It's A Wonderful Midlife Crisis (Good To The Last Death #1) - Robyn Peterman Page 0,52

too.”

“Maybe after Christmas when I get my bonus,” John said, taking the glass from her hand.

DON’T DRINK THAT. I wanted to yell and tell him something bad was about to happen, but he already knew that. He was dead. It was like I was watching a bad B movie… except it was in staticky black and white and it wasn’t a movie at all.

Sarina’s eyes narrowed slightly, but her false smile stayed fixed on her filler-enhanced lips. Why in the heck had John married such an awful gold-digger? Wait. Not my problem.

John took a healthy sip—and began to cough and choke. Waving his hands, he begged for help. Sarina simply watched him and smiled.

“Hang on,” she purred. “I know how we can fix it.”

John pushed his phone into the side of the chair cushion. Amazingly, the camera still caught the action, but it was obscured from regular sight—or Sarina was simply too crazed to see it. John continued to cough and choke. It was hideous.

Sarina entered the family room with a large butcher’s knife in her hand and the expression of a deranged woman on her face. I really did not want to see the end of this God-awful movie, but I would watch it for John. It had already happened. He was dead and his wife had gotten away with it… so far.

She circled the chair and came up behind him. She laid clear plastic over and under her husband’s body. Her face and upper body were captured by the phone camera perfectly. And sadly, so was John’s.

Grabbing his hand and putting the knife in it, she smiled. “It’s so nice of you not to ruin the furniture, darling,” she said with a deranged giggle. “This will only take a moment.”

Placing her hand over his, she violently raked the butcher’s knife with sickening accuracy across John’s neck. The sound was wet and disgusting. I’d never heard anything like it in my life.

The blood came—dark and red. It was thick and fairly slow. I’d always thought a slit throat would spurt. John gasped and fought as his trachea was severed and he began his awful descent towards death. The poison from the drink dulled his senses and made it impossible for him to fight for his life. I could only hope it had also dulled the pain, but it certainly didn’t look like it.

The sound of escaping air from his windpipe made me want to retch. I’d never seen anyone die before, and I never wanted to see it again. I held my breath as John’s eyes rolled back in his head and his body convulsed. The blood ran steadily from the grotesque slit in his throat.

His thrashing went on for a couple of minutes and then it stopped. Sarina watched in rapt fascination the entire time. It was the most inhuman behavior I’d ever witnessed.

“Whoops,” she said with a hollow laugh. “I didn’t realize you were so depressed, John. Suicide is such a coward’s way out.”

The screen went to static, and I had never wanted to get out of a place so quick in my life.

Donna’s bark was loud and welcome. I followed the sound and found myself right where I was when I’d left—at the kitchen table sitting across from John.

“You think the phone is still in the chair?” I asked him, having a hard time making eye contact after witnessing his violent death.

“Yausssss.”

“And the chair is still in your house?”

“Yausssss.”

That was all I needed. It seemed a little doubtful that it was still there, but there was a chance John was correct. I’d get that damned phone if it was the last thing I did. Although, I hoped it wasn’t the last thing I ever did.

I was exhausted, but it was different this time. My body felt heavy and lethargic, but I didn’t feel dead on my feet.

“I have no idea what I’m going to do, but I’m going to do something,” I promised John as I stood and tested my limbs. “First I’m getting Karen out of the dog pokey and then I’ll…”

What was I going to do? Break and enter again? I didn’t know the layout of the house. And I would bet my favorite running shoes that Sarina didn’t work during the day—or at all. She was probably at home right now planning her wedding to the next old rich dude she was going to murder.

Don’t try to save them.

Gram’s words rang in my ears. She was right and she was wrong. I couldn’t