Deadly In Stilettos (51 page)

             
A subzero frig, open-range stove with inserted grill, built-in deep fryer and griddle were just a few of the items occupying her beautifully decorated kitchen. To the side of the kitchen were a door to the left and a door to the right.

             
The one on the left led to the attaching garage and the one of the right led to a large pantry, with a secret door inside that led to a wine cellar.  Every wine one could imagine lived and breathed in the space. Charlie was a wine connoisseur, so Corrin knew he would have a cellar whenever they built a home. From the size of the cellar, Corrin knew that Charlie spent a great deal of time finding rare quantities, limited productions, and all timeless favorites from all over the country and far beyond.

             
A whining staircase led downstairs to a finished basement that looked like something from a magazine. A pool table, pinball machine, several other arcade games lined the walls, while a full-sized bar set along another. A sectional sofa, with matching chair set in the middle of the space. Earth tones gave the space a homey, relaxing feel to it, and Corrin could not wait to lounge around all day with her husband.

             
Although she did not drink at the moment, she still enjoyed having the option of a bar whenever they entertained guests. Ceiling to floor windows allowed natural light to enter the room, and a glass door led out to a gigantic, oval shaped indigo in-ground pool.

             
The guest house was only a feet away with a cabana, outside shower, round bar, and lounge chairs. A round bar set in the pool underneath a massive, yet elegant waterfall and slide. It was like having a hidden oasis in her very own backyard; Corrin gathered taking in the beautiful paradise she would call her backyard. All she and Charlie had to do was walk outside their home to go on vacation.

             
The yard went on forever. There were steps leading down to a private sitting area that overlooked the beautiful lake. A barbeque grill, fire pit and other outdoor accessories completed to amazing space. Corrin was beyond words. She knew that Charlie put a lot of sweat, dirt and tears into creating the perfect home, but Corrin saw with her own eyes that he had done way more than she ever imagined. It was simply perfect, beyond her expectations. It was as if God had kissed that piece of land just for the both of them to share. Corrin was overwhelmed by the beauty of her home, and the love growing in her heart toward her wonderful husband. 

             
Back inside, Charlie led Corrin down a long hallway. A powder room, two guest bedrooms, and a living space occupied the first part of the hallway, while a full-sized bath, two more rooms, and another living space occupied the third level of the home. Just as Corrin was wondering where the master bedroom was, Charlie led her to a secret hallway through a door in the second living space.

             
Ten wooden steps led up to their love nest. A California king-sized bed set in the middle of the room, with oversized matching furniture. A fireplace, living area, and hidden patio with a hot tub completed the open space. The master bathroom held a round spa Jacuzzi tub in the center of the room. A shower that doubled as a sauna set on one side of the room, with more than twenty different jets, which could fit about ten people comfortably. His and her private toilet rooms, individual sinks, a vanity for her and a shaving area for him and just to the back of the room set his and her walk-in closets.

             
Corrin was so overwhelmed by the time she walked into her closet seeing all the new clothing, shoes, and accessories, she broke down crying in Charlie’s arms. “What’s wrong? Don’t you like the house?” She could not believe he had asked her that question. “Are you kidding me? I love this house. I love everything about it, but most of all, I love you for giving it to me.” Charlie stared into her eyes endlessly. He covered her mouth with his, kissing her so intensely. Corrin lost her balance and leaned into his hard body. His manhood greeted her with a total salute. “I will give you the world if you said you wanted it,” Charlie whispered into her ear.

             
They made love right there in her walk-in closet next to all the beautiful shoes, on the little sitting couch there just for her to put them on.  Corrin used her body to thank her husband. She gave all that she had to give and much more. By the time they finished, they had made their way throughout the entire home, christening each room. Corrin could feel her husband’s hands on her body at that moment. She still couldn’t get him out of her system, nor did she want to. 

             
The ringing of the phone brought Corrin back to reality, and the fact that Charlie was gone. She didn’t feel like talking to anyone, so she allowed the answering service to pick up. It was her mother calling to check on her. Corrin almost grabbed the phone, but she could not move. Somehow, she had made it back from the kitchen with another bottle of wine from the wine cellar.

             
It was just after ten o’clock in the morning and she was already drunk. What was happening to her? Did she have a problem? Corrin shook the thought from her mind. She was fine. She was a grown woman, and if she wanted to spend her weekends drinking wine or any other time, she was entitled to do just that. She did not have anything else to do, so why not?

