The Mystery of Tate Buchen

CHAPTER ONE In Leshville village, there was a young man by the name of Lexie. He was an odd fellow. Unusually tall and lanky with the sort of smile that unnerved you instantly. Lexie was for the most part harmless and he wouldn’t hurt anyone but the villagers regarded him with a wary eye due to this quality of his. One summer evening, as the sun was long gone into the dark, there was a knock at the door of Lexie’s cabin. It was the man who had sold the land he cultivated to him. He grew crops on it and sold most of his harvest in the market but still it was strange to see Mr. Ambrose in front of his home. They had barely exchanged pleasantries when Mr. Ambrose interrupted. “Lexie, we have a small problem and I need your help” he said with the kind of tone that lets you instantly know that trouble was brewing. Lexie ushered him quickly and asked “What’s wrong? You look worried. I hope it isn’t the missus” he inquired. The missus was Mr. Ambrose’s wife who had taken ill months before and had had several bouts of illness since then. “No Lexie, it’s something else; but before I tell you, you have to promise that this stays between us and never leaves this room”. He was adamant and Lexie could tell that he was extremely serious. “I promise” Lexie responded. Mr. Ambrose released a sigh of tension and said plainly “I killed a man” He didn’t look at Lexie when he uttered those words but he could feel the death stare and horror on Lexie’s face when he heard it. He let the moment stay without elaborating further. “Who?”. That was the only question Lexie asked. “Who did you kill?” “He was one of the men who came to work on my farm before he left for other towns. I hadn’t seen him in a while but we ran into each other a few days ago. Things got out of hand and we had a big fight. He ended up dead and I need you to help me bury the body and get out of town.”...he lied. Lexie paused. He knew that whatever he said next could be the difference between freedom and prison-time for him. “Let me be clear Mr. Ambrose. I am not a killer neither do I do clean-ups for killers. I don’t know what kind of mess you have gotten yourself into and sincerely, I don’t want to know. However, you’ve always been kind to me since we met and you gave me a very good deal for the land I bought. Now, because of that, I will do what I can to get you out of town. I’ve got a little money; you can have it. But as for the body, put that aside, I cannot.” Mr. Ambrose said nothing for a while, still thinking and then he spoke. “I appreciate your offer but I still need help with the body. We don’t have a lot of time so I want us to get moving quickly”. Into the night they drove in silence, the two men, each thinking different thoughts on what had happened as they left the burial site of Tate Bucken, the farmer who had been killed by Ambrose. They had dug a shallow grave outside the barn where Ambrose lived and had put the body in a bag and buried it. It was done hurriedly as a lot of workers would show up soon for their night's work and they couldn’t raise suspicion about their activities. Lexie was not happy. He had dreamt of a life in the village, a wife and kids and maybe some farm animals. A simple life devoid of any trouble or mischief. Now as they drove back, he felt all that was gone. What had he gotten himself into?