Chapter 3

3: 3

"I didn't file a false report. My husband was murdered, and his body is somewhere in this house."

My voice was shaking.

I believe in a connection between two souls.

Great danger was coming, and somewhere out of sight, my mother was trying to save me.

It had to be that!

Captain Finch turned to two of his officers without hesitation.

"Search the place."

"Yes, sir."

The two officers moved at once.

My father-in-law had this house built three years ago. He said it was so the whole family could stay under one roof during the holidays.

He took it seriously. He had someone read the feng shui, drew up the blueprints himself, and oversaw the construction in person.

The layout was close to a villa's, three floors with a courtyard of about four hundred square feet.

The two officers went floor by floor, room by room, courtyard included.

After a thorough search, no body turned up.

My father-in-law spoke, unhurried.

"Captain Finch, they say you shouldn't air the family's dirty laundry, but today we've got no choice.

"After my son married Marcella, the ungrateful boy never got over his old flame. He hurt my daughter-in-law's feelings again and again.

"This time he heard the old flame had divorced, so he dropped his wife in a heartbeat and ran off overseas. A disgrace to the Henson name."

The moment he finished, my mother-in-law jumped in.

"That's right, that's right. That's exactly what pushed my daughter-in-law over the edge and made her call the police over nothing. Officers, I'm so sorry you had to see this."

Maurice and Stella backed them up too.

Stella most of all.

She kept rolling her eyes at me, muttering, "So humiliating. Doesn't even care that people are laughing at us."

Captain Finch looked at me, doubtful.

"Ms. Larson, what's the basis for your report?"

I stuck to the facts and showed the texts on my phone.

Before Captain Finch could say anything, all four of them let out a startled "Ah."

"Marci, isn't your mother already dead?"

"How could a dead person send messages?"

"There's obviously some mistake."

Again it was Stella who spoke first.

"Marcella, don't you get it? Somebody's messing with you on purpose, and you actually fell for it and called the police. Your head really is broken."