Chapter 1: Chapter 1
It was the middle of the night when the call came in. The police were asking for any information about a suspicious vehicle. The vehicle had been spotted near the scene of a homicide. A woman had been bled to death on her bed. There was a trail of blood from her house to the road.The police found a man hiding in the woods. He claimed to be the husband of the murdered woman.
The man was tall and broad should ed. His face was tanned from the sun and streaked with dirt. He had a moustache so large it could give Colonel Mustard a run for his money. The couple had been married for fifteen years.They had two daughters, seven and nine. The eldest had just started pre-school. The youngest was still a baby. The man was a logger he cut down trees for a living. It was his job to travel and meet people. He had no home and lived in his truck. His life was nomadic. That's how he liked it.He had no fixed address. He would drive for days and stop at a truck stop to sleep and shower. That's how he met his wife. I don't know what you want from me," the man said to the police. "I'm the husband of the woman you seek. Why should I be any different from any other husband?Should I be forced to live in one place? Am I not allowed to have a life of my own? I'm a father and a husband. "We know you have a life of your own," the police officer said. "But you must understand that we are trying to find out who this woman is. It is our job.We are not going to let you go until we have found out who she is and where she has come from."The man didn't reply. He was used to this treatment from the police. They never let him go without a fight. Even when he gave them what they wanted they arrested him for obstructing justice. "What justice do you seek?Do you wish to see me locked up? Or do you wish to see me dead? Because if it is the latter I can assure you that neither will happen. I am not afraid of you and what you can do to me. In fact I welcome it. It gives me something to live for. You see I am nothing but a shell. I have no will of my own.I am merely a vessel for my wife's spirit. You will kill me and take my body, but you will not take her spirit. She will haunt you until you give her what she wants. And what she wants is for me to be alive. So you see my friend, this is your last chance. Tell me what you want and I will do my best to give it to you.But if you choose the path of defiance I will be forced to arrest you. And then what will you do? Run off into the woods and live No. You will come begging for mercy and I will throw you in the slammer for a couple of days until you confess your love for your wife and the mother of your children. Then I will let you go with a warning.I will tell you that if you ever attempt to leave your wife again I will arrest you and your children and make you spend the rest of your life in the woods. That should make you think twice before you act like a vagabond. Now hand me your phone and I will call your wife and let her know you are coming home.