office.”
“Is she okay?” Molly asked.
“What the fuck do you care?” Drew asked. His spoon hit the bottom of the bowl, sending a wave of liquid tomato over the side and onto the table.
Molly squirmed in her seat and looked at her lap. She began to answer but then stopped.
“I said what the fuck do you care!”
Billy and Sara ran from the table, abandoning the second round of the cracker competition.
“You’re scaring the kids,” Molly whispered.
“That cunt is gone. Period.” Drew took a napkin from the table and wiped the spilled soup with the hands of a surgeon. He smiled at Molly and tilted his head to one side. “Great soup, hon. Really, this is incredible.”
Molly stood and pushed her chair away from the table. Her arms clicked into waitress mode as she cleared the dirty dishes and took them into the kitchen. Drew exhaled and looked out the window over the snow-covered backyard. The swing in the tree bobbed back and forth at the whim of the wind. He stood and walked into the kitchen, coming up behind Molly at the sink. Drew wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled his chin in her hair. The scent of jasmine and woman aroused him.
“Please don’t. The kids are—“
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to blow up like that. After all the grief that woman caused me, I just thought you’d be happy.”
Molly turned to face Drew. She focused on his chin rather than his eyes. “Of course I’m glad she’s out of your office. I didn’t mean to sound unsupportive.”
“Let’s just forget about her. If she was okay to write the letter I’m sure she’s getting the help she needed.”
Drew released Molly and put the dishes into the dishwasher. He dug the cold, wet food from the sink drain and wiped the counter, the meal tasks he knew Molly despised. She smiled and raised her eyes to the ceiling, to their bedroom directly above the kitchen.
“Kids! Time to get ready for bed,” Drew yelled with a spreading grin on his face.
Chapter 5
“Thank you and welcome to Channel 7 News. I’m your anchor, Melanie Sampson, and this is our top story. Authorities have discovered the mutilated body of a woman in the Crooked Tail River. Officers on the scene are not releasing details as a full investigation is under way. However, we have Nan Roles on the scene. Nan, what can you tell us?”
“Well, Melanie, what we do know is that a woman’s badly mutilated body has been discovered by two hunters who were camping along the Crooked Tail River. They first noticed a bra stuck on a branch, and when they got closer, they saw the body.”
“Yeah, we was camping there over that ridge. The whitetail trails run right through it. Anyway, we was gettin’ ready to head out for the day when Earl saw somethin’ stuck on the tree. At first he thought it was one a dem plastic shopping bags, but then we’d figured out it was a lady’s undergarments. Kinda strange all the way out here, so we stomped through the snow to take a closer look. When we get a few feet away, I seen her ankle and knew it was trouble. That’s when Earl took out his cell and called the sheriff.”
“Thank you, Sir. So, Melanie, the authorities are tight lipped right now, as you would expect. They have not released any information on the victim pending an identification. One officer on the scene told me that the woman is middle aged, naked, and in ‘pretty bad shape.’ We’ll be on the scene as more information becomes available.”
“Thanks, Nan. Have they declared a cause of death? Could this have been an accident?”
“Doubtful, Melanie. The victim appears to have defensive wounds. As of now, the police are treating this as a crime scene, no doubt awaiting word from the coroner as to whether or not to declare it a homicide.”
“Thanks, Nan. We will certainly keep tabs on this developing story and bring you updates as we get them. Earlier today, several city officials broke ground on the new community
“Is she okay?” Molly asked.
“What the fuck do you care?” Drew asked. His spoon hit the bottom of the bowl, sending a wave of liquid tomato over the side and onto the table.
Molly squirmed in her seat and looked at her lap. She began to answer but then stopped.
“I said what the fuck do you care!”
Billy and Sara ran from the table, abandoning the second round of the cracker competition.
“You’re scaring the kids,” Molly whispered.
“That cunt is gone. Period.” Drew took a napkin from the table and wiped the spilled soup with the hands of a surgeon. He smiled at Molly and tilted his head to one side. “Great soup, hon. Really, this is incredible.”
Molly stood and pushed her chair away from the table. Her arms clicked into waitress mode as she cleared the dirty dishes and took them into the kitchen. Drew exhaled and looked out the window over the snow-covered backyard. The swing in the tree bobbed back and forth at the whim of the wind. He stood and walked into the kitchen, coming up behind Molly at the sink. Drew wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled his chin in her hair. The scent of jasmine and woman aroused him.
“Please don’t. The kids are—“
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to blow up like that. After all the grief that woman caused me, I just thought you’d be happy.”
Molly turned to face Drew. She focused on his chin rather than his eyes. “Of course I’m glad she’s out of your office. I didn’t mean to sound unsupportive.”
“Let’s just forget about her. If she was okay to write the letter I’m sure she’s getting the help she needed.”
Drew released Molly and put the dishes into the dishwasher. He dug the cold, wet food from the sink drain and wiped the counter, the meal tasks he knew Molly despised. She smiled and raised her eyes to the ceiling, to their bedroom directly above the kitchen.
“Kids! Time to get ready for bed,” Drew yelled with a spreading grin on his face.
Chapter 5
“Thank you and welcome to Channel 7 News. I’m your anchor, Melanie Sampson, and this is our top story. Authorities have discovered the mutilated body of a woman in the Crooked Tail River. Officers on the scene are not releasing details as a full investigation is under way. However, we have Nan Roles on the scene. Nan, what can you tell us?”
“Well, Melanie, what we do know is that a woman’s badly mutilated body has been discovered by two hunters who were camping along the Crooked Tail River. They first noticed a bra stuck on a branch, and when they got closer, they saw the body.”
“Yeah, we was camping there over that ridge. The whitetail trails run right through it. Anyway, we was gettin’ ready to head out for the day when Earl saw somethin’ stuck on the tree. At first he thought it was one a dem plastic shopping bags, but then we’d figured out it was a lady’s undergarments. Kinda strange all the way out here, so we stomped through the snow to take a closer look. When we get a few feet away, I seen her ankle and knew it was trouble. That’s when Earl took out his cell and called the sheriff.”
“Thank you, Sir. So, Melanie, the authorities are tight lipped right now, as you would expect. They have not released any information on the victim pending an identification. One officer on the scene told me that the woman is middle aged, naked, and in ‘pretty bad shape.’ We’ll be on the scene as more information becomes available.”
“Thanks, Nan. Have they declared a cause of death? Could this have been an accident?”
“Doubtful, Melanie. The victim appears to have defensive wounds. As of now, the police are treating this as a crime scene, no doubt awaiting word from the coroner as to whether or not to declare it a homicide.”
“Thanks, Nan. We will certainly keep tabs on this developing story and bring you updates as we get them. Earlier today, several city officials broke ground on the new community
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