Page 1

I lay on the kitchen floor, my body lifeless as crimson blood pours from my wounds. I try to breathe, but it hurts most unimaginably. The only thing I focus on for now is the refrigerator before me. I’m in shock, to say the least. My eye catches the pink Post-it note with the words, Pick up Brian’s dry cleaning .

My husband—Brian.

My head turns to the side as I see the silhouette of Brian’s body in the living room, lying on his back, his arms spread to the side, and a pool of blood beneath him. I whisper his name. It was all I could manage. He didn’t move as tears streamed down my face.

All I could think about was I had to get to him. I start to get up. My feet slip on the crimson-red liquid, returning me to the black and white checkered tile. My head hits the floor hard. Everything goes blurry.

In and out of consciousness, I hear footsteps—multiple footsteps. Did the person responsible for this come back to make sure we were both dead?

“There’s a body in the kitchen!” I hear a man’s voice .

Turning my head, I see a man in a uniform—dark blue kneeling beside me. It’s Sheriff Strange.

“Katherine, help is on the way. Stay with me.” He places his hands on my wounds to control the bleeding. “Can you tell me who did this to you and your husband?”

I try to shake my head, but one attempt to move felt like a billion tiny needles bludgeoning my body. I moan.

“Katherine, I won’t let you die. You have to fight,” he says.

“It looks like a break-in,” I heard another officer say.

“My husband,” I manage a low whisper.

Sheriff Strange stares at me with sympathy in his eyes. It was at that moment I knew my husband was dead. Everything went black.