was cold and dark, yet he showed no signs of discomfort. He waited until a battered red Toyota bounced through the puddles and passed without giving him a glance.
    It was time to move.
    He swung out of the car and stepped quickly to the trunk. Unlocking the lid, he hesitated briefly, staring at the plastic wrapped bundle. It was a crude job, not up to his usual meticulous standards. Most of her legs protruded from the end of the garment bag, where he had slashed away the bottom in a feeble attempt to squeeze her in. There were also holes cut in the side, so her arms stuck out. He was growing careless. For a moment he cursed his own stupidity then brushed away any thoughts of guilt. Now was not the time for self-recrimination. He bent at the waist and lifted her out of the trunk, struggling briefly for a better grip. At last he was able to balance her over his right shoulder and begin the awkward trek to the lake.
    The icy drizzle and frozen ground made walking difficult. More than once, he stumbled. At last he could hear the gurgling rush of water flowing downstream. He propped the bundle against a tree and took a moment to regain his composure. Out on the water he could see bits of ice slowly headed away from shore, following the sweeping bend of the lake. The winter had been even colder than normal, freezing over many of the lakes, ponds and streams. Now, in early April, the ice was finally melting. Rested, he turned back toward the tree. Gravity had eased her to the ground.
He worked the zipper down halfway and removed a bundle the size of a basketball, wrapped in thick plastic. Using the knife, he slashed several vents across the bottom. Strands of mousy
brown hair slipped through the cracks. He bounced it in his hands a few times, enjoying the weighty feel of it. Then he jerked back his arm and flung the bag toward the center of the lake. It bounced on a tree limb floating downstream and rolled into the water. He waited, making certain it sank, a satisfied smile on his face.
The garment bag had been an afterthought. It was just another indication that he wasn't being as careful as he’d been in the past. Her bare legs no longer held any appeal to him as he stood above her. He scoured the area for a handful of rocks and worked them inside the bag, taking unusual care not to bruise her cold, lifeless flesh. When he could find no more, he closed the zipper. He checked the sections where he’d used heavy tape to hold the remnants of the garment bag together. Weary with the events of the day, he reached down and clasped her by the ankles. Moving slowly, he dragged her through the wet leaves to the bank and rolled her over the edge. There was barely a sound as she hit the water. This wasn't the same as when he'd released the others from a railroad bridge or an overpass, where their weight would make a terrific splash as they entered the water, a triumphant exclamation point to his efforts. Without looking back, he slowly trudged back to the car.