sense Avery’s annoyed expression.
“Stephen is not the boss of me and he knows better than to try to stop me. I’m not about to let you do something like this alone. He’ll just have to wait by the phone and be ready with the bail money in case we get arrested. Now come on, we have to get into the kitchen, see if it fits the drawing.”
Both dressed in well matched, dark clothing, Holly felt a little ridiculous and giggled nervously, half scared half excited. Neither of them had ever dreamt of doing something like this let alone actually doing it.
A typical Muskoka summer night, anonymous creatures communicated in languages Avery and Holly couldn’t understand. Their voices filled the air. Clouds covered the moon and they had to use flashlights to find their way through the brush to Irene’s house.
As they drew closer to the scene of the crime, Holly shuddered at the thought of the animals they might be disturbing. Then she noticed something strange. “Don’t you find it a little quiet?”
Avery stopped and looked back at her friend. “You know you’re right. All of a sudden, it’s gotten pretty quiet. I don’t hear a thing anymore.”
“If this were a horror movie I’d say, ‘It’s quiet…too quiet’.” Holly laughed. “Weird we don’t hear anything now though, eh?”
“Maybe not. We’re making enough noise to frighten all God’s creatures into silence. For them, humans are the most dangerous creation of all.”
“True,” Holly said. She breathed a sigh of relief when they reached the outer rim of Irene’s property. Shocked by what she saw, she froze in her footsteps.
There was police tape surrounding Irene’s rather large garden.
She whispered to Avery, “What happened out here? Why the tape?”
Avery shrugged. “Let’s take a look.” She shone her flashlight over the sectioned off area. It didn’t take long to find the answer. The grass was soaked with blood. Avery panned the light up to illuminate Irene’s beautiful flowers. Some of them were blood splattered too. Deep burgundy drops stained the petals of a perfectly formed fragrant white rose. Holly felt sick.
“It didn’t happen in the kitchen. We warned her and changed the future, but we didn’t change enough.” Her voice sounded desolate.
Avery put a supportive arm around her and squeezed. After a moment, she said, “Let’s check the kitchen anyway. The cellar door has to be this way.” She pointed to the side of the house. They’d thought to bring tools with them in order to take one of the doors off its hinges and get inside the house. Neither of them had imagined that the murder took place outside.
Holly looked down at the cellar doors. There was no lock. They wouldn’t need the screwdrivers. She understood that many people living in the country didn’t lock their doors, but surely it was reckless to leave an access point unlocked. The woman may as well have kept her front door swinging wide open…then again maybe she did. Irene O’Neill wouldn’t be the only one who felt so safe in their community that she didn’t feel the need to live behind locked doors. If she had been killed in her own garden…was there any place safe?
The cellar smelled musty and Holly wrinkled her nose. It was damp and cold inside. She shivered, but couldn’t tell if her body was reacting to the chill in the air or her own nervousness. The cellar wasn’t much more than a crawl space. Avery had to bend at the waist to avoid hitting her head. Holly herself could touch the ceiling if she had the inclination. She didn’t.
Using their flashlights, they found the stairs to the main floor of the house. The door at the top was slightly ajar. Holly’s heart pounded so loudly she wondered why Avery couldn’t hear and comment on it.
“What if we’re not alone?” she whispered.
Avery put a finger to her lips and started to climb the stairs. Holly followed.
The door didn’t make a sound when she pushed it open and they walked
“Stephen is not the boss of me and he knows better than to try to stop me. I’m not about to let you do something like this alone. He’ll just have to wait by the phone and be ready with the bail money in case we get arrested. Now come on, we have to get into the kitchen, see if it fits the drawing.”
Both dressed in well matched, dark clothing, Holly felt a little ridiculous and giggled nervously, half scared half excited. Neither of them had ever dreamt of doing something like this let alone actually doing it.
A typical Muskoka summer night, anonymous creatures communicated in languages Avery and Holly couldn’t understand. Their voices filled the air. Clouds covered the moon and they had to use flashlights to find their way through the brush to Irene’s house.
As they drew closer to the scene of the crime, Holly shuddered at the thought of the animals they might be disturbing. Then she noticed something strange. “Don’t you find it a little quiet?”
Avery stopped and looked back at her friend. “You know you’re right. All of a sudden, it’s gotten pretty quiet. I don’t hear a thing anymore.”
“If this were a horror movie I’d say, ‘It’s quiet…too quiet’.” Holly laughed. “Weird we don’t hear anything now though, eh?”
“Maybe not. We’re making enough noise to frighten all God’s creatures into silence. For them, humans are the most dangerous creation of all.”
“True,” Holly said. She breathed a sigh of relief when they reached the outer rim of Irene’s property. Shocked by what she saw, she froze in her footsteps.
There was police tape surrounding Irene’s rather large garden.
She whispered to Avery, “What happened out here? Why the tape?”
Avery shrugged. “Let’s take a look.” She shone her flashlight over the sectioned off area. It didn’t take long to find the answer. The grass was soaked with blood. Avery panned the light up to illuminate Irene’s beautiful flowers. Some of them were blood splattered too. Deep burgundy drops stained the petals of a perfectly formed fragrant white rose. Holly felt sick.
“It didn’t happen in the kitchen. We warned her and changed the future, but we didn’t change enough.” Her voice sounded desolate.
Avery put a supportive arm around her and squeezed. After a moment, she said, “Let’s check the kitchen anyway. The cellar door has to be this way.” She pointed to the side of the house. They’d thought to bring tools with them in order to take one of the doors off its hinges and get inside the house. Neither of them had imagined that the murder took place outside.
Holly looked down at the cellar doors. There was no lock. They wouldn’t need the screwdrivers. She understood that many people living in the country didn’t lock their doors, but surely it was reckless to leave an access point unlocked. The woman may as well have kept her front door swinging wide open…then again maybe she did. Irene O’Neill wouldn’t be the only one who felt so safe in their community that she didn’t feel the need to live behind locked doors. If she had been killed in her own garden…was there any place safe?
The cellar smelled musty and Holly wrinkled her nose. It was damp and cold inside. She shivered, but couldn’t tell if her body was reacting to the chill in the air or her own nervousness. The cellar wasn’t much more than a crawl space. Avery had to bend at the waist to avoid hitting her head. Holly herself could touch the ceiling if she had the inclination. She didn’t.
Using their flashlights, they found the stairs to the main floor of the house. The door at the top was slightly ajar. Holly’s heart pounded so loudly she wondered why Avery couldn’t hear and comment on it.
“What if we’re not alone?” she whispered.
Avery put a finger to her lips and started to climb the stairs. Holly followed.
The door didn’t make a sound when she pushed it open and they walked
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