Rachel got out of her car and turned to lock the door as a clap of thunder exploded making her jump. The mist was turning to large raindrops as she looked up at the cloudy sky she pulled the hood of her hoodie from under her coat collar and draped it on her head. No looking back now she thought as she walked up the street toward the driveway, holding her mace in her left hand she cautiously walked up the driveway. Following the drive she saw an attached garage with a back door beside it with the porch light on, she headed towards the door.
The rain was starting to get heavier, she wished she had brought her umbrella. As she approached the door she saw that it was open slightly, he must want me to come on in she thought. Knocking on the door as she poked her head in she said loudly "Helloooo?" there was no answer. She decided to push the door open more before going in and noticed it seemed to be stuck on something. It felt like something just under the edge of the door a rug or something like that she thought. Pushing she looked into the room seeing that she was entering a really large fancy kitchen that to her looked like something from an interior design magazine. There was no one around just the kitchen lights and beyond she could see a lone lamp shown in what appeared to be a living room or den.
She decided to bend down to see what was blocking the doorway putting her mace in her coat pocket. She saw it was a man dress shoe black with a heavy horseshoe shaped heel. How had that happened? she wondered. Grabbing the shoe in her right hand she unlogged it and stood back up. Pushing the door fully open she saw him and gasped! There was a man lying just inside the doorway. Was he dead? She went closer but looked around to see the kitchen quickly so see if someone was there still. As she got closer she could see his face was swollen with bluish horseshoe shaped bruises all about his face and bald head. His expensive looking white dress shirt and navy blue slacks were rumbled with his navy and gold toed socked foot tucked slightly under his left leg she notice he only had on one shoe and it matched the one in her hand. Looking at the man's shoe on his foot and then looking at the one in her hand she through it down with disgust. She bent closer" Joe?" she asked more to herself than to him. It was Joe....Oh, no, her hand went to cover her mouth. There was a broken drinking glass with a puddle of liquid all around it's shards appeared to have slid further inside the kitchen than where she was standing. She was not going in any further! Was he murdered? He was certainly dead, his glassy eyes were open as was his mouth and she could see he was not breathing. Was he poisoned? Was he beaten to death? What if the killer was still there?
Backing out of the doorway, she noticed a single red rose in Joe's right hand. Then she thought of the text she had gotten just minutes before she came in the house of the rose emoji! Where else had she seen the rose tonight? She recalled that at The Egyptian, the waiter Anthony had one on his lapel, also the couple she saw across the restaurant, the man had taken one from the table and given it to his girlfriend as they were leaving.
Oh, my God! The hair prickled on the back of her neck. I am being set up she thought as she backed out of the house leaving the door wide open as the now pouring rain hit her face it sent a shock through her body. She was being set up. None of this was random, the text's were not a wrong number at all they had been meant for her. Somebody lured her here to frame her because they wanted to kill Joe. But why? Who? Was it the mafia looking guys from the restaurant, was it the man with one eye? Was it the waiter Anthony? He did start acting weird to her before she left The Egyptian? But why would they want to kill Joe? She was running to her car now the rain splattering and splashing her like it was all of the earths tears coming down on her at once while her own warm tears mixed with the cold raindrops as she ran.
Getting into her car she wiped her face with her wet coat sleeves and began to shake franticly. Crying and scared she knew she had to get away from there but where? If she was framed they may have tipped off the police anonymously and they could be at her apartment right now just waiting for her to show up. So she couldn't go home but she knew she could not stay here. She started the car and touched her crystal and said "no one can see me, I am safe" which she really hoped was the case this time and she just started driving in the opposite direction of which she came. She started thinking with tears still streaming down her face, should she call the cops herself right now? But telling them what? Telling them that she just found her ex lover dead and she think she is being framed for killing him? With what evidence...just the texts? Should she just tell them she was a stupid 21 year old who did stupid implusive things and should have known better than to come here? Yeah that would work, she thought.
