Kim’s head hit the coffee table corner and then the dirty beige carpet—milk and cereal flew. The gamers’ roar converted to a frenetic car commercial.
“Kim? Kim?”
Through arrested tears, Kim’s eyes stared open and void—that mouth was silenced and her nipples flat and still. Blood oozed through her blond hair and mixed with the cereal-dotted milk, soaking into the carpet.
Kim was dead.
* * *
Gary stared down at her with the mind of a lawyer. Self-defense, or even accidental death, would not save him. At six feet and two hundred thirty pounds on a thin day, he was twice her weight. Worse, he was inher home. He should have left—retreated. But he hadn’t. He couldn’t. It was that mouth.
She made me stay—she made me shove her, Gary thought.
Now, Gary understood Skip and why that mouth had to be silenced—one way or another.
Sweat crept down Gary’s temples. He glanced at the front door—his mind ran out, but his body stayed.
He had misjudged Kim’s reaction to his video blackmail, usually his ace-in-the-hole. Instead of surrendering in silence like the others, she had detonated—and for nothing. He had no videos.
Why bother videotaping when he got the real thing whenever and however he wanted it?
Gary headed for the front door. He opened and shut it with the tail of his blue shirt. He exited to a clear, unpeopled escape.
⌘
About the Author
After a lifetime of writing poetry, books, nonfiction, and legal documents, it was author Ray Bradbury's friendship and encouragement that finally inspired Dale E. Manolakas to pursue writing as a career. He taught her that the characters wrote the book—she didn't.
Dale E. Manolakas earned her B.A. from the University of California at Los Angeles, and M.A., M.S., Ph.D. and J.D. degrees from the University of Southern California. She is a member of the California Bar, had the privilege of clerking for The Honorable Arthur L. Alarcón at the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, was a litigator in two major Los Angeles law firms, and a senior appellate attorney at the California Court of Appeals, as well as an Administrative Law Judge.
Member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors’ Equity Association.
Dale E. Manolakas
Author Website
http://www.dalemanolakas.com. [Sign up for new release notices here.]
Author YouTube Channel with Book Trailers https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCac1mJynScdPGd2FVz1987A
Amazon Author Page with Videos
https://www.amazon.com/Dale-E.-Manolakas/e/B00H0FMRX6
Lethal Lawyers Page 38