Kate saved her Word document and closer down her computer. In one sweep, she had her big purse completely packed up. She always left work at exactly 5 o’clock. Standing up from her desk, she waved goodbye to Mr. Reed. He waved back, then shyly turned back to his computer monitor. “What a weird guy,” she mused to herself as she pulled on her coat. Driving home, she always listened to the Sinatra channel on her Sirius radio. Thursday the 9th felt like a regular day to Kate, until she got home. Walking into the still house, she called out, “Hello? Chris? Are you home?” but all that answered her was the chime of the grandfather clock in her hallway. Kate sighed and put her purse down on the kitchen table. She stared at yesterday’s mail. The sink was still full of dirty dishes. “So either Chris hasn’t been home yet, or he left everything like it was when I left this morning,” she whispered. She checked the garage. Still empty. The house felt strangely peaceful. Kate’s anger subsided as she cooked herself a microwave dinner and sank down in her big recliner. Two hours passed before she finally got up again. She decided to clean the kitchen, at least so Chris wouldn’t yell at her again when he got home. Laying in the king sized bed alone felt so comfortable to Kate. She stretched out her arms and legs and took a deep breath. She breathed in the cool, clean pillows and, for a minute, smiled at the thought of being alone. At least she could go to bed without feeling hoarse from yelling. She fell into a deep relaxation and hardly heard the loud KNOCK KNOCK on her front door downstairs. Finally, after several minutes of continuous knocking, Kate wrapped a robe around her small body and dragged herself down the stairs. She hated being awakened from such a peaceful rest. She opened the big oak doors and before her stood two policemen. At the sight of her, the taller officer gently removed his hat and looked down at his shiny shoes. The other officer tried to offer her a kind smile and quietly said, “Ma’am, I’m so sorry we had to wake you at such a late hour. I’m afraid we have some bad news. Your husband has been killed. His body was found at Motel Lux.”