She stood there in the eerie dark of the room, hovering over her husband’s dead body. It’s all going to work out, Leisel. She repeated the mantra silently in her head over and over again. Tightening her grasp on the vial she held, Leisel let out a long shaky breath and chanced another glance down. She squinted her eyes and was able to see that the man’s eyes were still open; they bulged unnaturally out of their sockets making them look more dead…more haunted. Scanning the rest of his face Leisel noticed the way his jaw hung slack, and how his lips and cheeks were swollen from chocking.

The sight made her knees weak and her stomach nauseas so she gripped the desk beside her for support. Keep it together, Leisel, she attempted to encourage herself, but it didn’t work. Leisel felt like a monster, and in all honesty, that is exactly what she had become the last year. Contemplating 365 days behind her husband’s back, she conjured multiple ways to steal his well-earned money. Lying to him, saying she loved him and that the money didn’t matter. Well, the money mattered.

Leisel shut her eyes hoping that when she opened them, the body would be gone. But when she blinked them open, the body was still there. She tried multiple times hoping for a different result, but nothing changed. Her husband was still dead, and she was still a murderer. The darkness in the room seemed to engulf her, trap her, and she began to panic.

Come on, Leisel move! Damn it! She ordered herself when her legs refused to unglue themselves from their position. She needed to get out. Her time was running low. Leisel was smart, however, and she knew she would need some extra time. Everything was planned from the beginning, she held up her end of the deal; he’s dead now.

The plan was simple, you see. Her part consisted of a vial of poison, a bottle of Chardonnay, and a dark secluded room. All Leisel had to do was get her husband alone, and simply pour the contaminant into the drink.

Everything was moving as planned. The murder was finished. Now, all Leisel had to do was tell Vann, and he would finish the rest.

Once Leisel collected her thoughts she crouched down next to the dead man and gently shut his eyes. She knew it didn’t matter, but he looked more peaceful- like he was only taking a quick nap instead of a lifetime slumber. She murmured a few parting words before slipping the vial into her pocket and standing up. She then fumbled to the desk, blind in the darkness.

Her eyes were completely useless in the dark, so she used her hands. They wandered until they closed around a knob to a drawer. She searched the space with her hand letting out a “YELP!” when a tack pricked her finger. Leisel withdrew her hand immediately to suck the wounded area. Damn it, Leisel shut up! She panicked in her head. What if someone heard? Someone might have gotten suspicious if they knew she was there.

Taking a deep breath, she quietly continued to search until she found a sheet of paper and a pen, with it she wrote:

My dearest wife, Leisel,

As much as I enjoyed my life on earth with you, I have decided to depart from it early. I will see you in the Holy Place when your flight arrives.

You’re truest love, Augustus.

Once again, Leisel was smart enough to think ahead by writing a suicide letter. Oh, Leisel.

Rushing now, she maneuvered through the black room and tucked the letter into her husband’s coat. She gave Augustus a final parting kiss and stood up.

As she did the door to the room swung open with a BANG and a moment later the lights switched on. After being in the dark for so long the light was blinding, scorching…maybe even evil. It seared her eyes making them snap shut. When she opened them again she took in the scene around her. It looked much worse than it had in the dark.

She made an audible gulp as the uniformed man stepped forward.