Bye, Bye Bugs!

Olivia stood at the kitchen counter, sipping her coffee and admiring the garden out back. Her gaze was drawn to the beauty of the neighborhood’s well-kept lawns, but she couldn’t shake a feeling of disappointment. Since the basil and mint weren’t doing their job, she was waiting for Bye, By Bugs.

A trail of roaches had made a path from the flower garden to the basement window and her response was to hire an exterminator who was scheduled between 3 and 5. It was 5:30. The deepening shadows added to her unease as she contemplated calling to complain. Why did she even bother to leave work early?

She checked her phone to see if she had missed any calls or texts. Nothing. Just as her fingers curled to tap the company’s number, the doorbell sounded.

When T.J. Pittman was driving the Bye, By Bug van, it sounded like some cans were rolling around in the back. What the hell? It was only a couple of miles to his next stop. He could secure the containers then.

He hoped his overalls would dry out from crawling under the house of that last customer and tried watching the road while checking his appointment book. Olivia Jennings. Possible roach infestation. Trail from outside to basement. It sounded like an easy fix. T.J. smiled and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel in rhythm to the oldie playing on the radio.

He heard a POP and thought it was a blow-out. Before he knew what was happening, a piece of metal sliced into his throat, and he stopped worrying about anything.

After the bell chimed, Olivia opened the door to find two solemn uniformed police officers on the other side.

“Miss Jenning?” the older, taller officer asked.

“Yes, I’m Olivia Jennings.”

The officers glanced at each other before the shorter man spoke. “I’m afraid we have some bad news. It appears the exterminator you’ve been expecting was killed in a wreck.”

“Killed?”

The first officer responded, “I’m afraid so, ma’am. We managed to find his appointment book in the crash, and it looks like you were his next call.”

“Oh, my God,” she whispered, sagging against the door frame. “Is there anything I can do? Any help?”

The younger officer said, “No, ma’am. We think this is pretty cut and dried, but we wanted to stop by since you were expecting him, and we were in the area.”

“How — how did it happen?”

“We’re still investigating. Early reports suggest that a bug bomb exploded in the back of his van. We can’t say anymore.”

“How awful. I didn’t hear anything.”

The older officer smiled with a hint of sympathy before handing her a business card. “We appreciate your cooperation. If you think of anything else, you can call us. Our number is right there.”

Olivia took the card with a trembling hand. Her mind whirled. “Thank you,” she whispered, while trying to comprehend how fast the day had turned into a nightmare.

The police officers hesitated, but there was nothing else to say or do. She shut the door, pondering how something so mundane could unleash such horror.

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