A Winning Ticket Read Online Free PDF Page A

breathing became more rapid.
    Benjamin took another long drink of the ginger ale.
    He continued to stare out the window. Harrison was still celebrating in the living room, but Benjamin had drowned him out—his brother now just a cacophony of high and low sounds, no longer intelligible.
    Even though the temperature in the old farmhouse was rather cool, Benjamin began to sweat—first his palms, and then his forehead became wet with the salty liquid.
    He couldn’t let Harrison do this to him.
    He didn’t deserve to be treated like this.
    It wasn’t fair.
    Harrison had to be stopped. Stopped from pissing away all that money. Stopped from walking away from the farm. Stopped from ruining his life.
    He heard Harrison mumble something again in the background.
    Benjamin suddenly felt hot and struggled to catch his breath. He cracked the window open a few inches and let the cold, winter air waft in. He drew in a long, cool breath.
    He took another drink and set the glass down on the counter.
    Then he saw the ten-inch butcher knife he had used a few hours ago while preparing dinner lying in the bottom of the sink. He must have forgotten to put it away when he cleaned the dishes earlier. Washed out light from the forty-watt bulb on the front porch shone through the window and made the blade seem to glimmer and dance in the aluminum sink.
    Maybe it wasn’t an accident that the knife was still in the sink. Maybe fate had intervened and was trying to tell Benjamin something.
    Yes, that had to be it. It was a sign—an irrefutable sign. He had never been a superstitious man, but this was a clear message from someone or something that it was time to stop being a victim in life.
    Stop being the local fool that everyone else uses as their doormat in life.
    Stop being screwed over by his own brother.
    Seize his destiny.
    Now Benjamin began to craft a plan within his mind.
    No one would doubt his story that Harrison had just left the farm and moved away. What business would it be of theirs anyway? Benjamin had always been an upstanding citizen of the community—never in any trouble—so why would they doubt what he said?
    The storm would be the perfect cover. He could dump the body on the east side of the house, where the highest snow drifts always piled up during blizzards. It would be buried in a matter of an hour or so—certainly before daylight. He could decide how to permanently dispose of it later.
    The ticket shouldn’t be a problem either. Although both brothers were well known around town, they looked enough alike that no one would be able to prove for sure that Harrison bought the ticket instead of Benjamin, even if they had security camera footage. Both of the brothers always used cash as well, so there would be no traceable credit card number.
    Yes, it would go off without a hitch. No one would question his story.
    No one.
    It had to be done. There was no way around it. No other option available, at least as far as he was concerned.
    Quickly.
    Yes, it had to be done quickly, before Harrison called someone looking for financial advice or just bragging about his good fortune. He would not keep something like this to himself for very long.
    If anyone else found out about the money, the plan would fall apart. He had to act.
    Now.
    He began to breathe deeply and forcefully, blowing the warm air out between his teeth—like a professional fighter psyching himself up for a big match.
    He looked at the shiny blade once more.
    The black handle was calling him. Urging him on. Drawing him to itself. Benjamin felt the tug deep down in his soul.
    This was his destiny. Fate had intervened to make it so.
    Now, it was up to him to
seize
it.
    Benjamin slipped his hand from around the tumbler and reached for the knife. He felt a surge of electricity move up his arm as he wrapped his fingers around the cold wooden handle. Streaks of light danced off the steel blade as he raised it toward his face. He stood for a few seconds, mesmerized. For the