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If you missed the first part of The Widow in the Woods, you can find it here.
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Before we get into today’s story, I have some exciting news: the entire book The Widow in the Woods is finished and now available on Amazon!
What you have been reading here is my first draft. The paperback and Kindle versions have been fleshed out to contain 247 pages, 22 chapters and an epilogue (that you can only get in the published book) of where some of the characters end up a year later. If you have enjoyed the story so far, I hope you will grab your copy today and if you already have a copy, please consider leaving a five star review on Amazon.
Now, onto today’s story…
Lexie and Grace sat together on the parlor sofa, whispering in the glow of the single candle on the mantle.
“I’m free,” Lexie said with a satisfied smile. “I killed him.”
“Yes,” Grace nodded.
Lexie leaned against Grace, who stroked the girl’s hair soothingly. Soon, she had drifted off into a peaceful slumber.
Grace could not sleep so easily. Her mind was racing to solve the problem of the two remaining Hill brothers.
She had to finish them off before they realized that Christopher was gone. She thought about her husband. What would James have done in her shoes?Well, that wasn’t a very realistic question, because the Hills and Beth would have never gotten near the house if James had been there. That line of thinking was counterproductive, though. She needed to process information as James would have done and formulate a plan.
Rick was weak and she could give him something to make him sleep. Jon was the bigger threat. She had to take care of Jon, preferably not inside her home.
Suddenly, it came to her. She knew what James would have done.
She smiled when the girl with her head in Grace’s lap gave a gentle snore, then she leaned back to get some rest, satisfied that she had a workable plan.
…
The next day, Grace stationed herself on the porch swing, from which she had an excellent view of the trailhead. She practiced for a moment, resting her gun on her bad arm and holding it with the good one. Once she was convinced she could hold it steady and make her shot, she put a round in the chamber and laid her apron over the gun on the seat.
She began working on some embroidery, swinging gently and humming as she did. Lexie was still asleep on the sofa and Grace expected that after all she’d been through, the girl would sleep for quite some time.
Nightshade seemed to sense the safety and hopped up on the end of the swing, where a faded floral pillow awaited a feline nap.
Her next conundrum was what to do with the bodies. She really wasn’t up to digging a hole to bury them. She also wasn’t going to let them rot in her yard – this place was her haven.
When a friendly crow alit on the railing of her porch, Grace smiled.
Now she knew.
…
All day long, Grace sat on the swing. Lexie brought her a sandwich at lunch, and refreshed her glass of lemonade throughout the day. Each time, Grace shooed the girl back inside. Lexie didn’t need to see further death.
In the early afternoon, she assigned Lexie to task of keeping Rick company with a game of cards. She was to stick with the story that both Christopher and Jon were out searching for Beth.
A bit later, she explained to Lexie how to give Rick a strong dose of laudanum so he’d sleep through the night. Afterward, she could hear Lexie’s footsteps, pacing back and forth down the pine-floored hallway.
Grace was on edge. She’d waited all day to put her plan into motion and now she wasn’t sure if Jon was going to make it back. She was wondering whether she should call it a night as the sun was dwindling behind the trees and dusk began to fall, when she heard rustling on the trail. Was it a forest creature or was it Jon? She didn’t have to wait long until he appeared.
She sat quietly on her porch swing. With no lights on, she figured that her distance from the trailhead would make her hardly noticeable.
She was wrong.
He did see her.
When she realized that he’d seen her, Grace gave a friendly wave. Jon waved back. It seemed to take forever for him to stride toward the house.
Grace spoke softly. “Did you have any luck? Did you find Beth? I bet you’re hungry. We have a lovely surprise waiting for you.”
Her voice was so quiet that Jon strained to hear her. “What did you say?” he yelled.
Grace spoke even more softly and repeated what she’d just said, looking down at her lap so Jon couldn’t read her lips. Just a little bit closer, she thought.
As Jon approached, looking annoyed that she wouldn’t speak up, she slipped her hand onto the butt of her Glock. She’d already chambered a round, and it was ready to go.
Just a few more steps.
“I can’t hear what you —–” Jon began, then stopped in horror as he found himself looking down the barrel of Grace’s gun. “Wait! My brother will kill you! Wait –”
His plea was cut off as his face disappeared into a haze of red mist. Grace’s ears rang from the gunshot, and she hoped that Rick didn’t awaken. She couldn’t hear Lexie’s footsteps in the hall anymore from the ringing in her ears and was surprised when she appeared beside Grace, looking frantic.
They stood there, together, looking at the gory sight of Jon’s body, completely faceless. It could have been anyone, or a creature from a nightmare.
Finally, Grace broke the silence.
“Please go get the wheelbarrow, dear girl.”
About Daisy
Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, adventure-seeking, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites. 1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty; 2) The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived; and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. Her work is widely republished across alternative media and she has appeared in many interviews.
Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 12 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at SelfRelianceand Survival.com You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.
