Today’s writing prompt and my response.
Day two of this week’s challenge! The tale begins here.
There had been many theories about how she had been murdered
That chat over the fence was twenty years ago now, and it had been the last time Miriam saw Dorothy. She hadn’t worried at first. It wasn’t unusual for her neighbour to be busy in the house – which had to be kept spotless or suffer the consequent abuse – or to be running errands. He never left the house, except on a Friday night for a pint or two or three down the social club. That was Dorothy’s free time, when she could put her feet up and catch up on her soaps or read a book. Sip a glass of wine (kept secretly in the utility room where He never ventured) and relax.
It was the presence of the police car which first had Miriam’s ears twitching. Had they come to arrest the bastard finally? Had Dorothy complained? Not that he ever actually hit her, or not that Dorothy ever said, and there were no bruises that Miriam saw, or hospital visits.
She resisted the urge to knock on her neighbour’s door once the police left, hoping to catch Miriam in the garden instead. Two or three days passed with nothing happening.
Then the police knocked on Dorothy’s door. ‘Do you know Mrs Dorothy Walker?’ the very young looking policeman asked.
Miriam’s heart stopped, and re-started with a thud. What on earth had Dorothy done?
Nothing, it appeared. Apart from getting herself murdered. Body dragged from the canal after being spotted floating there by a dog walker. Her husband had complained she was missing, but nothing had been done because she was a grown woman, and two days isn’t long to be missing.’
Now, twenty years later and no one arrested, Miriam had heard many theories about how Dorothy had been murdered. She gazed through her kitchen window across the garden fence to where He still lived. Miriam didn’t believe any of those theories.
(Read day three here)
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