TO DIE FOR (Eva Rae Thomas Mystery Book 8) - Willow Rose

Prologue

It was just one of those days. Sarah Abbey was late for work at the Bed Bath & Beyond in The Avenues due to a traffic accident. Her clients, a young engaged couple who wanted to register there, were upset from the beginning because she was late for their appointment. It ruined the atmosphere, and the groom-to-be didn’t like any of Sarah’s ideas. They ended up leaving without registering, and Sarah’s entire morning was wasted. Then, at lunch, she realized she had brought Scott’s turkey sandwich instead of her own with ham. Since the Thanksgiving dinner as a child when she got sick and threw up, Sarah had hated turkey and couldn’t eat it. Just the smell alone made her feel sick. She texted Scott a picture of the sandwich, followed by an emoji laughing so hard it cried. Later, her boss yelled at her for placing the new bath towels from Huntley on the wrong shelf, and she had to excuse herself and say she didn’t know where her head was.

Now that she was finally coming up her driveway and stopped the car in front of the small townhouse she shared with her boyfriend; she felt a sigh of great relief leave her body. Finally, she could relax. Nothing had worked out today, and there wasn’t enough coffee in the world to make her feel better.

At least, now that she was home, she could get a glass of wine. She would put on some comfortable clothes and just relax—maybe binge some Netflix until Scott came home.

Sarah got out of the car and walked up toward the front door when she noticed something on the doorstep. The sight made her smile and forget all about the dreadful day, at least for a few seconds.

It was a huge bouquet of beautiful white lilies.

Her favorites.

She reached down and grabbed them, still smiling and shaking her head while mumbling, “Scott, you really shouldn’t have.”

She unlocked the door, holding the bouquet close to her chest, then walked into the kitchen and placed it on the granite countertop. She put her purse down, then found the big clear glass vase on top of the fridge and poured water into it.

They had been dating for two years now and living together for the past six months. It was a rental, and Scott talked about finding something they could buy together, but Sarah hesitated. She wanted to make sure they really meant it, that they could figure things out before making such a big decision.

Looking at the flowers, she suddenly realized she was in way deeper than she had thought. She was really in love with him.

She unpacked the lilies and looked for the card but didn’t find any. Scott wasn’t a man of big words, so it was no surprise, she thought and shrugged it off. He had probably decided to send her the flowers because he was sad about the sandwich mix-up today. Or maybe he just thought she needed it. Scott was a guy who would surprise her like that. He was the type who was always there at the right time and place.

“There, that looks great,” she said as she let go of the flowers in the vase, and they folded out to show their splendor. The bouquet was even bigger than she had thought, and she wondered if it hadn’t been too expensive.

Sarah took a picture of them, then sent a text to Scott:

YOU REALLY SHOULDN’T HAVE

It took a few minutes before he answered:

I DIDN’T

Sarah stared at the display of her phone, puzzled at his response. She then lifted her gaze and looked at the flowers, now with a concerned look. If they weren’t from Scott, then who?

Who else in this world knew how much she loved white lilies?

Prologue

Sarah felt her hand holding the phone begin to shake. Then she put it down, grabbed the flowers, and threw them in the trash. She stood and stared at the trash bin for a few minutes, her heart throbbing in her throat. Then she realized she needed the flowers out of the house completely. The mere thought of having them inside made the hairs rise on the back of her neck.

She grabbed the garbage bag, closed it, carried it outside, and then threw it in the big bin. She slammed the lid shut. Sarah stared at it, almost feeling as if the flowers could jump out of it and attack her.

They’re just flowers, Sarah.

Sarah took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself, then walked