Puzzled Pieces

As the pieces fall together

Gregory sat doing his jigsaw puzzle. He was a fanatic in making sure that the pieces fit perfectly. It was more than a hobby for Gregory, puzzles sated him. The more difficult the puzzle, the more pleasure it brought him. He had the puzzle spread out to his liking on his dining room table. The important tools of his craft were arranged methodically around him. To his immediate right was the original image wrapped in cellophane to protect the authenticity. On his left were the loose pieces of the puzzle separated by color with handmade signs designating specific areas of where they belonged. Directly in front of him sat the glue that would bind the product together. Clamped to the table was a lighted magnified glass used for clarity of his creations. The camera sat on his lap, always ready to photograph the completed image. Puzzle making was a precise science for Gregory.

The doorbell chimed just as Gregory was set to begin his puzzle work. The disturbance irritated him. His project must be covered before he answered the door. No one must see the portrait until he was ready to display his completed work. He lovingly placed a satin table cloth atop the puzzle. It was safe for the moment.

He went to answer the door. The mailman stood waiting with a package in hand. Gregory knew at once the contents. The postmark on the box was emblazoned with the emblem of "Life is a Puzzle" trademark. It was the supplies that he would need for his next project. He signed for delivery with the name of Dimitri Church.
He tossed the package to the side. It would wait, as for now he had work to do.

Gregory returned to his seat at the table. He settled himself in the hard straight backed chair made of wood. He believed that such a chair kept his posture in perfect form. His discomfort would require him to pay attention to detail.

Anger was visible on the man's face when the phone rang. Another interruption meant his work would again be delayed.

"Photos by Dimitri" the edgy voice answered.

"Hello. Is this Dimitri?"

"Yes, may I ask who is calling?" the man muttered

"This is Sandra Porees. We met a few days ago and you had mentioned taking photographs of me for the magazine that you were working for. I have your business card and wondered about the timing of that photo shoot. I wanted to make sure I had it in my calendar."

"Yes, Sandra I do remember you. We do not have a definite date on the schedule for that shoot. We were looking at possibly next Sunday. Would you be available then?" he queried. A picture formed in his mind of shapely brunette on the other end of phone. He smiled a cynical smile at the remembrance.

"Yes, I am available. Will this be a local shoot? I have so many questions."

Gregory was getting upset about the time being taken away from his hobby. Every man needed a hobby to relax.

"Yes it is local. I think we are looking at doing the shoot at the park. Obviously, it will depend on the weather. We would like to do the photos at dusk to enhance the colors of our lighting. We are still searching for other models, both men and women. Do you know anyone that might want the work?"

"I might know a few guys that would work out for this job. I can check with them for you. They are in their 20's, good looking with previous modeling experience."

"Wonderful, I will call you this week with all of the details and you can let me know if they are interested. Is 555-8073 still the best number to reach you at?"

"Yes the number is correct. I look forward to hearing from you. Goodbye."

"We will be talking to you soon." Gregory grinned, happy at the prospect of returning to his work. He left the phone off the hook.

Sharon hung up the phone and turned to her partner sitting at the desk. She winked at the man and said,"It is your lucky day. You just became a model. The salary is much better than a Police Officer."

Joe was a detective assigned to the case of multiple missing persons now found deceased. They had been finding one body a week for the last 2 months. A photograph left at the scene of the last body had led them to Dimitri.. Joe said with a sigh, "Well. I can always use some help with the bills. What's the scoop? Are we a go?"

"We are getting closer. We don't have enough on him yet. So we are going to have to let him bring us in on it. One picture is not going to fry him for us. We have some heavy work to do. Let's get tracers on his phone and see if we can get approval for a watchdog on his house. Then we will go from there." They went about the job of trapping a killer.

Six hours later, Gregory was still in his chair pouring his diligence into his project. He prided himself on excellence. It was art that he was creating and this was sure to be one of his better masterpieces. It was a whole process.

The first part of Gregory's fun started with picking just the right person to be his model. Beauty was only a small part of the traits that he required for his models. He wanted to feel a vibrancy and livelihood in their spirit. The photo session setting and the lighting had to be exceptional for Gregory. He liked to be unique. There was no doubt that he had a talent for capturing the essence of a person with his pictures. He had yet to be able to display his true talent, but there would be a day very soon. The name of Dimitri Church would be on the lips of every artist. .There would be no more Gregory.

He developed his own pictures. It was part of the creative process for a genius, he believed. When the photos were to his liking he packaged them for mailing. They were then sent to the only place that he trusted, "Life is a Puzzle" with explicit instructions. They were then carved into quality jigsaw puzzles with a high gloss finish.

After eight hours, Gregory considered his current project complete. He had stopped for no meals or bathroom breaks. He allowed no food or drink near his work. He stood to admire the finished product and he was pleased. Another two hours was spent photographing his work. He was in his glory.

The puzzle in front of him was a compilation of many photos of his last model Leslie. She was vivacious and beautiful in life and in death. A few of the images depicted the girl smiling and posing for the camera. Her sensuality burst to life in some of the photos with her lying on a red velvet blanket. The edges of the collage captured her in death. Her neck severed with the blood oozing richly from the wound. The vibrant tinge of body fluid mixing with the red velvet was the focal point. Her hands were tied above her head with a red ribbon made of satin. Her eyes filled with terror and her mouth agape in mid scream told the entire story of her encounter with Gregory.

Once he had loved her but Gregory had come to hate Leslie before he killed her. He stared at her images now recalling his hatred. She had called him Gregory, not Dimitri. Only one other person had made that mistake. His mother had given him that name and she had terrorized him his entire life. Dear old Mom had paid the price for that in much the same manner as Leslie. He had photographed her death as well but he considered those pictures grotesque, meant only for the family album.

He celebrated the puzzle in front of him. He donned white gloves and patted each piece. He recalled every moment of Leslie's death until he was sated. He made love to his portrait taking care not soil his work.

He picked up the phone at seven that evening and placed it back on the hook. He retrieved it and waited for a dial tone. He dialed 555-8073. It was time to get his next project started.

"Hello Sharon? I think we are going to move that photo shoot up to Wednesday. Would you be available?"





Word count 1444