Don't Kill For Me by Martha Henley

Author:Martha Henley [Martha Henley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-04-08T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirty-eight

“Huuuuuuuuuuu!” I sucked in a deep breath, bolting straight up in bed. My heart raced a mile a minute. I doubled over, rocking in place, and struggling to breathe. “What is wrong with me,” I gasped.

Lying in bed alone, I felt like I’d been stabbed in the heart. Like the knife was still there in the attacker’s hands. I could almost feel his breath on my flesh.

Racking my brain for the truth, I tried to return to my dream before the pain started. Nightmares in the past had an origination point. The familiar face that haunted my nightmares wasn’t there that time. I remembered nothing. One minute I was sleeping, the next I was awake, grabbing my chest.

As quickly as it ripped into me, it died down to nothing. A wave of calmness lulled me back to sleep. The universe had gotten my attention, then moved on.

When I awoke to my alarm a few hours later, I was still alive. The dream that had taken my breath away hadn’t returned. The “why it happened” was clear. The faceless Rest in Peace was my new nightmare.

Having just signed the termination notice the day before, I had no place to be. Any pending orders for arrangements had been cancelled or transferred to other florists. My calendar was wide open.

Since it was Sunday, I dressed to go to the flea market. The atmosphere helped me think. Just existing in the midst of the hopelessness of my past pushed me to make the future a better one. I was at one hell of a crossroads and needed a good reminder to keep going forward.

It was a beautiful morning. On the way to the car, I inhaled deeply, taking in the spring air. It smelled of rain. The stone path under my feet was sprinkled with dark spots. It was the dead giveaway that a morning shower had occurred. Dew drops on the grass represented hope for the new beginning on the horizon.

“This is a good sign. He can’t get to me. I’ll reopen the shop once he’s caught and I know he will be, because I’ll help catch him,” I confirmed to myself as I walked along the hedges that lined the parking lot.

Stopping just short of my vehicle, I had my keys out to unlock the door and noticed something shiny in the bushes. I’d always been one of those shiny object chasers, an old habit from a poor upbringing.

Curiosity got the better of me. I bent down and picked up two silver quarters. Sticking out of the bushes near the coins was a single pink carnation. It was laying on top of a sealed envelope.

Every cell in my body knew I was intended to find these objects and that they were from him. The envelope was slightly damp. The blue ink used to write “For You” on the front was smeared. It was aesthetically beautiful, but decidedly terrifying.

It was the first note he’d delivered so close to home. Proof that he knew much more about me than I did about him.

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