Ronald stepped out into the dimly lit parking lot. He made no sound save for the faint splashes his feet made as he walked through one of the various puddles left after the day's rain.
This was it.
After years of searching, he'd finally discover who was behind the untimely death of his beloved Birdie. They had been the best of friends and even better lovers until the night he came home to discover her naked and brutalized corpse draped across their king-sized waterbed. Beside her was a tray holding food for two people, a Happy Meal and a Big Mac.
Ronald shook his head clear of the bad memory. He needed to keep his head clear for tonight. Ronald had posted several discreet messages in a select few places and finally had received a response via the disposable cell phone he'd purchased just for the occasion.
The text message had been brief. "Burger King parking lot. 3 am. Come alone."
A quick movement by the Burger King dumpster drew Ronald's attention.
"Pssst! Over here!" said a faint voice.
Ronald cautiously walked to the dumpster and leaned against the side. Hidden in a small crevice was the King.
"It's… been a while," said Ronald. "What do you know about Birdie?"
"Too long. We were close once in college, weren't we?"
"If I wanted to think about our past I could do that in my own home. You called me out about Birdie. Don't BS me now."
Ronald had known the King briefly in college. They'd had a rather intense friendship that had culminated in one shining moment between the two of them where they'd agreed to a partnership in the burger business. Then the fights had begun over how things would be prepared and who would be spokesperson. Not even the best of moments between them could survive the fallout that occurred afterwards.
The King sighed. "I know that she wasn't alone. That Big Mac wasn't for you, Ronald." At the sight of Ronald's face the King jerked back. "It's true and you know it. She was two timing you for years and you just looked the other way."
"Birdie had… many needs. Do you know who it was?"
"Mayor McCheese. She'd been seeing him off and on for a while."
Ronald sighed. That was the last name he'd wanted to hear about this. Mayor McCheese was a powerful man. He'd started out as one of Ronald's managers and then swiftly moved up the ranks to one of the company partners. Birdie had been fascinated with McCheese's ambition and work prowess, but then Birdie had always loved a powerful man. Soon after achieving partnership McCheese had run for the office of mayor for Foodville. He'd won in a landslide over the previous mayor, C. Cheese.
In any case, if Mayor McCheese was the one who'd killed Birdie then there was a chance that Ronald would never bring him to justice. People had tried to finger McCheese for various crimes of differing severity. Around the time Birdie was killed, the scandal had been about a woman who claimed that McCheese had been embezzling city funds. A few months after the woman had voiced her complaints, the charges were dropped and the woman changed her tune and moved out of Foodville.
"How do you know this? What's to say that you aren't trying to get one over on me?" asked Ronald.
The King hesitated. "Because I'd asked Birdie if I could come over that night. We'd meet up occasionally for a little hanky panky. She said that she already had company- McCheese."
"Why would she tell you this?" Ronald had to restrain himself from reaching over and snapping the King's neck in anger. Birdie? With his bitterest rival?
"She liked me knowing who she slept with. It was almost as if she liked throwing it in my face." The King saw the bloodlust in Ronald's eyes. "I didn't kill her! I swear! I loved her, Ronald. I wanted her to run away with me but she wouldn't leave you."
The King was openly weeping, tears falling down the plastic-like features of his face that had been botoxed into place. "Despite all of the times you neglected her for work, she was devoted to you. She may have slept around but she didn't deserve what happened to her."
Ronald took a deep breath, then walked away.
"Wait! Where are you going?"
"Where else? To Mayor McCheese's".
