Chapter One

Spencer listened intently to the rhythmic clicking of the clock. She closed her eyes as if that would somehow block out the sound but it echoed even louder like a well hit drum. Eyes burning with fatigue blinked away tears, exhaustion plagued Spenser’s body but she gazed at the clock for the hundredth time that night. 4am, the minutes passed like hours. Using the sleeve of her jacket she wiped under her eyes and stared at the black smudge of makeup that now stained the fabric. She closed her eyes once more; but Aden lying in a pool of blood confronted her forcing them abruptly open. Spencer choked out a sudden sob, but her tears weren’t for Aden.

 Restless she moved across the room to the window. Resting her hands on the sill and leaning forward, filling her lungs with the fresh morning air, not a single star hung in the night sky only a wall of blackness. Spencer slowly made her way to the picture frame on the draws, her hands trembled but she embraced it with both hands to obtain a better view nonetheless. The room was dark but she knew it was a photo of her and Ashley. Taking the picture closer to the moonlight she intensified her stare, they had just been to the beach, both shivering like children on the first day of school. It was Spencer’s favorite picture; they had spent the afternoon kissing under the pier in the afternoon sun. Even now Spencer could remember the taste of Ashley’s lips, they were so soft, and the surge of heat that ignited through her body at the sensation of Ashley’s tongue entwining with hers, even now sent a shiver down her spine.

 Like an addict seduced by the warmth of the drug, Spencer’s eyes drifted back to the clock. 4:40am, her parents had been gone for hours now, but how long does it take to identify the body of your son?

Discarding the picture she closed the window, releasing the Venetian slats and watching them fall like dominoes. Pulling the thick curtains completely closed so not even a slither of moonlight remained, Spencer felt some comfort in the darkness. It was almost like the outside world no longer existed and she was invisible, but the spasmodic bark in the distance from a neighborhood dog reminded her it was all a feeble attempt to hide. Still, it felt better than the numbness that had crept in her chest.