Page 52 of The Amendment

I’d loaded up my tools in the car—a knife, a tarp, the cleaning supplies—and I’d driven the hour and a half to his place.

Upon arrival, I’d realized he wasn’t there.

Did he expect me to show up and try something? Maybe.

But some part of me had to believe he’d never expect me to try something so bold.

So, now, I’d built myself up for the murder—so excited I could practically hear his last breaths, feel the blood specks on my skin—only to be completely let down when it didn’t happen.

It was the emotional equivalent of blue balls.

As I neared the house, I spied Ainsley waiting on theporch swing, a mug of tea in her hands. I loved seeing her that way. So calm. So peaceful. Oblivious, even.

If only she knew what I was going through to protect her.

I climbed from the car and made my way up the porch to join her.

“Whatcha thinking about?”

She’d changed clothes from when I’d seen her last, and up close I noticed red flecks in her auburn hair. Had she been painting?

“Where were you?” she asked, her eyes darting to meet mine.

“Sorry it took so long. I stopped by the store to look for that coffee creamer I like, but they were out. I went to half a dozen places and no one had it.”

She nodded stiffly, standing and walking past me.

“Headed inside?”

“Yeah.” She pushed the door open behind her, letting me grab hold of it to follow her in. “I should warn you, it’s kind of a mess in here.”

“What do you—” Before I could finish the question, I stepped through the door into the house and every nerve in my body lit up. I smelled the rusty iron scent of blood.

A lot of blood.

“Ainsley?”

She ignored me, moving through the living room as if she didn’t smell a thing. Suddenly, I thought back to the specks of red in her hair. “Ainsley?”

No.It wasn’t possible.

I didn’t have time to process my suspicions. Seconds later, I was in the kitchen and they were confirmed. In thecenter of the floor, a body lay wrapped in clear, plastic cloth. Surprisingly, the room was otherwise clean.

I stared at my wife, then at the body.

It wasn’t possible.

It had to be a joke.

She wasn’t capable of this.

“What happened?”

“Your friend came by.” Her arms were wrapped around herself, the mug of tea still gripped in one hand.

“Friend?”Jim.My stomach knotted. “What happened? Did he…did he hurt you?”

At that, she snorted, her brows raising in amusement. “He tried. I stopped him, no thanks to you.”

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