A book in progress. I think some one is going to get murdered.

Joe woke with a feeling of dread. The Bed beside him was empty. Where was Susan? He listened intently for the usual morning sounds but didn’t hear the shower or the usual rattling of kitchen ware.

A bottle of Scotch sat on the table next to his side of the bed. Then he remembered the fight.

His hands bore no scratches or signs of injury. Hopefully the two of them hadn’t come to blows. He was still rebooting his memory. Then it all came back to him as he sat up.

He lit a cigarette and took in a deep breath filled with that magic mix of toxic smoke filled with tar and nicotine.

His love and fiance had packed her bags and left with little warning at some point while he was sleeping. His small but tidy apartment felt large and empty now as he looked around for any remnants of her. He had a faint memory of her standing in the hall outside the front door of their apartment with two Gucci suit cases next to her long slender legs.

The argument had been ugly. Alcohol had played its part in it.

The apartment looked like a tornado had swept all of her belongings away. Many small items were now missing from the kitchen, as well.

Susan had warned him in many subtle and not so subtle ways that this life with her had taken a turn for the worse over the last few autumn months.

His work had turned out to be less rewarding both in prestige and financial rewards than she had hoped for. The financial part was the last straw, or so Joe thought.

A National Geographic magazine sat on the coffee table across the small one room apartment from Joe. It had been there for several weeks as Joe and Susan had planned their honeymoon. They had flipped through the pages at random and landed in Africa. This was how they had come up with the destination for their honeymoon.

Susan loved the idea and they both agreed that chance should decide where they would travel to just as it had led them to each other. Planning the trip had become an easy process once they decided to just let go.

Joe and Susan’s life together seemed to be over now for what ever reason.

Bright sunlight shot through the crack in the dark drapes and splashed on the magazine as a warm reminder of his laziness. She had asked Joe to put the magazine away after their plans had been finalized. Joe, as usual, hadn’t done that. It was just one more point of contention in a relationship growing more difficult each day.

Susan was gone now and had no illusions about returning. She was starting her life over with her “new friend.”

Joseph was alone in the city now and had little reason to stay. The Autumn weather was turning for the worse and offered little comfort to him. He looked for his phone but couldn’t remember where he had set it last night.

He and Susan had stopped for drinks after work and had a few more when they arrived home. They had a few more drinks before the fight had started. They eventually went to bed angry at each.

As more oxygen filled blood reached Joe’s brain, he remembered where the phone was. He walked to the corner of the small kitchenette and reached for it sitting on the bar behind behind the toaster. “I guess the toaster wouldn’t fit in her luggage,” Joe thought.

Joe looked at his contact list and called Charlene, his secretary. She answered the phone quickly. Joe liked that about her. She was efficient.

“Joe Drake’s office, how may I help you?” “Hey lovely, it’s Joe. I don’t think I’m coming into the office today. I need some personal time.”

“What’s up Joe?” Joe didn’t answer right away. “I know that I have some vacation time left on the calendar.”

“You’re right Joe, but there’s a meeting you need to come to tomorrow at eleven. The boss and you are meeting Charles Summers about his new book.”

“I’m finally done with susan, Charlene, or she’s done with me. It’s for good this time.”

Charlene smiled, but said nothing.

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Tomorrow I will put the first chapter of “The Bad Seed” up for your enjoyment. It is finished and coming to Amazon soon.