Gemotions

The realtor’s breezy tone grated on her nerves. “Quaint! Loads of character!” Maria gripped her handbag until her knuckles were white. The charming Victorian had seemed like a dream at first, a refuge from her crumbling marriage.

Now, the police files she had unearthed felt like a curse. The previous owner, a kindly old woman, had been bludgeoned to death in the living room. The very air in the house seemed heavy with a sense of dread.

She felt a cold sweat prickle her skin. Her ex-husband had threatened her. She had nowhere else to go. She could not afford to move again. The house, her only sanctuary, had become a cage.