Deadly Negotiations Page 3

this watch."

  It was a repeating pattern with the bankers and clients whom came to do business. Each would receive a viewing of the fabled watch. Meg was getting sick of hearing the same line, "I don't cherish much, but I do cherish this watch." Winter came and went, giving rise to the spring air. The warmer weather brought increased shipping traffic to the busy port of Halifax. Nathaniel continued to pay his loan installments and managed to keep his business operational. There were some lean times, but he made do with a few food handouts from Meg.

  As summer arrived, the port was bustling with ships from exotic locations. Mr. Pike was particularly obnoxious and his watch was the talk of the town. All morning he’d been snapping at Meg. He threatened to replace her, citing that a hundred women would line up around the block, for a chance to work at the bank. She was about to leave for lunch, when he dropped off four memos that needed typing. They could have waited until she returned, but he did it with malice. "I need these done now, no lunch until they're complete."

  "Yes, Sir." She smiled at him and began to arrange the papers. She waited until he shuffled into his office and cursed him under her breath.

  Mr. Pike relaxed into his large leather chair. He loved his office, and he loved the power that his job gave him. The sunlight streamed through his office window and he glanced at his calendar. The date looked familiar, it was one year to the day, that he'd received his watch. He glanced at the watch and saw the sun glisten upon the slim black watch hand. It was twelve noon and the watch hands both pointed straight up. The watch started to vibrate and captured his attention. To his amazement, the dial rotated and the spider that normally faced upwards now faced the other way. As it rotated, a clicking sound could be heard, but he couldn’t recognize its origin.

  Mr. Pike did not realize that the clasp, holding the leather strap, had locked. The watch was now securely fastened to his wrist. The watch continued to vibrate, holding his attention in some strange state of frozen fascination. The sides of the watch started to move and the cylinders pushed out from their embedded casing. Mechanical wheels were turning inside of the watch, triggered by the current date and time.

  The cylinders continued to move and started to extract, like a telescope unfolding. The cylinders extended to a longer length; two on each side. The wheels and gears continued to turn. Inside the watch, a reservoir opened, allowing a dark fluid to run into the small cavity, within the cylinders. With increasing speed the cylinders wrapped around Mr. Pike's wrist. The end of the cylinders pushed out a metallic spike, as sharp as a needle. The spike was coated in the liquid released from the watch's reservoir.

  Fascinated by the transforming watch, Mr. Pike was slow to react, the watch kicked into its next set of gears. The cylindrical arms wrapped around his wrist and plunged the four spikes deep into his skin, piercing veins and vital arteries. Mr. Pike screamed and slammed the buzzer to summon assistance from Meg. The poison coursed through his veins, paralyzing him. He started to shake violently, and could not react to the watch's attack. He tried to rip the watch off with his free hand, but the clasp had locked tight. He banged the buzzer button feverishly.

  Meg walked calmly into the office. She could see the watch impaled into Mr. Pike's wrist. She could see the paralysis and his obvious distress. "Meg, help me. Get this thing off me."

  Meg closed the office door. She walked over to the cabinet and poured herself a whisky. Sipping the whisky, she watched Mr. Pike fight against the Black Widow spider venom. She walked over to him, realizing that he didn't have much time left. She knelt at his side, watching the life drain from his body. He flicked his eyes in her direction in a desperate plea for help; his body was still and lifeless. She raised her lips to his ear and whispered, "You really cherished that watch didn't you. Remember, sometimes the things you cherish will kill you."

  As the last spark of life drained from his body, the watch started to reverse. The cylinder spikes retracted and disappeared. The cylinder legs folded back into the body of the watch. The dial's spider motif turned and the clasp unlocked completely. The watch hands resumed their movement. The watch fell from the dead man's wrist and lay upon his desk, in front of him.

  "That's for my sister," she whispered.

  Meg took the whiskey glass and washed it clean, leaving it in the kitchenette area. Using a pencil, she’d managed to move his watch to a credenza, behind his desk. She’d seen him place it there, when he would use his fountain pen. He didn't want to smudge the ink.

  On her way out of the office, she closed the door and went for lunch. When she returned, the police, medical staff and senior bank management, were all on the scene. Days later, the Halifax Gazette ran an article about the curiously strange case of the banker who loved spiders. Apparently, he'd died as a result of two spider bites; four puncture wounds were found on his wrist, from a poisonous spider. Police suspected that he'd received the spider from a sailor working on the docks. Most sailors knew of the banker who collected rare and dangerous spiders.

  It is said that a banker bought the watch from his grieving daughter.

  The End ......

  A Short Story by Phil Armstrong.

  This short story is a unique piece of work featuring fictional characters, companies and names, brought to life by Phil Armstrong.

  If you enjoyed this story, be sure to visit www.2promises.com for more novels written by Phil Armstrong. Copyright 2012 Phil Armstrong. Discover other titles by Phil Armstrong at www.2promises.com ISBN 978-0-9877284-3-2