She kept driving until she was at least what she guessed to several miles from the house but completely out of University Park area. She pulled over in an all you can eat diner parking lot toward the back hoping there were no cameras around. She parked and pulled out her phone. She had a text. Her heart began to pound but from fear not anticipation this time. It was from the random number, it was a single skull emoji.
The rain was starting to get heavier, she wished she had brought her umbrella. As she approached the door she saw that it was open slightly, he must want me to come on in she thought. Knocking on the door as she poked her head in she said loudly "Helloooo?" there was no answer. She decided to push the door open more before going in and noticed it seemed to be stuck on something. It felt like something just under the edge of the door a rug or something like that she thought. Pushing she looked into the room seeing that she was entering a really large fancy kitchen that to her looked like something from an interior design magazine. There was no one around just the kitchen lights and beyond she could see a lone lamp shown in what appeared to be a living room or den.
She decided to bend down to see what was blocking the doorway putting her mace in her coat pocket. She saw it was a man dress shoe black with a heavy horseshoe shaped heel. How had that happened? she wondered. Grabbing the shoe in her right hand she unlogged it and stood back up. Pushing the door fully open she saw him and gasped! There was a man lying just inside the doorway. Was he dead? She went closer but looked around to see the kitchen quickly so see if someone was there still. As she got closer she could see his face was swollen with bluish horseshoe shaped bruises all about his face and bald head. His expensive looking white dress shirt and navy blue slacks were rumbled with his navy and gold toed socked foot tucked slightly under his left leg she notice he only had on one shoe and it matched the one in her hand. Looking at the man's shoe on his foot and then looking at the one in her hand she through it down with disgust. She bent closer" Joe?" she asked more to herself than to him. It was Joe....Oh, no, her hand went to cover her mouth. There was a broken drinking glass with a puddle of liquid all around it's shards appeared to have slid further inside the kitchen than where she was standing. She was not going in any further! Was he murdered? He was certainly dead, his glassy eyes were open as was his mouth and she could see he was not breathing. Was he poisoned? Was he beaten to death? What if the killer was still there?
Backing out of the doorway, she noticed a single red rose in Joe's right hand. Then she thought of the text she had gotten just minutes before she came in the house of the rose emoji! Where else had she seen the rose tonight? She recalled that at The Egyptian, the waiter Anthony had one on his lapel, also the couple she saw across the restaurant, the man had taken one from the table and given it to his girlfriend as they were leaving.
Oh, my God! The hair prickled on the back of her neck. I am being set up she thought as she backed out of the house leaving the door wide open as the now pouring rain hit her face it sent a shock through her body. She was being set up. None of this was random, the text's were not a wrong number at all they had been meant for her. Somebody lured her here to frame her because they wanted to kill Joe. But why? Who? Was it the mafia looking guys from the restaurant, was it the man with one eye? Was it the waiter Anthony? He did start acting weird to her before she left The Egyptian? But why would they want to kill Joe? She was running to her car now the rain splattering and splashing her like it was all of the earths tears coming down on her at once while her own warm tears mixed with the cold raindrops as she ran.
Getting into her car she wiped her face with her wet coat sleeves and began to shake franticly. Crying and scared she knew she had to get away from there but where? If she was framed they may have tipped off the police anonymously and they could be at her apartment right now just waiting for her to show up. So she couldn't go home but she knew she could not stay here. She started the car and touched her crystal and said "no one can see me, I am safe" which she really hoped was the case this time and she just started driving in the opposite direction of which she came. She started thinking with tears still streaming down her face, should she call the cops herself right now? But telling them what? Telling them that she just found her ex lover dead and she think she is being framed for killing him? With what evidence...just the texts? Should she just tell them she was a stupid 21 year old who did stupid implusive things and should have known better than to come here? Yeah that would work, she thought.
She kept driving until she was at least what she guessed to several miles from the house but completely out of University Park area. She pulled over in an all you can eat diner parking lot toward the back hoping there were no cameras around. She parked and pulled out her phone. She had a text. Her heart began to pound but from fear not anticipation this time. It was from the random number, it was a single skull emoji.
