His Bloody Project: A Historical Thriller

The next morning, Roderick cannot shake the notion that he should kill Lachlan Mackenzie. As he works the croft, he contemplates what killing Lachlan Mackenzie would entail and devises a plan of action. Carrying two gardening tools, he sets out toward Lachlan Mackenzie’s house, telling himself “that I was not on my way to murder Lachlan Mackenzie, but merely to discover what would happen if I paid a visit to his house thus armed” (128).

He approaches and enters Mackenzie’s house, where he is met by Flora, who is busy peeling potatoes. He tells her that he intends to kill her father, which causes her to panic. As she attempts to flee, Roderick strikes her legs before striking her in the head, killing her immediately. He moves her body to the kitchen table and waits for Lachlan Mackenzie’s eventual return. However, the next person to enter is Lachlan’s toddler-aged son Donnie, whom Roderick strikes on the side of the head, killing him.

Finally, Lachlan returns and discovers the bodies while Roderick remains hidden in the shadows. Roderick makes his presence known and tells Lachlan Mackenzie that he “had come to deliver him from this world in repayment for the suffering he had caused my father” (131).