Page 3 of Little Shattered Dreams

Had the thud been part of my dream?

And what about the sound I’d heard?

As much as I wanted to believe it was just a dream, I didn’t. My mind was wired to consider the worst possible outcome.

I walked to the door, opened it, and looked in both directions. I saw no one, heard nothing. The last thing I wanted to do was wake my neighbor if she was asleep, but I couldn’t help myself. My curiosity got the better of me.

I knocked on 2B’s door and waited for the woman occupying the room to answer. I felt something on the bottom of my slipper, and I glanced down, noticing a playing card was stuck to it. I bent down, finding another and another. I wondered where the rest of the deck was hiding.

As I stood there waiting for the door to open, I tried to recall the woman’s name. Truth was, I’d always been terrible with names, which is why I carried a notebook in my handbag whenever I was investigating a murder case.

Is it Lynn?

No.

Wynn?

Doesn’t seem right either.

When 2B didn’t come to the door, I knocked again. Still nothing. I jiggled the handle. It was locked. An alternative idea sprung to mind, and I returned to my room. I pulled the sliding glass door open and stepped onto the back porch.

The crisp February air raised a smattering of goosebumps on my skin, but I pressed on. I looked to my right and noticed 2B’s patio door was wide open, which seemed odd given the cool temperature at this time of night. Then again, I was always cold. The woman in 2B had a lot more padding.

I leaned over the railing, cupped a hand to the side of my mouth, and said, “Hey, neighbor, is everything okay in there? I heard a loud noise coming from your room a few minutes ago. Are you all right?”

There was no reply.

I considered minding my own business and retreating to the warmth of my bed, but who was I kidding? Until I had an answer to my burning question, the sound I’d heard would nag me for the rest of the night.

Had she fallen?

Tripped over something?

Worse?

Or perhaps she’d had a bit too much “zen” in her day and had decided to hit the booze. This place was a bit too “tranquility of the mind” for my liking, so the notion made sense.

I needed to know what was up with 2B, and it was easy enough to find out. I swung my leg over the wood railing, hopped onto the grass, and slid over the railing onto 2B’s patio.

I pushed the curtain over the door aside and poked my head in. “Excuse me, hello? Sorry to bother you so late. I’m Georgiana Germaine, your next-door neighbor. Just wondering if you’re okay?”

When I still didn’t receive a response, I started second-guessing myself, knowing if I entered the bedroom and woke the woman from a sound sleep, I’d scare the wits out of her. And yet … I wasn’t resolved to leave.

I stepped inside, pulled the door closed behind me, and ran my hand against the wall, feeling for the light switch. I found it, flicked it on, and the bedroom illuminated. I looked around and noticed 2B’s bed was unmade, and the top dresser drawer was halfway open. A robe was bunched up on the ground next to a pair of fuzzy pink slippers.

Nothing too out of the ordinary.

In the bathroom every item was in its place, all of her products lined up in a row from shortest to tallest. It seemed strange, given the bedroom hadn’t been as tidy. I headed into the living room and noticed the television was on. In the glow of the screen, I saw 2B. She was resting on the couch with her back to me.

“Hey, there,” I said. “Didn’t you hear me calling out to you just now? I’m your neighbor in 2A.”

I walked around to the other side, switched on the lamp, and stared at the wall to my adjoining room. There was a long red smudge that looked like blood. Whatever it was, it was still wet. Resting on the carpet was another playing card.

I turned to face 2B and smacked a hand over my mouth. Her eyes were closed, and she was still, as if frozen in place. Blood seeped from a wound at the back of her head, pooling onto a sofa pillow that had a hole in its center.

I placed two fingers over her carotid artery.

It was then I realized 2B wasn’t ignoring me.

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