Chapter 42

The deep hours of the night were hot and dark; even the full moon had moved away on its path and stars had faded away to barely there pinpricks. Long restless hours went by with no sleep. Sirens in the distance, dogs barking. Her husband had been gone for several days and the lonely nights alone were wearing on her with no sleep. But tonight felt different. Wrong somehow. She was uneasy and couldn't determine the why of it. Long hot baths didn't help, nor the instant but fleeting gratification of an orgasm.

Lying there contemplating everything and nothing, a very faint, barely there sound jerked her head toward the dark doorway to the room. Squinting into the shadows, heart pounding, she slowly slid out of bed. Stopping every few steps to listen, no other sounds came but the air flowing from the vents above. She made a very slow and cautious circuit through the house, exploring every single room, flipping switches. Peering through the window slats into the backyard yielded no