by Joshua Corin
He chuckled and drank his coffee.
“What’s so funny?” asked Esme.
“I was wrong about your husband,” he answered. “That man is a saint.”
She punched him in the arm.
He drank some more of his coffee through a wide, wide smirk.
Shaking her head, she rose from the table and wandered over to the stereo. It was time for music. She sifted through her CDs. Each album conjured different memories. Collectively, they formed the soundtrack of her life with Rafe, and with Sophie, a life that had almost ended, a life that had only begun.
Tom’s voice called out to her from the kitchen. “So are you going to stand there all night or are we going to play some cards? We’ve got an early day tomorrow.”
She smiled, chose a CD from their collection and pressed Play. It didn’t matter which album it was. The music was theirs, and that made it good.
Acknowledgments
The following people, in alphabetical order, were instrumental in keeping the author from running through the streets naked.
Steve Bennett, Carla Buckley, Pam Callow, Rebecca Cantrell, Alan Corin, Heather Corin, Kelly Corin, Michele Corin, Noah Corin, Seth Corin, Sharon Corin, Shiela Corin, David Cromer, J.T. Ellison, Heather Foy, Kristy Hamer, Amber Hutchison, Miranda Indrigo, Alan Jackson, Jud Laghi, Mariya Marvakova, Rebecca Maizel, Meghan McAsey, Linda McFall, Nicolette Rose, John Russo, Brooke Tarnoff, Ted Wadley, Jordan White.
For their patience alone, they deserve sainthood.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-8881-6
BEFORE CAIN STRIKES
Copyright © 2011 by Joshua Corin
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1 Kirk, Grover. Galileo’s Aim: The Murders That Fascinated a Nation. New York: Barrow Press. 2012: ii–iv. Published posthumously.