             
Why had God taken Charlie from her? They were so happy together, and they had even started trying to have a baby. Corrin got sadder just thinking of the painful memory she had resurfaced. The day Charlie died. She was rushed to the hospital. Everyone thought she was just fatigued and upset about her lost, but they discovered she was pregnant.

             
Corrin could not even be happy about what should have been a joyous occasion. The love of her life was gone forever and she was supposed to take care of a baby all by herself. The doctor gave her something to help calm her down. Her mother, father, two brothers, and Constance went home with her. They made all the arrangements for Charlie’s funeral service.  Marcus went back to the morgue to speak with the attendant, but no one knew until Corrin received a call from him apologizing for his terrible behavior. He also told her how sorry he was for her lost and asked the address of the service so he could send a flower arrangement. Corrin thanked him and hung up.

             
All night and day, Corrin had conversations with Charlie. She remembered asking him when he was coming home. While lying in bed the night of Charlie’s death, Corrin saw what looked like a shadow in the darkness. When she took a better look, she saw him. She saw Charlie or what she thought was Charlie.               Corrin remembered speaking to the shadow thanking it was my husband. She replayed the conversation in her mind. “Charlie, my love, is that you? I have been waiting for you. I knew you would come back.” There was no reply.

             
The shadow just lingered in the darkness of the room. It was not Charlie but the spirit of death coming to take their unborn child. When Corrin tried to get up from the bed, she felt a sharp cramp in the bottom of her stomach. She screamed but no one came. The way their home was built, no one could hear inside their room unless the intercom was turned on and it wasn’t.

             
The more Corrin tried to move, the more anguish the pain became. She felt something wet in between her legs. When she put her hands there to see if she had peed on herself, she was horrified to see that it was blood. Her baby was in trouble. Corrin fought hard to get up from the bed, only to fall back down again from the pain.

             
The shadow did nothing, only waited in the shadows. Corrin knew at that moment it was not Charlie standing in the room with her, but instead death coming to take the only other thing she had left of him. “Why God,” Corrin cried out. “Please don’t take this baby from me too!” Corrin had cursed God earlier that day for taking Charlie from her and vowed to never serve Him again. It was too late. She knew that God had turned his back to her, and she would lose her child too.

             
When the next morning came and no one had heard or seen Corrin, they all came to check on her. Her father was the first one to enter the room that horrific day. He rushed over to the bed when he saw his only daughter lying unconscious in a puddle of blood. “Call 911! Please, call 911!” He called out to his wife and Constance. It was too late. Corrin had miscarried during the night and passed out. When she got to the hospital, she had lost so much blood that the doctors were not optimistic.

             
Her parents prayed asking God to spare their daughter’s life. They promised to help her find her way back to him. After several hours of surgery, Corrin lie sleeping in a private room recovering. She was numb, broken, and madder with God than before. At that moment, she knew he didn’t exist in her life anymore. 

             
At the funeral, she sat lifeless as people hugged, kissed and offered words of sympathy. The service was filled with many relatives and friends who came to pay their respects to a well-known and loved soul. The family of the woman driving the other car, who killed Charlie and three others, came to say how sorry they were. The woman was in jail awaiting sentencing. The case could not be preceded until Corrin was able to attend. Corrin wanted to tell everyone to go away. She wanted to die. Her life was over. Her husband and unborn child were taken the same day, and she wanted to go with them so that they could be a family, but that hadn’t happened. She was left all alone.

About the Author:

I began writing when I was in third grade, starting with poetry. Throughout the years I explored shorts, novellas, and eventually novels. I formed a blog in 2010 to showcase my works and thoughts, and the response I received
inspired me to finally finish my first book and publish. My debut novel was published July of 2012. It is called “Deadly in Stilettos” and is available on amazon, Books-A-Million, BarnesandNoble.com, as well as several other sites.

I am from the small town of Greensburg, Louisiana. There wasn’t much to do in such a small town, so writing became my scapegoat. There is nothing greater than the imagination. I am a wife and mother of two, currently residing in Hammond, Louisiana. In my spare time, I enjoy reading great books, shopping, spending time with my family and close friends, and simply living life. I love the color red, although my favorite color is purple.

I don’t have one genre I stick to when it comes to my writing. I create stories that are relatable and realistic from my imagination, mixed with a bit of real life. This helps readers get to know my characters and understand them better. I mix suspense with a bit of paranormal events in most of my stories just because it takes the story to another level. My target audience varies with each book, just to shake things up and keep my readers wondering where I will go next!